More information : Roman fort possibly the site of Itunocelum or Gabrosentum - earthwork remains comprising a turf-covered rampart; it lies partly in permanent pasture, partly in a graveyard.
(NX 9820 2100) Roman Fort (R) (1)
The Roman fort of Tunnocelum (2), a name of doubtful attribution (3) near Moresby, measures 358ft N-S by 400ft E-W and is circa 3.5 acres in extent (b), the E-W measurement and acreage confirmed by Birley. Two altars and six inscribed stones were found in and around the fort, one of which had a Hadrianic inscription, suggesting 128-138 AD as the construction date of the fort, was found in Harrington Church (4). Foundations of a building were exposed in 1822 when coins of Constantine and Constantius were found (4a). A number of coins from Domitian to Constans were found when making the new road near Moresby Hall "some 20 years ago (circa 1840) (4c). Excavations revealed the site of the North (4) and foundations of the South gateways and possibly the foundations of the East wall (5). Excavations on the North side of the fort in 1951 by Swinbank revealed a single ditch, 11 ft wide at the top, and a fragment of a coarse pot of post-Roman date. In the N half of the fort a grave-digger has found a number of small stone pillars, possibly the supports of a hypocaust (6). (2-6)
Visible on APs. (7)
The fort consists of a grass-covered rampart having its largest axis from E-W. The southern side rises from a height of 1.0m at its E end to 4.0m at the well-defined SW corner. The N side is less defined; barely discernable at the E and rising to 3.0m high at the NW corner. The bank within the churchyard is visible as a slight rise 0.5m high. The W side has strong, well-defined corners and the bank is better preserved than the others, flat-topped and with outer and inner slopes, although only averages 0.5m igh in the centre. On the SW corner the earth is broken away revealing medium sized stones within the rampart. No trace of any ditch was seen and no apparent entrances. The interior of the fort is level and has no signs of any internal features.
Surveyed at 1:2500. (8)
NX 982210. Roman fort, scheduled. (9)
Identified as GABROSENTUM. (10)
This Roman fort was examined in the course of the RCHME: Cumberland Coast Project. It lies partly within a graveyard, where the rampart is severely reduced, and partly in permanent pasture. It is generally as described by the OS field investigator. (11)
The fort described above is visible as an earthwork on air photographs, centred at NX 9820 2100. In addition to this is an earthwork bank running to or from the south west corner and ridge and furrow (UID 1495025) within and surrounding the fort. The relationship of these features to the fort is uncertain. The monument was mapped as part of the North West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey. The feature does not appear to be visible on the latest 1990 Ordnance Survey vertical photography.
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