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Summary

The course of the Roman road to the east of the fort survives in the line of hedgebanks and is followed by the parish boundary. Metalling exposed in the banks of the Den Brook showed the road and its ditches to have been at least 5.9 metres wide. Excavation in 2012 confirmed the road to have been over 7 metres wide. Beyond Preston the road may have continued straight on towards Crediton, crossing the river at Keymelford or turned to the southeast.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1021151: Roman forts, marching camps and associated monuments

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX69NE/22
• Old SAM County Ref: 362 (part)
• Old SAM Ref: 10384
• Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division: SX69NE2

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ROAD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

Royal Air Force, RAF/39/TUD/T/15 Part 1, 5032 (Aerial Photograph). SDV223420.

Ordnance Survey, SX69NE2 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV223417.

Fox, A., 1953, 20th Report on the Archaeology and Early History of Devon, 174 (Article in Serial). SDV223412.

Roman road to east of North Tawton Fort. First noted in survey of Ordnance Survey aerial photos and subsequently inspected. Visible as a low, flat topped bank 3.5 metres wide, or else, where the ground rises as a slight hollow way, for a distance of 3.5 miles east of North Tawton Viaduct. Just south of field banks, on North Tawton/South Tawton parish boundary.

Wright, R. P., 1953, Roman Britain in 1952, 124 (Article in Serial). SDV223413.

A trial hole dug near North Tawton station showed the bank to consist of sandstone rubble resting on the natural culm clay; two Samian sherds have been found where a small watercourse has cut through it. Near its eastern end, 1/4 mile south of Newlands Mill, and aligned along its south side, are the remains of an oblong earthwork with rounded corners, approximately 220 yards from east to west by I40 yards north to south, with an annexe apparently bounded by the east bank of the River Taw. The banks are said to have stood more than 8 feet high until they were bulldozed about I940, and are still traceable on the ground, particularly at the south-east corner; and there appear to be three entrances on the north side facing the road.

Ancient Monuments, 1954, Untitled Source (Personal Comment). SDV346443.

A few traces of possible Roman road. A long straight hedge runs from the Roman fort to the Spreyton-Bow road near Brownsland Farm (SX717995). No trace of stone in its construction.

Ministry of Public Building and Works, 1958, Roman Camp 1/4 Mile W. of North Tawton Station (Schedule Document). SDV346445.

Straight road on east side [of earthwork] that extends three miles on line of parish boundary. Other details: Part of 362.

Fox, A., 1959, Twenty-Fifth Report on the Archaeology and Early History of Devon, 175 (Article in Serial). SDV343851.

Margary, I. D., 1967, Roman Roads in Britain, 120 (Monograph). SDV24025.

The four miles of parish boundary to the east of the fort near North Tawton is a striking feature, marked by a line of hedgerows on a large bank. Excavation near Coxmoor, however, failed to find evidence for the road on the bank and it has been suggested that it may have had a timber track or corduroy on it.
The road can be traced east to Hilldown Farm as indications of metalling have been observed at some points. Beyond this its course is unclear although a new alignment to the southeast is indicated by a long line of hedgerows beyond Preston.

Lambert, M. J., 1973, Roads to the Roman Camp at North Tawton (Article in Serial). SDV274717.

No evidence was found for the road on either side of the hedgebank at the entrance to Coxmoor Farm. As Lambert infers, however, the Roman road leading to the fort at North Tawton may have been a light military road such as described by Tacitus (Annals book 1), perhaps no more than a low embankment covered with logs or brushwood.

Lambert, M. J., 1973, Roads to the Roman Camp at North Tawton, 131-139 (Article in Serial). SDV274717.

Fox, A., 1973, South West England 3,500BC - AD600 (Revised Edition), 164, 182 (Monograph). SDV16216.

Griffiths, D. M., 1982, Untitled Source (Worksheet). SDV223415.

At SX69479961, where stream runs along southern edge of boundary/Roman road. A Longitudinal section created by the stream shown no sign of metallling. Other details: Photo.

Weston, S., 1983, List of Field Monument Warden Visits (Un-published). SDV345481.

Site visit by Department of Environment Field Monument Warden in 1983.

Griffith, F. M., 1985, DAP/ED, 5, 6, 6A (Aerial Photograph). SDV215279.

Griffith, F. M., 1985, DAP/FD, 8 (Aerial Photograph). SDV223424.

Salvatore, J. P. + Knight, M., 1991, Sections through the Roman Road from Exeter to North Tawton, 99-106 (Article in Serial). SDV223425.

Exposed metalling of Roman road visible in section in banks of Den Brook in 1992. Full width of road and ditches could not be seen; total width exposed circa 5.9 metres. Width of metalling alone was just over 4 metres, but was almost certainly wider when first in use, before part of the metalling was removed in antiquity. Fine metalling, taken to be indicative of road surface, recorded over a width of 2.4 metres and circa 20-40 millimetres deep where seen. Make-up layer circa 0.10 metres deep, occasionally 0.2 metres deep, consisting of 2 or sometimes 3 courses of pitched stones interspersed with a fine yellowish-brown clay. Below make-up is a grey soil, 0.08-0.12 metres deep. Three ditches observed on north side, one of which was almost certainly the primary ditch. It is just over 0.5 metres deep with a broad u-shaped bottom and may have been circa 1 metre wide. Its southern edge was cut away by the second in the sequence. This is 0.5 metres deep, width unknown, with relatively flat bottom rising slightly to south. The third ditch is a maximum of 0.46 metres deep, slightly shallower to south, and circa 1.55 metres wide. All 3 show signs of natural silting. A ditch was also observed on the south side. This was 0.26 metres deep, 0.45 metres wide. Its fill was a light brownish-grey clay, unlike the silts found in the ditches to north side. It was sealed by a clay soil. A localised layer of dark grey clay circa 60 millimetres deep sealed part of the road on is south side, but was not seen over any of the ditches. All features were sealed by up to 0.22 metres of homogenous yellowish-brown topsoil. A bank supporting a hedge sealed both the old ground surface and the earliest 2 ditches to the north.

Whiteaway, T., 2003, Archaeological Evaluation of Proposed Site of Lorry Park and Storm Water Storage Pond at the Barton, North Tawton, 2 (Report - Evaluation). SDV265762.

Passmore, A. J., 2003, Archaeological Recording During Gas Main Realignment South of Newland Mill, North Tawton, 1 (Report - Survey). SDV219497.

Department of Environment, 2003, Roman Forts, Marching Camps and Associated Monuments (Schedule Document). SDV343864.

Immediately north of the fort, aerial photography has revealed a Roman roadway running east west. Other details: Part of 10384.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

Brennan, N. + Leivers, M., 2013, A Probable Roman Road at Den Brook, North Tawton, 87-90 (Article in Serial). SDV358100.

The remains of the Roman road comprising compacted fragments of small local stones laid on a clay base were revealed during an archaeological evaluation in 2012 on land to the south-east of North Tawton prior to the construction of a wind farm.

Wessex Archaeology, 2013, Den Brook, North Tawton, Devon: Evaluation (Report - Evaluation). SDV361392.

This report presents the results of an archaeological trial trench evaluation undertaken by Wessex Archaeology in November and December 2012 on land to the south-east of North Tawton, Devon prior to the construction of a wind farm. The evaluation consisted of 26 trenches and an excavation area targeted on locations based on information from a desk-based assessment and a geophysical survey. The investigations located the remains of a Roman road with associated features, a small area of activity (consisting of postholes, a pit and a ditch) and a number of other ditches thought to be former field boundaries. No further work on the artefactual or paleo-environmental evidence is proposed given the known baseline and the nature and extent of development proposals, although it is noted that there is some potential for further analysis of the environmental material recovered from some of those features identified, should the opportunity arise.

A slight raised area was visible which the farmer identified as the course of the Roman road. Excavation in this area revealed the surface of the road directly beneath the topsoil and cleaning of the surface showed this to be composed of densely compacted, small angular fragments of local stone. Two wheel ruts were visible aligned westnorth- west - east-south-east in line with the road and thought to be contemporary with its use. These ruts were directly parallel and around 1.5m apart. The southernmost rut, is significantly deeper and contains a lower fill, where the road metalling has been pressed into the natural geology and an upper fill, where silt has accumulated in the resultant dip. The northernmost rut, is shallower and contains a single fill of gradually deposited material within the depression. The differing depths can most easily be explained if the road originally had a north-south camber causing the load to be unevenly distributed onto the downslope wheels. Though a slight bank is visible on the ground surface the stone surface appears to have been truncated and the original agger lost. The road line itself appears to have been dug into the natural geology and falls slightly to the north. A preliminary deposit of clay appears to have been laid as a base for the road. Along the southern edge of the road a ditch was visible, this contained a single, very homogeneous fill of red sandy clay. The characteristics of this clay suggest it is derived from the natural deposits found in the fields further to the north. Possibly this was imported to provide the upper surface of the road and it has subsequently eroded.

No finds were found in association with the road. Though it is believed to be Roman, the likelihood is that it continued its use through later periods. The siting of the parish boundary along the northern edge of the road suggests it was visible probably at least into the medieval period.

Chapman, E. M. + Hunter, F. + Wilson, P. + Booth, P., 2013, Sites Explored 2012 (Article in Serial). SDV361577.

Summary of work carried out by C. Budd and N. Brennan of Wessex Archaeology at North Tawton, Den Brook (SS 6870 0025). The remains of the east–west Roman road running through the southern part of the site were identified in evaluation trenching and an area excavation. The road survived in relatively good condition with much of the stone metalling still in situ. Two wheel-ruts were apparent in its surface and a ditch was located on the southern edge. The northern edge was truncated and disturbed by the double hedgerow and ditch of the present parish boundary, but the road was over 7 metres wide. Another ditch lay just to the south of the road on the same alignment. A group of features in the western part of the site was undated.

Ordnance Survey, 2019, MasterMap 2019 (Cartographic). SDV362729.

The straight line of the parish boundaries from the fort at North Tawton to Brownsland is marked as the course of a Roman Road.

Salvatore, J. P. + Kaye, S. + Stocker, S. + Toller, H., 2019, Observations on the Roman Road between Exeter, North Tawton and Okehampton, 299-304; Figs 1-6 (Article in Serial). SDV364830.

The earthwork evidence for the fort at North Tawton and the associated road along its north side appear with some clarity on Lidar images where the road may be traced eastwards almost from the crossing of the Taw to a point where it is bisected by the A3124, just south of North Tawton railway station. It is also visible on Lidar in place east of the the A3124 where it corresponds with the parish boundary between North and South Tawton and between South Tawton and Bow. The boundary, which follows a line of hedgerows east of Halse Moor, has long been recognised as marking the course of the road for over 3.5km across Coxmoor to Brownlands, where a lane crosses it.
Lidar investigations by Kaye noted a pronounced agger across two fields between SX724994 and SX727994, west of Hilldown Farm. Further Lidar traces appear to show the road taking a slight change of direction east of Hilldown Farm possibly to align it with the spur of Middledown Plantation, where it is once again apparent on Lidar and also as a cropmark. Although the road disappears as a cropmark east of Middledown it has been observed further east in Horwell Wood (SX751994) and at SX759994, just above Great Wotton Cottage, where the Lidar signal suggests the presence of an agger which is visible as a hump in the road and the adjacent hedgerows.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds

• FDV30 - SHERD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Events

• EDV6714 - Archaeological Evaluation on Land South-east of North Tawton
• EDV9130 - Evaluation and Mitigation Report: Den Brook, North Tawton, Devon (Ref: 86781.02)

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