Bremenium
Encyclopedia
Bremenium was an ancient Roman
fort
(castra
) located at Rochester
, Northumberland
, England
. The fort was one of the defensive structures built along Dere Street
, a Roman road running from York
to Corbridge
and onwards to Melrose.
The forts name, Bremenium, is mentioned in the Ravenna Cosmography
, the Antonine Itinerary
and Ptolemy’s
Geographia.
, five miles (8 km) north-west of Otterburn
on the A68 road between Corbridge and Jedburgh.
), the previous fort on Dere Street. The name Bremenium means 'The Place of the Roaring Stream'. The site is in a strong position, occupying the end of a ridge with the ground falling away steeply to the north and west, and giving a clear view over the Rede Valley and beyond.
The fort is oblong in shape, and measures 485 feet (147.8 m) north to south and 445 feet (135.6 m) east to west, giving and area of just over 5 acres (20,234.3 m²). There was a gate in each of the four walls, which were of stone backed by a bank of earth. It appears that an early 1st-century fort with a turf rampart occupied the site, and that it was replaced by a stone fort during the time that Quintus Lollius Urbicus
was Governor of Britain. He stayed there on his way north to build the Antonine Wall
in 142 AD. The fort remained occupied even after the abandonment of the Antonine Wall in the early 160s.
The fort is unusual, in that it had 3rd-century artillery defences. The walls were thicker than most Roman forts and had stone platforms projecting 32 feet (9.8 m) back from the wall, on which were placed catapult-like machines for hurling missiles. These machines, a smaller version of the ballista
, were known as 'onagri', and derived their power from the torsion of a hair rope. From the north walls, these machines could fire missiles at anyone advancing down Dere Street from the north.
(part-mounted and 500 strong), and then the First Cohort of Dalmatians
(infantry). In the 3rd century the garrison was the First Cohort of Vardulians (part-mounted and one thousand strong).
s.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
fort
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
(castra
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
) located at Rochester
Rochester, Northumberland
Rochester is a small village and civil parish in north Northumberland, England. It is five miles north-east of Otterburn on the A68 road between Corbridge and Jedburgh...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The fort was one of the defensive structures built along Dere Street
Dere Street
Dere Street or Deere Street, was a Roman road between Eboracum and Veluniate, in what is now Scotland. It still exists in the form of the route of many major roads, including the A1 and A68 just north of Corbridge.Its name corresponds with the post Roman Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Deira, through...
, a Roman road running from York
Eboracum
Eboracum was a fort and city in Roman Britain. The settlement evolved into York, located in North Yorkshire, England.-Etymology:The first known recorded mention of Eboracum by name is dated circa 95-104 AD and is an address containing the Latin form of the settlement's name, "Eburaci", on a wooden...
to Corbridge
Coria (Corbridge)
Coria was a fort and town, located south of Hadrian's Wall, in the Roman province of Britannia. Its full Latin name is uncertain. Today it is known as Corchester or Corbridge Roman Site, adjoining Corbridge in the English county of Northumberland...
and onwards to Melrose.
The forts name, Bremenium, is mentioned in the Ravenna Cosmography
Ravenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
, the Antonine Itinerary
Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another...
and Ptolemy’s
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
Geographia.
Location
The fort is situated in the village of RochesterRochester, Northumberland
Rochester is a small village and civil parish in north Northumberland, England. It is five miles north-east of Otterburn on the A68 road between Corbridge and Jedburgh...
, five miles (8 km) north-west of Otterburn
Otterburn
Otterburn could bePlaces*Otterburn, Northumberland*Otterburn, North Yorkshire*Otterburn, Michigan, an unincorporated location now a part of Swartz Creek, Michigan*Otterburn Park, QuebecEvents*The Battle of OtterburnSurname...
on the A68 road between Corbridge and Jedburgh.
Description
The fort is eight and a half miles north of Risingham (Roman name HabitancumHabitancum
Habitancum was an ancient Roman fort located at Risingham, Northumberland, England. The fort was one of the defensive structures built along Dere Street, a Roman road running from York to Corbridge and onwards to Melrose....
), the previous fort on Dere Street. The name Bremenium means 'The Place of the Roaring Stream'. The site is in a strong position, occupying the end of a ridge with the ground falling away steeply to the north and west, and giving a clear view over the Rede Valley and beyond.
The fort is oblong in shape, and measures 485 feet (147.8 m) north to south and 445 feet (135.6 m) east to west, giving and area of just over 5 acres (20,234.3 m²). There was a gate in each of the four walls, which were of stone backed by a bank of earth. It appears that an early 1st-century fort with a turf rampart occupied the site, and that it was replaced by a stone fort during the time that Quintus Lollius Urbicus
Quintus Lollius Urbicus
Quintus Lollius Urbicus was governor of Roman Britain between the years 139 and 142, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius. He is named in the text known as the Augustan History, and his name appears on five Roman inscriptions from Britain; his career is set out in detail on a pair...
was Governor of Britain. He stayed there on his way north to build the Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
in 142 AD. The fort remained occupied even after the abandonment of the Antonine Wall in the early 160s.
The fort is unusual, in that it had 3rd-century artillery defences. The walls were thicker than most Roman forts and had stone platforms projecting 32 feet (9.8 m) back from the wall, on which were placed catapult-like machines for hurling missiles. These machines, a smaller version of the ballista
Ballista
The ballista , plural ballistae, was an ancient missile weapon which launched a large projectile at a distant target....
, were known as 'onagri', and derived their power from the torsion of a hair rope. From the north walls, these machines could fire missiles at anyone advancing down Dere Street from the north.
Garrison
In the 2nd century the garrison was the First Cohort of LingonesLingones
Lingones were a Celtic tribe that originally lived in Gaul in the area of the headwaters of the Seine and Marne rivers. Some of the Lingones migrated across the Alps and settled near the mouth of the Po River in Cisalpine Gaul of northern Italy around 400 BCE. These Lingones were part of a wave of...
(part-mounted and 500 strong), and then the First Cohort of Dalmatians
Cohors I Delmatarum
Cohors prima Delmatarum was a Roman auxiliary infantry regiment. It is named after the Dalmatae, an Illyrian-speaking tribe that inhabited the Adriatic coastal mountain range of the eponymous Dalmatia. The ancient geographer Strabo describes these mountains as extremely rugged, and the Dalmatae as...
(infantry). In the 3rd century the garrison was the First Cohort of Vardulians (part-mounted and one thousand strong).
Current site
The fort is now part of the village green of Rochester, but there are still remains to see. The west wall is the best preserved and consists of a nine-feet-high bank with stone facing. The west gate is complete to the springing of the arch. However much of the stonework has been plundered over the years for local buildings.Excavations
Excavations were carried out in 1852 and 1855, but were poorly recorded. A small dig was also carried out in 1935. The excavations established that the interior of the fort was crowded with buildings, many with hypocaustHypocaust
A hypocaust was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. The word derives from the Ancient Greek hypo meaning "under" and caust-, meaning "burnt"...
s.