Coggabata
Encyclopedia
Coggabata, or Congavata / Concavata, (with the modern name of Drumburgh
) was a Roman
fort
on Hadrian's Wall
, between Aballava
(Burgh by Sands
) to the east and Mais
(Bowness on Solway) to the west. It was built on a hill commanding views over the flatter land to the east and west and to the shore of the Solway Firth
to the north. Its purpose was to guard the southern end of two important Solway fords, the Stonewath and the Sandwath.
The Notitia Dignitatum
gives the name of the fort as 'Congavata', but the Rudge Cup
gives the name as 'Coggabata'.
Two miles south of the fort a Roman road was uncovered linking the western end of the Stanegate
to Kirkbride
to the west.
There is a manor house, Drumburgh Castle
, lying across the line of the north wall of the fort, built entirely of Roman stones.
gives the garrison as the Second Cohort of Lingones
but only a detachment could be accommodated in such a small fort.
Excavations in 1947 revealed that the stone fort was built within a slightly larger fort with levelled clay ramparts. It is presumed that the earthwork fort had been added to the turf Wall, and that the stone fort replaced it when the turf Wall was re-built in stone. This would date the stone fort at about 160 A.D.
No sign of a vicus
has yet been detected near to the fort.
Drumburgh
Drumburgh is a small settlement in Cumbria, England. It is northwest of the City of Carlisle and is on the course of Hadrian's Wall.It was the site of the Roman fort of Coggabata. In the 14th century a tower house known as Drumburgh Castle was built here. It was rebuilt as a fortified farmhouse...
) was a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
fort
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...
on Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
, between Aballava
Aballava
Aballava or Aballaba was a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, between Petriana to the east and Coggabata to the west...
(Burgh by Sands
Burgh by Sands
Burgh by Sands is a village and civil parish in the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England, situated near the Solway Firth. The parish includes the village of Burgh by Sands along with Longburgh, Dykesfield, Boustead Hill, Moorhouse and Thurstonfield....
) to the east and Mais
Mais (Bowness)
Mais, or Maia, in Cumbria, England was a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, and was the last fort at the western end of the Wall....
(Bowness on Solway) to the west. It was built on a hill commanding views over the flatter land to the east and west and to the shore of the Solway Firth
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
to the north. Its purpose was to guard the southern end of two important Solway fords, the Stonewath and the Sandwath.
The Notitia Dignitatum
Notitia Dignitatum
The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries. One of the very few surviving documents of Roman government, it details the administrative organisation of the eastern and western empires, listing several thousand offices from the imperial court down to the provincial...
gives the name of the fort as 'Congavata', but the Rudge Cup
Rudge Cup
The Rudge Cup is a small enamelled bronze cup found in 1725 at Rudge, in Wiltshire. The cup was found down a well on the site of a Roman villa. It is important in that it lists five of the forts on the western section of Hadrian's Wall, thus aiding scholars in identifying the forts correctly...
gives the name as 'Coggabata'.
Description
The fort was an oblong and built of stone, with the Wall running along its northern side, and measured 270 feet (82.3 m) north to south by 316 feet (96.3 m) east to west, occupying an area of just less than 2 acres (8,093.7 m²). The Wall at this point is nine feet seven inches wide, and is made of stone. It was constructed on the foundations of the levelled turf Wall. There were gates on each side, with the north gate giving access beyond the wall.Two miles south of the fort a Roman road was uncovered linking the western end of the Stanegate
Stanegate
The Stanegate, or "stone road" , was an important Roman road built in what is now northern England. It linked two forts that guarded important river crossings; Corstopitum in the east, situated on Dere Street, and Luguvalium in the west...
to Kirkbride
Kirkbride, Cumbria
Kirkbride, Cumbria is a village in Cumbria in the north of England. Significant elements of ancient history are close to Kirkbride including the Kirkbride Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall. Hadrian's Wall in this western reach and the Kirkbride fort were predominantly of turf and timber construction...
to the west.
There is a manor house, Drumburgh Castle
Drumburgh Castle
Drumburgh Castle is a medieval pele tower in the village of Drumburgh, in Cumbria, England.-History:A pele tower was originally built on this site, near the village of Burgh, by Robert le Brun in 1307, on the site of a former tower that had been part of Hadrian's Wall. The construction used red...
, lying across the line of the north wall of the fort, built entirely of Roman stones.
Garrison
The Notitia DignitatumNotitia Dignitatum
The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries. One of the very few surviving documents of Roman government, it details the administrative organisation of the eastern and western empires, listing several thousand offices from the imperial court down to the provincial...
gives the garrison as the Second Cohort of Lingones
Lingones
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...
but only a detachment could be accommodated in such a small fort.
Excavations
The site was excavated in 1899, when the stone fort was revealed. A buttressed granary was found within the north-west angle of the fort.Excavations in 1947 revealed that the stone fort was built within a slightly larger fort with levelled clay ramparts. It is presumed that the earthwork fort had been added to the turf Wall, and that the stone fort replaced it when the turf Wall was re-built in stone. This would date the stone fort at about 160 A.D.
No sign of a vicus
Vicus (Rome)
In ancient Rome, the vicus was a neighborhood. During the Republican era, the four regiones of the city of Rome were subdivided into vici. In the 1st century BC, Augustus reorganized the city for administrative purposes into 14 regions, comprising 265 vici. Each vicus had its own board of...
has yet been detected near to the fort.
External links
- Concavata at www.Roman-Britain.org
- iRomans website showing Coggabata objects in the Tullie House Museum collection