Isurium Brigantum an archaeological survey of Roman Aldborough The authors and publisher wish to thank the following individuals and organisations for their help with this Isurium Brigantum publication: Historic England an archaeological survey of Roman Aldborough Society of Antiquaries of London Thriplow Charitable Trust Faculty of Classics and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge Chris and Jan Martins Rose Ferraby and Martin Millett with contributions by Jason Lucas, James Lyall, Jess Ogden, Dominic Powlesland, Lieven Verdonck and Lacey Wallace Research Report of the Society of Antiquaries of London No. 81 For RWS Norfolk ‒ RF Contents First published 2020 by The Society of Antiquaries of London Burlington House List of figures vii Piccadilly Preface x London W1J 0BE Acknowledgements xi Summary xii www.sal.org.uk Résumé xiii © The Society of Antiquaries of London 2020 Zusammenfassung xiv Notes on referencing and archives xv ISBN: 978 0 8543 1301 3 British Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Background to this study 1 Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data 1.2 Geographical setting 2 A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the 1.3 Historical background 2 Library of Congress, Washington DC 1.4 Previous inferences on urban origins 6 The moral rights of Rose Ferraby, Martin Millett, Jason Lucas, 1.5 Textual evidence 7 James Lyall, Jess Ogden, Dominic Powlesland, Lieven 1.6 History of the town 7 Verdonck and Lacey Wallace to be identified as the authors of 1.7 Previous archaeological work 8 this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. 1.8 Organisation of this volume 10 All rights reserved. Except as permitted under current Chapter 2 Previous antiquarian and archaeological work 11 legislation, no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in 2.1 Knowledge up to the mid eighteenth century 11 a retrieval system, published, performed in publish, adapted, broadcast, transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or 2.2 The later eighteenth century 15 by any means without the prior permission of the copyright 2.3 The first half of the nineteenth century 18 owner. 2.4 From the 1850s to the 1920s 22 2.5 Excavations of the 1920s and 1930s 23 Cover illustration: © Rose Ferraby Design and layout: Sue Cawood 2.6 From the 1940s to the 1980s 26 Printing and binding: Ashford Colour Press, Gosport 2.7 The 1990s onwards 27 Chapter 3 The geophysical surveys 29 3.1 Introduction 29 Methodology 29 Presentation of the results 31 3.2 Area 1: North-western intra-mural area 31 3.3 Area 2: North-eastern intra-mural area 37 Note on terracing in the southern half of the town 42 3.4 Area 3: Central intra-mural strip 42 v 3.5 Area 4: South-western intra-mural area 46 3.6 Area 5: South-eastern intra-mural area 55 List of figures 3.7 Area 6: South-eastern extra-mural area 59 3.8 Area 7: Eastern extra-mural area 64 3.9 Area 8: South-eastern extra-mural area 69 Chapter 1 Fig 2.14 Photograph of the excavations just inside the North Fig 1.1 Map showing the location of Aldborough, North Gate by Barber et al in 1924 (G34/3). Viewed 3.10 Area 9: Northern extra-mural area 72 Yorkshire, in relation to topography and Roman from the south east 26 3.11 Area 10: Northern extra-mural area beside the river 76 roads with the principal sites mentioned in the text 2 Fig 2.15 Section 1 shown cut across the defences near the 3.12 Area 11: Northern bridgehead 77 Fig 1.2 Aerial photograph showing the village of south-eastern corner of the Town Wall by Myres 3.13 Area 12: Western extra-mural area 78 Aldborough, North Yorkshire, in its local landscape, et al in 1937 (G42). Viewed from the south east 27 viewed from the north east 3 Fig 2.16 Margaret Jones on her 1964 excavation 27 3.14 Area 13: South-western extra-mural area 84 Fig 1.3 Map showing the drift geology of the area around Fig 2.17 Colin Dobinson’s plan of Aldborough 28 Aldborough, North Yorkshire 4 Chapter 4 Re-evaluating the history of Isurium Brigantum 88 Fig 1.4 LiDAR image of the area around Aldborough, Chapter 3 4.1 The Iron Age background 88 based on Environment Agency data 5 Fig 3.1 Rose Ferraby undertaking gradiometry Fig 1.5 Photograph of an excavated Roman building (magnetometry) survey on site using a Bartington 4.2 The Roecliffe fort 90 (G10) and architectural fragments displayed in Instruments Grad 601 dual sensor fluxgate 4.3 Earliest activity on the site of Aldborough 94 the garden of Aldborough Manor, c 1910. The gradiometer 29 4.4 Town planning 100 Roman Town Wall (G9) lies just beyond the path, Fig 3.2 Rose Ferraby and Jess Ogden undertaking GPR covered in ivy. Viewed from the west 9 survey on site using a Noggin Plus System with 4.5 The forum and the establishment of the civitas 106 rugged terrain cart and 500 MHz antenna 30 4.6 The Town Wall 108 Chapter 2 Fig 3.3 Map showing the area numbers used in this 4.7 The character of the early to mid Roman town 111 Fig 2.1 Map of the Manor of Aldborough drawn by chapter in relation to the extent of the fluxgate 4.8 The development of the extra-mural areas 114 R Stephenson in 1708 13 gradiometer (magnetometer) and GPR surveys 32 Fig 2.2 Map of the village of Aldborough drawn by Fig 3.4 Key to the conventions used in the geophysical 4.9 The later Town Wall and annexes 116 R Stephenson in 1708 14 survey illustrations 33 117 4.10 The later Roman townscape Fig 2.3 Plan of Aldborough from Drake 1736, showing Fig 3.5 Area 1: results of the gradiometry survey in 4.11 The transition to the Middle Ages 120 the location of the finds on Borough Hill (G3) 16 relation to modern topography 34 4.12 Epilogue: history, antiquarian development and landscape 124 Fig 2.4 Plan of the forum remains excavated in 1770 Fig 3.6 Area 1: interpretation of the gradiometry survey (G6) from Gough 1789 17 results in the context of the other archaeological 4.13 Retrospect and prospect 124 Fig 2.5 Unpublished plan of the forum remains evidence 35 excavated in 1770 (G6) from the Hargrove MS 18 Fig 3.7 Area 1: interpretation of the GPR survey results Fig 2.6 Nineteenth-century photograph of the Roman in the context of the other archaeological Town Wall and ‘barracks’ (G11) laid out in the evidence 36 Appendix 1 Gazetteer of archaeological interventions 127 Appendices garden of Aldborough Manor. Viewed from the Fig 3.8 Area 2: results of the gradiometry survey in Appendix 2 Concordance with RIB 159 north 19 relation to modern topography 38 Appendix 3 Concordance with CSIR 161 Fig 2.7 View of Aldborough from the ‘prospect tower’. Fig 3.9 Area 2: interpretation of the gradiometry survey Appendix 4 Architectural stonework 162 Frontispiece from Ecroyd Smith 1852 19 results in the context of the other archaeological Fig 2.8 Plan of Aldborough from Ecroyd Smith 1852 20 evidence 39 Appendix 5 Stone altars 167 Fig 2.9 Photograph showing the interior of the museum Fig 3.10 Map showing the location and numbering of the in the mid twentieth century 21 terraces in the southern part of the town 42 Fig 2.10 Unpublished plan of the West Gate (G8) and Fig 3.11 Area 3A: interpretation of the GPR survey results in finds of adjacent Roman buildings (G2, G19, the context of the other archaeological evidence 44 Notes 168 G20, G21) 22–3 Fig 3.12 Area 3B: interpretation of the gradiometry survey Fig 2.11 Drawing of the lion mosaic (G22) from Ecroyd results in the context of the other archaeological Abbreviations and bibliography 175 Smith 1852 24 evidence 45 Fig 2.12 Photograph of a visit by the Society of Fig 3.13 Area 3A: drawing of the corridor mosaic (G20) Index 183 Naturalists to the site on 7 August 1867. They from Ecroyd Smith 1852 46–7 are shown standing in front of the ‘prospect Fig 3.14 Areas 3A and 3B: photograph showing the tower’ and museum 25 foundations of the walls of the forum re-excavated Fig 2.13 Plan of Aldborough from Collingwood 1927 25 in 2017 (G105). Viewed from the west 46 vi vii Fig 3.15 Area 4: results of the gradiometry survey in Fig 3.34 Area 9: results of the gradiometry survey in Fig 4.8 Summary plan showing the layout of the known Fig A10 Plan showing the trenches excavated by relation to modern topography 48 relation to modern topography 72 streets and terracing in the Roman town 101 Barber et al across the Roman road outside Fig 3.16 Area 4: interpretation of the gradiometry Fig 3.35 Area 9: interpretation of the gradiometry survey Fig 4.9 Suggested plan of the Roman forum and the North Gate (G33) in 1924 137 survey results in the context of the other results in the context of the other archaeological basilica at Aldborough based on the GPR Fig A11 Plan showing the excavations by Barber et al archaeological evidence 49 evidence 73 survey evidence, the 2017 excavation trench at the North Gate and along the North Wall Fig 3.17 Area 4: interpretation of the GPR survey results Fig 3.36 Area 9: aerial photograph showing crop marks and the plan of the 1770 excavations 102.