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Cataractonium is a Roman fort and associated settlement located at Catterick in North Yorkshire, occupying a strategically significant position on the River Swale at the junction of major routes northward into Scotland and eastward towards the North Sea coast. The site was established in the early second century AD and remained an important military installation throughout the Roman period, serving as a base for auxiliary forces and functioning as a focal point for civilian settlement and commerce. Archaeological investigation has revealed substantial stone fortifications constructed in the later Roman period, along with extensive remains of barracks, administrative buildings, and civilian structures characteristic of a major Roman vicus. The fort's enduring prominence within the military and economic networks of Roman Britain reflects its critical geographical position controlling communication and movement across northern England.
Cataractonium Roman forts and town is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1021181. View the official record →
Cataractonium is a Roman fort and associated settlement located at Catterick in North Yorkshire, occupying a strategically significant position on the River Swale at the junction of major routes northward into Scotland and eastward towards the North Sea coast. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1021181.
Cataractonium Roman forts and town is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1021181.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St Giles medieval hospital, post-medieval farmstead and Iron Age occupation site immediately north of St Giles Farm (1.4 km), Pallet Hill motte and bailey castle, 80m north west of St Anne's Church (1.9 km), Bainesse Roman roadside settlement and Anglian cemetery (2.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Cataractonium Roman forts and town's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Cataractonium Roman forts and town stands on Zechstein Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Permian. The rock here is dolomitised limestone and dolomite.