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Dere Street is a Roman road and earthworks extending from Tow Ford to Blackhall Hill in Roxburghshire, Scotland. The road forms part of Dere Street, the major Roman military highway that linked the frontier zones of Roman Britain with the northern territories. The route here crosses terrain underlain by Silurian to Devonian extrusive rocks, ancient mafic lavas and tuffs that create a distinctive volcanic bedrock across this section of the Scottish Borders. The earthworks remain visible along the line of the road, preserving evidence of Roman engineering adapted to this challenging upland landscape.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3294, recognising its significance as a surviving example of Roman road construction in northern Britain. Dere Street served as a crucial supply and movement route during Roman military campaigns and occupation in Scotland, and the surviving earthworks here demonstrate how Roman engineers constructed and maintained major roads across difficult terrain. The volcanic geology of the bedrock would have presented particular challenges to road builders and influenced both construction methods and the road's subsequent durability through weathering and erosion.
Dere Street,Roman road & earthworks,Tow Ford to Blackhall Hill is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3294. View the official record →
Dere Street is a Roman road and earthworks extending from Tow Ford to Blackhall Hill in Roxburghshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3294.
Dere Street,Roman road & earthworks,Tow Ford to Blackhall Hill dates from the roman period, and is classified as a roman road & earthworks,tow ford to blackhall hill. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Dere Street,Roman road & earthworks,Tow Ford to Blackhall Hill is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM3294.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brownhart Law,Roman signal station & Roman road,Dere Street (3.1 km), Roman fort, two Roman fortlets, two Roman camps, a section of Roman road and a medieval settlement and chapel at Chew Green (4 km), Three round cairns on Thirl Moor (5.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dere Street,Roman road & earthworks,Tow Ford to Blackhall Hill'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.
Dere Street,Roman road & earthworks,Tow Ford to Blackhall Hill stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.