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Dere Street is a Roman road that runs through Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders, extending from Soutra Aisle to Turf Law. This major north-south route served as a crucial artery of the Roman military network, facilitating troop movements and supply lines across the borderlands during the occupation period. The road's line is visible across terrain underlain by Caradocian wacke bedrock of the Portpatrick and Glenwhargen Formations, ancient sedimentary rocks that provided a challenging foundation for Roman engineers to construct a durable metalled surface.
The stretch between Soutra Aisle and Turf Law preserves evidence of Roman road construction techniques, with the characteristic raised camber and drainage systems designed to shed water across the Berwickshire landscape. This section formed part of the wider Dere Street system that connected the fort at Trimontium near Melrose southward to the English frontier, making it strategically vital for controlling movement through the region.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM2962, recognising its significance as a surviving example of Roman military infrastructure in Scotland. The road's survival as an archaeological feature reflects the durability of Roman engineering and provides important evidence for understanding Roman military logistics and territorial control in northern Britain.
Dere Street, Roman road, Soutra Aisle to Turf Law is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2962. View the official record →
Dere Street is a Roman road that runs through Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders, extending from Soutra Aisle to Turf Law. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2962.
Dere Street, Roman road, Soutra Aisle to Turf Law dates from the roman period, and is classified as a roman road, soutra aisle to turf law. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Dere Street, Roman road, Soutra Aisle to Turf Law 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 SM2962.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Over Hartside,enclosure 300m N of (2.6 km), Kirktonhill,fort 400m WSW of (2.9 km), Hartside, scooped homesteads 330m SSE of (3.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dere Street, Roman road, Soutra Aisle to Turf Law'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, Soutra Aisle to Turf Law stands on Portpatrick Formation And Glenwhargen Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is wacke.