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Dere Street is a Roman road running between Whitton Edge and Cunzierton in Roxburghshire. This major military route formed part of the strategic network of roads constructed by the Roman army to facilitate movement and supply across northern Britain. The road traverses challenging terrain underlain by Hawick Group wacke, a hard sedimentary bedrock of Wenlock age that would have presented considerable engineering challenges during construction. Roman road builders typically cut through such resistant stone and created cambered surfaces with drainage ditches, traces of which may still be visible in the landscape where the route has not been obscured by later land use.
Dere Street operated as a vital artery connecting Roman military establishments throughout the Scottish Borders region. The section between Whitton Edge and Cunzierton reflects the careful planning required to navigate the rolling topography and geology of south-east Scotland whilst maintaining an efficient gradient for troop movement and supply wagons. The road's survival across this moorland landscape has allowed its course to be traced and recorded.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM3929, recognising its significance as evidence of Roman occupation and military infrastructure in Britain.
Dere Street,Roman road,Whitton Edge to Cunzierton is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3929. View the official record →
Dere Street is a Roman road running between Whitton Edge and Cunzierton in Roxburghshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3929.
Dere Street,Roman road,Whitton Edge to Cunzierton dates from the roman period, and is classified as a roman road,whitton edge to cunzierton. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Dere Street,Roman road,Whitton Edge to Cunzierton 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 SM3929.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Loddan Hill North, palisaded settlement 800m NNE of summit (6.4 km), Heugh Law, fort (6.4 km), Plenderleith, scooped settlement 300m SSW of (6.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dere Street,Roman road,Whitton Edge to Cunzierton'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,Whitton Edge to Cunzierton stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.