Scheduled Monuments›England›Roman fort (Branodunum)

Roman fort (Branodunum)

England
List entry 1003983
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003983
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
54.19 hectares
Grid reference
TF 78449 44131, TF 78369 43818
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Branodunum is a Roman fort located near Brancaster in Norfolk, constructed during the third century AD as part of the Saxon Shore defence system. The fort was strategically positioned to protect the east coast of Roman Britain against maritime raids and served as a naval base controlling the Wash estuary. Archaeological investigation has revealed traces of substantial stone fortifications, including the characteristic playing-card layout typical of Roman military installations, with remains of the fort's ditches and ramparts still discernible in the landscape. The site represents an important example of late Roman military architecture in Britain and continues to yield evidence of the garrison's daily life and the fort's eventual decline in the early fifth century.

Roman fort (Branodunum) is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003983. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Roman fort (Branodunum)?

Branodunum is a Roman fort located near Brancaster in Norfolk, constructed during the third century AD as part of the Saxon Shore defence system. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003983.

Who is responsible for protecting Roman fort (Branodunum)?

Roman fort (Branodunum) 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 1003983.

What other scheduled monuments are near Roman fort (Branodunum)?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Village cross, 150m south of St Mary's Church (2.2 km), Bowl barrow and pill box 430m WSW of Burnham Westgate Hall (4.6 km), Burnham Market Anglo-Saxon cemetery (5.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Roman fort (Branodunum)

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Roman fort (Branodunum)'s history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Village cross, 150m south of St Mary's Church
2.2 km
Bowl barrow and pill box 430m WSW of Burnham Westgate Hall
4.6 km
Burnham Market Anglo-Saxon cemetery
5.1 km
St Mary's Carmelite Friary and holy well
5.6 km
Burnham Overy village cross, 90m south west of St Clement's Church
5.9 km
Roman signal station
6 km
Village cross at north west end of Cross Lane
7.2 km
Lovat Scouts' First World War training trenches, Docking
9.5 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Roman fort (Branodunum)

Roman fort (Branodunum) stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

Domesday entry for Brancaster, Norfolk →
All Scheduled Monuments