Camboglanna (with the modern name of Castlesteads) was a Roman fort. It was the twelfth fort on Hadrian's Wall counting from the east, between Banna (Birdoswald) almost 7 miles (11 km) to the east and Uxelodunum (Stanwix), 9 miles to the west. It was on a high bluff commanding the Cambeck Valley. It guarded an important approach to the Wall and also watched the east bank of the Cambeck against raiders from the Bewcastle area. The site was drastically levelled in 1791 when the gardens of Castlesteads House were laid over it. The name "Camboglanna" is believed to mean "Crook Bank", or "Bent Valley" because it overlooks a bend in the river Irthing; the name is Brythonic, made of cambo- "curved, bent, crooked" and glanna "steep bank, stream/river side, valley with a stream".
There was some confusion over the Roman name for the fort. At one time Camboglanna was the accepted name for Birdoswald, but this is now believed to be an error in the Notitia Dignitatum. The Roman name for Birdoswald is now thought to be Banna.
The fort was approximately square, measuring about 400 by 400 feet (120 by 120 m) and covering approximately 3.75 acres (1.52 ha). It faces roughly north-west by south-east and overlooks the gorge of the Cambeck. Erosion of the gorge has destroyed the north-west face of the fort.
The fort lies within the Vallum, but is not adjacent to the Wall. It is the only fort on Hadrian's Wall in this position. It appears that the Wall had already been built at the most convenient point to cross the Cambeck and so, when the fort was built, the strongest point was chosen rather than one adjacent to the Wall.
The 2nd-century garrison was the Cohors IV Gallorum equitata. After it moved to Vindolanda, the 3rd-century garrison was the Cohors II Tungrorum, part-mounted.
The vicus (civilian settlement) next to the fort was seen in 1727 and was below the fort on the slope towards the River Irthing. After the levelling of the site for a walled garden in 1791 there are no remains visible and the area is now in woodland.
A geophysical survey in 2007 showed the parts of the vicus around the south of the fort, with an east-west road. These parts of the vicus are to the south of the Vallum with a further ditch outside it. Buildings were generally stone-built, including four substantial buildings the larger of which is about 8 x 8 m, and were separated by a grid of streets. Some buildings were also between the vallum and the fort.
Camboglanna is proposed as Camlann by numerous authorities such as O. G. S. Crawford, Andrew Breeze, Michael Wood and Robin Collingwood who defend a northern origin of King Arthur. The connection made at least as far back as 1935.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Camboglanna (with the modern name of Castlesteads) was a Roman fort. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
*Camboglanna is classified as a Roman fort — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including The Roman bath house to the north east of Castlesteads Roman fort in wall mile 56 (0.2 km), Milecastle 57 (Cambeckhill) (0.4 km), Turret 56B (Cambeck) (0.4 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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