The Derby Racecourse site represents the civilian settlement (vicus) and associated cemetery linked to the Roman fort and town of Derventio (Little Chester), situated on the east bank of the River Derwent. Active from the late 1st century AD through to the 4th century, it grew alongside the military installation, supporting trade, craft production and providing burial grounds for the fort's inhabitants and civilian population.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The site formed part of the wider Derventio complex, a key node on the Roman road network connecting Rocester, Chesterfield and Sawley, controlling crossings of the Derwent and serving the lead and pottery industries of the surrounding region.
Excavations have revealed cremation and inhumation burials, including stone-lined graves and accompanying grave goods such as pottery vessels and personal items, alongside evidence of roadside structures and industrial activity including pottery kilns producing Derbyshire ware. The cemetery is one of the more substantial Romano-British burial assemblages in the East Midlands, though much was disturbed by post-medieval racecourse use and later development.
The Derby Racecourse site represents the civilian settlement (vicus) and associated cemetery linked to the Roman fort and town of Derventio (Little Chester), situated on the east bank of the River Derwent. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a vicus site from the Roman period in Britain.
Derby Racecourse Roman vicus and cemetery is classified as a Roman vicus — a civilian 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 Littlechester Roman site (1 km), Roman bath house at Parker's Piece (1.1 km), Strutt's Park Roman fort (1.4 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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Research the area around Derby Racecourse Roman vicus and cemetery