Roman BritainLurg Moor
Roman Fortlet · Military

Lurg Moor

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: 620007181
Site type
Fortlet
Category
Military
Latitude
55.9263
Longitude
-4.7304
Overview

History & context

Roman Fortlet (R) . For Roman road extending to S, see . The Roman fortlet on Lurg Moor, which was probably built in the mid-2nd century AD (R W Feachem 1952) was first observed on a National Survey air photograph in 1952. Measuring 160ft by 140ft overall, its E and W sides are well-preserved, the ramparts being 2 1/2ft high and the ditch 3 1/2ft deep. A causeway, about 15ft wide, runs S from the S gate for over 100yds (JRS 1953) (Newall gives the length as 1/4 mile, visible in part as a hollow way). The area W and S of the fortlet may have been an annexe; S of the fortlet and along the N side of the marsh is a line of heavy stones which may have formed part of a rampart. The remains of an earthen mound running N-S may mark the W limit of the annexe. About a dozen fragments of Antonine (A S Robertson 1966) pottery were found by Newall at NS 295 736, immediately SW of the fortlet. This pottery, and a fragment of glass also found by Newall, are in the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow. F Newall 1955; F Newall 1959. This Roman fortlet is generally as described by the previous authorities. It measures 52.0m E-W by 44.0, transversely, and has a broad, heather-covered rampart about 10.0m wide. This rampart is beat preserved on the E side where it has an internal height of 0.8m and an external height of 1.6m. Here the rock-cut outer ditch is also well-preserved, the scarp being 0.8m high. The causeway runs due S from the entrance in the S side of the fortlet, and can be easily traced for some 170.m, when it fades out on a rocky knoll above an area of boggy ground. It is about 5.0m in average width, and on places it has a distinct camber about 0.4m hight. It has been built with small stones but here and there use has been made of natural rock outcrops. There is insufficient evidence on the ground to support Newall's assertion that there was an annexe S and W of the fortlet. Surveyed at 1:2500. Visited by OS (WDJ), 4 November 1964. There is a central gateway on the N side of the fortlet, the causeway from the S passing through the fortlet, and proceeding for some distance down the steep slope to the N. F Newall 1976. Visible on Ordnance Survey large scale aerial photograph 88/041/018. Information from RCAHMS, 24 August 1995. Roman Fortlet [NAT] OS (GIS) MasterMap, March 2011. Scheduled [with length of Roman road extending to the S] as 'Lurg Moor, Roman fortlet and Roman road... situated on high ground above the town of Greenock [and] on the northern edge of Lurg Moor.' Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 1 March 2011. Loading...

Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Lurg Moor?

Roman Fortlet (R) . It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fortlet site from the Roman period in Britain.

What type of Roman site is Lurg Moor?

Lurg Moor is classified as a Roman fortlet — 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.

What other Roman sites are near Lurg Moor?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Whitemoss Roman auxiliary fort (12.4 km), Barochan Hill (12.9 km), Old Kilpatrick (17.1 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.

How can I research the history of the area around Lurg Moor?

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Everything a full report reveals about Lurg Moor

This page covers the Roman site at Lurg Moor. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this site alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

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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