Martinhoe is a small Roman fortlet perched on the cliffs of the Bristol Channel coast in north Devon, occupied for a short period in the mid-1st century AD, broadly c. AD 55–75. It formed part of an early Roman military presence on the south Welsh approaches, designed to garrison a single auxiliary century (around 65–80 men) tasked with watching cross-channel movement during the Roman campaigns against the Silures of South Wales.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Together with its companion fortlet at Old Burrow some 10 km to the east, Martinhoe represents one of the clearest examples in Britain of a Roman coastal observation post, monitoring the Silurian shore opposite and providing forward intelligence during the Neronian–early Flavian military operations under governors such as Veranius and Suetonius Paulinus. The two sites together illuminate Roman use of signalling and naval coordination in a frontier zone.
Excavations by Aileen Fox and W. Ravenhill in 1960–64 revealed a double-ditched enclosure with an inner rampart containing two timber barrack/storage buildings, a cookhouse and ovens, with finds (coarse pottery, samian, a few coins) supporting a Neronian foundation and abandonment in the early Flavian period when the Silurian threat ended. The site is well preserved as earthworks on Martinhoe Common and remains the best-understood Roman feature in this part
Martinhoe is a small Roman fortlet perched on the cliffs of the Bristol Channel coast in north Devon, occupied for a short period in the mid-1st century AD, broadly c. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fortlet site from the Roman period in Britain.
Martinhoe 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.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Old Burrow (12.5 km), Alverdiscott (29.3 km), Churchyard cross 20m south of Romansleigh church (29.5 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
Aubrey Research generates detailed historical reports for any location in Britain, incorporating Roman heritage, Domesday Book records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and much more. Enter a nearby address to begin.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on Roman heritage, Domesday records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Martinhoe