Roman BritainNewton Kyme
Roman Fort · Military

Newton Kyme

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: 89251
Site type
Fort
Category
Military
Latitude
53.9027
Longitude
-1.3070
Overview

History & context

Newton Kyme is a late Roman fort situated on the north bank of the River Wharfe in North Yorkshire, roughly 2 km west of Tadcaster (Calcaria) on the line of the road between York (Eboracum) and the Wharfe crossing. The visible defensive circuit, enclosing approximately 4 hectares (around 9–10 acres), with stone walls and projecting bastions, indicates a fourth-century construction, though aerial photography has also revealed an earlier, larger temporary camp and possible earlier auxiliary phase beneath or adjacent to the stone fort.

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

Significance

Historical significance

The fort represents part of the late Roman reorganisation of military posts in the hinterland of York, likely linked to internal security and the protection of the road network and Wharfe crossing rather than frontier defence. Its bastioned plan parallels other late fourth-century works in northern Britain and suggests a response to the unsettled conditions of the later Empire.

Archaeology

Archaeological record

The site is known principally from cropmark and earthwork evidence, with the rampart still partly visible and aerial photography revealing the rectangular plan with rounded corners, external ditches, and projecting angle and interval bastions; geophysical survey has further clarified internal layout traces. There has been no large-scale modern excavation, so dating relies on morphological comparison and limited surface finds, and the relationship between the late stone fort and the earlier earthwork enclosures recorded from the air remains im

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Newton Kyme?

Newton Kyme is a late Roman fort situated on the north bank of the River Wharfe in North Yorkshire, roughly 2 km west of Tadcaster (Calcaria) on the line of the road between York (Eboracum) and the Wharfe crossing. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.

What type of Roman site is Newton Kyme?

Newton Kyme 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.

What other Roman sites are near Newton Kyme?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Two Roman forts, two Roman camps, vicus, Iron Age enclosure, Bronze Age barrows and Neolithic henge monument west of Newton Kyme (0.5 km), Calcaria (3.6 km), Dalton Parlours (5.3 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 Newton Kyme?

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