Pons Aelius (Latin for "Aelian Bridge"), or Newcastle Roman Fort, was an auxiliary castra and small Roman settlement on Hadrian's Wall in the Roman province of Britannia Inferior (northern England), situated on the north bank of the River Tyne close to the centre of present-day Newcastle upon Tyne, and occupied between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD.
Pons Aelius was a fort and Roman settlement at the original eastern end of Hadrian's Wall, at the site now occupied by The Castle, Newcastle. The Latin name means Aelian Bridge and can be traced back to when emperor Hadrian – whose family nomen (clan name) was Aelius – visited Britain in 122 and first saw the need for a frontier wall.
The town's population is estimated to have been around 2,000. The fort is thought to have been 1.53 acres (6,200 m2), small by Roman standards. As Pons Aelius was a wall fort it is very likely a military road led from it and followed the Wall, linking its forts and milecastles.
The bridge and its fort were built at the north end of Cade's Road, which is speculated to have run from Brough (East Riding of Yorkshire), to Eboracum (York) and the fort of Concangis (Chester-le-Street). Although the fort was to be the wall's east end, it was not long before the wall was extended to Segedunum (Wallsend). There is evidence to suggest the fort was rebuilt in stone, probably during the reign of the emperor Septimius Severus (r. 193–211).
The fort is mentioned once in the Notitia Dignitatum in the 4th and 5th centuries; this is the only known literary reference. The bridge is the only one known to be named after an emperor outside of Rome. The fort was sited here to guard the river crossing, the first encampment being nearby at Condercum (Benwell). It would have given the Roman Army an excellent view of the surrounding areas and it commanded an excellent position at the northern bridgehead.
Despite the bridge, the settlement of Pons Aelius was not important among the northern Roman settlements. The most important stations were those on the highway of Dere Street running from Eboracum (York) through Hadrian's Wall and to the lands north of the Wall. Corstopitum (Corbridge), being a big arsenal and supply centre, was much larger and more populous than Pons Aelius.
The fort was abandoned in c. 400, and the site was later built on by the Anglo-Saxons. Excavations in the 1970s to 1990s found over 600 Anglo-Saxon graves.
Much of the fort remains buried underneath the medieval Castle Keep, which gave the city of Newcastle its name. Few excavations have taken place and there is little to see due to the castle and surrounding city centre buildings being built over the fort's layout. However, the fort's praetorium, principia and two granaries are known to be in the environs of the castle, and their outlines can be seen marked out in stone adjacent to the castle keep. The remains of an original milecastle were found behind the Newcastle Arts Centre, just off the A186 Westgate Road. The precise line of Hadrian's Wall in the vicinity of the fort has not been found, so it is not yet known for example if the fort was attached to the Wall, though they cannot have been far apart.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Pons Aelius (Latin for "Aelian Bridge"), or Newcastle Roman Fort, was an auxiliary castra and small Roman settlement on Hadrian's Wall in the Roman province of Britannia Inferior (northern England), situated on the north bank of the River Tyne close to the centre of present-day Newcastle upon Tyne, and occupied between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD. Pons Aelius was a fort and Roman settlement at the original eastern end of Hadrian's Wall, at the site now occupied by The Castle, Newcastle. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Pons Aeli 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 Milecastle 4 (0.2 km), Milecastle 4 (Westgate Road) (0.6 km), Turret 3B (0.6 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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