Over Burrow (Burrow-in-Lonsdale) is a Roman auxiliary fort situated in the Lune valley in north Lancashire, on the road running north from Ribchester (Bremetennacum) to Low Borrow Bridge and ultimately Carlisle. It was likely established in the Flavian period (later 1st century AD) as part of the consolidation of the north-west, with occupation continuing into the 2nd and probably 3rd centuries; the fort covered roughly 2.5–3 hectares and was accompanied by a civil vicus.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The fort formed a key link in the Lune valley road network connecting the legionary base at Chester and the Ribble corridor to the central Lakeland forts and Hadrian's Wall, controlling movement through a strategic upland route. It is one of a chain of broadly comparable garrison posts (with Lancaster, Ribchester, and Low Borrow Bridge) policing the territory of the Brigantes.
The site was partly investigated in the 18th century by Thomas West and again in limited 20th-century work, recovering inscriptions, altars, tile, and pottery, though no modern open-area excavation has been undertaken. Aerial photography and geophysics have helped define the defensive circuit and traces of the vicus, but the internal plan of the fort remains poorly known.
Over Burrow (Burrow-in-Lonsdale) is a Roman auxiliary fort situated in the Lune valley in north Lancashire, on the road running north from Ribchester (Bremetennacum) to Low Borrow Bridge and ultimately Carlisle. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Roman fort and civil settlement, Over Burrow 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 Kalagon/Galacum (0.7 km), Roman milestone 500ft (150m) SE of Overtown Farm (1.7 km), Romano-British enclosed hut circle settlement 375m ENE of Collingholme (2.8 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 Roman fort and civil settlement, Over Burrow