Lancaster Roman Fort

Lancaster Roman Fort
Surviving ruins of the third fort (Wery Wall)
Lancaster Roman Fort is located in Lancaster city centre
Lancaster Roman Fort
Location in Lancaster
Lancaster Roman Fort is located in Lancashire
Lancaster Roman Fort
Location in Lancashire
Founded during the reign ofVespasian / Titus
Foundedc. 80 AD
Abandoned5th century
Place in the Roman world
ProvinceBritannia
Nearby waterRiver Lune
Structure
— Stone structure —
Built during the reign ofTrajan
Builtc. 102 AD
— Wood and earth structure —
Built during the reign ofVespasian / Titus
Builtc. 80 AD
Stationed military units
Cohorts
ala Augusta, ala Sebosiana, numerus Barcariorum Tigrisiensium
Location
Coordinates54°03′05″N 2°48′12″W / 54.05150°N 2.80347°W / 54.05150; -2.80347
TownLancaster
CountyLancashire
CountryEngland
Reference
UK-OSNG referenceSN643564
Site notes
Discovery year1950
ConditionEarthworks and ruins
Controlled byScheduled Monument (SAM: CD129)

Lancaster Roman Fort, also known as Wery Wall, Galacum or Calunium,[citation needed] is the modern name given to ruined former Roman fort atop Castle Hill in Lancaster in North West England. The first castra was founded c. 80 AD within the Roman province of Britannia.

The fort's name is not known. A Roman milestone found four miles outside Lancaster, with an inscription ending L MP IIII, meaning "from L— 4 miles", suggests that it began with that letter.[1] However in 1998 David Shotter suggested that Galacum, a name that has been associated with the fort at Over Burrow, would be more appropriately applied to Lancaster.[2]

The fort is thought to be the origin of the name Lancaster. It appears in the Domesday Book as Loncastre, where "Lon" refers to the River Lune, with the Old English cæster (borrowed from the Latin castrum) for "fort".[3]

  1. ^ Rivet & Smith 1979, p. 382.
  2. ^ Shotter 1998, p. 10.
  3. ^ Ekwall 1960, p. 285.

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