(NY 85917117) Brocolitia. (1)

The fort measures approximately 450 ft north-south by 350 ft east-west may have been built as late as c.AD130-132. Little excavation has taken place but in 1934 it was found that the Vallum, clearly underlay the fort and had been filled in to make way for the fort's construction. In June 1875, a hoard of 66 denarii, ranging from Mark Antony to Geta, was found under a large boulder in the centre of the fort. (2)(3)

The remains of the fort are still well defined, but extensively mutilated by stone robbing around three sides. Fragmentary remains of internal structures are exposed in places around the ramparts, and a large stone, carrying an embossed phallic symbol, is recumbent within the fort, the ramparts vary in height between 1m - 3.2m with the maximum on the west. Resurveyed at 1:2500. (4)

Trial excavations in 1967 by D J Breeze for Durham University Excavation Committee detected not less than three building periods, but provided little dating evidence, although occupation continued until after AD367. (5)

Further work on the south and west sides of the Principia was undertaken in 1969 (see plan). Period II is dated by pottery to c.AD200; subsequent alterations to rooms VI-VIII are undated but are likely to be due to subsidence over the Vallum ditch rather than to any form of enemy action. The hypocaust inferred in room II seems not to have been completed and examination of the front of the South Gate (porta decumana) of the fort found both portals blocked with reused masonry. (6)

Additional bibliography (7).

Drainage trench excavated by hand, in June 1977, by DoE Direct Labour. Trench ran from south of Mithraeum enclosure southwards to stream (NY 859710). Peaty deposits yielded small quantities of coarse and samian pottery, parts of two shoes and other pieces of leather. The leather was unsuccessfully conserved at Durham University. The southern end of the trench uncovered a flagged path or road running east-west and leading to a building platform. (8)

Ploughmarks precede construction of temporary camp. (9)

NY 859712 Carrawburgh. Cord rig beneath Roman context. (10)

Scheduled. (11)

The site is also known as Procolitia. This is the spelling that appears on the Deeds of the site that go back to the ownership of the fort by Clayton. It is also the spelling used on the noticeboard at the fort written by Professor Ian Richmond in 1950. (12)

The archaeological history of the fort, identified as Brocolitia (13a), has been summarised by Birley up to 1961 (2) and by Daniels to 1978 (13b). There was a major excavation programme between 1967 and 1969 (13c). In August 1984 RCHME Newcastle produced an analytical 1:1000 plan of the fort and the surrounding area, together with a full account of the remains; these are held in the NMR. The defences, enclosing an area of 1.4 hectares, had consisted of a stone wall backed by an earthen rampart, but the site has suffered badly from robbing and former cultivation, and it now survives mainly as a turf-covered scarp or as a bank, up to 0.5m high internally. Short stretches of the outer wall face can be seen towards the S end of the W side, exposed for not more than one course; masonry is visible in the S guardchamber of the W gate and in the interval tower between the W gate and the SW angle, both having been excavated. The N rampart lies beneath the modern road. Outside the wall was a berm, about 4m wide, still visible for most of the periphery as a terrace 2m below the crest of the rampart. Beyond this there were two, possibly three ditches, but the double ditches only survive in the SW. The fort interior has been disturbed by stone-robbers, farmers and early excavators, and most of the low turf-covered scarps now remaining form no coherent pattern. The fort is in private hands but open to the public (13d). Full summary of the extent and state of preservation of the remains (13e). (13a-13e)

The Roman fort of Brocolitia was seen as an earthwork and mapped from air photographs. The remains are as descibed by previous authorities. (13f)

Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (13g)

General association with HER 7932 (Temple of Mithras), HER 7931 (Coventina's Well), HER 7929 (Carrawburgh Vicus), (13)