[NY 997684] Haltonchesters [T.I.] ONNVM ROMAN FORT [G.S.C.] (1)

The Hadrianic fort, built in the 2nd century measures some 460ft north to south, by 410ft east to west, and belongs to a secondary stage in the Wall development. A reconstruction, started at the beginning of the 3rd century included a westward extension, which added half an acre to the original area, and gave the fort its present unique 'L-shaped' plan. An internal bath-house, sited to NY 99706850, (5) containing at least eleven rooms was discovered in the north east compartment of the fort when it was first ploughed in 1827. (2)(3)(4)(5)

Haltonchesters is bisected by a modern road, north of which, the fort's ramparts are represented by indeterminate ground swellings only. No visible remains of the bath house exist. South of the road, the outline of the fort is well-defined though mutilated. The unintelligible remains of internal buildings can also be traced. Published survey (25 inch) revised.
The Vallum's course past the fort is not visible. (6)

In 1960, excavations at Haltonchesters revealed four buildings of the Hadrianic period - a granary next to the headquarters building; next westwards a shorter building with a suspended floor like a granary but no buttresses (this was replaced in the Theodosian period); to the south a small building of unknown function and a probable workshop on the west. These last two buildings were replaced in the Severan period. Excavations by J P Gillam and M G Jarrett. (7)

Plan and Account by RCHME 22-Jan-90. (8)

Halton, Romano-British iron working site. (9)

Finds from excavations at Halton Chesters in 1958 and 1959 by Durham University Excavation Committee, accessioned to Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle. Leather boot or shoe (1958.55), silver pin with zoomorphic head 3rd/4th century (1959.5), metal objects (1959.6-7). (10)

Surface finds from Halton Chesters. Roman. In Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle acc no 1978.8. (11)

NY 997685 Halton Chesters. Cord rig beneath Roman context. (12)

Survey of fort by RCHME in July and August 1989. (13)

Scheduled Monument. (14)

A geophysical survey of the fort and part of the vicus was carried out in May 1999 by Timescape Archaeological Surveys. The area surveyed covered 9ha, including the area directly south and east of the fort. North of the vallum and the east of the fort there are buildings sited between the Vallum and Hadrian's Wall. An auxilliary interconnected road appears to run to the north of a series of smaller buildings set near to the north of the Vallum. There may be more than one phase of buildings demonstrated here. Either side of the road there are apparent plot boundaries. The layout of this has military overtones and may be part of an extension from the fort and not the vicus which would be better sited to the west of the fort. (15)

Excavations underatken in 1960-1 by J P Gillam. (16)

The archaeological history of the Roman fort at Haltonchesters, identified as ONNUM (17ba), has been summarized by Birley (2) and Daniels (17c). Excavations undertaken in 1937 (17d) show that the Wall had already been built, at least in part, and the ditch dug before the decision was taken to move the frontier garrison up onto the Wall no later than AD 126. Subsequently the fort was extended to the W to the S of the Wall to form a broad, reversed L-shape, and this extension was found by excavation to be Severan (17e). The fort, reduced to a disturbed earthwork, was examined in 1989 by RCHME Newcastle during the Hadrians Wall Survey, when it was decided to produce a 1:500 survey and detailed textual description of the remains to take advantage of the unusually dry summer which had revealed parchmarks of buried features in the N ploughed-down part of the fort. (17a)

The results of the RCHME survey, the plan and the description, were fully published in 1990. (17f)

A Roman fort and is visible as earthworks and cropmarks on air photographs at NY 9972 6846. The fort is visible as described above. To the south of the road the fort platform is extant but the interior features are largely unintelligable and were mapped as extents of area only. To the north of the road a slight platform survives. Parchmarks show the northern tower of the west gate as well as other internal features. A road, also visible as a parchmark, exits the fort through the north gate and branches before fading (NY 96 NE 138/ UID 1014457). A possible building is visible to the east of the road.
A broad depression, interpreted as the denuded vallum ditch (NY 96 NE195/ UID 1451435) appears to join the broad southern ditch of the fort. (17g-i)

Recent publication of the 1960-1 excavations describes the Hadrianic granary in the south-west part of the fort and a large building complex immediately to the west. A destructive fire affected an extensive area of the fort, and may be contemporary with the destruction deposit recorded at nearby Corbridge. (17j-k)

Depiction in the James Irwin Coates archive: 'S.E. Angle: Hunnum. 1879'. (17l)

Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (17m)

General association with HER 8674 (Roman cemetery), HER 30779 (Military Way), HER 8710 (Roman road), HER 30744 (Vallum), HER 31402 (Roman road), HER 31475 (building and banks), HER 31157 (ridge and furrow). (17)