Monument record MDR12510 - Western vicus, Navio Roman Fort, Brough, Hope

Geophysical survey was carried out on land west of the Roman fort at Brough-on-Noe, following which archaeological excavations were undertaken. The results suggested that Roman period activity west of the fort was of limited extent, may have been relatively isolated from the rest of the extra-mural settlement and was possibly only in use for around 50 years. No roads were found within the area excavated, and only one building could be confidently identified (although some features in one trench suggested that others existed, perhaps principally to the west of the area examined. It was suggested that the first phase of activity on the site saw some residential activity with at least one building and a possible well. The pottery and glass that was recovered included storage, cooking and food preparation vessel forms. There then appeared to be a phase of low use or abandonment, followed by the apparent laying down of a number of discrete pebble spreads, possibly as working surfaces or bases for temporary structures such as market stalls. (1) Cut features containing Roman artefacts (pottery and ceramic building material) were present in three evaluation trenches excavated in 2010. One feature was a gully, another was either par of a sub-rectangular pit or the butt-end of a ditch; the remaining four cuts were all ditches. Four other trenches revealed linear gullies and ditches that were similar in character and size to those dated as Roman and, given that there was little evidence on site for prehistoric, medieval or post-medieval activity in terms of artefacts or archaeological deposits, the likelihood is that these features are also of Roman date. The function of the western vicus is uncertain at present. Evidence from the 2010 evaluation trenches best support the suggestion that the site was associated with farming. (2)