Excavations near Hadrian's Wall at Tarraby Lane 1976

Abstract

The project was a rescue excavation before housing development, mainly between Hadrian's Wall and the Vallum, close to the fort of Petriana at Stanwix. Traces were found of a pre-Wall field-system. A minor Roman road was found running parallel to and 80 m south of the Vallum. A substantial Roman boundary of postsettings for posts over 2 m high was found running between, and at right angles to, the Wall and Vallum. In one area south of the Vallum a series of ditches of the second century A.D. suggested meadowland associated with a vicus of the nearby fort. To assist in its conservation the fragmentary remains of the Wall were traced and their position recorded. No trace was found of a Military Way; it may have been obliterated by an historically-recorded medieval road found parallel to and immediately south of the Wall. The position of Milecastle 65 was located by geophysical survey and found by test excavation to survive at foundation-level. * ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. The land is owned by the developers, John Laing Construction Limited, and the archaeological work could not have been carried out without their permission and cooperation , particularly that of Mr Nigel Redfern (Regional Director) and Mr Ian Blackett (Housing Manager). The work was carried out by the Central Excavation Unit of the Department of the Environment with the generous consent of the tenant farmers of the land, Mr G.