The Jay Lane Roman  Fort was probably the first permanent Roman military camp to be built in the area, followed by later forts at Buckton and Leintwardine. It seems likely that Jay Lane was contemporary with the supply depot built into the north-west corner of Brandon Camp. The fort was discovered from the air by W.A. Baker in 1960 and excavated by S.C. Standford in 1961-62, who concluded that Jay Lane was established around 50AD and dismantled in 78. The ramparts were of turf with timber corner-towers, interval-towers and gateways, the internal buildings were also of wooden construction. The fort was surrounded by a double-ditch defensive system. Each of the ditches was about 6 ft. wide and about 3 ft. deep (1.8 x 0.9 m), separated from each other by a ravelin about 5 ft. (1.5m) wide, while the inner ditch was separated from the rampart by a berm 8 ft. (c.2.5m) across. The encampment is large enough to have housed an ala quingenaria, a squadron of auxiliary cavalry nominally five-hundred strong.

References for Jay Lane Fort

  • The Roman Forts at Leintwardine and Buckton by S.C. Stanford in Trans.
  • Woolhope Naturalist and Field Club vol.xxxix 1968.

Map References for Jay Lane Fort

NGRef: SO4074 OSMap: LR137/148

OS National Grid Reference: SO4074
Size: 537 x 448 ft (164 x 137 m)
Area: c.5½ acres (c.2.24 ha)

Roman Roads near Jay Lane Fort

None identified

Sites near Jay Lane Roman Fort