Templeborough
Fort and Minor Settlement
The fort is almost square, measuring some 495 by 490 feet, covering an area of 5½ acres. Defences consisted of a turf rampart, built on a foundation of gravel and clay, an average 18 feet wide, with a single 18 foot wide ditch, separated from the rampart by a 13 foot wide berm. The occupation date of the fort is not certain, but cannot be later than early Flavian, and it may be earlier. The fort was buried under the Rotherham steelworks during the First World War, and was never archaeologically excavated.
The fort was reduced in size by cutting down the early turf rampart of the retentura and building a new fort, surrounded by a nine foot thick stone wall, backed by a clay bank and fronted by a single, 18 foot wide ditch. The internal dimensions of “Templeborough II” was about 380 by 440 feet, giving a new occupation area of about 3¾ acres.
Neronian and Flavian pottery recovered from the site indicates that this fort was constructed very early in the history of Roman rule. Samian ware of the Trajanic, Hadrianic and Antonine periods, together with other pottery dated to the third and fourth centuries probably indicates continued and uninterrupted occupation up until the Roman withdrawal from the province. The latest coins recovered from the site include those of Carausius (286-293) and Constantine? (307-337).
Epigraphic Evidence for the Fort’s Garrison
RIB619 - Funerary inscription for Cintusmus
VS M COH IIII GALL
ORVM PO MELISVS
RIB620 - Funerary inscription for Crotus
ERITO COH IIII GALLORVM ANNORVM
XXXX MONIMENTVM FECIT FLAVIA PE
REGRINA CONIVNX PIENTISSIMA MARITO PIENTISS
IMO TITVLVM POSVIT
RIB621 - Funerary inscription for Verecunda
VERECVD RVFI LIA CIVES
DOBVNNA ANNOR XXXV EXCINGVS
CONIVX CONIVGI KARISSIMA[...]
POSIT DE SVO
References for Templeborough
- The Roman Inscriptions of Britain by R.G. Collingwood and R.P. Wright (Oxford 1965);
- The Archaeology of Roman Britain by R.G. Collingwood (Methuen, London, 1930).
Map References for Templeborough
NGRef: SK4191 OSMap: LR111
Roman Roads near Templeborough
S (13) to Chesterfield (Derbyshire) Probable road: NE (12) to Danvm (Doncaster, South Yorkshire) WSW (17) to Brovgh-on-noe (Brough-on-Noe, Derbyshire)