Horncastle Roman walls

The Roman walls at Horncastle form the remnants of the defensive wall of a Roman castra in the town of Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England. The six remaining parts of the wall are all Grade I listed structures, and are collectively a scheduled monument.

Horncastle Roman walls
Map
TypeAncient Roman defensive walls
Coordinates53°12′29″N 0°06′56″W / 53.2081°N 0.1155°W / 53.2081; -0.1155
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameRoman wall now in lobby of public library
Designated7 December 1966
Reference no.1262504
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameRoman wall
Designated7 December 1966
Reference no.1262704
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameRoman wall embedded in clinic building
Designated7 December 1966
Reference no.1251668
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameRoman wall to rear of the manor house
Designated7 December 1966
Reference no.1262720
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameSection of Roman wall to rear of No. 5
Designated7 December 1966
Reference no.1063769
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameRoman wall
Designated25 March 1987
Reference no.1251946

History

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A settlement existed at Horncastle since Neolithic times. In the late 3rd century, or the early 4th, the Roman occupiers of Britain established a fort at the site, at the intersection of the River Bain and the River Waring. The name Banovallum (Wall on the River Bain) was suggested as the name of the fort in the 19th century, but this may refer to the nearby town of Caistor.[1]

William Stukeley mapped the site in 1722 when the walls were in a more complete state of preservation.[2] At this time the walls stood in a more-or-less continuous run, and parts were up to four yards high.[3]

In 1998 the wall was placed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register having decayed over many years, in part due to weather erosion and in part due to the illegal removal of stones.[4] In 2021 a decade-long fundraising campaign allowed the completion of a major conservation project supported by Historic England which aimed to conserve and preserve the walls.[5] Further work was undertaken in 2023, and more is planned.[6]

Description

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The fort followed the standard plan for a Roman castra, a rectangular site with four corner towers and gates giving access on three sides.[7] The enclosed area amounted to about seven acres.[8] Nicholas Antram, in his Lincolnshire volume of the Pevsner Buildings of England series, revised and reissued in 2002, notes that there is currently little archaeological understanding of the internal layout of the fort.[8] The walls exist as standing masonry structures with further elements buried underground. Most of the standing elements have been incorporated into later structures, such as the best-preserved accessible section which now forms part of a wall in Horncastle Library.[a][6] The six sections of remaining wall have separate Grade I listings,[9][10][11][12][13][14] and are collectively a scheduled monument.[15]

Notes

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  1. ^ Many of the best preserved elements of the walls are located on private land and are not publicly accessible.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Horncastle History". Horncastle Town Council. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  2. ^ Savage, James (15 October 2017). "Physical remains – Ancaster, Caistor and Horncastle". Roman Lincolnshire. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  3. ^ "Horncastle Castle". Gatehouse Gazetteer. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Roman wall restored in Horncastle". Current Archaeology. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  5. ^ Nanrah, Gurjeet (21 March 2021). "Lincolnshire town's 1,700 year old Roman walls will be conserved". Lincolnshire Live. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Remains of Roman wall, Horncastle". Historic England. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Roman Horncastle". Horncastle Civic Society. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b Pevsner, Harris & Antram 2002, pp. 397–398.
  9. ^ Historic England. "Roman wall now in lobby of public library (Grade I) (1262504)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Roman wall (Grade I) (1262704)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  11. ^ Historic England. "Roman wall embedded in clinic building (Grade I) (1251668)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  12. ^ Historic England. "Roman wall to rear of manor house (Grade I) (1262720)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Section of Roman wall to rear of No. 5 (Grade I) (1063769)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  14. ^ Historic England. "Roman wall (Grade I) (1251946)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  15. ^ Historic England. "Banovallum Roman wall (Grade SM) (1005034)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2024.

Sources

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