CALSTOCK FORT
FIRM EVIDENCE FOR A ROMAN MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE TAMAR VALLEY
Dr Peter Claughton and Dr Chris Smart
2nd February 2009
Peter explained that as an economic historian, he had a particular interest in medieval
mining history. They had both been part of the Bere Ferrers Project, which had been
a cross-disciplinary study of the extractive industry surrounding the mining of lead
ore running north from near Weir Quay. The lode had been worked by the Crown or its
lessee during the reign of Edward I & II, because of the high percentage of silver
in it. A topographical survey had allowed them to identify some of the places mentioned
in medieval documents, with older workings on the periphery of later mines. They
had also traced a 16km leat, which had supplied a water wheel situated directly over
pumps at Lockeridge. The Crown records showed that experienced miners had been coerced
to work there and the mining settlement had probably been at Bere Alston where the
land ownership was very fragmented. The grand church at Bere Ferrers had been paid
for out of its tithes but the lord of the manor had not made any profit directly
from mining on his land. During the nineteenth century slag from the known smelting
sites had been reworked, but there was a reference to the allocation of woodland
for smelting at Calstock and some residues were known to have been removed. The project
was looking for the site of the Curia or fortified court which would have been the
centre of operations around 1420 and a hill slope below the church could have provided
wind assisted hearths. The gravediggers had found signs of burning and Samian ware,
and so they did a magnetometer survey in the churchyard.
Chris is the field archaeologist and the Roman Military fort, which he found, has
been recognised as being of national significance. His survey identified one furnace
site, but it was Roman and contained arsenic and copper residues. They now knew that
the hill top was covered by a standard Roman military fort with double embankment
surrounding barrack blocks, which was occupied from 60-120 AD. This unusually long
occupation suggested that the fort may have controlled the mining over a wider area.
Surrounding it they had found suggestions of a larger enclosure and numerous small
post holes from the occupation of the site during the dark ages. This was only the
third Roman site found in Cornwall, but nearly all the sites in both Devon and Cornwall
had been at the head of a navigable river. He hoped to find evidence of an anchorage
along the road leaving the fort to the east or at least discover where it was heading.
Some PDAS members had attended the open day on the previous Saturday but more visitors
would be welcome at any time during their current rescue dig.
Joan Price
