Field and Desk Archaeology


Mayburgh Riverine Project

Roman

From the plan of the modern Greenside Mine workings, you can see where the vein reached the surface. If my hypothesis is correct, this is where the Romans would have been operating (up to a height of 720m ASL). The Romans knew how to separate silver from the lead ore by high temperature cupellation. Often for a batch of ore, the small amount of silver extracted from the ore was more valuable than the lead.

The line of the vein in the South is now occupied by large craters. Just above the craters and to the right there appears to be a U-shaped enclosure. Upon inspection, this is most likely of natural origin, being a tear in the peat layer on a slope. There was nothing to see inside the area. However there was an area of hard-standing (marked HS) on the knoll just above this feature, which was more promising, but still inscrutable. The deep nick in the crags to the North would appear to be an extended exploration of the back part of the surface vein. Unfortunately the modern plan suggests this would not have been productive at depth. This may represent some of the earliest workings now extant. Currently it is known that the workings date back to at least the late 17th / early 18th century.

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I spotted this Rectangular enclosure on Lidar above Glencoyne Farm measuring approx. 45m by 40m. At the highest point internally, there is a square stone footing of approx. 4.5m by 4.5m (see green area on inset). This may be a Roman Signal Station. The Roman Signal Station at Jordan's Plain had a timber tower of 4.25m square and the one at Black Hill, east of Inchtuthil was 4.3m square. Where was it signalling from / to? Upon checking, it does have line of sight to the Greenside Mine and down Ullswater to the bend in the lake.

Looking at the Lidar data however, nothing Roman was evident at the 4 sites, Old Church Hill, Kailpot Crag, Dunmallard or Heughscar Hill. Lines of sight were confirmed at the last 3 mentioned sites as drawn, however there was nothing Roman to positively identify on the ground. For the lines of sight to work, there are a limited number of places where the network could logically be. If there was a Roman Signal Station at Glencoyne, it would appear to have been mainly used to communicate from the Roman base camp at Glencoyne with the mine at Greenside (at 720m ASL). This makes sense, if you consider the difficulties of communicating on foot.

Lower Glencoyne to the West of Glencoyne Farm, is noted to have 18 unenclosed scooped platforms, but I only found 11 on Lidar plus 4 possibles. The remaining platforms may have been compromised by the possibly later field system to the South East. The platforms appear to be laid out on a grid plan approx. 65 metres apart. So we are either looking at some remarkably early Bronze Age town planning or that the platforms may be of a later date (in this case). The presence of a 65m rectangular fort / camp outlined with asterisks might indicate a Roman date, potentially making the scooped platform the abodes of native mine workers. The main track leading up Greenside starts just to the West.

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There has long been fruitless speculation as to how High Street Roman Road (in blue) lead to Brocavum Fort. The current line of the road is depicted as leading directly to Yanwath Ford. There is a Roman road just North of the Ford leading from Troutbeck Marching Camp (in purple), which probably connects with the Roman road going North from Brocavum (staying North of the Eamont). However there are 2 more direct alternate routes which may have been used (in red and green). These follow extant tracks and you will note that they carry straight on where they leave the official High Street route, when that route takes a distinct left turn. The red route is particularly interesting as it heads directly for the Camp at Setterah Park (approx. 84m x 60m). Originally thought to be Roman, but latterly Medieval. I believe it may be a Roman Marching Camp / Staging Post close to a ford across the River Lowther (note the oxbow lakes). Having crossed the Lowther, the route would then continue on higher ground past Clifton and on down to connect with the main Roman road coming up from Low Borrowbridge fort in the South - Orange).

The Roman Fort at Brocavum may have been the location of Athelstan's meeting of 927AD, where he received homage from neighbouring kings and declared himself King of all Britain. The text calls the place Eimot, which translates as Waters Meet. The rivers Eamont and Lowther meet close to Brocavum. Travellers would also be able to use what was left of Roman roads and bridges to get there. Most writers repeat the location as modern village of Eamont Bridge. There is grave doubt that Eamont Bridge existed in any significant form in 927AD. The Mayburgh complex is however close to hand. I have read one thoughtful author who agreed with my proposition.

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It is thought that the Southern end of Roman High Street descends rapidly off the high ridge down into Troutbeck Park via Scot Rake. On Lidar we can see tracks which head off towards Woundale Raise from there. On the far side of Woundale Raise there is a clear track which leads down to Middle Grove Lane. This last bit of track appears on both images. Note that Middle Grove Lane, when extended North, would join up with the modern road from Troutbeck over Kirkstone Pass. This may be another Roman route.