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Warburton Roman fortlet Recent excavations carried out at the Warburton settlement have lead us to the important discovery of a previously unknown Roman fortlet at the site. The excavations were carried out jointly by Manchester University Archaeological Unit under the control of DR Mike Nevell and the Warburton Heritage Fund under the control of the chairman James Balme and deputy chairman Steve Guest ( see press section ). Trench one revealed the first Roman military defensive ditch of a punic style complete with ankle breaking section cut into the bottom of it. Trench two, three and four all revealed interesting archaeology and these will be investigated further in the near future. Over the next few months a new geophysical survey will be carried out at the site and will concentrate on the overall area of the fortlet to gain a fuller picture of the extent of the feature before major excavations take place inside the fort area itself. So what is known about Roman fortlets? A roman fortlet is a small, rectangular area occupying an area of approximately 1 acre and bounded by a fortified rampart with one or more outer ditches. It may be distinguished from a Roman fort by its small size and by the existence of only one or two gateways through the defences (which in the latter case are located in opposite sides) and by a lack of administrative buildings within the enclosed area. Internal structures normally consist almost entirely of buildings for the accommodation of the garrison. The function of fortlets seems to have varied from place to place. Some were probably positioned to guard river crossings and roads and this is what the Warburton fortlet was built for, especially as it was a vulnerable area being a hilltop site and probably a crossroad area. Others acted as supply bases for signal towers. In all cases accommodation was provided for a small detachment of troops normally numbering one hundred which would been supplied by a main fort in the same region. It is probable that such detachments were deployed on a temporary basis, each being relieved by a fresh one after a certain period. A total of between 20 — 25 certain Roman fortlets have been recorded in England. About 50 examples are known in Britain as a whole, about half of them are in Scotland. It is likely that more examples will be discovered in the future and most probably through aerial photography. It is worth noting that the Warburton site was discovered by the use of aerial photography as well as intensive field walking and metal detecting which lead to the recovery of datable artefacts over a period of three years. It is possible that the Warburton site could hold well preserved remains of the fortlet once major excavations begin although we have to be aware of the possibility of plough damage to the site also. Documentary evidence pertaining to Roman fortlets is non — existent . Roman fortlets are known to have been constructed from the 1st Century AD onwards, and some continued in use until at least the later 4th century AD. Some fortlets were occupied for only one year or two whilst others were occupied for many decades. One thing that is certain is the fact that this is just the beginning of an extremely exciting phase in the discovery of Warburton’s ancient past and the recovery of vital evidence and important artefacts will enrich the knowledge of us all.
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