Farmer's field was site of Roman fort
EXCLUSIVE by Gary Skentelbery

A FARMER'S field which has unearthed various exciting finds is now believed to have once been the site of a Roman fort. Experts from Manchester University's Arachaeological Unit have discovered military defensive ditches dating back to the 1st century, during excavation work on the field at Warburton near Lymm. Warrington based amateur archaeologist James Balme, who has already uncovered various exciting finds over the past three years with a metal detector, said: "Exciting times lay ahead. "These military trenches indicate that this was once the site of a Roman fortlet, which would have had a commander, centurion and up to 80 soldiers. "It was probably built to defend the river crossings of the nearby River Bollin and River Mersey." Dr Mike Nevell, research manager at Manchester Universities archaeological unit, says the finds from all the trenches dug, have exceeded all his expectations. The latest discovey follows hot on the heels of James finding a rare silver Roman coin, one of only 14 ever found in Britain. The whole excavation is being documented and filmed by a local TV production company, with former Granada TV weatherman Fred Talbot.........

.......co-presenting with James. It will be called 'The King's Grave.' James added: "This would have been an important fort inbetween Manchester and Wilderspool, Warrington, as well as Chester." The military trenches were discovered when JCB's moved in to excavate the site, which has also yielded dozens of other artefacts, including Roman brooches and a bronze age axe. James discovered the site after studying aerial photographs and walking the field with a metal detector. He estimates he has now put in well over 2,000 hours of work on the site over the past three years - with up to four or five years more work still to do. "This is probably one of the most important Roman sites in the North West," added James. Dr Tim Strickland, a leading authority on Roman Military Forts in North England, has visited the site and confirmed, without any doubt, that a Roman Fort once existed on the site and believes it will be similar to one found at Middlewich. The excavations have now been refilled and it is planned to carry out more work early in the New Year.