Remains of Roman ‘shanty town’ uncovered in Bowes, Teesdale Mercury

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have unearthed remains of a large Roman “shanty town” in Teesdale that could shed light on the last days of the occupation of Britain.

Excavations carried out in Bowes have revealed significant evidence of an unplanned settlement, called a vicus, which grew up on the outskirts of the Roman fort.

Archaeologists discovered stone walls, foundations of wooden buildings, flooring, the remains of a huge Roman building, and large amounts of Roman pottery thought to date from the second and third centuries.

Historians believe hundreds of people would have lived at the site. However, the finds have puzzled experts because it appears that the settlement was lived in for longer than other similar sites in northern England, including Housesteads on Hadrian’s Wall.

Richard Carlton, from The Archaeological Practice Ltd, said the Bowes settlement would have resembled a “shanty town”.

Mr Carlton said: “The excavations were significant as they showed that there was occupation outside the Roman fort until possibly the fourth century.

“That’s quite unusual in northern Britain as life in similar settlements seem to stop in the middle of the third century. Why that’s the case is anyone’s guess.”

The Romans founded a fort at Bowes to protect the road across the Pennines, although only the ramparts of the fortification now survive.

Previous excavations on land near at Bowes in 1966 and 1999 revealed remains of Roman buildings, suggesting the presence of a Roman civil settlement on the south side of the village’s main road.

Last year, Newcastle firm The Archaeological Practice dug five trenches at the rear of Holme Lea farmhouse, opposite The Ancient Unicorn pub.

The company was asked to assess the impact of a proposal to build five homes at Holme Lea.

However, archaeologists were surprised to find that the site was in the centre of a Roman vicus.

“The trenches revealed evidence of considerable Roman activity. 

“The excavations were the first to reveal substantial and well-preserved remains of buildings outside the fort,” Mr Carlton said. 

He added: “It’s not often a small-scale excavation will reveal anything like this.”

Also found were Roman iron nails, tiles, 209 pieces of Roman pottery and 5.42kg of broken amphorae – a type of ancient vase.

A vicus was a civilian settlement that sprang up close to an official Roman site. It is likely that inhabitants would have been involved in trade and provided services to Roman soldiers, with a possible brothel sited nearby.

Examples include Housesteads, which is thought to have lasted until the year 270, with many others being abandoned much earlier.

Mr Carlton said: “It is possible that because of the turbulent nature of the frontier, officials imposed stricter rules on these types of settlements at Hadrian’s Wall and cleared them. 

“The vicus at Bowes was further south, so that’s why it might have lasted longer, but no one can really explain it.”

Little is known about the final days of Roman life in Britain, but tradition holds that towards the end of the occupation, the garrison at Bowes ran amok.

Legend has it that locals retaliated by storming the fort and massacring the legionaries.

It has now been recommended that part of the Holme Lea site is protected from future development and Durham County Council is considering the planning application.