Revealing what the Romans did for the A66 at Brougham

The A66 is a vital artery for freight, tourism, and local communities, linking the M6 and A1(M) where AtkinsRéalis is delivering detailed design for almost half the 30km of the Northern Trans-Pennine Upgrade. As archaeological enterprise lead for National Highways we are also working with partners to ensure the rich heritage of the area is protected, which is now being featured on BBC series Digging for Britain. Here, Nathalie Suffield from our archaeology team explains the historical significance of the site and the work we’re doing to mitigate impacts from the upgrade work. 

The A66 may be well known to motorists today heading through the Eden Valley and out across the Stainmore Pass, but it has been an important routeway through the Northern Pennines for at least 12,000 years. It was certainly a well-trodden path serving travellers and traders for thousands of years before the Romans invaded Britain, but it took their arrival to set the route in stone.

Working closely with archaeologists from Oxford Cotswold Archaeology, and the three Delivery Partners, Aureos, BalfourBeatty/AtkinsRéalis and Kier, we are now discovering tantalising traces of this predecessor to the modern route as well as the settlements that surrounded it during the Roman period. It is this period which features on the BBC series Digging For Britain which was broadcast on January 7.

The history of the route

At the time of the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD, the area crossed by the current A66 was occupied by the Brigantes tribe, led by Cartimandua. With the Brigantian revolt in AD 69, the Roman general and future emperor Vespasian began a military campaign to conquer the Brigantian territory with the Stainmore Pass and the A66 being thought to be the main campaign route through this region.

Following the withdrawal from Scotland in AD 87 under Domitian, the Roman army spent the following decades consolidating its power and position whilst improving the infrastructure in the north Pennines. Principally this comprised expanding road networks and making forts more permanent well-built structures. This includes the fort and associated ‘vicus’ (civilian settlement) at Brougham in Cumbria, known to the Romans as Brocavum.

This map image shows the frontier region of Roman Britain. Source: Ordnance Survey

The ‘Vicus’ Settlement at Brougham

Excavations towards the western end of the project have centred on the Roman settlement adjacent to the Roman fort at Brougham / Brocavum, which was likely established between AD 78 to 84 and remained in use until the end of the fourth century. Starting out as a military outpost alongside the road, in the late 2nd and early 3rd century AD an adjacent settlement developed, referred to as a ‘vicus’.

First stripping of the area directly adjacent to the modern day road revealed a variety of features which appear to represent the backyards of plots running along the road. A further area revealed a number of stone built structures and cobbled surfaces and domestic structures have been excavated, including the dry stone well shown in the picture below.

A stone lined well under excavation. Source: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology

DEA 305, one of the detailed excavation areas, had three distinct occupation layers which demonstrate a variety of different uses for this space throughout time. The earliest phase included the appearance of structural features in the form of beam slot buildings. 

These were then replaced by stone structures in the middle phase, of which the foundations still remained as well as a variety of cobbled surfaces. The later phase saw the introduction of industry in the area demonstrating a change of purpose and activity.

Image shows the different phases of cobbled surfaces under excavation. Source: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology

Artefacts such as pottery are giving further glimpses into the daily lives of those who lived in these communities. The remains of a leather hobnail boot have even been recovered demonstrating the continued military presence in the communities outside the traditional fort.

Image shows the remains of a hobnail boot. Source: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology.

The associated cemetery

Previous excavations in the 1960s made it clear that there was a substantial cemetery associated with the fort and settlement at Brougham. The upgrades to the modern A66 have allowed us to take a much closer look at this area.

Archaeologists have uncovered around 340 graves and numerous further funerary features giving an insight into death and burial practices during the Roman period as well as the community that lived in this small fort at the edge of the Roman world.

This cemetery has demonstrated a variety of burial methods, including cist burials, urned cremations and unurned cremations. Many were buried with a variety of grave goods and accessory vessels including jewellery and decorated bone. One stone-capped burial feature produced numerous finds including copper alloy bracelets and a brooch pin as well as glass and carved bone objects. These were found associated with a decorated Samian ware bowl illustrating a hunting scene.

Image shows evidence of cremation burial with accessory vessels. Source: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology.

A particularly exciting find is the pipe clay figurine pictured below. This was found alongside human remains and an intact glass cup in a cist burial and seems to depict a male youth wearing a tunic, cloak and a Phyrgian cap. It has been suggested that this may represent the god Attis, a Phyrgian deity and may point to the multi-culturalism and interconnectedness of the community that lived here. A gold ring found in another burial provides a glimpse into the wealth and status of individuals living here.

Figurine found in cremation burial. Source: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology.

The Roman Road

Excavations have revealed further detail about the route and composition of the Roman road which follows the route of the modern A66. Excavations towards the eastern end of the project, nearer to Brougham have revealed large stretches of the Roman road surviving running alongside the modern A66.

A well preserved metalled surface was revealed on the projected line of the road, shown in the picture below. A further section of nearly 600m was revealed which included preserved cobbles and a clearly defined embankment (agger).

Image shows a section of the Roman road. Source: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology.

An interconnected region

Artefactual evidence found throughout the excavations along the A66 have demonstrated that this region was not an isolated outpost of empire but connected far and wide with the Roman world.

A large amount of Samian ware pottery has been found throughout the excavation areas. Samian ware is a specific type of fine, glossy Roman pottery made in Gaul, modern day France and the Rhineland, and prized across the Roman Empire for its quality and distinctive red finish.

Samian ware was often seen as a luxury good, and imported from the continent in large amounts. Samian ware can often include a maker’s mark which can allow us not only to identify the workshop a pot was made in, but even the person who made it.

For example, a bowl found within the cemetery of Brougham has provisionally been identified as made by Marinus III, a potter who worked in several East Gaulish factories, including Rheinzabern, between AD 155 and 220. 

Further analysis of finds and burial evidence planned in the future will likely uncover further evidence of the connection between Cumbria and the Roman world which the road that follows the A66 facilitated during this period. 

This analysis will also hopefully reveal more about the lives of the people who dwelled alongside this Roman thoroughfare and maybe even the origins of the garrisons and their families who made this part of the Roman world home.

Samian ware with maker’s mark of Marinus III. Source: Oxford Cotswold Archaeology.

Protecting and building heritage

As the A66 corridor passes through areas of rich archaeological and environmental significance, including parts of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, AtkinsRéalis is working to ensure that heritage assets are identified, recorded, and, where practicable, preserved.

Archaeological investigations along the route have rewritten our understanding of the archaeology of the Eden Valley and are helping to build a deeper understanding of the region’s past, while informing the design and delivery of the upgrade scheme.

Our environmental specialists are also supporting efforts to protect local habitats, reduce carbon emissions, and ensure that the scheme aligns with national sustainability goals.

You can read more about the role of AtkinsRéalis on the Northern Trans-Pennine Upgrade here.

We are proud to be working with our delivery partners on this important project: