Oxton Roman Fort

Fortlet

The Roman fortlet at Oxton lies on the eastern side of Dere Street in northern Borders Region, close to the modern boundary with Lothian Region. It measures approximately 250 feet from south-east to north-west by about 200 feet NE-SW (c.75 x 60 m) between the ditches, which enclose an area of just over 1 acre (c.0.46 ha), although allowing for a rampart, the area available for occupation would have been around ¾-acre (c.0.3 ha). The ditch is “bifurcated”, that is, single on the north-east at the rear of the site, branching into two along the short north-west and south-east sides and around the south-west side, in the centre of which was the entrance causeway.

The most notable attribute of this fortlet is its four annexes; there is both a wide-ditched and a narrow-ditched annexe on the north-east, the former lying wholly within the latter, a smaller narrow-ditched annexe is attached to the north-west defences, but the most remarkable is a coffin-shaped annexe which stretches parallel to the line of Dere Street for some 740 feet (225 m) to the south-east, enclosing an area of about 5 acres (c.2 ha).

The Channelkirk marching camp lies close by to the north-west.

Map References for Oxton

OS National Grid Reference: NT491546
Dimensions: 250 x 200 ft (75 x 60m)

Area: c.1 acre (0.46 ha)

References for Oxton

  • Britannia xv (1984) p.276;
  • Air Reconnaissance in Roman Britain 1977-1984 by G.S. Maxwell & D.R. Wilson in Britannia xviii (1987) pp.25/6, fig.8 & plate.VIa.

Roman Roads near Oxton

NW (6) to Fala Dere Street: NW (14) to Elginhavgh (Lothian) Dere Street: SSE (13) to Newstead (Newstead, Borders) Dere Street: NW (10) to Woodhead

Sites near Oxton Roman Fort