Burrow Walls

There was an excavation at Burrow walls in 1955. The site lies a mile away from the sea and since the fort’s occupation the river Derwent has altered course away from Burrow, towards Workington. It is probable that this alteration took place around the 13th century.

It is presumed that the fort is Hadrianic in date and part of a series of Coastal forts with Beckfoot and Moresby. It was occupied in the 2 nd and 4 th centuries and was probably dismantled after Hadrian and not reoccupied until the fourth century, though with a reduced garrison. It had a fort wall 7-8 feet thick with 2 defensive ditches running outside. The fort was heavily robbed in the middle ages and the remnants of medieval walls could still be seen on the site in the mid 1950’s. (I don’t know if you still can see them) The stone used in the walls was taken from the Roman fort.

The site was finally levelled in the 19th century and is now farmland.

Sources

The Roman Fort at Burrow Walls Near Workington, Bellhouse, R.L. 1955
Burrow Walls, Bellhouse R., 1996
Research on Hadrian’s Wall, Birley E, 1961