The Stanegate

Source:
1) Hadrian's Wall, Breeze and Dobson, 1976 rev 1978, Pelican Books

In the late 70's and early 80's AD the expectation was that Agricola would complete the conq

uest of Britain. In AD 84/5 at the battle of Mons Graupius the last "great" battle of the campaign the British forces were defeated and as Tacitus scornfully says "All Britain was conquered, and then immediately thrown away". During Agricola's advance northwards he had used a classic Roman tactic of advancing on two fronts with connecting road and fort systems at the Stainmore Pass, Tyne-Solway line and the Forth-Clyde Isthmus.

During Agricola's governorship of Britain imperial policy, with emperor, changed. Vespasian, once commander of Legio II Augusta in Britain and keen to see the conquest of Britain completed, died in AD 79; his son and successor Titus died in AD 81. Vespasian's other son, Domitian, became emperor afterwards and was soon campaigning on the Danube. Following defeat there, and a rebellion in Germany, Domitian needed troops and sent to Britain for reinforcements. To this end he ordered a halt to any further advance in Britain and sent Legio II Adiutrix together with vexillations from the other legions over to the continent. Agricola who had already served twice the average term of office as governor was replaced and the Roman army in Britain withdrew to the Forth-Clyde isthmus and the Gask frontier by AD 87, 90 at the latest. Under Domitian the boundaries of the empire in Europe had changed from advancing front to a static frontier.

Trajan became emperor in AD 98, 2 years after Domitian's murder, and following the ineffectual rule of Nerva. During his reign he fought 3 "great" campaigns, two against Dacia and one against the Parthians. To release troops he ordered a withdrawal to the Tyne-Solway line and at this time the legionary fortresses at York, Caerleon and Chester were rebuilt in stone although York seems to have been briefly abandoned in around AD 110-112, a possible explanation being the removal of Legio IX Hispaniensis to Nijmegan to allow troop deployments from this area to support the campaign in Parthia in 114-7. Therefore between AD 90 to 105 there was a consolidated withdrawal in Britain with the Stanegate changing role from a supply and communications route to that of an effective frontier.

Agricola had originally built the Stanegate to connect the military bases at Corio (Corbridge) and Luguvalium (Carlisle). Forts had been built along the route at Vindolanda, Nether Denton, and Carvoran (at the junction of the Stanegate with the Maiden Way). In this, the first phase of the Stanegate the forts were built (with the exception of Carvoran) at approximately a day's marching distance apart to provide accommodation for troops and probably winter quarters in preparation to a summer's campaign.

Under Trajan as part of the conversion of the Stanegate from supply road to frontier extra forts were built at Newbrough, Old Church - Brampton, Throp and Haltwhistle Burn. This second phase saw the establishment of forts and watchtowers that allowed the patrolling of the surrounding countryside. It is possible that with the establishment of a frontier, that further forts were built at Washing Well and Kirkbride to control the areas east and west of the Stanegate proper with the rivers Tyne and Solway providing a barrier.

This situation, with adaptations, seems to have been relatively stable until around AD 115-120. At some point, probably following the withdrawal of the IXth Legion with only the IInd Augustan and XXth Valeria Victrix and associated auxiliary troops, the military strength in Britain was sufficiently weakened to such an extent that a major uprising with very heavy casualties occurred.