Chew Green

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Chew Green (Ad Fines)
Northumberland, England, UK
Chew Green Roman camp
Chew Green (Ad Fines) is located in Northumberland
Chew Green (Ad Fines)
Chew Green (Ad Fines)
Location in Northumberland
Coordinates55°22′16″N 2°20′13″W / 55.371°N 2.337°W / 55.371; -2.337
Grid referenceNT787086

Chew Green is the site of the ancient Roman encampment, commonly but erroneously called Ad Fines (Latin: The Limits[1]) on the 1885-1900 edition of the Ordnance Survey map,[2] in Northumberland, England,[3] 8 miles (13 km) north of Rochester and 9 miles (14 km) west of Alwinton. The encampment was adjacent to Dere Street, a Roman road that stretched south to York (Eboracum), and almost on the present-day border with Scotland.

Archaeological excavation at Chew Green has uncovered a complex of Roman military camps consisting of a Roman fort, two fortlets, two camps and a section of Roman road. The Roman remains were overlaid with evidence of the medieval settlement of Kemylpethe[4] that included a small chapel, although the evidence for this latter is based on reports of an undocumented excavation in the 1880s and must be regarded as insubstantial. The largest camp structure is a square that encloses about 17 acres (7 ha) with a defensive rampart and ditch. Evidence inside the fort indicates it was used as permanent settlement. The encampment likely served only as a military base, not a colonial settlement.[5]

The site is within the Northumberland National Park and within the Military Training Area at Otterburn.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ad Fines, Google Translate
  2. ^ Ad Fines Camps, OS One Inch, 1885-1900, National Library of Scotland
  3. ^ Richmond, I.A., & Keeney, G.S. (1937). Archaeologia Aeliana (4th Series) 14, 129–50.
  4. ^ Kemylpethe, National Library of Scotland
  5. ^ Stuart, R. (1845). Caledonia Romana: A Descriptive Account of the Roman Antiquities of Scotland. London, UK: Bell and Bradfute.