Editing Stanegate

{{Short description|Roman road that ran from Carlisle to Corbridge, England}}
{{For|the visual novel|Steins;Gate}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox road
|country=GBR
|type=Roman
|route=Stanegate
|alternate_name= Roman Road
|margary=85
|marker_image=
|map=Stanegate.jpg|map_alt=Map showing Stanegate|map_notes=Route of the Stanegate
|length_mi= 38
|time_period= [[Roman Britain]]
|terminus_a=[[Coria (Corbridge)|Corstopitum]]
|junction= [[Vindolanda]], [[Magnis (Carvoran)|Magnis]]
|terminus_b=[[Luguvalium]]
}}
[[File:Forts on Stanegate and Hadrian's wall.png|thumb|350px|Forts on Stanegate and Hadrian's wall]]

The '''Stanegate''' (meaning "stone road" in [[Northumbrian dialect]]<ref>Northumberland Words – A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Northumberland and on the Tyneside -, Volume 2, Richard Oliver Heslop, Read Books, 2008, 1409765261, 9781409765264, page. 696</ref>) was an important [[Roman road]] and early frontier built in what is now [[northern England]]. It linked many forts including two that guarded important river crossings: [[Coria (Corbridge)|Corstopitum]] ([[Corbridge]]) on the [[River Tyne]] in the east (situated on [[Dere Street]]) and [[Luguvalium]] ([[Carlisle]]) (on the [[River Eden, Cumbria|River Eden]]) in the west. The Stanegate ran through the natural gap formed by the valleys of the River Tyne in Northumberland and the [[River Irthing]] in Cumbria. It predated the [[Hadrian's Wall]] frontier by several decades; the Wall would later follow a similar route, albeit slightly to the north.

The Stanegate should not be confused with the two Roman roads called Stane Street in the south of England, namely [[Stane Street (Chichester)]] and [[Stane Street (Colchester)]]. In both these cases the meaning is the same as for the northern version, indicating a stone or paved road.

The Stanegate differed from most other Roman roads in that it often followed the easiest gradients, and so tended to weave around, whereas typical Roman roads follow a straight path, even if this sometimes involves having punishing gradients to climb.<ref name="Selkirk">{{cite book |author=Raymond Selkirk |year=1995 |title=On The Trail of the Legions (pages 107–120)|publisher=Anglia Publishing |isbn=1-897874-08-1}}</ref>

A large section of the Stanegate is still in use today as a modern minor road between [[Fourstones]] and [[Vindolanda]] in [[Northumberland]].

==History==
The Stanegate is believed to have been built under the governorship of [[Gnaeus Julius Agricola|Agricola]], from 77 to 85 AD, during the reigns of the emperors [[Vespasian]], [[Titus]], and [[Domitian]]. It is also thought that it was built as a strategic road when the northern frontier was on the line of the [[River Forth|Forth]] and [[River Clyde|Clyde]]. An indication of this is that it was provided with forts at one-day marching intervals (14 Roman miles or modern {{convert|13|mi}}), sufficient for a strategic non-frontier road.<ref>Hodgson, N. (2000). The Stanegate: A Frontier Rehabilitated. Britannia, 31, 11-22. doi:10.2307/526915</ref> The forts at [[Vindolanda]] (Chesterholm) and [[Nether Denton]] have been shown to date from about the same time as Corstopitum and Luguvalium, in the 70s and 80s AD.

When the Romans decided to withdraw from Scotland starting from around 87 AD,<ref>Andrew S. Hobley, The Numismatic Evidence for the Post-Agricolan Abandonment of the Roman Frontier in Northern Scotland in Britannia xx (1989) pp.69-74</ref> the line of the Stanegate gradually became the new frontier and it became necessary to provide forts at half-day marching intervals. These additional forts were [[Newbrough]], [[Magnis (Carvoran)|Magnis]] (Carvoran), and [[Brampton Old Church]]. It has been suggested that a series of smaller forts were built in between the 'half-day-march' forts. [[Haltwhistle Burn#Roman fort|Haltwhistle Burn]] and Throp might be such forts, but there is insufficient evidence to confirm a series of such fortlets.<ref name="Breeze">{{cite book |author=David J Breeze and Brian Dobson |year=1976 |title=Hadrian's Wall (pages 16–24)|publisher=Allen Lane |isbn=0-14-027182-1}}</ref>

==Structure==
{{stack|
[[File:corbridge stangate.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The line of the Stanegate looking east, within the [[Coria (Corbridge)|Corbridge Roman Site]]]]
[[File:Pasture, Bradley Burn and Roman milestone, near Vindolanda - geograph.org.uk - 409042.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|An in situ [[Roman milestone]] on the Stanegate adjoining [[Vindolanda]] fort]]
}}
Where it left the base of Corstopitum, the Stanegate was {{convert|22|ft|m}} wide with covered stone gutters and a foundation of {{convert|6|in|mm cm|adj=on}} cobbles with {{convert|10|in|mm cm}} of gravel on top.<ref name="Graham">{{cite book |author=Frank Graham |year=1979 |title=Hadrian's Wall, Comprehensive History and Guide (pages 185–193) |publisher= Frank Graham |isbn= 0-85983-140-X }}</ref>

==Route==
The Stanegate began in the east at [[Coria (Corbridge)|Corstopitum]], where the important road, [[Dere Street]] headed towards Scotland. West of Corstopitum, the Stanegate crossed the Cor Burn, and then followed the north bank of the Tyne until it reached the North Tyne near the village of [[Wall, Northumberland|Wall]]. A Roman bridge must have taken the road across the North Tyne, from where it headed west past the present village of [[Fourstones]] to [[Newbrough]], where the first fort is situated, {{convert|7+1/2|mi}} from Corbridge, and {{convert|6|mi}} from Vindolanda. It is a small fort occupying less than {{convert|1|acre}} and is in the graveyard of Newbrough church, which stands alone to the west of the village.<ref name="Graham"/>

From Newbrough, the Stanegate proceeds west, parallel to the South Tyne until it meets the next major fort, at [[Vindolanda]] (Chesterholm). From Vindolanda the Stanegate crosses the route of the present-day [[Military Road (Northumberland)|Military Road]] and passes just south of the minor fort of [[Haltwhistle Burn#Roman fort|Haltwhistle Burn]]. From Haltwhistle Burn, the Stanegate continues west away from the course of the South Tyne and passes the major fort of [[Magnis (Carvoran)|Magnis]] (Carvoran), {{convert|6+1/2|mi}} from Vindolanda and {{convert|20|mi}} from Corstopitum. At this point, the road is joined by the [[Maiden Way]] coming from the fort of [[Epiacum]] (also known as [[Whitley Castle]]) near [[Alston, Cumbria|Alston]] to the south.<ref name="Graham"/>

From Magnis, the road turns towards the southwest to follow the course of the [[River Irthing]], passing the minor fort of Throp, and arriving at the major fort of [[Nether Denton]], {{convert|4+1/2|mi}} from Magnis and {{convert|24+1/2|mi}} from Corstopitum. The fort occupies an area of about {{convert|3|acre}}.<ref name="Graham"/>

From Nether Denton, the road continues to follow the River Irthing and heads towards present-day [[Brampton, Carlisle, Cumbria|Brampton]]. It passes the minor fort of Castle Hill Boothby and then, {{convert|1|mi}} west of Brampton, reaches the next major fort, that of [[Brampton Old Church]], {{convert|6|mi}} from Nether Denton and {{convert|30+1/2|mi}} from Corstopitum. The fort is so called because half of it is buried under Old St Martin's church and its graveyard.<ref name="Graham"/>

From Brampton Old Church, the road crosses the River Irthing and continues southwest through [[Irthington]] and passes through what is now the site of [[Carlisle Lake District Airport|Carlisle Airport]], just to the north of the main runway.<ref>[[English Heritage]] Archaeological Map of Hadrian's Wall, 2010.</ref> The curving corner of an associated marching camp can be made out from the air on the south edge of the runway near its western end,<ref>''[[The Flying Archaeologist]]'', 'Hadrian's Wall:Life on the Frontier', broadcast 13.1.13</ref> and can be seen on [[Google Earth]]. The Stanegate then continued through a large cutting in the village of [[Crosby-on-Eden]], where a small fort has been postulated, based on marching distances, but has not yet been found.<ref>Roman roads in Cumbria, www.romanroads.org</ref> The Stanegate then crossed the [[River Eden, Cumbria|River Eden]] near the cricket ground<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.romanroads.org/|title=RRRA Home|website=romanroads.org}}</ref> in modern Carlisle and eventually reached the fort of [[Luguvalium]] (Carlisle) on the site of [[Carlisle Castle]], {{convert|7+1/2|mi}} from Brampton Old Church and {{convert|38|mi|km}} from Corstopitum. [[LIDAR]] images show that the road carried on westwards for a further {{convert|4+1/2|mi}} to the Roman fort at [[Kirkbride, Cumbria|Kirkbride]] overlooking [[Moricambe Bay]], an inlet of the [[Solway Firth]], where a large camp of {{convert|5|acre}} was found.

The Stanegate might have run eastwards from Corstopitum towards the fort and bridge at [[Pons Aelius]], present-day [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], possibly linking to [[Washing Wells Roman Fort]] in [[Whickham]], but no evidence of a road here has yet been found to support this.<ref name="Breeze"/>

==List of forts on the Stanegate==
From east to west:
* [[Coria (Corbridge)|Corstopitum]] (Corbridge) (major fort)
* [[Newbrough]] (minor fort)
* [[Vindolanda]] (Chesterholm) (major fort)
* [[Haltwhistle Burn#Roman fort|Haltwhistle Burn]] (minor fort)
* [[Magnis (Carvoran)|Magnis]] (Carvoran) (major fort)
* Throp, just south of [[Gilsland]] (minor fort)
* [[Nether Denton]] (major fort)
* Castle Hill Boothby, between [[Brampton, Carlisle|Brampton]] and [[Lanercost Priory]] (minor fort)
* [[Brampton Old Church]] (major fort)
* [[Luguvalium]] (Carlisle) (major fort)
* possibly [[Kirkbride, Cumbria|Kirkbride]]

==Subsequent history==
Much of the Stanegate provided the foundation for the Carelgate (or Carlisle Road), a medieval road running from Corbridge market place and joining the Stanegate west of Corstopitum. The Carelgate eventually deteriorated to such an extent that it was unusable by coaches and wagons. In 1751–1752, a new [[Military Road (Northumberland)|Military Road]] was built by General [[George Wade]] in the wake of the [[Jacobite rising of 1745]].<ref name="Graham"/>

==See also==
* [[Hadrian's Wall]]
* [[History of Northumberland]]
* [[Roman Britain]]
* [[Roman roads in Britain]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Stanegate}}

{{Hadrian's Wall forts}}

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[[Category:History of Northumberland]]
[[Category:History of Cumbria]]
[[Category:Roman roads in England]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Cumbria]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Roman frontiers]]
[[Category:Roads in Cumbria]]
[[Category:Roads in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Stanegate]]