Huntcliff Roman Signal Station

[rob_fmttm]

It has long since fallen off the end of Hunt Cliff but I have just found a photo of part of the structured after excavation at the start of 20th century.
This is an amazing archive called HEIR - Historic Environment Image Resource - created by Oxford's School of Archaeology. HEIR is made up of over 32 000 pictures dating from the 1860s - many are magic lantern slides that have been digitally scanned. Images from all over the world but mostly British Isles. Here is Saltburn's Roman Signal Station, one of a series of watchtowers down the coast looking out for invaders towards the end of the Roman rule of Britain.

 

[Centralscrutinizer]

Thanks for sharing the picture. I go past there a lot and have always wondered what it might have looked like. It's a shame it's lost.

 

[JackG]

Do you know what year it was lost to the sea?

 

[Centralscrutinizer]

I'm not sure. I can't remember anything ever being there when I was younger.

Just found this link with a bit of info and pics :

https://heiroxford.wordpress.com/20...lide-huntcliff-roman-signal-station-saltburn/

 

[Centralscrutinizer]

It must've been a bit dodgy excavating a site on the edge of a crumbling cliff

 

[rob_fmttm]

Most of it had gone before the excavations - if you go to the end of the cliff there is a sign showing the plan and what was exposed by excavations. They revealed a harrowing scene of bodies down a well, as if a skirmish had happened.

 

[rob_fmttm]

"The site of a Roman signal station at Huntcliff, thought to be of late fourth century date. A Roman signal station at Huntcliff was discovered circa 1862 and excavated by Hornsby and Stanton in 1911-12. Part of the site had been destroyed by sea erosion and only the southern portion survived. Plan. A circular well nearly 14ft deep contained the remains of 14 adults and children, Roman pottery, a leather sandal and cloth. The human remains indicated a violent death, possibly during a raid on the site...."(Pastscape) This was one of a number of Roman signalling stations situated along the Yorkshire amd North East coast, built as watchtowers to protect against the threat of Anglo-Saxon raiders from Denmark and Germany. The remains of the Roman Signal Station have been lost to costal erosion. There is an information board on the Cleveland Way close to where the Signal Station was located.

If you go down to near Kettleness, Goldsborough Signal Station is a couple of miles inland and you can walk the humps and bumps and trace the square shape of the outer ditch and wall and then the tower in the centre.

 

[Redwurzel]

The North Yorkshire coast had a series of defensive/outlook forts which were manned by Romano Britains - If several ships came from Denmark with say 150 raiders I suspect they would not have held out long. I guess they were warning stations to try and get troops from inland, but as the Romans withdrew the local Britains were left to their own fate and out numbered.

 

[rob_fmttm]

Oh yes they must have been early warning stations like Fylingdales - with beacons that could signal down the coast - probably really quickly - but yes it could have been more like ships on the horizon take cover. Rather than battle stations.

 

[rob_fmttm]

It is a great archive though - and some of the buildings pictured no longer exist.
Euston Arch Below

 

[buffaloboro]

I was always told there was a witches coven that met on Huntcliff when I was a kid....