Cawdor (Roman fort)

Cawdor (Roman Fort), located near the small village of Eastern Galcantray (15 miles east of Inverness), is suspected of being one of the northernmost Roman forts in Great Britain, though this evidence is controversial.

History
In 1984, the site of an alleged Roman fort was identified at Easter Galcantray, south west of Cawdor, by aerial photography.

The site was excavated between 1985 and 1990 and, although no Roman pottery or artefacts were found, several features were identified that seemed supportive of this classification:

"''Jones (1986a) interpreted the main structural phase within the (Cawdor) site’s history as potential evidence for the presence of a Roman military work. This assumption was based on a number of salient factors. These include: the rectilinear form of the enclosure ditch, with its V-shaped profile; the associated timber gate and corner tower; the presence of possible contemporary rectilinear timber buildings, which appear reminiscent in both size and form to barrack blocks; and finally, the dating evidence. This, based on the one sigma calibrated range, suggests the slighting of the site during the late first century AD, which would correspond to the governorship of Agricola, or possibly his unknown successor."

If confirmed, it would be the most northerly known Roman fort in the British Isles. The possibility that Agricola reached the northernmost area of Scotland can be confirmed by discoveries north of Inverness, specifically at Portmahomack and Tarradale in northern Beauly Firth, but Romano-British scholars have been consistently reticent in confirming Jones' interpretation of the site.

Agricola's Fort?
In the summer of 83 Agricola defeated the massed armies of the Caledonians, led by Calgacus, at the Battle of Mons Graupius.

Satisfied with his victory, Agricola extracted hostages from the Caledonian tribes and instructed his fleet to sail around the north coast, confirming (allegedly for the first time) that Britain was in fact an island.

He then may have marched his army to the northern coast of Britain, and reached the Inverness area, in the vicinity of the Eastern Galcantray (Cawdor) Fort. However, the "small piece of Roman coarse ware found with burnt material at bottom of ditch", originally reported in 1985, was subsequently found to be medieval, so it is unlikely that the Roman army was responsible for the construction of the site (as alleged on the Roman-Britain web site ).

Indeed, although a radiocarbon test of material found in this Roman Fort gave a possible date of construction during the Agricolan campaign, its interpretation remains problematic.



Furthermore some scholars, like Roy, Surenne, Watt, and Hogan believe that the Battle of Mons Graupius was fought in 82 near the Roman Camps of Raedykes or Glenmailen.

But Vittorio di Martino (author of "Roman Ireland", about a possible Roman expedition to Ireland) believes that this Roman victory happened in the area southwest of Cawdor.