Habitancum

Habitancum is an ancient Roman fort at Risingham in Northumberland. It stands on a low mound above the River Rede, about nine miles north of Hadrian’s Wall. The fort once belonged to a chain of forts along Dere Street, the Roman road running from York to Melrose in Scotland. Its name comes from an altar inscribed with Habitanci, set up by Marcus Gavius Secundinus. The fort was built in the early Antonine period around 138 AD when the frontier moved north to the Antonine Wall. The fort was destroyed and rebuilt several times. It was first levelled about 197 AD, then rebuilt by the First Cohort of Vangiones under Septimius Severus between 205 and 208. Later, Constantius rebuilt it again around 306 AD after another destruction. The final collapse came in about 368 AD. The fort measured 450 feet north to south and 400 feet east to west, enclosed by ditches still visible today. Visitors can see the outline of buildings beneath the turf inside the fort. Only the north-eastern corner angle remains in stone, but the ditches mark the fort’s edges clearly. The site overlooks the River Rede, giving a quiet spot to imagine the fort’s past. Inscriptions show a large civil settlement once stood nearby. The remains of gates appear in the south and west walls, with possible gates in the other walls now lost.