Pennocrucium

Pennocrucium was a Romano-British settlement and military site near present-day Penkridge in Staffordshire. Evidence shows it was occupied from the mid-1st century until the 4th century. The settlement appeared in the 2nd-century Antonine Itinerary, listed as 12 miles from Uxacona and 12 miles from Letocetum. Its exact location was confirmed in 1946 when aerial photography revealed cropmarks. Archaeologist Kenneth St Joseph led excavations there for many years. The site lay on Watling Street, the main Roman road across the Midlands to Viroconium Cornoviorum. Pennocrucium was important as a road junction where Watling Street crossed the River Penk. Roads branched north to Mediolanum and south towards Greensforge and Metchley Fort. A rectangular enclosure, about 450 feet by 700 feet, formed the main defended civilian settlement. It was surrounded by three ditches and possibly had a civilian vicus along Watling Street. Eight hundred metres northeast stood a large double-ditched enclosure, likely a vexillation fortress. Eight hundred metres north-east of the civilian site lies a large double-ditched enclosure thought to be a vexillation fortress. Two smaller forts stood 700 feet south-east of the settlement and 200 feet north of Watling Street on the opposite bank of the Penk. Five single-ditched enclosures nearby have been identified as temporary marching camps. The landscape still carries traces of these ancient earthworks visible from the air. The River Penk once played a key role in the site’s defences and communications. Visitors today can walk the fields where Roman soldiers and settlers once moved. The remains offer a quiet glimpse into Britain’s Roman past.