4 days ago
New evidence suggests there could have been a Roman fort in beauty spot
Evidence suggests that there could have been a roman fort north of Bolton, a local history society says.
According to LiDAR imaging, which is a ground-penetrating radar, the remains of a 'small Roman fort' could be near the Wayoh Bridge in Turton.
Scrapes from the research alludes to the 'fort' having signs of a previous water supply as well as double ditches on three sides, a single ditch on the road side and three rounded corners.
Wayoh Reservoir in Turton, June 2021. Credit: Dave Wilson
Ged Melia, from Turton Local History Society, said: "The evidence seems reasonable, but until Historic England accept there was a fort there we can't categorically say that there was one.
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"We can't be definitive, but based on the LiDAR study there's certainly a case for there having been a small fort in Turton.
"There are some questions as it hasn't been dug."
The suspected water supply is believed to have come down from where Moorside Road is now.
(Image: David Ratledge) The main bulk of research regarding the fort has been done by David Ratledge, who has also mapped out an old Roman road running from Manchester to Ribchester.
Both Manchester and Ribchester housed forts that are now considered to be some of the most important in the region.
The Roman road from Manchester to Ribchester passes the 'fort' on its south-west side, David's research suggests.
The emergence of this new data coincides with the history society releasing two publications, one of which details a comprehensive history of Turton dating back to the bronze age.
"I don't think anyone has been daft enough to ever do this before, anywhere," He added.
The findings are documented in Number 40 is 'A Turton Timeline', and is a complete event driven history of the area from the Bronze Age to 2024. 'A Turton Timeline' was compiled to celebrate fifty years of the Society, originally formed in 1974.
The publication took the society three years to put together and is available to purchase on Amazon.
Booklets are written on a voluntary basis, with all proceeds being allocated towards maintaining the continuation of the society.
