Page:VCH Norfolk 1.djvu/356

 A HISTORY OF NORFOLK The site of Branodunum is at the ' Wreck,' or ' Rack ' Hill, a short distance to the east of Brancaster village, between the modern high road and the creek which forms the western arm of Brancaster harbour (fig. 17). It is still distinguishable by the fragments of brick and pottery which lie about it, and by the slight but perceptible elevation of its area ; but its walls and buildings have long ago vanished, and little of them seems to have been visible even in Camden's days. In size and outline the fort is stated to have been a square of 570 feet, that is 7I acres, with gateways in the eastern and western sides, but no precise measurements have ever been secured, and I am inclined to consider these figures as some- what too small. ^ Excavations made in 1846 showed that the north-east angle of the fort was rounded, and had within it a small rectangular guard- chamber or turret, and presumably the other three angles were similar (fig. 19). At the same time, it was found that the walls were 11 feet thick, constructed of concrete, and built with facing and bonding-courses of a local white sandstone (fig. 18). At the eastern gate, which appa- rently had flanking bastions, a road 33 feet wide was found to enter the PLAN N'J nlr MARSHES B^Dao X N M Woe Roao f«oM Brancaster I III I ■■■iiiwii m ii ■nipw iiiiiiiiii I Fig. 17. Plan of Brancaster. C a3ISaK8?S^gS3g«^SL WcM^K^ '^<- /IJ/«< > Fig. 1 8. Section of Wall, Brancaster. fort, and run 360 feet across it westwards. Some slight indications of structures within the fort were also noted, but much yet remains to be explored. The minor objects found at various dates are not very im- portant or numerous — Samian and other pottery ; objects of bone and metal, including a statuette of Mercury, 3 inches high ; a fourth-century Christian ring, inscribed, vivas in deo (fig. 20). Many coins have been discovered, but few precisely recorded : a Republican denarius (Janus -|- trophy), another of Claudius, and another of Pius, a 'Third Brass' of Carausius, and one of Chlorus : many more appear to be ' Third Brass ' But the plan in that volume (p. i 3) suggests that the internal length from east to west was about 600 feet. The length from north to south must be somewhat the same but, owdng to the destruction of the south side, is perhaps hardly ascertainable. 304
 * I take them from Mr. J. Lee Warner's paper in the Norwich vol. of the Archaeological Institute.