The History of the Roman Fort at Templeborough

By James Barker

The main fortification at Templeborough, referred to as Morbium by the Romans, was constructed by them during AD 54, providing a useful strategic hub in the local area. An important Roman road known as Ryknild Street ran close to the fort at Templeborough and is famous as it covered a large stretch of the UK and was an important route for the transportation of supplies. Remnants of this road were discovered in a field to the south of the fort’s location when a company was digging for electric tramway cables to be installed in 1918.

Roman coins such as denarii have also been discovered at the site. These were minted over a large stretch of Roman history, ranging from Nero to Marcus Aurelius, covering a period from AD 54 to AD 175. During the excavations of the area between 1916 and 1917, 127 individual coins were discovered in a variety of conditions, largely dependent on what base metal they were made out of (unfortunately, copper coins had badly corroded). The coins provided a vital clue in dating the Roman fort, allowing historians to pinpoint when it would have been used.

Further items were found at the site, helping to reveal how its residents lived, and ranging from bowls, wine amphoras, and black-glazed beakers to various pieces of terra sigillata. The excavations also revealed that the site was actually structured into three separate forts, with the final fort being ransacked by the local population after its abandonment due to its position on good arable land.

Other buildings on the site included a praetorium, a smithy, granaries, barracks, and a house for the commandant of the camp. Garrisons at the fort seem to have been rotated across different sites in the United Kingdom, as similar artifacts found at the Rotherham fort have also been discovered in areas as far north as Northumberland and Scotland, which could only have been carried by the same troop of soldiers.

Roman artifacts found in Rotherham can be seen when visiting Clifton Park Museum. This example shows the remains from the excavation at Templeborough, which was transported here for preservation purposes.

“Fuelled by the need for more steel”

Clues as to what animals that have been kept at the fort were found in the form of wild boar tusks and oyster shell remains discovered near the location of the bath house. A set of ancient Roman gravestones were also uncovered, showing that this fort was indeed a permanent residence throughout its history.

The site of the Roman fort was used by subsequent generations of invaders and landowners. Other nearby villages in the town contain areas of significance from the Roman period, including Brinsworth, which had a Roman camp, and Masbrough, which had a smaller fort. These forts were part of a defensive line along the southern edge of what was previously known as the Brigantes. Interestingly, the area known as Templeborough has only been a part of the Rotherham Borough since 1 November 1879, giving the town a major archaeological find in the process.

The area was heavily industrialised in 1916 after the land was acquired by Messrs, Steel, Peech and Tozer Ltd. This expansion was mainly fuelled by the need for more steel production during the First World War. The archaeological importance of the site was well known, and the then Rotherham Mayor, T. W. Grundy MP, arranged for various experts to come and excavate the site before building work commenced.

Funds for the excavations came from multiple sources, including some from the steel company buying the land, public goodwill and also the Rotherham Corporation. Excavations were completed between November 1916 and July 1917. Dorothy Greene, a famous archaeologist mentioned earlier in the book was also in attendance at the dig site.

Areas excavated included a field known as ‘Castle Garth’, close to where the Manor of Brinsworth once was, as well as an old village site at Templeborough. The excavators also found an old ford nearby named ‘Dead Man’s Hole’.

“Owned by monks”

The steelworks at Templeborough would continue to be an important producer during the twentieth century, and between 1960 and 1965, it had the largest electric arc melting shop in the world, consisting of six separate furnaces weighing 110 tons each. Rotherham had an interesting history with this method of steel production, as it was also home to one of the first companies to establish electric arc welding as a standard production process in 1914 at the Mosborough Electric Boiler Works.

Interestingly, the vast industrialisation of the site in the early twentieth century was not the first time the area had been used for ironworks, as evidence was discovered of two mills being present in the Ickles area near this location in the Middle Ages when the land was owned by monks who had ties to Roche Abbey near Maltby. It was clear from the remains that one mill had been used in the extraction of oil from various seeds, most likely used by the monks for food or other practical uses.

The region of Templeborough is now heavily industrialised and home to a local science attraction known as Magna Science Centre (previously a steelworks itself), as well as providing a facility to house various events such as beer festivals.

Article taken from ‘A-Z of Rotherham‘ by James Barker, published by Amberley Publishing
Top image: The area where the first ironworks once stood is now full of industrial businesses. Magna Science Centre, the works that were built near the fort remains, can be seen in the background of this photograph on the right-hand side.