A Second Roman Fort is Confirmed in Cornwall

Abstract

Restormel fort is a small square, bivallate earthwork located on a spur above the River Fowey in Cornwall. In 2007 a geophysical survey was carried out which showed very clearly that the site was in fact a Roman fort and closely similar in size and in the position of its entrances to Nanstallon, until then the only known Roman fort in Cornwall. The position of these two forts has prompted speculation that they were located strategically to control movement both north–south along the rivers and east–west overland along the central Cornwall ridgeway. The proximity of both sites to significant deposits of metals suggests that the role of the forts may also be linked to the Roman interest in minerals.