Mamucium was a
fort in the
Roman province of
Britannia. It is also known as
Mancunium.
[1] The remains of the fort are protected as a
Scheduled Ancient Monument, and are located within the
Castlefield area of the
City of Manchester, in
North West England (
grid reference SJ833977).
[2] Founded c.&_160;AD&_160;79, Mamucium was garrisoned by a cohort of auxiliary soldiers and guarded the road running from
Chester to
York. A
vicus, or civilian settlement made up of traders and the families of the soldiers, grew outside the fort and was an area of industrial activity.
The site lay in ruins until the Industrial Revolution. During this period Manchester expanded and the fort was levelled to make way for new developments. It was damaged by the construction of the Rochdale Canal and the Great Northern Railway. The site is now part of the regenerated area of warehousing alongside the Rochdale Canal, part of the Castlefield Urban Heritage Park. Reconstructed remains of the fort's gatehouse, granaries, and some buildings from the vicus are on display to the public.
When the Roman fort in Castlefield was built, it was located on a naturally defensible sandstone bluff, guarding a nearby crossing over the River Medlock.[3] The fort was situated near a junction between at least two Roman roads. It guarded the road between the legionary fortresses of Deva Victrix (Chester) and Eboracum (York) running east to west, as well as the road between Manchester and Bremetennacum (Ribchester) to the north.[4] In addition, Mamucium may also have overlooked a lesser road running north west to Coccium (Wigan).[5] The fort was one of a chain of fortifications along the Eboracum to Deva Victrix road, with Castleshaw Roman fort lying 16&_160;miles (26&_160;km) to the east,[6] and Condate (Northwich) 18&_160;miles (29&_160;km) to the west. Stamps on tegulae indicate that Mamucium had administrative links not only with Castleshaw, the nearest fort, but also those at Slack and Ebchester; all the forts probably got the tegulae from the same place in Grimescar Wood near Huddersfield.[7]
The area around the fort changed greatly in the centuries that followed; the remains are now surrounded by mills built during Industrial Revolution and were further damaged by the subsequent urbanisation of Manchester. Castlefield is located on the south west corner of Manchester city centre and the Rochdale Canal cuts through the southern corner of the fort.[5] Deansgate, which has developed into a busy thoroughfare, passes close to the east of the fort and follows the general line of Roman road to Ribchester and Castlefield. [5]
