Derventio (Little Chester)

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Derventio was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Little Chester, on the outskirts of Derby, located in the English county of Derbyshire.

The first Roman fort in the area was probably built on the opposite bank of the River Derwent. It was replaced about AD 80 by a fort on the present site, but this only lasted about forty years. A third fort was erected in the mid-2nd century associated with a pottery and ironwork producing industrial suburb to the east. There was also a cemetery with fine stone mausolea, but the military were gone by the 3rd.

The defensive bank and timber palisade were now remodelled and stone gates built. Internal buildings were demolished and a civilian settlement grew up with a large scale industrial area. Again, this only lasted about twenty-five years, although the nearby suburb or vicus seems to have been unaffected. The site was then unoccupied until the late 3rd century when a stone wall was built around the town and residents returned. It did not outlived the end of the 4th century.

[edit] References

• Burnham, Barry C; Wacher, John (1990). The Small Towns of Roman Britain. London: B T Batsford.