Roman Inscription Unearthed at Magna Roman Fort

The Roman past is never far from the surface in Tynedale, and this summer's dig at Magna Roman Fort has produced a fine reminder of that. A volunteer excavator has uncovered a partial Roman inscription, a carved stone that had lain unseen for more than 1,500 years.

For anyone in and around Hexham, the fort is close by and firmly part of the local story of Hadrian's Wall country. Finds like this one help fill in the human detail behind the earthworks and stones that shape the landscape west of the town.

A first glimpse in over a millennium

The inscribed stone carries three lines of lettering, though only a few characters survive clearly, with what may be the letters "BR" near the top. At some point after the Roman period the stone was cut down and reused as ordinary building material, before being buried in later terracing on the site — which is why so little of the original text remains.

The find was made in the south-west quadrant of the fort on 13 August by Eelyn Oliver, a history enthusiast from Carlisle. "Within 20 minutes, I found it — the first person to see this in over 1,500 years," Oliver said, adding that it was "my first ever inscribed stone, but hopefully not my last."

Why it matters locally

Magna sits along the western stretch of the Wall, and its excavations draw volunteers and visitors from across the region. Every new inscription is a small piece of evidence about who was here, what they built, and how the site was reworked long after the legions left.

Discoveries like this also feed directly into the wider draw of Hadrian's Wall for the Hexham area, whose museums, forts and walking routes bring visitors into the town. A stone glimpsed for the first time in fifteen centuries is exactly the kind of moment that keeps that history feeling alive rather than distant.

Best for: The inscription had been cut down and reused as building material in the centuries after Rome, then buried in later terraces — which is why only a few letters now survive.

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Details are drawn from the Hexham Courant. Spotted a local story we should cover? Get in touch.