Monument record 8341 - Roman Barrack Block F (retentura east) at Deanery Field

A series of archaeological investigations carried out at the Deanery Field in the 1920s and 1930s recorded substantial evidence of Roman legionary quarters. Deanery Field lies within the retentura or the rear ward section of the fortress that was almost entirely given over to barrack blocks for four cohorts, two each on either side of the via Decumana (Northgate Street). The excavations at the Deanery Field identified traces of all six of the barrack blocks in the north east corner of the fortress, the eastern most of which (Barrack F) was excavated in 1935. The investigations identified almost the entire length of the east and west external walls and traces of several internal partition walls. Rather less information was identified from the internal areas of the building although traces of several floor surfaces and some finds were recovered. The limited amount of finds and domestic waste was interpreted by the excavator as suggesting a less intensively occupied building. Legionary barrack blocks each accommodated a century of 80 men plus their officers, and were normally arranged in groups of 6 (a cohort of 480 men). Narrow streets gave access to facing pairs of barracks. The centurions' quarters were situated at the ends of the barracks, adjacent to a major road - either the perimeter road (via sagularis) or main transverse street (via principalis). The centurions' quarters were divided from those of the rank-and-file by a narrow alley. They were wider than the men's quarters but lacked a veranda. In ground plan they consisted of a corridor with rooms (including a private latrine) opening off on each side. The men's quarters consisted on 14 (later 11 or 12) units of two rooms for approximately eight men, fronted by a veranda that often contained an enclosed latrine at one end. The outer room was used to store equipment; the inner was for living and sleeping and contained a hearth. Only 10 pairs of rooms should have been needed to accommodate a century; the purpose of the spare rooms is uncertain. The first barracks were constructed using a timber frame with wattle-and-daub infilled panels. These timber barracks underwent a varying number of re-buildings in a relatively short period of time. From about AD 100, there was intermittent rebuilding in stone (perhaps with timber superstructures). However, there were also periods of abandonment. A comprehensive rebuilding was finally undertaken in the early third century. These barracks had much the same plan as their timber predecessors. A diminished number of barracks continued to be occupied into the fourth century.