Monument record 8158 - Roman barrack block of the First Cohort at Hamilton Place

Archaeological investigations at Hamilton Place in 1994 recorded traces of a timber framed barrack building, probably belonging to the First Cohort. Only traces of the northern end of the barrack building could be identified within the area excavated, however, suggesting several phases of construction from the late first to the early third century AD. Many of the buildings were demolished at the end of the third century and large areas were laid out with paving. There appears to have been a final phase of timber construction in the fourth century, for which tiled and flagged floors have been found. 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. The First Cohort was double strength in the first century AD under the command of 5 centurions, and continued thereafter to be stronger than the other cohorts. It was situated on the right-hand side of the headquarters building. At Chester its accommodation is currently poorly understood; it appears to have consisted of at least 5 barracks of normal type and 5 single-range buildings. The buildings at the eastern end of the cohort are yet to be interpreted satisfactorily. There is room for 6 buildings in the position reserved for centurions' quarters.