In 1993, archaeologists working on the development of a supermarket storage depot on the site of Barland’s Farm, near Magor, made an extraordinary discovery.
Under several metres of clay, they uncovered the remains of a stone structure, possibly a jetty or bridge, on the bank of an ancient tidal creek that once stretched all the way across the Levels, from the inland edge to the sea, a distance of about 2 miles (3km).
As they investigated further, the archaeologists uncovered the well-preserved remains of a small boat next to the jetty. The boat survived to a length of 9.7m, but its original dimensions were probably 11.4m long, 3m across and 0.9m deep.
Roman coin depicting Emperor Diocletian (R. AD 284 - 305), found near to the Barland’s Farm Boat.
Other finds in the immediate area, including pottery, coins and leather shoes, were all dated to the late third or early fourth century AD, during the period when Britain was part of the Roman Empire, Caerleon was a Legionary fort and nearby Caerwent a Roman town. Further investigation of the ship’s timbers using dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) showed that the trees used in the boat’s construction had been cut down between AD 283 and 326, giving a likely date for the boat of around AD 300.
The boat was built of oak in the Romano-Celtic tradition and closely resembled vessels described by Julius Caesar in 1st century BC Brittany. It had massive, closely spaced, framing timbers and 7m-long sawn hull planks, laid edge to edge and attached to the frames with large nails driven through treenails and clenched (turned) over on the upper side of the frames to keep them in place. The planks were caulked (sealed) with twisted withies of hazel or willow to prevent leaks.
Plant remains found between the ship’s planks were identified as cereal grains, showing that the boat may have been used to transport agricultural produce. It is estimated that the boat could have carried over 6 tonnes of cargo.
This near flat-bottomed boat was probably powered by sail but could also have been rowed when needed. Its shallow draft meant that it could travel far up the tidal creeks fringing the Severn estuary, either beaching on mud banks or laying alongside a jetty to load and unload its cargo.
Ship finds from the Roman period are very rare; timber structures, and other organic materials, usually rot away after a relatively short time. The Gwent Levels are made up of layers of clay laid down by tides and floods that washed across the land before the creation of the sea wall. Organic objects, such as timbers, buried in these clays do not decay normally because the ground is saturated with water and no oxygen is present to allow fungi and bacteria to begin the process of decay.
The Barland’s Farm Boat is currently in storage at Newport Medieval Ship Centre. In time it is hoped to build a full-scale working replica of the boat and to find a permanent home for this remarkable ship, and the many other extraordinary vessels that have been discovered on the Gwent Levels over the past few decades.
Artists’ reconstruction of the Barland’s Farm Boat (Dextra Visual/Living Levels 2019)
More information
Nayling, N., McGrail, S., 2004. The Barland’s Farm Romano-Celtic Boat, CBA Research Report 138. Council for British Archaeology, York.
A free copy of this report can be downloaded from the Archaeology Data Service website.
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The Barland’s Farm Boat during excavations.