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Gariannonum

English Heritage sites in NorfolkRoman fortifications in EnglandSaxon Shore forts
Roman Fort, Burgh Castle, Norfolk geograph.org.uk 271608
Roman Fort, Burgh Castle, Norfolk geograph.org.uk 271608

Gariannonum, or Gariannum, was a Roman Saxon Shore fort in Norfolk, England. The Notitia Dignitatum, a Roman Army "order of battle" from about AD 400, lists nine forts of the Saxon Shore in south and east England, among which one was called Gariannonor. It has been much discussed over the years in terms of spelling (Gariannonum, Garianonum, Gariannum), purpose (whether it really was intended for defence against Saxon raids), and location (whether it was Burgh Castle or the Caister-on-Sea site). The fort is listed as being commanded by the Praepositus equitum stablesianorum, implying its garrison was a cavalry of a form originated in the late 3rd century, the Equites Stablesiani. Both proposed sites show archaeological evidence for military occupation beginning at around the time this type of unit began use.The name Gariannonum is thought to derive from a river-name, Gariennus, mentioned in Ptolemy's Geography. This is thought to derive in turn from a Celtic root meaning "babbling river", which may refer to the River Yare, although much uncertainty remains.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Gariannonum (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

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Latitude Longitude
N 52.582 ° E 1.652 °
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Burgh Castle Roman Site

The Dell
NR31 9PZ
England, United Kingdom
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Roman Fort, Burgh Castle, Norfolk geograph.org.uk 271608
Roman Fort, Burgh Castle, Norfolk geograph.org.uk 271608
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River Yare
River Yare

The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches it is one of the principal navigable waterways of The Broads and connects with the rest of the network. The river rises south of Dereham to the west to the village of Shipdham. Above its confluence with a tributary stream from Garvestone it is known as the Blackwater River. From there it flows in a generally eastward direction passing Barnham Broom and is joined by the River Tiffey before reaching Bawburgh. It then skirts the southern fringes of the city of Norwich, passing through Colney, Cringleford, Lakenham and Trowse. At Whitlingham it is joined by the River Wensum and although the Wensum is the larger and longer of the two, the river downstream of their confluence continues to be called the Yare. Flowing eastward into The Broads it passes the villages of Bramerton, Surlingham, Rockland St. Mary and Cantley. Just before Reedham at Hardley Cross (erected in 1676) it is joined by the River Chet. The cross marks the ancient boundary between the City of Norwich and Borough of Great Yarmouth. Beyond Reedham the river passes the famously isolated marshland settlement of Berney Arms before entering the tidal lake of Breydon Water. Here the Yare is joined by the Rivers Waveney and Bure and finally enters the North Sea at Gorleston, Great Yarmouth.The Yare is the frequent subject of landscape paintings by members of the early 19th century Norwich School of artists. The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. contains an oil painting by John Crome entitled Moonlight on the Yare. Joseph Stannard depicted the river in Thorpe Water Frolic, Afternoon (1824) and Boats on the Yare near Bramerton (1828) which is in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. The river is navigable to small coastal vessels from Norwich to the sea, and in former times carried significant commercial traffic to that city. At Reedham the river is joined by the Haddiscoe Cut, a canal which provides a direct navigable link to the River Waveney at Haddiscoe avoiding Breydon Water.

Berney Marshes & Breydon Water RSPB reserve
Berney Marshes & Breydon Water RSPB reserve

Berney Marshes and Breydon Water RSPB reserve is a nature reserve managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Berney Marshes is situated south of the River Bure while Breydon water is the combined estuary of the River Waveney and the River Yare inland from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England.Berney Marshes is part of the larger area of the Halvergate Marshes. The Berney Marshes and Breydon Water habitats are being managed by the RSPB to benefit all of the wildlife in the area but in particular the breeding and wintering birds. The area managed by the RSPB extends to 550 hectares (1,400 acres) of improved wet grassland and in winter the total numbers of wildfowl and waders can reach 85,000. Species the reserve is important for include pink-footed goose, Eurasian wigeon and black-tailed godwit. The water levels are kept high into the Spring so that the grasslands are in a good condition for breeding common redshank and Northern lapwing, this being helped by the grazing of cattle which helps to make the grassland sward more suitable for breeding waders. The ditches are amanged on a 7-10 year cycle to optimise the diversity of insects and other aquatic invertebrates within them. In addition, the RSPB manage 375 hectares (930 acres) of intertidal mud flats as a sanctuary for the wintering birds.The reserve cannot be accessed by car, it can be reached by foot from Great Yarmouth or by taking a train from either Norwich or Great Yarmouth and requesting it to stopat Berney Arms Station.