A Roman fort was first built on the site in earth and wood in the first century AD (most likely in the period 43 to 68), and was later rebuilt in stone.
It is thought to have been occupied until the Roman withdrawal from England c410 but its original name has never been ascertained.
The Roman road called Icknield Street (sometimes Ryknild or Riknild Street) crossed the River Don at a ford close to the fort. There was also a road named Batham Gate that ran southwest from the fort to Brough-on-Noe in Derbyshire.
The double bank that surrounded the fort was still visible in 1831 although it is believed that stone blocks from the site were regularly carried off and re-used in nearby buildings.
Archaeological excavations of part of the fort and bath house were carried out in 1877 by the Rotherham Literary and Scientific Society headed by local historians, J D Leader and John Guest. They found evidence that the fort had been burned to the ground and rebuilt twice.
In 1916 the site of the fort was acquired by Steel, Peech and Tozer’s steelworks in order to expand their works to meet the demand for steel during World War I. The plans for the steelworks required the site to be leveled, and 10–15 feet of soil were removed from the area of the fort, destroying all archaeological remains.
A tile stamped with the stamp of Cohors IV Gallorum found on the site dates to either the time of Domitian (81–96) or Trajan (98–117). The Fourth Cohort of Gauls are known to have occupied the fort, as evidenced by the clay tiles and carved Roman tombstones discovered on the site.
