Saxon Shore
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The Saxon Shore is the collective name given to a series of fortifications built along the south-east coast of what is now England, during the latter years of the Roman occupation of Britain. The forts are:
- Portus Adurni - Portchester Castle
- Anderida – Pevensey
- Portus Lemanis – Lympne
- Dubris – Dover
- Rutupiae – Richborough
- Regulbium – Reculver
- Othona – Bradwell-on-Sea
- Gariannonum – Burgh Castle
- Branodunum – Brancaster
Our knowledge of this system of fortresses comes from the Notitia Dignitatum, which names the commander as the Comes Litoris Saxonici per Britanniam (Count of the Saxon Shore in Britain), and gives the respective complement of military personnel at each site. They were probably built in the late third century, at a time when Carausius was in rebellion against Rome. Carausius had, however, been originally appointed to defeat piracy in the narrow seas, and their construction was in line with general imperial policy.
In 1888, Alfred Church wrote a historical novel entitled The Count of the Saxon Shore.