THE remains of what could be a Roman dam at Howick Burn are proving something of a puzzle.
Stephen Sinclair spotted the stonework on a recent trip to the burn and he is calling on historians or archaeologists to help explain the stones.
Mr Sinclair said: "The tide had moved the sand to reveal the stones. I have searched everywhere on the internet and cannot find anything out.
"There is no reason for anything to be built there unless it was from the Roman era."
The stones are located only 500 metres from the remains of a Roman encampment.
Mr Sinclair said: "If you follow the foundations round, it goes across the full width of the bay.
"Some of the stones are missing so I don't know if people might have taken them for building.
"The style of the brickwork is far superior to the local people from the same time. It's not any amateur building work, I think it was some bright Roman!"
He suggests that the way the stones are carefully designed to fit together could show that the burn was dammed, perhaps for the purposes of fishing or defence.
Also in the same area, excavation work has been done on a Mesolithic settlement and a bronze age cemetery.
Mr Sinclair is hoping someone will be able to shed some light on these potential foundation stones.
"If it is anything important historically then it should be protected," he said.
Author: Ben O'Connell | Source: Northumberland Gazette [September 16, 2010]