Reasons for Designation
Roman camps are rectangular or sub-rectangular enclosures which were
constructed and used by Roman soldiers either when out on campaign or as
practice camps; most campaign camps were only temporary overnight bases and
few were used for longer periods. They were bounded by a single earthen
rampart and outer ditch and in plan are always straight-sided with rounded
corners. Normally they have between one and four entrances, although as many
as eleven have been recorded. Such entrances were usually centrally placed in
the sides of the camp and were often protected by additional defensive
outworks. Roman camps are found throughout much of England, although most
known examples lie in the midlands and north. Around 140 examples have been
identified and, as one of the various types of defensive enclosure built by
the Roman Army, particularly in hostile upland and frontier areas, they
provide an important insight into Roman military strategy and organisation.
All well-preserved examples are identified as being of national importance.
Details
The monument is a large Roman camp located on gently undulating land
north west of Balmers Farm and immediately to the west of the A6 trunk road,
which here follows the course of the main Roman road that connected forts at
Brougham, (known to the Romans as Brocavum), and Old Penrith, (known to the
Romans as Voreda). Much of the camp is visible as cropmarks on aerial
photographs which highlight features such as infilled ditches. Whilst most of
the camp survives only beneath the present ground surface, the southern side
retains slight upstanding earthworks.
The aerial photographs show part of the east side of the camp, much of the
north and west sides, and the two northern angles. The northern side measures
about 390m and the western side measures about 360m. In the visible portion of
the eastern side there are three gateways each defended by a tutulus - an
earthen mound and ditch in front of the gate created to prevent a direct
approach and thus hinder an attacking force. A survey of the camp in 1972
focussed on the upstanding earthworks but also located two gateways defended
by tutuli on the camp's western side and two tutuli on the camp's northern
side. The large size of this camp and its multiplicity of gates link it with
similar camps at Reycross and Crackenthorpe located on the Roman road across
Stainmore between Yorkshire and the Eden valley. These camps are of a size
sufficient to have accommodated a legionary force on the march and are
considered to have been constructed by the Roman governor of Britain, Petilius
Cerialis, during his military campaigns against the indigenous northern tribes
between AD 71-74. They are evenly spaced at a distance of a one-day march from
Catterick to Carlisle and are relics of the earliest Roman infiltration of
northern England.
All modern field boundaries and gateposts are excluded from the scheduling,
although the ground beneath these features is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
23666
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
