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 includes a Roman temporary camp situated on a spur of land which
shelves gently to the south. It lies immediately east of Dere Street, the
Roman road from Corbridge to Newstead in Scotland. The camp, almost square in
shape with rounded corners, measures a maximum of 396m east to west by 400m
north-south within a substantial rampart 3.8m wide and surviving 1.2m above
the bottom of an external ditch 2.6m wide. The western side of the camp is
markedly convex. There is a gateway 5m wide in each side of the camp; those
in the east and west sides are placed centrally whilst those in the north and
south are offset slightly to the west. Each gateway is protected externally
by a detached length of rampart and ditch, known as a traverse, placed across
it approximately 10m from the entrance and blocking the direct line of access
into the camp. The camp dates from the Roman occupation of Britain in the
first century AD. It is large enough to have been used periodically on a
temporary basis by soldiers advancing northwards and may also have been used
by smaller groups engaged in routine maintenance. The road surface which
crosses the camp from south-west to north-east is excluded from the
scheduling, but the ground beneath it is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
20917
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
