Roman temporary camp at Dargues

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.

The Roman temporary camp at Dargues is very well preserved and is a good example of its type; additionally it is one of a group of camps constructed along Dere Street, one of the principal routes northwards, and will contribute to our understanding of the Roman occupation of northern Britain.

Details

The monument includes the remains of a Roman camp situated on a gently sloping plateau immediately to the west of Dere Street, the Roman road from Corbridge to Newstead in Scotland. The camp, a regular rectangle with rounded corners, is orientated north east to south west and has maximum dimensions of 300m by 194m within an earthen bank and an external ditch. The rampart is on average 3m wide and ranges from 0.1m to 0.6m high on the northern side where it is best preserved. The ditch, 2m-3m wide is a maximum of 0.4m deep but in many places it has become silted and is traceable only as a slight groove. There are four opposing gateways into the camp, one in each side. They are each protected by an internal clavicle, an extension of the rampart on one side of the gateway which swings inside the entrance in order to protect defenders and and expose attackers. The claviculae are 0.2m to 0.5m high. The camp dates from the Roman occupation of Britain in the first century AD and is large enough to have been used periodically on a temporary basis by soldiers advancing northwards and also by smaller groups in routine maintenance.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

25091

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Richmond, I A, The Victoria History of the County of Northumberland: Volume XV, (1940), 118-20

Other
forthcoming, RCAME, (1994)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry