Roman camp 470m south of Carr Banks Farm

Reasons for Designation

Roman fortresses are rectangular defensive sites which served as permanent bases for Roman legions. They are typical of Roman military installations in terms of the shape and design of defensive and internal structures but are distinguished by their large size. They were defined by a fortified rampart, which was originally crowned by a parapet and walkway of wood or stone, and an outer ditch separated from the rampart by a berm. They contained a variety of buildings in accordance with their military, domestic and administrative requirements. Roman fortresses were constructed soon after the invasion of AD 43. No new sites were established after AD 78. In general Roman fortresses were occupied for no more than a few decades, with the exception of the fortresses of York and Chester which continued in use until the late fourth or early fifth century. They are rare nationally with only five sites recorded in England. As one of a small group of Roman military monuments which are important in representing army strategy and Roman government policy, all examples of Roman fortresses with surviving archaeological potential are considered to be nationally important.

Despite the lack of upstanding earthworks Farnsfield Roman camp is clearly identifiable in aerial photographs. The aerial photographic evidence and archaeological documentation of the site confirms that below ground remains survive well. Taken as a whole Farnsfield Roman camp will considerably enhance our understanding of the Roman occupation of the area and the impact it had on the wider landscape.

Details

The monument includes the buried remains of Farnsfield Roman camp. The site is situated on the summit of a broad ridge and affords open views of the surrounding landscape except to the south where visibility is restricted by a ridge less than half a kilometre away. No upstanding remains survive but the buried remains of the monument show clearly as a crop mark on aerial photographs. The camp is sub-rectangular in plan measuring between 206m and 218m north east to south west by 182m to 186m north west to south east. The camp is defined by a ditch which encloses an area of approximately 3.9ha. Access would have been gained through entrances in the north east and south west sides. Excavation of a section of the north east side revealed a gate approximately 7.5m wide. The ditch, which is`V' shaped in profile, measures 2.8m wide and 1.8m deep with a cleaning slot 0.1m wide at the bottom. Excavation also revealed the remains of an internal bank which, set back from the ditch by 0.3m, had an unusual base formed by filling a shallow trench with gravel. The bank itself was constructed of turves and the base of the internal edge defined by a line of pebbles. At the entrance the bank extended just under 1m beyond the end of the ditch, reducing the width of the gate to about 5.75m. All modern fences and the surface of Longland Lane are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

29927

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Welfare, H, Swan, V, Roman Camps in England: The Field Archaeology, (1995), 147
Swarbrick, C, Turner, J, Transactions of the Thoroton Society in Excavations at Farnsfield Roman Camp, Nottinghamshire, Vol. LXXXVI, (1982), 108-110

End of official list entry

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