Roman camp 430m east of Dodderhill Court Farm

Overview

Location

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 marching camp 430m east of Dodderhill Court Farm survives well despite development on its south west. It lies adjacent to a Roman road which led north from the town of Salinae (Droitwich) and a Roman fort, and will provide information about the Roman exploitation of the nearby salt industry including communication and trade networks. The camp will also provide evidence for the earliest period of Roman military occupation of the area, possibly being used prior to construction of the nearby fort. Artefactual evidence will help to date the construction of the camp and periods of occupation as well as provide evidence for its principal use. Environmental evidence surviving in the in-filling and re-cutting of the ditches can be expected to preserve material which will help illuminate the natural environment surrounding the camp.

Details

The monument includes the surviving extent of buried remains of a Roman marching camp at Crutch Lane, visible on aerial photographs as a series of cropmarks (areas of variable plant growth over buried features) illustrating two sides of the Roman camp. The monument is located approximately 250m north east of the Roman fort at Dodderhill which is the subject of a separate scheduling. Excavation in advance of development to the south of the A38 discovered evidence for a double ditched enclosure. The two ditches had a profile commonly found in Roman military camps and lay parallel to each other; they appeared to have undergone phases of in-filling and re-cutting. Part of the camp was destroyed during the construction of the A38 Droitwich Bypass and an adjacent housing estate and is not included in the scheduling. Although small, the camp is believed to have housed a contingent of Roman soldiers on a temporary or seasonal basis.

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:

30095

Legacy System:

RSM

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 Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.