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Archaeology Notes

Event ID 669177

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/669177

NJ63NE 2.00 655 381

(Name NJ 655 381) Roman Camp (R)

OS 6" map, (1959)

NJ63NE 2.01 centred NJ 6551 3818 Roman Temporary Camp

NJ63NE 2.02 centred NJ 6603 3847 Roman Temporary Camp

A 120 acre camp known since 1785-6 when it was planned by Col Alex Shand. It was partially excavated by MacDonald (1916) in 1913. It partially overlies a smaller Agricolan camp with Stracathro-type claviculae, which was identified and confirmed by sectioning by St Joseph in 1968.

The outline of the larger camp as portrayed by Shand and Roy is more irregular than that shown by the OS and Crawford; and the accuracy of the earlier outlines appears to be confirmed by St Joseph's AP's.

The north side of the large camp cuts the west side of the smaller exactly at the point where the ditch of the latter turns outwards at the gate, ie at NJ 6584 3846. The whole of the west side of the Agricolan camp is known measuring 1,050', as are about 1,090' of the north side and a short length of the south side.

In construction the defences of the larger camp are are stronger than those of the smaller,the ditch being 11 1/4' wide and 4' deep,as compared with 4' wide and 2'deep.

No trace of the smaller camp is visible on the ground, but of the larger, Crawford in 1943, could identify the 5' high NE corner bank and the western half of the south side which survived as portrayed on the OS map, the eastern half being continued as a field boundary.

Information from plan by Col A Shand 1785-6; G Macdonald 1916; Information from OS 6" map, annotated by O G S Crawford 11 May 1943; O G S Crawford 1949; J K St Joseph 1951; J K St Joseph 1958; J K St Joseph 1969; J K St Joseph 1970.

The rampart of the larger camp,averaging 3.5m wide and 0.7m high,still survives in two places - the west half of the south side at NJ 6496 3801 to NJ 6524 3790, and the north half of the east side from NJ 6604 3840 to NJ 6587 3820. There is no trace of the earthwork published at NJ 6548 3832 on the OS 25" map.

A soil mark indicating the ditch along part of the north side from NJ 6561 3859 to NJ 6581 3848 was visible at the time of field investigation.

Revised at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (ISS), 11 January 1973.

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