Archaeology Notes

Event ID 677966

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/677966

NN72SE 2 centred 7732 2104

(NN 773 210) Site of Roman Camp (NR)

Supposed to be Victoria (NR)

OS 6" map (1901).

For Roman temporary camp (centred NN 7742 2078), see NN72SE 1.

For Roman temporary camp (centred NN 7735 2096), see NN72SE 21.

The remains of two forts probably of different ages. There is no doubt that both are Roman. Identified by Richmond with Ptolemy's Banatia (see plan). The only finds consist of a gold coin of Vespasian (AD 70-9) found here before 1786, and a coin of Domitian (AD 81-96) found within the area of the fort about 1905. A coin of Alexander Severus (AD 222-35) is said to have been picked up within or near the fort.

The causeway of a road issuing from the south gate can be traced for 800ft. Another issues from the east gate and can be traced for about the same distance. Plotted on 6" record map from ground observations of extant remains by O G S Crawford (27 June 1925).

A long trench cut in 1961 showed that the single ditch of the outer enclosure was about 16ft wide and 4ft deep. A mass of sandy turf in the ditch probably came from a collapsed rampart. No signs of occupation were found in the outer enclosure.

O G S Crawford 1949; A S Robertson 1961.

The remains of these two forts have been almost completely ploughed out, but the ramparts can still be traced as low, spread mounds; the ditches are almost non-existent. Slight traces of the roads issuing from the south and east sides can still be seen but for the lesser distances than those given by Crawford. The present whereabouts of the finds is not known.

Surveyed at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (RD), 5 December 1966.

NN 772 210. Analysis of a collection of previously unreported fieldwalking finds collected by the Cumbernauld Historical Society during the 1970s provided evidence that the fort was occupied in the Antonine period as well as the Flavian. This is the first of the so-called 'Glen blocker' forts to produce such evidence.

Sponsor: Roman Gask Project.

D J Woolliscroft 1999.

NN 772 210. This dolabra was found in 1998, whilst the finder was walking across the main path through the Scheduled Ancient Monument of Dalginross Roman fort. It was lying on the surface. It has a slightly curving profile with an oval-shaped eye around which there are two lugs. The straight blade, with a wide cutting edge, is counter-balanced by a small, chisel-pointed/adze blade. Length 409mm; width (blade) 100mm.

Allocated to Perth Museum and Art Gallery. Acc. no. 1999.377.

M Hall 1999.

Scheduled with NN72SE 1, NN72SE 5 and NN72SE 21 as 'Dalginross, Roman fort, annexe, camp and stone circle 200m S of Penfillan... the buried remains of a complex of Roman military remains, appearing as... cropmarks on oblique aerial photographs... across the arable fields immediately to the southwest of Dalginross and to the east of the Water of Ruchill.'

Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 23 November 2010.