Publication Account
Date 17 December 2011
Event ID 920874
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/920874
The two camps at Bankhead Carnwath lie on a terrace above the Medwin Water, close to its confluence with the upper reaches of the River Clyde, and above a dismantled railway which ran to nearby Carstairs Junction. The fort and camps at Castledykes lie some 5km to the west, with the camp at Carstairs Mains in between, and the fortlet of Carnwath only 1km to the west. The two camps overlap one another and were first recorded from the air as cropmarks by St Joseph in 1977 (RCAHMS 1978a: 160).
Camp I is the larger of the two and measures about 511m from north to south by about 393m transversely, although there is a marked change in alignment in its
western side, which may have been matched on its eastern side. The southern part of this side runs on the line of an older plantation visible on the OS 1st edition map (Lanarkshire 1864: sheet xxvi), and the eastern part of the north side of the camp is probably represented by the edge of Bank Wood. It therefore seems likely that the plantation utilised the existing Roman earth-works for its boundary in places. The camp probably enclosed some 18ha (45 acres). The north-west corner of the camp bulges slightly in an unusual manner, reminiscent of the corner turrets found on late-Roman fortifications.
The modern road changes its alignment and exhibits a noticeable kink where it enters the east side of the camp; this may reflect the position of a gate. A titulus is visible in the centre of the southern side and the eastern kink may
be so positioned to avoid a titulus on this side.
Camp II is closer to square in form, measuring about 356m from east to west by 330m transversely, enclosing 12.2ha (30 acres). The cropmark of this camp is narrower than that of camp I, suggesting that it had a slighter ditch. As with camp I, part of the perimeter of Bank Wood appears to continue part of one side of this camp (the west). A gate with a titulus is visible in the centre of the north side, and there is a corresponding entrance gap in the centre of the south side.
The relationship between the two camps is unknown, but they are clearly not contemporary, and the fact that they do not share a single side might indicate a reasonable time gap between them, or a penchant by the military commanders for constructing new camps in their entirety. The quarry pits of the Roman road from Lyne to Castledykes are recorded through cropmarks between the camps and the fortlet to the west, and presumably ran through both camps, although no quarry pits have been observed in their interiors.
R H Jones 2011
