Publication Account

Date 17 December 2011

Event ID 921571

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/921571

First recorded in 1984 by RCAHMS from the air (Frere 1986), this camp lies on a ridge above the village of Carlops, on sloping ground on the south-east side of the Pentland Hills. The full extent of the cropmarks suggest that the camp measured about 672m from north-east to southwest by 272m transversely, enclosing 18.8ha (46 acres). There appears to be a titulus close to the centre of the north-east side. Excavations by Maxwell in 1985 revealed that the ditch was about 2.8m wide and about 1m deep on the lower ground (Frere 1986: 371).

An annexe was recorded in 1996, extending from the north-east part of the camp and overlapping with a settlement enclosure (not depicted on illus 96). This annexe is elongated, measuring some 122m to the northeast by 71m, thereby enclosing an additional 0.86ha (2.1 acres).

Two linear cropmarks, located 85m from the northeast and 90m from the south-west ends suggest that the camp has been reduced on at least one occasion. These two may be contemporary with each other, or represent two phases of reduction or increase in the size of the camp. This second camp may be only 473m in length if the two linear cropmarks bisecting the first are contemporary and relate to a reduction in the size of the camp, only reusing stretches of the north-west and south-east sides. This would result in a camp of some 14ha (35 acres). No entrances are known.

R H Jones