Publication Account

Date 17 December 2011

Event ID 921576

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/921576

First recorded in 1949 by St Joseph from the air as cropmarks (Clarke and Webster 1955: 9), the camp at Carronbridge lies not far from the fort and camps at Drumlanrig, on the east bank of the Carron Water, a tributary of the River Nith. It is sited next to an Iron Age/Romano-British settlement that has been extensively excavated (Clarke and Webster 1955; Johnston 1994).

Measuring 69m from north-east to south-west by at least 72m transversely (the north-west side is obscured by trees), the camp probably enclosed just over 0.5ha (1.3 acres). Tituli are recorded on the south-west, south-east and north-east sides.

The camp cuts across an earlier enclosure with which it is aligned. This earlier enclosure was originally thought to be a Roman fortlet (Clarke and Webster 1955: 31) but was later interpreted as a pre-Roman Iron Age enclosure with an internal palisade whose ditch was over half full when the camp was built (Johnston 1994: 285–6).

Excavations in 1989–90 recorded that the camp ditch followed that of the earlier enclosure where the two intersected. Seven pits were located just inside the Roman camp ditch which contained charred emmer wheat. A probable oven was also excavated outside the camp and cutting the palisade trench and inner edge of the ditch of the earlier enclosure: this was presumed to belong to the camp and was radiocarbon dated to c ad 25–240 (Johnston 1994: 255–9). Although the earlier enclosure may be Iron Age in date, the dimensions and profile of its V-shaped ditch (2.4–3.35m in width, 1.06–1.28m in depth) together with its alignment with the camp means that the possibility of a Roman origin should not be entirely ruled out.

R H JONES