Publication Account

Date 17 December 2011

Event ID 923967

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/923967

To the west of Lochlands Three Bridges, south of the main Lochlands complex and only 500m north of the Antonine Wall, lies the cropmark camp at Wester Carmuirs, first recorded in 1957 by St Joseph from the air (1958: 89). This camp is slightly irregular, but measures about 245m from NNE to WSW by 225m, enclosing almost 5.3ha (13 acres). Gaps, some of which may be for entrances, are visible on all four sides. There have been no excavations on the camp and no dating evidence is available. A further rounded corner visible to the west suggests that there may be another in this vicinity (see Wester Carmuirs II, possible camps). Owing to the similarity of the size of this camp with some of the presumed construction camps for the Wall (Garnhall I, Balmuildy, and possibly Dullatur I) it is usually associated with the Wall, although the camps do have slightly differing morphology. It is also suggested that it may equally have been a construction camp for the fort of Camelon (Hanson and Maxwell 1986: 118), although it had earlier been tentatively suggested that it may be Agricolan in date (Maxwell 1981: 42). A construction camp for the Wall seems the most likely on current evidence.

R H Jones.