Bullion

NO33SE 46 350 310.

Maitland (1757) describes a Roman camp at Catermilly (Catermillie) (the old name of Bullion farm, at NO 345 306 {Warden 1880-5}), about 200yds square, fortified with a high rampart and wide ditch, and three ramparts and ditches on the S side, the other sides being ploughed down, leaving only faint traces, but enough to show that this camp was a parallelogram in form, about 1/4 mile in length. This account is followed by later writers, who add nothing except its gradual obliteration, so that it had disappeared by 1831 when Knox wrote and fixed it on his map. Crawford (1949) thus identifies it with the 'Supposed Site of Castle' on OS map (NO33SE 7); but this is not borne out by Warden, Elliott (1911), Jervise (1859) who place it further W on the slopes of Gowriehill, north of Invergowrie.

Crawford, however, dismisses Maitland's account as ambiguous and inconsistent, saying if it was 200yds square, it could not also have had a parallelogram form, 1/4 mile in length, and the triple ramparts are also suspicious. Air photography of the area may prove useful.

O G S Crawford 1949; W Maitland 1757; A J Warden 1880-5; A Elliott 1911; A Jervise 1859.

Local enquiries failed to locate the site of this Roman camp, but all the evidence combined with visual ground perambulation, points to the possible site being centred at NO 350 310. Air photographs failed to reveal any traces of a camp.

Visited by OS (J L D) 18 April 1958.