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Kinnell
Temporary Camp (Roman)
Site Name Kinnell
Classification Temporary Camp (Roman)
Canmore ID 35838
Site Number NO65SW 26
NGR NO 6135 5055
NGR Description Centred NO 6135 5055
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/35838
- Council Angus
- Parish Kinnell
- Former Region Tayside
- Former District Angus
- Former County Angus
NO65SW 26 centred 6135 5055
NO 615 505 (Robertson 1970) A 63-acre, and therefore probably Severan (early 3rd century), Roman camp was discovered from the air in 1968, occupying gently sloping ground on the north side of the Lunan Water at Kinnell.
The ditch, confirmed by trenching, is V-shaped and, where best-preserved, is now about 3 1/2' deep and 8' wide.
The camp measures 2,040' NE-SW by 1,340' and the whole of the NE side, including a central gate with titulum, most of the SW side, with corresponding gate, short lengths of the SE and NW sides and the rounded north and east angles have so far been identified.
J K St Joseph 1969; A S Robertson 1970.
Reconnaissance since 1969 has determined the greater part of the SE side, including two gates, each with a titulum, and short lengths of the NW side where the camp occupies ground used as a war-time airfield. On the SE side near the S angle is a small annexe, the NE and SW sides of which are laid out obliquely to the main camp. In the SE side is a gate.
J K St Joseph 1973.
Photographed by the RCAHMS.
Visible on RCAHMS air photographs AN 2829-32, AN 3257-8.
NO 6170 5009 An evaluation was undertaken in October 2005 in advance of a proposed gravel quarry extension. The area contained a number of sites identified from aerial photographs, including a ring-ditch and souterrain (NO65SW 31; a Scheduled Ancient Monument and excluded from trial trenching), a Roman temporary camp (NO65SW 26), a pit alignment (NO64NW 101), possible barrows (NO64NW 50), and field boundaries (NO65SW 47).
Sixty-six trenches were excavated, c 5% (8875m2) of the available application area. A number of features were recorded during the work including pits, a possible ring-ditch, an irregular feature, a narrow curvilinear feature, a linear ditch feature aligned NE-SW, and a stone structure, possibly a kiln or bread oven. The ring-ditch and some of the pits correspond to previously identified cropmarks. Rig and furrow was present across the site, and had clearly truncated
some of the features.
Although no secure dates can be assigned to these features, the ring-ditch and pits could be prehistoric and represent the remains of habitation. These may be contemporaneous with the features recorded within the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The kiln or bread oven may be medieval, based on morphological comparisons.
Archive to be deposited in NMRS.
Sponsor: Dalgleish Associates Ltd for D Geddes Ltd.
C O'Connell 2005.
Field Visit (March 1978)
Kinnell NO 613 505 NO65SW 26
To the NE of Kinnell, crop-marks indicate the site of a Roman temporary camp, which probably dates from the campaigns of Severus in the early 3rd century. The ditch encloses an area of about 25ha, and each of the visible entrances is strengthened by a titulum.
RCAHMS 1978, visited March 1978
(St Joseph 1969, 111-12; DES, 1910, 4; DES, 1974, 8)
Publication Account (17 December 2011)
The camp at Kinnell was first discovered as a cropmark from the air by St Joseph in 1968 (1969: 111–12), lying on fairly level ground to the east of Kinnell, on the north side of the Lunan Water. A disused Second World War airfield lies immediately to the north, covering part of the northwest side of the camp. Most of all four sides of the camp are now known, and it measures 620m from north-east to south-west by 400m, enclosing 24.7ha (61 acres). Gates protected by tituli are visible in north-west, north-east and south-west sides. Gaps in the south-east side may be entrances on this side; a slight change in alignment at one probably indicates the position of an entrance. Just to the south-west of this lie two linear cropmarks representing part of an annexe. This measures 116m by 106m, enclosing some 1.2ha (3 acres). St Joseph placed trenches through the north-east and south-west sides of the camp in 1968, recording that the ditch measured up to 2.6m in width and up to 0.7m in depth (RCAHMS St Joseph Collection: Notebook 5). Further trenching by Robertson in 1970 recorded that the ditch was V-shaped, and about 1m deep and 2.4m wide where best preserved (Robertson 1970a: 4).
R H Jones.
