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Craigarnhall

Temporary Camp (Roman)

Site Name Craigarnhall

Classification Temporary Camp (Roman)

Canmore ID 45998

Site Number NS79NE 20

NGR NS 75701 98528

NGR Description Centre

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/45998

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council Stirling
  • Parish Dunblane And Lecropt
  • Former Region Central
  • Former District Stirling
  • Former County Perthshire

Archaeology Notes

NS79NE 20 centred 7569 9852.

(Centred NS 756 986) The existence at Craigarnhall of a 63-acre Roman camp of the first campaign (83-84 AD) was confirmed by excavation by Dr St Joseph in 1971 (information from RCAHMS).

The W side, 1600' long with a central gateway was located at NS 753 988. The bank of the E side is visible in the plantation to the E: 380' of the S side was recorded, and 1100' of the N side was located running parallel to and 20' - 30' S of the N side of the field immediately N of the plantation. The position of a gate 52' wide, with titulum, on the N side, was established by excavation.

J K St Joseph 1974

A search of the plantation failed to locate any bank. The fields to the N, NW, and W are under plough and featureless. A slight rise appears in the track to the NW of the plantation, 19.0m SE of a ditch on the northern boundary, which could be the course of the N side. No trace exists of the S and W sides of this camp.

Visited by OS (SFS) 12 April 1975

This temporary camp is located in the fields immediately to the E of Craigarnhall farm. Parts of all four sides are visible as cropmarks on air photographs as well as an attached annexe on the SE. Just over 300m of the W side is visible with a titulum at NS 7540 9865, and the SW angle with about 120m of the S side. Two segments of the N side are visible as cropmarks along with the NE angle and over 240m of the E side with a titulum at NS 7600 9836. The approximate overall dimensions of the camp are 630m by 390m, just under 25 hectares (c. 60 acres). The addition of the SE annexe, about 85m by 120m increases the overall area to about 63 acres.

Transcription prepared by RCAHMS (RHM) 31 July 1996.

Information from RCAHMS (RHM) 15 November 1996.

Activities

Note (1979)

Craigarnhall NS 756 985 NS79NE 20

The crop-mark of a temporary camp about 25ha in size; an entrance with a titulum is visible in the N side.

RCAHMS 1979

(DES 1974, 5)

Aerial Photographic Transcription (31 July 1996 - 2 October 1996)

An aerial transcription was produced from oblique aerial photographs. Information from Historic Environment Scotland (BM) 31 March 2017.

Publication Account (17 December 2011)

Located on a north-east facing slope on the north side of the River Teith, the camp at Craigarnhall was first recorded in 1971 by St Joseph from the air (1973: 217–8). Parts of all four sides are visible through cropmarks and the camp measured about 630m from WNW to ESE by 395m transversely, enclosing almost 24.8ha (61 acres). Entrance gaps with tituli are visible in the centre of the WNW and ESE sides, and to the west of the centre of the NNE side. St Joseph placed numerous trenches through the camp in the 1970s, attempting to locate further stretches of ditch and recording wide variation in the ditch dimensions. On the WNW side the ditch was up to 3m in width and 1.5m in depth although at one point only measured 0.4m in depth. On the SSW side, where it had been much ploughed away, the ditch was 1.8m in width and only 0.7m in depth. The western titulus ditch was 2.5m wide and 1.75m deep. In the ‘Icehouse Strip’ (which is not marked on any OS maps, but an Icehouse lies some way to the north-east of the camp) the ditch was relatively small, measuring only 1.7m in width and 0.8m in depth, but was cut into rock marl with a boulder in the east face of the ditch (RCAHMS St Joseph Collection: Notebooks 6 and 7). There is a small annexe attached to the south part of the south-east side which measures 86m by at least 114m, thereby enclosing at least 1ha (2.5 acres). It has an entrance gap, possibly in the centre of its south-east side, protected by a titulus.

R H Jones

Note (10 February 2022)

The location, classification and period of this site have been reviewed.

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