Cleghorn

NS 910 459. Roman Temporary Camp, Cleghorn. This camp is situated on the right bank of the Stobilee Burn 570m NW of Cleghorn Mill, where the Roman road from Castledykes to Bothwellhaugh (RR 78b) is thought to have crossed the Mouse Water. An irregular parallelogram on plan, measuring internally about 500m by 355m along the axes, it occupies ground which is for the most part level or only gently inclined, but which falls away sharply on the S, the choice of site and resulting irregularity of outline doubtless being dictated by the need to overlook the adjacent river-crossing.

The defences are best preserved in Camp Wood, where, despite both long-established and recent afforestation, most of the N half of the circuit can still be traced; the rampart survives here as a grass- and heather-covered bank 3.7m thick and 0.7m high, while the ditch measures 1.9m in width and 0.4m in depth. Elsewhere, except for a stretch of about 210m on the SW, where the rampart appears as a low bank 4m thick (although dismissed by Davidson (1952), excavation in 1971 (RCAHMS) confirmed its Roman origin), cultivation has removed all surface traces. Crop-markings on air photographs and a limited amount of trial excavation have nevertheless combined to show that the course of the SE side and the S portion of the NW side approximates to that shown on the plan made by Roy in 1764 (W Roy 1793, pl. ix). It may be presumed that there were originally six gates, all protected by titula, but the two in the SE side can no longer be seen, and the titula of those in the shorter NE and SW sides have been destroyed, the former in comparatively recent times. The area enclosed is about 18.9 ha (46.7 acres), sufficient for the accommodation of two marching legions.

A reference by General Roy to 'a small post or redoubt' lying outside the Roman camp at Channelkirk in Berwickshire (NT45SE 2) has sometimes been taken erroneously to refer to the camp at Cleghorn (Statistical Account [OSA] 1795, 10).

RCAHMS 1978, visited October 1971

NS 911 460. Cleghorn, Roman Temporary Camp. A short programme of excavation sufficed to confirm that the positions of the SE and SW ramparts of the camp were very close to those indicated by Roy on his plan of 1764 (Military Antiquities, Pl. IX), The average axial dimensions are thus shown to have been about 5I5m (1700') from NE to SW by 365m (1200') transversely.

A section cut through the SE side about 140m from the E angle of the camp revealed that the ditch was V-shaped in profile, 2.9m wide and 0.9m deep; a tile drain and a rumbling drain had been laid along the hollow of the ditch in modern times. In another section, cut through the NW side about 120m from the W angle, the ditch was found to measure 3.2m in width and 0.75m in depth, the bottom being slightly chanelled. Wherever inspected, the ditch was seen to be filled with natural silt.

The discovery that the ditch of the SW defences survives beneath the ridge of trees leading up to the ruined farmstead of Old Windsor invalidates the hypothesis that this feature represents the remains of a Roman road (cf. Roman Occupation of SW Scotland, 68 f.).

Information from RCAHMS (DES 1971 58-59)

The Roman camp at Cleghorn lies on a south-east facing slope on the north bank of the Mouse Water, close to the point where the Roman road is presumed to have crossed the river (at Cleghorn Bridge). The fort and camps at Castledykes lie 2km to the south-east. It was first recorded as an earthwork in 1764 by Roy (1793: Pl. IX) and stretches of three sides still survive in earthwork form.

The camp is parallelogram in form, measuring 509m from north-east to south-west by 389m transversely, enclosing 18.4ha (45.5 acres). Two tituli are still visible in Camp Wood on the north-west side, and Roy depicted a third on the north-east side. The upstanding rampart of the camp measures up to 0.7m in height and 4m in width, with an accompanying ditch up to 2m in width and 0.4m in depth. Excavations in 1971 by RCAHMS recorded that the ditch was V-shaped, 2.9–3.2m in width and 0.75– 0.9m in depth and was filled with natural silt (1971: 58–9). Later excavations (in 1977) by St Joseph recorded similar dimensions, with the ditch 3m in width and 1m in depth (RCAHMS St Joseph Collection: Notebook 7).

Seven Trajanic and Hadrianic coins were found at this camp after ploughing in 1986 (Bateson 1989: 167).

At Cleghorn Bridge, the presumed crossing by the Roman road, parts of a further probable camp have been identified (Cleghorn II), crossing the presumed line of the road (RCAHMS 1978a: 141–3). This may suggest a slightly different alignment for the road than has previously been assumed, or a significant timescale between the use of the camp and the use of the road.

R H Jones

NS 911 459 A watching brief was undertaken 28–29 May 2012 during the hand excavation of three test pits in the scheduled area of the Roman camp of Camp Wood, and during work to determine the extent of sub-surface disturbance within the area of a proposed house. No topsoil existed in the two areas assessed within the property at Five Jays and the sub-surface deposits within the scheduled area had been disturbed.

Archive: RCAHMS (intended)

Funder: Mr J Frame

Christine Rennie, GUARD Archaeology Ltd

2012

GUARD Archaeology Limited was commissioned to undertake an archaeological watching brief during a geoarchaeological assessment at their property at Five Jays, Cleghorn, South Lanarkshire. This work was carried out in order to monitor three hand-excavated test pits on the Scheduled Ancient Monument of Camp Wood Roman Camp, and to determine the extent of sub-surface disturbance within an area proposed for the construction of a house. The test pits were excavated in order to obtain Kubiena samples for thin section micromorphology and Optically Stimulated Luminescence analysis.

The work revealed that no topsoil existed on the two areas assessed

within the property of Five Jays, and that sub-surface deposits within the

Scheduled area had been disturbed. No archaeological features or artefacts were found during the work.

Information from OASIS ID: guardarc1-203671 (C Rennie and J Atkinson) 2012

NS 91056 45893 A programme of topsoil removal, mapping and sampling was undertaken, 31 October – 1 November 2016, on the proposed site of a house close to the centre of Cleghorn Roman Temporary Marching Camp (HS:1138). This site was formerly a scheduled monument and has recently

been partially de-scheduled. The work revealed no features or deposits of archaeological interest.

Archive: NRHE intended

Funder: Private individual

Maureen C Kilpatrick – GUARD Archaeology Ltd

(Source: DES, Volume 18)