Eskbank

Eskbank, Temporary Camps NT 321 668 NT36NW 34

Two superimposed temporary camps, which were first identified from cropmarks on the S side of the River North Esk opposite the Elginhaugh fort (NT36NW 61 & 83), are now largely covered by housing developments. The intersection of the ditches on the E side of the two camps was excavated in 1972. Of the earlier camp, only the NE angle and short lengths of the N and E sides are known, the latter including an entrance with a titulum; it has been suggested that the later camp may extend to about 25.5ha, although only the N side, the NE and NW angles, and parts of the adjacent sides have been located.

RCAHMS 1988

(St Joseph 1965, 80; 1969, 108; Maxfield 1974, 141-50)

First recorded in the 1960s by St Joseph from the air (1965: 80), the overlapping camps at Eskbank lie on gently sloping land on the south side of the River North Esk, across from the Flavian fort of Elginhaugh (marked as ‘Offices’ on illus 125; Hanson 2007). Although originally recorded as cropmarks from the air, much of the area of the camps is now covered by a housing estate, which led to excavations on the camp ditches in 1972 (Maxfield 1975) and 1981 (Barber 1985).

The whole of the NNW side of camp I has been recorded, measuring 414m, together with stretches of the ENE and WSW sides. The southern side of the camp is unknown, but a field boundary running parallel to the north side is visible on the 1st edition OS map (Edinburghshire 1854: sheet vii) and survives as a boundary in the modern housing estate. If this represented the south side of the camp then its north to south dimension could be 465m, suggesting that some 19ha (47 acres) were enclosed, although this is purely speculative. St Joseph undertook small-scale trenching on the WSW side of the camp in 1963, and he recorded that the ditch was V-shaped, around 2.1m wide and 1.2m deep (1965: 80). Maxfield’s excavations on the ENE side revealed an irregular ditch, U- to V-shaped, measuring up to 3.1m wide and 0.9m deep (1975: 145), similar dimensions to those later recorded by Barber on the NNW side (1985: 151). A titulus is visible in the ENE side of the camp; this was excavated and measured some 10.6m long, up to 3.2m wide and 0.8m deep. Running between the ditch terminals at the entrance was a ‘flat- bottomed V-shaped trench’, some 0.55m wide and 0.25m deep. This was interpreted as a probably belonging to the Roman occupation of the camp, and possibly to hold temporary hurdling (Maxfield 1975: 145–7; see above, section 7a).

Both excavations on the NNW and ENE side indicated fairly rapid infilling. The camp ditch is cut by the ditch of camp II and is therefore earlier in date (Maxfield 1975: 147–8). The construction of a later camp at the same location but on a slightly different alignment might explain the apparent slighting of the ditch.

Only stretches of the north and east sides of camp II have been recorded, indicating that the camp measured at least 220m by over 180m; no gates are known. Excavations by Maxfield on the eastern side recorded that the ditch was U- to V-shaped, up to 2.35m wide and 1.15m deep (1975: 147). She interpreted the cropmarks in the west field as relating to this camp, partly because of the excavated dimensions and also because of the lack of an entrance in the WSW side (1975: 147). However, gaps are visible in the cropmark evidence for this WSW side, and although none can be clearly interpreted as an entrance, it is apparent that it was not an entirely continuous line. This feature is interpreted here as belonging to Eskbank I, owing to the position of the cropmarks.

R H Jones