| Summary : Cropmark of a Roman temporary camp. A large group of military installations, comprising a vexillation fortress, two forts and a number of camps, lies in the vicinity of Water Eaton and Stretton Mill, near the point where Watling St, the early Roman road from London to the legionary fortress of Wroxeter, crosses the River Penk. In the later Roman period a small defended settlement, probably a posting-station, called Pennocrucium, was laid out astride Watling Street. The camps lie on either side of the Penk Valley, N of Watling St. These have been exploited to good effect by the positioning of the various military installations which are all intervisible. Virtually all the features have been levelled by ploughing and most are covered with the marks of former ridge-and-furrow. The cropmarks of the possible camps 4 and 5 lie NE of camp 3, on a shelf about 3m to 4m above the flood plain of the river. They occupy a relatively weak position, markedly inferior to that of camp 3. They are completely overlooked by higher ground to the W but command good views towards the NE. Neither is likely to have extended E of the valley scarp. For this reason camp 4, comprising parts of an NE and NW side and an angle, would have been proportionately very narrow in its NW to SE dimension; quarrying and part of a former leat have destroyed the SW segment. Similarly camp 5, represented by a SSW corner and by fragments of the W and S sides, would also have been disproportionately narrow from E to W. The unsatisfactory position of these possible camps suggests that they would not have been designed to stand alone. Within the whole Water Eaton complex none of the camps occupy positions as good as those utilised by the two forts and the vexillation fortress. The presumption must be that, with the possible exception of camp 3, each of them was dependent upon one of the permanent establishments. |
More information : This camp has been re-assessed in connection with RCHME's survey and publication of Roman Camps in England. The following descriptive account is taken from the published text.
A large group of military installations, comprising a vexillation fortress, two forts and a number of camps, lies in the vicinity of Water Eaton and Stretton Mill (St Joseph 1965, 76-7 (1a)), near the point where Watling Street, the early Roman road from London to the legionary fortress of Wroxeter (Viroconium), crosses the River Penk (Margary 1973, 291-2 (1b)). This strategic location developed into a nodal point in the Roman road system from which roads left Watling Street for Chester, Wroxeter, Greensforge, and perhaps Metchley. In the later Roman period a small defended settlement, probably a posting-station, called Pennocrucium, was laid out astride Watling Street.
The camps lie on either side of the Penk Valley, N of Watling Street. For the most part, the valley sides are quite gentle, but they are broken in places by steeper natural scarps. These have been exploited to good effect by the positioning of the various military installations which are all intervisible. Virtually all the features have been levelled by ploughing and most are covered with the marks of former ridge-and-furrow.
The cropmarks of the possible camps 4 and 5 (NMR AP SJ 9911/1 1c)) lie NE of camp 3, on a shelf about 3m to 4m above the flood plain of the river. They occupy a relatively weak position, markedly inferior to that of camp 3. They are completely overlooked by higher ground to the W but command good views towards the NE. Neither is likely to have extended E of the valley scarp. For this reason camp 4, comprising parts of an NE and NW side and an angle, would have been proportionately very narrow in its NW to SE dimension; quarrying and part of a former leat have destroyed the SW segment. Similarly camp 5, represented by a SSW corner and by fragments of the W and S sides, would also have been disproportionately narrow from E to W. The unsatisfactory position of these possible camps suggests that they would not have been designed to stand alone.
Within the whole Water Eaton complex none of the camps occupy positions as good as those utilised by the two forts and the vexillation fortress. The presumption must be that, with the possible exception of camp 3, each of them was dependent upon one of the permanent establishments. Full information is included in the NMR Archive. (1)
Published source. (2) |