| More information : The Roman temporary camp known as ‘Birdhope 2’, initially recorded by J K St Joseph and enhanced by several later field surveys, then reassessed by RCHME's survey and publication of Roman Camps in England as the latest, and best preserved of a series of three Roman camps on the west side of Sills Burn.
Earthwork remains of a temporary camp. This camp was 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. Formerly assigned NAR Number NY 89 NW 10 with camps 1 and 3. Now given unique NAR Number NY 89 NW 33. For camps 1 and 3 see NY 89 NW 10 and NY 89 NW 34 respectively.
Three superimposed camps lie on one of the largest areas of relatively level ground adjacent to Dere Street between North Tynedale and the Border. The site is immediately to the W of the deeply cut valley at the Sills Burn, 350 m to the WNW of the fort at High Rochester (Bremenium). Two-thirds of the site slopes gently to the N; in the S portion, however, between the well-preserved earthworks of camp 2 and the modern military buildings of Redesdale Camp, there is a slight but rather poorly drained fold in the ground.
Farther S again, beyond the modern camp, the land falls steeply to the haughlands of the River Rede. The outlook from the Roman camps extends northwards along Dere Street to Thirlmoor and southwards across Redesdale, but to the E the higher ground around High Rochester cuts the line of sight.
Camp 2 is extremely well preserved. Almost exactly rectangular, it encloses an area of 3.1 ha (7.7 acres); its S side is set along the gentle forward crest that overlooks the hollow to the SW and which probably determined the orientation of the camp. The outer scarp of the rampart on the S side stands 1.3 m high, above a ditch 0.5 m deep which has been incorporated into the modern system of field drains. The inner scarp of the rampart is 0.5 m in height. In their S half the E defences are almost equally well preserved, although the ditch has been further disturbed and deepened by modern drains. To the N of the gate on this side, however, the state of survival rapidly declines, perhaps due to the growth of peat, and the bank is no more than 0.4 m high. A section cut through this bank in the 1930s revealed that it was built of turf (St Joseph 1935, 240 (1a)). On the N side the bank stands 0.8 m high and the ditch is 0.3m deep, but on the W the measurements are 1.1 m and 0.6 m respectively, with the inner scarp of the bank being 0.7 m high.
There are four gates, each defended by a traverse. The N one is reduced to a single scarp 0.1 m high, but at each of the other gates both the mound and the ditch survive; the forward scarps of the E, W and S mounds are 0.5 m, 0.6 m and 1.0 m high respectively, and their rear scarps 0.3 m, 0.4 m, and 0.1 m in height. The ditch of the E example, which is immediately adjacent to a later barrow, is now visible as little more than a change in the vegetation, although the other two survive to a maximum depth of 0.4 m. Once again, the positions of the W and E gates suggest that the camp faced N, towards Dere Street. The W gate is offset a few metres to the E of centre, although the reason for this is unclear.
It is clear from the good preservation of camp 2 that it must have been later in date than camp 1. By the same token, it seems likely that camp 3 is earlier than camp 2. The junctions between these last two have not survived on the surface but the line chosen for the SW perimeter of camp 2 is a slight improvement, topographically, when compared to that of camp 3 almost immediately to its rear. Nothing can be said of the gates of camp 3 nor of its relationship to camp 1. Full information is included in the NMR Archive (1).
NY 8270 9881. Two Roman camps, 550m E of Burdhopecrag Hall. Scheduled RSM No 20946 (2).
Published account (3).
Subsequent unpublished field surveys (4-6).
This camp, known as ‘Birdhope 2’, was mapped as an earthwork from lidar imagery as part of a PhD project at the University of York, in collaboration with the Historic England aerial investigation and mapping team, and remains extant on the latest 2016 aerial photography. As previously recorded by Authorities 1-6, it appears to be the latest, and best preserved of a series of three Roman camps on the west side of Sills Burn. The three centrally-placed entrances on the east, south and west sides are all protected by external traverses, while the north entrance is cut through by a later hollow way of unknown date which has removed the external defence. Otherwise, the almost-square perimeter is protected by an outer ditch and inner rampart, with rounded corners (7-8).
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