| Summary : Cropmark of a Roman temporary camp. Two camps have been recognised within an exceptionally dense series of cropmarks, immediately to the N of the Roman town of Wroxeter (Viroconium). The outline of a camp, 1, can be distinguished immediately N of the main defences of the Roman town, and less than 600 m N of the Nero-Flavian legionary fortress which preceded it. The site occupies fairly level ground, some 200 m W of Norton Farm, at 55 m above OD. It commands good views on most sides, except to the E, where undulating but gradually rising ground restricts sight-lines. To the S lies the valley of the Bell Brook, while just to the W is a shallow SSW to NNE valley. To the N the ground towards the valley of the River Tern, almost 2km away, is fairly level. The NE angle of this camp, much of its N side, and most of its E side are clearly defined, lying at right angles to one another. A straight ditch, 130 m long, parallel to the N side and about 300 m S of it, seems to have been part of the S defences. Another ditch alignement, lying at an obtuse angle to the postulated S side, is likely to have formed the S portion of the W side. The reason for this irregularity is not apparent on the ground. The probable site of the NW corner may, however, have been determined by the topography, since it appears to have coincided with the lip of the gentle W-facing valley scarp that borders Attingham Park, thus maximising the outlook in that direction. If these interpretations are correct, Camp 1 would have enclosed an area of almost 13ha (32 acres). One possible entrance can be identified, approximately in the centre of the E side. The course of the modern A5, which runs W to E, also appears to pass through the W side at or close to its centre, and may well have made use of a gate gap through the earthworks there. |
More information : (SJ 563095) A Roman camp has been identified from the air on level ground north of Viroconium. The greater part of the north side, the rounded north-east angle, the whole of the east side with part of the curve of the south-east angle, and a short length of the south side have been recorded to date. At the mid-point of the east side, the ditch is seen to be interrupted for a gate. The axial dimensions of the camp are 1000 feet from north to south by at least 1500 feet, a minimum area of thirty-five acres. Described by Webster as a (?) marching camp. (1-3)
The site lies on level, arable land, at present under a green crop north of the modern road which crosses the site, and freshly ploughed south of it. The cropmarks of this single-ditched Roman Camp, measures about 440.0m. east-west by 300.0m. transversely. The west side is not visible, nor is most of the south side. An entrance break, midway in the east side, is about 30.0m. wide.
Nothing can be seen on the ground.
Plotted at 1:2500 from air photographs (a). (sub-standard). (4)
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.
Two camps have been recognised within an exceptionally dense series of cropmarks, immediately to the N of the Roman town of Wroxeter (Viroconium). The outline of a camp, 1, can be distinguished immediately N of the main defences of the Roman town, and less than 600 m N of the Nero-Flavian legionary fortress which preceded it (St Joseph 1973, 234 (see auth 1); CUCAP BXW 5 (5a)). The site occupies fairly level ground, some 200 m W of Norton Farm, at 55 m above OD. It commands good views on most sides, except to the E, where undulating but gradually rising ground restricts sight-lines. To the S lies the valley of the Bell Brook, while just to the W is a shallow SSW to NNE valley. To the N the ground towards the valley of the River Tern, almost 2km away, is fairly level.
The NE angle of this camp, much of its N side, and most of its E side are clearly defined, lying at right angles to one another (CUCAP K17 Y 42 (5b)). A straight ditch, 130 m long, parallel to the N side and about 300 m S of it, seems to have been part of the S defences (CUCAP CJN 41 (5c)). Another ditch alignement, lying at an obtuse angle to the postulated S side, is likely to have formed the S portion of the W side (CUCAP BOF 8 (4d); NLAP SK 5609/79 (5e)). The reason for this irregularity is not apparent on the ground. The probable site of the NW corner may, however, have been determined by the topography, since it appears to have coincided with the lip of the gentle W-facing valley scarp that borders Attingham Park, thus maximising the outlook in that direction.
If these interpretations are correct, Camp 1 would have enclosed an area of almost 13ha (32 acres). One possible entrance can be identified, approximately in the centre of the E side. The course of the modern A5, which runs W to E, also appears to pass through the W side at or close to its centre, and may well have made use of a gate gap through the earthworks there. The extensive medieval ridge-and-furrow over the site appears to have contributed to the interruption of the cropmark of the ditch in the central sector of the N side of the camp. The SE corner of the camp and a portion of the S side may have been obliterated by the construction of the N defensive circuit of the Roman town or further masked by the subsequent use of its counterscarp bank as a headland for the ridge-and-furrow. These defences are unlikely to have been constructed until at least the second quarter of the 2nd century AD, and possibly later (Baker 1970 (5f); Barker 1985 (5g); Webster 1988 (5h) and 1989 (5i) 206)).
Within the interior of camp 1 a curved angle, which might have formed the NE corner of another camp, is traceable, and a ditch line continues westwards from it for almost 150m (CUCAP BXW 8-9 (5j)). North-east of Camp 1, another ditched angle is discernable, but its origin remains uncertain (CUCAP BXW 6, 15 (5k)). Full information is included in the NMR Archive. (5)
Published reference. (6) |