Summary : The earthwork remains of Grindon Hill Roman temporary camp. Visible as an earthwork on air photographs. It is situated 40 m S of the course of the Stanegate, 5.5 km E of Vindolanda, lies at the E end of a narrow flat-topped ridge at a height of about 230 m above OD. The views are extensive in all directions except due N; there the ground falls gently away into a shallow hollow between the camp and the Stanegate, before rising to the summit of a small hill only 400 m away. The N and S sides of the camp coincide with the crests of the natural ridge; the defences measure approximately 40 m from N to S and from W to E and have been laid out as a parallelogram enclosing an area of 0.1 ha (0.3 acres). Now in permanent pasture, the site has been severely reduced by narrow ridge-and-furrow cultivation. On the N and S the underlying earthworks of the rampart can be distinguished only with difficulty for the ploughing has cut across them at right angles. On the E and W the rampart is traceable as low swellings, no more than 0.2 m high, in the plough ridges, which share the same alignment. Slight changes in vegetation mark the line of the external ditch where this coincides with a furrow; this is best seen in the S half of the W side. The exiguous remains of the rampart fade out altogether at the central point of each side, although the effects of the later ploughing have somewhat masked this on the E. Barely perceptible rises in the plough ridges, no more than about 0.1 m high, almost certainly mark the position of traverses on E and W. |
More information : [NY 8242 6788] A small camp alongside Stanegate west of Grindon Hill, seen from the air 13th June, 1939, and visited on the 17th June 1939. The earthwork, which is probably a Roman Temporary Camp, is about 140 ft. square and consists of a rampart and ditch, it is in a very poor condition. (1-3)
Identifiable at NY 8242 6790, but with no surveyable remains. (4)
Lady Shield I/Grindon Common is a temporary camp. (5)
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. This small camp, situated 40 m S of the course of the Stanegate, 5.5 km E of Vindolanda, lies at the E end of a narrow flat-topped ridge at a height of about 230 m above OD. The views are extensive in all directions except due N; there the ground falls gently away into a shallow hollow between the camp and the Stanegate, before rising to the summit of a small hill only 400 m away. The N and S sides of the camp coincide with the crests of the natural ridge; the defences measure approximately 40 m from N to S and from W to E and have been laid out as a parallelogram enclosing an area of 0.1 ha (0.3 acres). Now in permanent pasture, the site has been severely reduced by narrow ridge-and-furrow cultivation. On the N and S the underlying earthworks of the rampart can be distinguished only with difficulty for the ploughing has cut across them at right angles. On the E and W the rampart is traceable as low swellings, no more than 0.2 m high, in the plough ridges, which share the same alignment. Slight changes in vegetation mark the line of the external ditch where this coincides with a furrow; this is best seen in the S half of the W side. The exiguous remains of the rampart fade out altogether at the central point of each side, although the effects of the later ploughing have somewhat masked this on the E. Barely perceptible rises in the plough ridges, no more than about 0.1 m high, almost certainly mark the position of traverses on E and W. Full information is included in the NMR Archive. (6)
Additional reference. (7)
A Roman temporary camp is visible as an earthwork on air photographs at NY 8241 6788. The very denuded remains of the camp are visible with internal dimensions of 40m by 40m. Only fragments of the southern side were well defined enough to map. (8)
Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (9) |