| Summary : The site of a Roman temporary camp: Sunny Rigg 1. The camp survives as an earthwork. This east-facing camp lies about 50 metres to the south of, and parallel to, the Stanegate. It measures 80 metres by 50 metres, and encloses an area of 0.4 hectares. The north defences occupy the broad crest of a ridge but in the camp itself the ground falls only very gently to the south. The site is in a slight saddle, 130 metres east-north-east of Sunny Rigg, but the views along the Stanegate and north to Hadrian's Wall are extensive. Only to the east, where the land rises a few metres to the site of Sunny Rigg 2, 230 metres away, is the outlook at all restricted. In 1966 the camp was still a well-defined earthwork, standing up to 0.5 m high. By 1981, however, the rampart had been reduced to a height 0f 0.3 m externally. Since then the site has been almost completely levelled by further cultivation. Its form was recorded by aerial photography from 1930 onwards, and by the Ordnance Survey in 1955. A subsequent Ordnance Survey plan, made in 1966, was evidently less accurate. Each of the four gates was protected by a traverse. The north and south gates were offset in the common proportion of 2:1 on the long axis; the south traverse had been mutilated by a shallow natural gully. In 1981, during the construction of a new drainage scheme, a section was cut across the perimeter close to the north-west corner. The rampart appeared to have been constructed largely of turf on an undisturbed old ground surface. The material required would have been greater than that which could have been provided from the ditch, which was little more than a shallow external scoop. Full information is included in the NMR Archive. |
More information : [NY 69546564] Roman Camp [G.S.] (1)
Located 21.10.1914 by F.G. Simpson. Four entrances with straight traverses, measures about 95 yds x 55 yds. (2-3)
Resurveyed at 1:2500. A well-defined temporary camp (apart from its barely distinguishable traverses). The ditch is visible throughout, but mainly as a superficial depression. Maximum height of rampart 0.5m. See Stanegate, (RR 85a) KM No. NY 6965 for survey. (4)
Four sections through the ramparts of the camp showed no ditch, and only a slight bank remaining at one section with a shallow scoop in front, which had probably provided material for the bank. This is the first camp with no ditch and only a slight rampart, as mentioned by Vegetius, to have been recorded in the north of England. (5)
The above excavation is given as at Sunnyrigg NY 695667: Sunnyrigg is at NY 693655 and the grid reference given in Britannia is erroneous. (6)
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 E-facing camp lies about 50 m to the S of and parallel to the Stanegate. It measures 80 m by 50 m and encloses an area of 0.4 ha (1.0 acres). The N defences occupy the broad crest of a ridge but in the camp itself the ground falls only very gently to the S. The site is in a slight saddle, 130 m ENE of Sunny Rigg, but the views along the Stanegate and N to Hadrian's Wall are extensive; only to the E, where the land rises a few metres to the site of Sunny Rigg 2, 230 m away, is the outlook at all restricted. In 1966 the camp was still a well-defined earthwork, standing up to 0.5 m high (NAR NY 66 NE 15). By 1981, however, the rampart had been reduced to a height 0f 0.3 m externally; since then the site has been almost completely levelled by further cultivation. Its form was recorded by aerial photography from 1930 onwards (NMR AP NY 6965/2; CUCAP BAX 46,60) and by the Ordnance Survey in 1955. A subsequent Ordnance Survey plan, made in 1966, was evidently less accurate. Each of the four gates was protected by a traverse. The N and S gates were offset in the common proportion of 2:1 on the long axis; the S traverse had been mutilated by a shallow natural gully. In 1981, during the construction of a new drainage scheme, a section was cut across the perimeter close to the NW corner. The rampart appeared to have been constructed largely of turf on an undisturbed old ground surface. The material required would have been greater than that which could have been provided from the ditch which was little more than a shallow external scoop (Britannia 13 (1982) 343 (see auth 5); J Bennett in lit). Full information is included in the NMR Archive. (7-10)
Scheduled (11)
Published reference. (12)
The above camp was visible as earthworks on air photographs and transcibed as part of the Hadrian's Wall NMP Project. (13)
Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (14) |