| Summary : Roman temporary camp visible as a cropmark. Two superimposed camps, discovered from the air are set on the summit and the S flank of a low hill, at about 50 m above OD and less than 100 m W of the left bank of the River Eden. Their position, between Hadrian's Wall and the Vallum, commands extensive views, especially across the lowlands to the N, and towards Annandale, Eskdale and Liddesdale. Camp 1 is the larger, and is almost a parallelogram. It measures about 140 m from N to S by about 166 m transversley and occupies an area of approximately 2.3 ha (5.7 acres). It is less clearly defined on air photographs than Camp 2. Its N and W sides utilise natural crest lines; to the S and E, where the ground falls gently away to the Eden, the perimeter avoids the largest of several poorly drained depressions which show on air photographs as dark cropmarks. Two visible gates, on the N and S sides, each guarded by a traverse (although the northern traverse is subjective) set forward by by about 10 m, are not quite opposite one another, the former being positioned on a ratio of 1:2 on the E to W axis, while the latter is in a slightly more central position. Thus, although no certain gate is visible on the E side, the camp appears to face ENE, towards Hadrian's Wall and the presumed course of the Military Way. The latter has, however, not been identified anywhere in this area. Other, mainly linear, cropmarks recorded on air photographs appear to form part of an extensive boundary or field system of Iron Age or Roman date recorded separately in NY 35 NE 192. |
More information : NY369575. At the west end of Grinsdale, between the Wall and the Vallum, and only 400ft from the former, a small camp is revealed by cropmarks. The size is estimated at 150ft square. (1)
No visible remains on the ground. (2)
NY 368573. A possible Roman temporary camp is visible on St Joseph A.P.s WE60 and APU 55. The former shows a curved NE corner, the latter the north side and part of the west side. The main worry is a change of direction along the N side where a modern hedge crosses the line. This site is known as Grinsdale III. (3)
NY 368573 Grinsdale. Two separate temporary camps here, which are superimposed. (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.
NAR Number NY 35 NE 22 formerly assigned to two camps. Now exclusive to Boomby Lane 1; camp 2 now NAR Number NY 35 NE 82.
Two superimposed camps, discovered from the air are set on the summit and the S flank of a low hill, at about 50 m above OD and less than 100 m W of the left bank of the River Eden (St Joseph 1958, 87 Auth 1); (Maxwell and Wilson 1987, 14.) (5a). Their position, between Hadrian's Wall and the Vallum, commands extensive views, especially across the lowlands to the N, and towards Annandale, Eskdale and Liddesdale.
Camp 1 is the larger, and is almost a parallelogram. It measures about 140 m from N to S by about 166 m transversley and occupies an area of approximately 2.3 ha (5.7 acres). It is less clearly defined on air photographs than Camp 2 (NLAP NY 3657/13-16) (5b). Its N and W sides utilise natural crest lines; to the S and E, where the ground falls gently away to the Eden, the perimeter avoids the largest of several poorly drained depressions which show on air photographs as dark cropmarks. Two visible gates, on the N and S sides, each guarded by a traverse set forward by by about 10 m, are not quite opposite one another, the former being positioned on a ratio of 1:2 on the E to W axis, while the latter is in a slightly more central position. Thus, although no certain gate is visible on the E side, the camp appears to face ENE, towards Hadrian's Wall and the presumed course of the Military Way. The latter has, however, not been identified anywhere in this area. Other, mainly linear, cropmarks recorded on air photographs are of unknown date and function and appear to have no relationship to the camps. Full information is included in the NMR Archive. (5)
Additional reference. (7)
This site has been mapped as part of the Hadrian's Wall National Mapping Project. The camp is largely as transcribed for the Roman Camps volume (5), although there are a few differences, which may be due to the fact that one of the photographs quoted in the Camps volume, NMR NY 3657/16 (5b), was not available at the time of the Hadrian's Wall NMP. The major difference is that the traverse set in front of the possible northern entrance was not confirmed. In addition, some of the linears recorded in the Camps volume possibly represent more recent drainage channels for example, three linears, orientated roughly north-south, positioned on the southern ditch of the camp and centred at NY 3690 5733, also another north-south linear situated at NY 3684 5733. Other amorphous marks drawn near the eastern ditch at NY 36958 57392 and NY 36961 57378 and in the north-east corner of the camp at NY 36766 57408, may represent underlying geology or, in the case of the former two examples, possible extraction pits not related to the Camp. One large potential pit (see NY 35 NE 207), centred at NY 36962 57348, appears to cut through the south-east corner of the Camp; however, there is no extraction marked in this area on OS mapping. The other linear features of uncertain date mentioned in the Roman Camps volume which appear to be unrelated to the camp appear to form part of an extensive boundary or field system of Iron Age or Roman date and are recorded separately in NY 35 NE 192. (8)
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