| Summary : The site of Plumpton Head Roman temporary camp. It survives as a cropmark. The existence of a camp on rolling ground immediately NW of the hamlet of Plumpton Head, has long been known, but it was not until the 1970s that detailed fieldwork by RCHME and repeated aerial reconnaissance was able to establish its full circuit and elucidate its remarkably asymmetrical character. The camp lies in the Petteril valley, between about 130 m and 137 m above OD; it is only 60 m W of the main Roman road from York (Eburacum) to Carlisle (Luguvalium) and just 3.1 km S of the fort at Old Penrith (Voreda). Laid out in the form of an irregular polygon, the defences of the camp straddle a broad shallow N to S valley and enclose an area of about 9.5 ha (23.5 acres). Its overall disposition has been chosen with some care and is, in the main, dependent on the line selected for its long W side. This W side, a little over 350 m in length, is sited parallel to and slightly to the W of the summit of a rounded ridge which extends north-westwards from the lip of the flood plain of the River Petteril to a point close to the NW corner of the camp, where it levels out. This ridge provides extensive views in all directions, particularly over the land to the W which is not visible to from the adjacent stretch of Roman road. The fact that the camp is not aligned on the Roman road may also indicate that it is earlier than the road, although the topographical factors may have been paramount. |
More information : (NY 5003 3535] Roman Camp [GS] (Site of) (1)
NY500354 A Roman Camp, 1150 feet along the north side and 1040 feet along the west, observed from the air in 1946. Photographs show a central gate in the west side and three gates, each with a tutulus, in the east side nearest the Roman Road (RR 7e) (2-4)
Nothing visible on the ground. (5)
Fieldwork by the RCHM has produced the full outline of an irregularly shaped camp of some twenty acres. The ditch at the SW corner and the south bank survived as earthworks under the old field wall, while the east ditch was found to continue into the north rampart sector. (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.
The existence of a camp on rolling ground immediately NW of the hamlet of Plumpton Head, has long been known (St Joseph 1951, 54 (7a); 1955, 83 (see auth 3), CUCAP BRC 6, 7 (7b)), but it was not until the 1970's that detailed fieldwork by RCHME and repeated aerial reconnaissance was able to establish its full circuit and elucidate its remarkably asymmetrical character (Maxwell and Wilson 1987, 12 (7c); CUCAP AZJ 76-8 (7d)).
The camp lies in the Petteril valley, between about 130 m and 137 m above OD; it is only 60 m W of the main Roman road from York (Eburacum) to Carlisle (Luguvalium) and just3.1 km S of the fort at Old Penrith (Voreda). Laid out in the form of an irregular polygon, the defences of the camp straddle a broad shallow N to S valley and enclose an area of about 9.5 ha (23.5 acres). Its overall disposition has been chosen with some care and is, in the main, dependent on the line selected for its long W side. This W side, a little over 350 m in length, is sited parallel to and slightly to the W of the summit of a rounded ridge which extends north-westwards from the lip of the flood plain of the River Petteril to a point close to the NW corner of the camp, where it levels out. This ridge provides extensive views in all directions, particularly over the land to the W which is not visible to from the adjacent stretch of Roman road.
The fact that the camp is not aligned on the Roman road may also indicate that it is earlier than the road, although the topographical factors may have been paramount. There is evidence for at least two entrances in the W side, each defended by a traverse. The N one, set forward about 22 m, is the more clearly defined; a field boundary has distorted the cropmarks of the second which is set in the centre of the side. Two marks are visible here outside the line of the ditch; of these, the inner one, about 20 m away, may represent the ditch of the traverse. Though the former existence of a third entrance in the S portion of the W side is probable, there is no clear evidence of such at present, despite suggestions to the contrary (Maxwell and Wilson 1987, 12 (see auth 7c).
The N side of the camp, which, except for its W extremity, lies on mainly flat ground, is the most irregular of all. Its E section is on two separate alignements, and its central part curves uncharacteristically abruptly southwards by about 35 m. These diversions were clearly intended to avoid the boggy ground associated with a nearby gill. This watercourse was still in existence in the mid 19th century (OS 1st edition 6-inch map, Cumberland XLIX, 1867 (7e)), but has since been ploughed and is distinguishable only as a cropmark. There are no causeways apparent in the N side, but two isolated cropmarks of short ditches may reasonably be interpreted as traverses; one occurs to the W of the curving diversion, about 19 m forward of the ditch. The other lies about 50 m to the E of the E edge of the re-entrant, and about 16 m outside the change in the angle of the circuit, a characteristic position for a gate. It is possible that because of the marshy character of this area there were no corresponding ditch causeways. Alternatively, any former entrance gaps may have been closed in subsequent draining activities.
The well-defined ditch of the E side of the camp, about 170 m in length, is interrupted by three relatively closely spaced, unusually wide gates, each protected by a traverse set roughly 18 m outside the change in the angle of the circuit. In 1973 the rampart could just be discerned as a low, spread bank, but ploughing has since completely levvelled it. The NE part of this side crosses level ground, but to the SW of the central entrance it rises to meet a N to S ridge, the N end of which roughly coincides with the SE corner of the camp.
The S side of the camp does not show as a cropmark, but its probable course, approximately 330 m long, including a slight change in alignement about 50 m E of its SW corner, is apparently fossilised in a modern field boundary. From the SE corner of the circuit this crosses a hollow and then rises to join the main ridge at the SW corner of the camp. On the S side of th field boundary, an outward-facing scarp, 0.1 m to 0.7 m high, which is surmounted by stone from a relatively recent field wall and by rubble collected in field clearance, may represent the remains of the Roman defences. Full information is included in the NMR Archive. (7)
Additional references. (8-9) |