Summary

Roman camp 250m WNW of Chasepool Cottages.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 10 June 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a Roman camp situated on the eastern slope of a slight spur just above the western bank of the Smestow Brook. It has been identified as a cropmark from aerial photography defined by its defensive ditch, roughly rectangular in plan with rounded corners. The camp measures internally up to 490m (WNW-ESE) by 360m (NNE-SSW), enclosing an area of approximately 16 hectares. The camp commands good views to the north, east and south, along the valley of the Smestow Brook. A Roman road just over 150m to the west of the camp is thought to have ran from Droitwich (Salinae) to Wroxeter (Viroconium), via the Roman camps and forts at Greensforge which lie only 2km to the SSE.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Roman camps are rectangular or sub-rectangular enclosures which were constructed and used by Roman soldiers either when out on campaign or as practice camps; most campaign camps were only temporary overnight bases and few were used for longer periods. They were bounded by a single earthen rampart and outer ditch and in plan are always straight-sided with rounded corners. Normally they have between one and four entrances, although as many as eleven have been recorded. Such entrances were usually centrally placed in the sides of the camp and were often protected by additional defensive outworks. Roman camps are found throughout much of England, although most known examples lie in the midlands and north. Around 140 examples have been identified and, as one of the various types of defensive enclosure built by the Roman Army, particularly in hostile upland and frontier areas, they provide an important insight into Roman military strategy and organisation. All well-preserved examples are identified as being of national importance.

The Roman camp 250m WNW of Chasepool Cottages survives as buried archaeological remains which will contain important evidence about the occupation and use of the site as well as Roman military strategy and organisation during the Romano-British period of occupation.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Welfare, H, Swan, V, Roman Camps in England: The Field Evidence, (1995)
Other
Pastscape: 116996

Source: Historic England