Details

This monument includes a Roman marching camp located on the summit of a high
ridge known as Broadbury. The monument survives as a rectangular enclosure
with rounded corners, an enclosing rampart, outer ditch and second rampart on
the northern and eastern sides. The internal dimensions of the enclosure are
69m long from east to west and 61.24m wide from north to south. The rampart
survives best to the north and east but is clearly visible on all sides. It
measures up to 5.6m wide and 0.6m high internally. The outer ditch survives on
all sides and measures up to 5.4m wide and 0.5m deep. The outer rampart
survives as a slight earthwork measuring up to 7.7m wide.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

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.

Despite ploughing, Broadbury Castle Roman camp survives well and contains
information relating to the military and strategic use of this area during the
Roman period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Maxfield, V A, 'Devon Archaeological Society Proceedings' in Excavations At Ashbury In 1983 With A Note On Broadbury Castle, , Vol. 43, (1985), 51-8

Source: Historic England