Details

The monument includes the below ground remains of a large part of Holme Roman
camp. The site is situated on level ground between two tributaries of Slough
Dyke, a minor arm of the River Trent. The location affords commanding views of
the surrounding landscape.
No upstanding remains survive but the buried remains of the monument show
clearly as crop marks on aerial photographs. The camp, which is sub-
rectangular in shape, is defined by a ditch which encloses an area of at least
9.3ha. The north, east and west sides of the camp are visible but no entrances
can be identified with certainty. The southern ditch has been obscured by the
relatively modern road from Holme to Langford and by medieval ridge and furrow
which is evident in fields to the south of the road. Only that section of the
camp to the north of this road is included in the scheduling although this
does represent the majority of the monument. The north and west sides lie at
right angles to each other but the north east angle is slightly acute with the
eastern ditch having been deflected slightly westwards. This may have been
necessary to avoid wetter ground to the east. The corners of the camp are
characteristically rounded and a number of crop mark features are evident in
the interior, particularly in the eastern half.
All modern fences are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground
beneath is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

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 the lack of upstanding earthworks Holme Roman camp remains clearly
identifiable in aerial photographs. The monument will considerably enhance
our understanding of the Roman occupation of the area and the impact it had on
the wider landscape.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Welfare, H, Swan, V, Roman Camps in England: The Field Evidence, (1995), 148-149

Source: Historic England