Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM2308_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600008548)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of a large Roman camp, possibly dating to the Severan campaign of AD 208-211, together with an enclosed prehistoric settlement and a souterrain which lie within the camp, and a ring-ditch (probably the remains of a prehistoric house) which lies immediately NW of the camp. These latter features are probably of Iron Age date (sometime between 500 BC and AD 500). The archaeological remains survive as buried features and deposits, represented by cropmarks visible on aerial photographs.

The Roman camp is regular in form, measuring around 885m from ENE to WSW by 600m transversely, and encloses an area of at least 51ha (126 acres). The cropmarks identify all four sides of the rectangular camp, with two of the original six tituli (external protection for the gateway) visible as cropmarks: one at the centre of the E side, and another at the western end of the N side of the camp. A third titulus, at the eastern end of the N side of the camp, is still upstanding as an earthwork: it is visible as an earthen bank about 30m long by 1.3m high, with a ditch on the N side about 0.3m deep. When the camp was planned by Roy in 1755, five entrances were visible, four of them protected by tituli. The camp is located just to the N of Lemno Burn on relatively level terrain, although there is a gradual rise to the NW, at about 70 to 80m above sea level; most of the fields which it occupies are currently in cultivation.

A prehistoric enclosed settlement and a souterrain lie within the camp. The enclosed settlement is roughly oval in shape and measures approximately 50m N-S by 40m E-W, within a ditch, 4m wide. The enclosure contains several features, apparently within a circular palisade. The ring-ditch located just outside the camp to the NW has an internal diameter of 14m. The monument was first scheduled in 1997, but an inadequate area was included to protect all of the archaeological remains: the present amendment rectifies this.

The scheduled area is irregular on plan, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduled area specifically excludes the above-ground elements of all post-and-wire fences, hedges, drystane dykes and telegraph poles. The scheduled area also excludes the top 300mm of road surfaces and drains to allow for their upkeep and maintenance.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it has an inherent potential to contribute to our understanding of the past, in particular, of the construction, organisation, use and role of Roman temporary camps, and the relationship between the Romans and the native inhabitants. Its importance is enhanced because one of the camp's tituli survives as an upstanding earthwork, which is very rare. There is good potential for the presence of important buried remains in the fills of the defensive ditches defining the perimeter of the camp, including datable organic remains and artefactual evidence relating to the occupation of the camp. Within the camp, there is high potential for the survival of occupation evidence in the form of rubbish pits, latrine pits, bread ovens and other features: such remains can add to our understanding of the lives of Roman soldiers while in the field. Organic evidence from the ditch fills could provide information about land-use and the environment at the time of the camp's construction. Spatial analysis of the network of camps and Roman roads may inform our understanding of Roman military strategy and possibly offer insights into the impact of Roman occupation on the local Iron Age landscape. The loss of the monument would diminish our understanding of the construction and use of temporary camps by the Roman army, our knowledge of Roman period military structure, economy and social practice, and our understanding of the relationship between the Romans and the native inhabitants.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.