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

  SM1016_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600003818)

Summary

Description

The monument is the remains of a large Roman camp, built probably in the late first century AD during the early Roman occupation of NE Scotland, although construction during a later Roman campaign cannot be ruled out. It is visible as earthworks defining well-preserved sections of the rampart and defensive ditch. The rampart and ditch are visible on all four sides of the camp, except in the NW corner. The camp lies between 155m and 192m above sea level and includes the summit of Garrison Hill, which offers views down Glen Ury to the coast 5km to the SE at Stonehaven. The monument was first scheduled in 1972, but the documents did not meet modern standards; the present amendment rectifies this.

The camp measures about 700m NNW-SSE by 960m transversely and encloses an area of about 38.9 ha. The rampart measures up to 5m in width and stands 0.8m in height, with the ditch measuring up to 4.3m wide and 1.3m deep. Four of the camp's original six tituli (mounds of earth that act as defences in front of the gates) survive as low mounds, with ditches surrounding the external facing. The camp is irregular in plan with an elongated NE corner, its shape being largely dictated by the local topography.

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 may survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduled area specifically excludes the above-ground elements of all post-and-wire fences, telegraph poles, upstanding buildings, modern boundary walls and the top 300mm of modern trackways and road surfaces. The scheduled area excludes Broomhill Cottage and its yard and garden ground.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its significant potential to contribute to our understanding of Roman camps, including their date, construction, use and internal layout. The Roman camp at Raedykes is one of very few examples where almost the entire circuit is visible as an upstanding earthwork. Artefacts recovered from the site suggest very high potential for buried remains that can enhance our understanding of the Roman army on campaign. Spatial analysis of Roman temporary camps and the Roman roads that connect them can inform our understanding of Roman military strategy and the impact of the Roman presence on the local Iron-Age landscape of Scotland. Some researchers have suggested that this camp was associated with Agricola's victory at the battle of Mons Graupius in AD 84 as recounted by Tacitus, who refers to a nearby camp and purports to give details of the size of the Roman forces and their tactics. If this monument was lost or damaged, our understanding of the construction and use of temporary camps by the Roman army and our knowledge of Roman military structure and logistics would be diminished.

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.