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

  SM4273_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600010215)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of part of a Roman temporary camp. The camp survives as buried features and deposits and is visible as cropmarks captured on aerial photographs. The camp is sub-rectangular in form and originally measured about 146m from NE to SW by 100m transversely in total, enclosing an area of at least 1.4ha, but its eastern end has been developed for housing. The camp is located on top of Annan Hill at about 30 to 35m above sea level, with commanding views in all directions. The monument was first scheduled in 1981, but is being amended to better reflect the extent of surviving archaeological remains.

The cropmarks and limited excavations have identified all four sides of the camp, including two of the gateways: one on the SW side and the other on the NE. Limited excavations in 1966 and 1985-6 identified the SW and SE defensive ditches, the E angle and the gates in the SW and NE sides. The ditches, preserved below the ploughsoil, are on average 1.6m wide by 1m deep. The SW entrance was recorded as 10m wide and the SE entrance as 8.2m wide. In the mid 1980s a housing development removed the E angle and part of the camp interior after archaeological examination. In 2002, evaluation of a house plot towards the NE edge of the camp revealed another stretch of the NE ditch and confirmed the location of the NE entrance.

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 part of the eastern end of the camp now occupied by a housing development is excluded from the scheduling. The scheduled area also specifically excludes the above-ground elements of all post-and-wire fences, hedges and telegraph poles. It also excludes the above-ground parts of the stable, water tower and associated structures and pipework.

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 the construction, use and internal layout of Roman temporary camps. Although no longer surviving as an upstanding earthwork, there is good potential for buried remains from the fills of the ditch. Such deposits could include dateable organic remains and artefactual evidence relating to the occupation of the camp. Within the camp, the potential for the survival of occupation evidence in the form of rubbish pits and bread ovens is high; such remains help inform our understanding of the organisation of the camps and the lives of Roman soldiers while in the field. Organic evidence from the fill of the ditches around the camp could provide information about the contemporary environment at the time of the camp's construction. Spatial analysis of camps and Roman roads can inform our understanding of Roman military strategy and offer insights into the effects of the Roman occupation on the local Iron Age landscape of the time. The loss of the monument would diminish our understanding of the construction and use of temporary camps by the Roman army and our knowledge of Roman military structure, economy and social practice.

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.