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

  SM668_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600003557)

Summary

Description

The monument is the remains of a Roman camp built between AD 71 and AD 410. The monument is visible as upstanding earthworks, including well-preserved sections of the rampart and defensive ditch. The camp is located close to the E bank of the River Esk, about 1km NE of the river. It stands between 90m and 105m above sea level on a SW-facing slope, with its long sides bounded by tributaries of the Esk.

The camp is sub-rectangular on plan. It measures about 465m NE-SW by 251m transversely, and encloses an area of 11.3 ha (28 acres). The defensive rampart and ditch are visible on the SE and NE sides of the camp's perimeter, and on parts of the NW and SW sides. The camp defences are best preserved on the SE side where the rampart and ditch are visible in open pasture land. The remains of the rampart stand up to 1.1m high and have spread to 6.5m wide. The adjacent ditch is around 5m wide, but its depth is unknown as it is largely in-filled. Two tituli (mounds of earth that acted as defences in front of the gates) are visible at roughly equal intervals along the SE side, and a further titulus survives in the NW side. The camp probably had six entrances in total: two in the long sides and one at the approximate centre of the short sides. A track overlies the line of the NW defences and a dismantled railway line overlies part of the SW perimeter. The monument was last scheduled in 1972, but the documents did not meet modern standards: 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 scheduling specifically excludes the above-ground elements of all post-and-wire fences.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its high potential to contribute to our understanding and appreciation of Roman camps, including their construction, use and internal layout. The Roman camp at Gilnockie is particularly important because it is one of relatively few camps which preserve upstanding remains: much of the defensive circuit survives as a rampart and ditch visible on the ground surface. The presence of upstanding remains and the lack of later development within the site suggests there is high potential for the survival of buried remains that can significantly increase our understanding of the Roman army on campaign. Spatial analysis of Roman temporary camps and the roads that connected them can inform our understanding of Roman military strategy and the local impacts of the Roman presence on Iron Age communities and the landscape of Scotland. If this monument were to be 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.