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List entry Summary

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Name: Roman camp at Upton, 350m north east of the water tower north of Long Lane

List entry Number: 1014375

Location

The monument may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County	District	District Type	Parish
	Cheshire West and Chester	Unitary Authority	Upton-by-Chester

National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.

Grade: Not applicable to this List entry.

Date first scheduled: 02-Sep-1996

Date of most recent amendment: Not applicable to this List entry.

Legacy System Information

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System: RSM

UID: 25724

Asset Groupings

This list entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.

List entry Description

Summary of Monument

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Reasons for Designation

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.

The Roman camp at Upton survives as a well defined cropmark visible on aerial photographs. It survives as a ditch and rampart buried under ploughsoil on what was once open heathland. It is one of a group of five camps within a square kilometre to the west of Upton Grange Farm. These appear to have been made as practice camps by troops from the garrison at Chester. Examples of these are unusual and they will provide evidence for the construction and function of camps throughout the British Isles. The monument will retain important evidence about the construction of its defences and the interior will contain traces of any temporary buildings or pits for latrines and refuse.

History

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Details

The monument includes a Roman camp visible as a cropmark on aerial photographs taken in 1990. The camp is one of a group of five within a square kilometre to the west of Upton Grange Farm. Since there are so many of these camps grouped together it is suggested that they were constructed as practice camps by troops from the garrison at Chester. The camp is enclosed by a ditch which has rectangular sides and rounded corners in the shape of a playing card. It measures 100m by 120m with the longer sides east to west. The area enclosed is 1.2ha. Excavations of other Roman camps have revealed that the ditch will be V-cut with a rampart within the ditch circuit. The rampart and ditch have been ploughed level so that no trace is now visible on the ground. The rampart will be about 6m wide at the base and the ditch 1.45m deep and 2m wide.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 10 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Selected Sources

1. Book  Reference - Author: Ainsworth S et al - Title: Two Rectangular Enclosures at Stamford Heath - Date: 1988 - Journal Title: Journal of the Chester Arch. Soc. - Type: MENTION
2. Other  Reference - Author: Collens J and Philpott R - Title: Cheshire County Council SMR - Date: 1990 - Type: AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH
3. Book  Reference - Author: Higham N - Title: A Crpomark at Upton Grange - Date: 1987 - Type: EXCAVATION RECORDS

National Grid Reference: SJ 41934 69855

Map

This copy shows the entry on 22-May-2013 at 09:54:59.