Monument record 1914 - Roman Camp at Stamford Lodge

<1> Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME), 1987, Rectangular Enclosure at Stamford Heath (Book). SCH2814.

Examination of 1947 RAF photos revealed rect enclosure. Survived as severely degraded earthwork,110m SW-NEx83m,lying in 2 arable fields, regularly under plough. Enclosure defined by low bank 0.2m high. On E & W sides this bank 8m wide, while N & S sides spread by ploughing to 15m wide. A break in center of E arm is probably entrance. An outer ditch 6m widex0.2m deep best preserved along S & E sides, with only slight traces on W. Along E & S sides remains of possibly outer bank,c.10m widex0.2m high on E side & c.15m widex0.2m high on S side. A break of 10m in E side corresponds with break in inner bank. No internal features. Site overlain by ridge & furrow. One phase runs N-S, another E-W. Aps also show traces of possibly network of drains N& NE of enclosure & linked with its ditch at NE corner. Little dating evidence. Proximity to Roman road(Watling St) to N, orientation on road, rectangular shape, rounded corners & narrow ditch may suggest Roman military context

<2> Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England (RCHME), 1986, Plan, 1:1000 (Graphic Material). SCH2643.

<3> Various, Aerial photographs, RAF CPE UK 1947 2031-2 (17.1.47) 1947 (Aerial Photograph). SCH128.

<4> Chester Archaeological Society, Journal of the Chester Archaeological Society, Ainsworth et al 1988 70/81-85 (Journal/Periodical). SCH1595.

Rectangular enclosure 200m south of the modern tarvin road and 170m south of the course of the Chester-Northwich Roman road. Visible as a cropmark on RAF aerial photographs. Ground inspection identfied a severely degraded earthwaork. Pre dates the enclosed field and ridge and furrow cultivation within them. The shape of the enclosure, with its rounded corners and narrow ditch might suggest a Roman military context.

<5> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), SAM 25730 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

The monument includes a Roman camp on Stamford Heath revealed as a cropmark by an aerial photograph and confirmed by a field survey in 1987. The enclosure is on the alluvial terrace above the River Gowy on the west side and 150m to the south of the Roman road, the course of which is followed by the modern Tarvin Road. It is bisected by a hedge with drain separating two fields. The monument is surrounded by a bank with an outer ditch and traces of a counterscarp in the form of a rectangle with the corners rounded in the characteristic shape of a Roman earthwork camp. The sides of the enclosure measure 160m from east to west and 120m from north to south. The area enclosed is 1.5ha and is therefore similar to the examples of Roman camps at Upton Heath 4km to the west. The bank averages 8m wide at the base and only 0.2m high, having been reduced by ploughing since its desertion. The outer ditch is 6m wide and 0.2m deep and remains waterlogged. Outside this a counterscarp 10m wide and 0.2m high is traceable on the south and east sides. An entrance on the east side is marked by a gap 7m wide at a point roughly central in the rampart. There is a corresponding gap in the counterscarp. The site is overlain by ridge and furrow, the remains of medieval or post-medieval cultivation, and is currently under cultivation for cereal crops.