Monument record 1161/1 - Roman Camp at Bent Farm

<1> British Library, 1756-Present, Additional Manuscripts (Addit. MS.), Mss 11, 338 Folios 71-71 Foote Gower (Paper Archive). SCH122.

First identified by Dr Gower in 1725, who records a sixty statute acres enclosure at Wallfield, near the principal farmhouse, of parallelogram shape with the rampart and ditch in a relatively well preserved state. Towards the middle of the two longest sides were marks of two military roads, one to Astbury, the other to Middlewich. In 1744 Dr Gower reports that the earthworks had been levelled apart from one angle. Believed to be Roman.

<2> Thompson Watkin W. T., 1886, Roman Cheshire: A Description of Roman Remains in the County of Chester, p.74, p.298-9 (Book). SCH2878.

Suggests that Wall Hill, as opposed to the Wall Field reported by Dr Gower is, is the most likely location. The camp was visible in 1874 as a slight earthwork. Suggests that this is a temporary camp due to the absence of building remains or artefacts, though notes that sixty statute acres is large for a temporary Roman camp. Includes a detailed transcript of Dr Gower’s report.

<3> Cartlidge, Rev. J.E. Gordon, 1959, The Cheshire Borderland: Astbury and Congleton, p.24 (Article in Journal). SCH9237.

The Roman Camp at Astbury has never been investigated, but the two roads mentioned by Dr Gower in 1725, still exist, together with other roads leading from it. As a youth, the author’s Great Uncle was paid by the farmer at The Bent (the site of the Camp) to throw the remaining sections of the vallum into the fosse, and evidence of these operations can be seen to-day.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ 86 SW 5 1985 (Index). SCH2487.

No trace of a Roman Camp was found at Wallhill and it is probable that there never was one. The ‘camp’ indicated by Cartlidge comprises an old road running roughly north - south with a marl pit adjacent to it. The north side is a 0.7m high scarp which is probably an old field boundary. There is no trace of an embankment above this scarp and no indications that there was ever a complete enclosure. The site is on wet, sloping ground. [JHW 01/05/1964]

AP's 540/726, 5178-9 - Old field boundaries and the suggestion of a small, sub-rectangular feature, but nothing clearly definable. [Unassigned source]

<5> Jones, GDB, 1968, The Romans in the North-West, p.3-4 (Article in Journal). SCH2257.

The alleged Roman camp of twenty-four hectares (sixty acres) was re-located in 1967 when sections of the defences were cut, and again in 1970. A V-sectioned ditch 2.4 - 3.4m wide and c 1.2m deep with a clay rampart not less than 2.4m wide was located. Trial trenching in the interior located post-holes and foundation-slots of timber buildings aligned on the defences.

<6> Wilson D, Wright RP & Hassall MWC, 1971, Roman Britain in 1970, p.255 (Article in Journal). SCH9239.

An alleged Roman camp of 24 ha. (60 acres) recorded in the eighteenth century was re-located in 1967 1 km. west-north-west of Astbury. Sections of the defences cut in 1967 and 1970 by Dr GBD Jones revealed a V-sectioned ditch 2.4 m to 3.4 m. wide and c. 1.2 m. deep with a clay rampart not less than 2.4 m. wide. Trial trenching in the interior located postholes and foundation-slots of timber buildings aligned on the defences.

<7> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), 25716 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

The monument includes the greater part of an earthwork Roman camp in the field immediately to the east of Bent Farm. The camp consists of a bank and ditch which are visible at the north-west and north-east corners, with the bank and ditch traceable on the northern side along the whole of its 160m length. The bank and ditch are intermittently visible along the east side where they have been partly obscured by the headland of a well-defined ridge and furrow system which covers the whole of the surviving interior. The south side has been quarried away by a clay pit which was abandoned in the last century and is now ploughed away to a deep hollow south of the hedge line. This activity has removed a 20m strip of the camp's interior together with the rampart and ditch on that side. The western side is visible for 30m before being obscured by the later ridge and furrow. It is assumed that the fence and activity in the adjacent orchard and gardens on the west side has removed any further trace of the rampart and ditch to the south of this point. The eastern side is traceable for 180m before being cut off by the hedge and drain to the south of the field. The area originally encompassed by the fort was 3.2ha. This site was firmly identified as the Roman camp by a local historian, Cartlidge whose grandfather remembered filling in part of the ditch during the last century. Excavations in 1967 and 1970 discovered that the rampart had been constructed of large river pebbles surmounted by a clay and turf bank now spread 4m into the interior. The bank had been 2.4m wide at the base. The single V-shaped ditch was 3.5m wide. Traces of postholes and foundations of timber buildings were uncovered in the interior. There were no dateable finds from the site, although the form of the site confirms that it was a Roman military construction. From early accounts of the site, it appears that two road alignments met the east and west sides of the camp; the one to Middlewich and the other to Astbury. The remains suggest a temporary camp occupied long enough to form a focus of the local roads and for wooden buildings rather than the tented arrangements of a marching camp.

<8> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, p.229 (Book). SCH3556.

Earthworks of Roman military site noted in 1725 and destroyed in 1744. Site rediscovered in 1967 when excavations revealed defences and traces of internal timber buildings.

<9> Haddon-Reece D and David AEU, 1976, Bent Farm, Congleton Cheshire: Geophysical Survey 1976 (Report). SCH3771.

A geophysical survey undertaken to determine whether proposed sand extraction works would destroy any part of a Roman earthwork, probably a marching camp.

No significant geophysical anomalies, except for a possible cattle plague pit, were located within the field to the north-west of Bent Farm. Anomalies in this area detected by resistivity survey are probably the remains of ridge and furrow. The survey found no trace of the continuation of the defences north-westward past the farm buildings and a transect across the proposed rampart earthwork to the east of the farm, returned only a weak response.

<10> Longley D, 1977-1978, Longley Archive, no.169 & 659 (Paper Archive). SCH2005.

<11> Sainter J D, 1878, Scientific Rambles Round Macclesfield, p.32 (Book). SCH2964.

Sainter makes reference to a quadrilateral fortification measuring twenty-six yards by 40 yards at Hulme Walfield near Congleton. Possibly confused with Wallhill.

<12> Cooper T, 1893, Remarks respecting the Ancient British and Roman Encampments and the Bridestones at or near Congleton, Cheshire, and other matters of Antiquarian Interest in the Neighbourhood (Booklet-Leaflet). SCH3879.

<13> Higham N J, 1984-9, Professor Nick Higham's Aerial Photographs, 1988/1/2/7A, 1988/1/5/40A, 1988/1/3/37A & 39A (Aerial Photograph). SCH7659.

<14> Cartlidge, Rev. J.E. Gordon, 1915, Newbold Astbury and its History: A Descriptive and Historical Account of an Ancient Cheshire Church and Parish, p.6-10 (Book). SCH9238.

Plan.

<15> Earwaker J P, 1877, Roman Remains in the Eastern Part of Cheshire, p.85 (Article in Journal). SCH9240.

Believes the camp has been incorrectly attributed to Hulme Walfield and is instead located at Wall Hill, west of Asttbury.

<16> Welfare H & Swan V, 1995, Roman Camps in England: The Field Archaeology (Book). SCH8047.

This site has been re-classified as part of RCHME Roman Camps in England Project. No further survey action taken.

<17> Farrar, RAH, 1985, Letter to English Heritage Regarding Bent Farm Roman Fort (Written Communication). SCH9241.

This fort is not accepted by RAH Farrar.

<18> National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside, 2007, An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment of a Proposed Quarry Extension at Brownlow Farm, Nr Congleton, Cheshire. Eastern Extension, p.7-8 (Client Report). SCH4894.

Aerial photographs of the Roman fort at Bent Farm. The clearest view of the camp is on LM 94:0354 (see 19). The northern and eastern ramparts of the fort are clearly visible, as is the medieval ridge and furrow. A very faint crop mark appears where the ramparts might be expected to the south of the hedge, though it is possible that the marks are the result of modern agricultural activity. Although shallow earthworks which are probably partly filled marl pits appear in the northern half, there is no sign of the clay pit in the southern half mentioned in the scheduling description.

The field containing the fort at Bent Farm was under pasture at the time of the site visit in October 2002. It slopes evenly from south-west to north-east. The northern ditch of the fort is visible as a slight depression running roughly parallel to and c. 15 m to the south of the current field boundary. A slight bank on the internal (south) side of the ditch is probably the remains of the rampart. The eastern side of the fort is visible as a similar feature which terminates at the southern boundary of the field. A rectangular pond measuring c. 10 x 25 m in the north-eastern corner of the field has probably destroyed that corner of the fort. Slight traces of ridge and furrow run east-west across the field. The field to the south was under stubble at the time of the visit. Approximately 20 m south of the hedge line the topography becomes significantly more undulating and there is a marked increase in elevation of c. 5- 10 m. Although no earthworks were visible, this suggests that the southern limit of the fort coincided approximately with the modern field boundary.

The evidence for this being a military enclosure is not conclusive and it is possible that the fort described by Gower (see 1) in the eighteenth century was actually situated at Wallhill Farm c. 1.5 km to the west.

<19> Liverpool Museum, 1986-2002, Liverpool Museum Aerial Photography Collection, LM94:0354, LM94:0355, LM95:0286, LM95:0287, LM95:0701 & LM95:0702 (Aerial Photograph). SCH8956.

<20> Liverpool Museum, An Archaeological Evaluation at Bent Farm, Newbold Astbury, Cheshire, p.7-8 (Client Report). SCH5295.

The excavated areas contained no evidence of archaeological deposits associated with the camp or fort to the north. There is the possibility that the southern ditch lies at the extreme northern end of the site. Finds of the Roman period were restricted to a single sherd of pottery.

<21> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R, 01/08/2022 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

There is some doubt that this is the site referred to Dr Gower in Foote Gower’s account (see 1) and in later antiquarian sources (see 2, 3, 11, 12 and 15). See CHER 7626 for alternative location.