OSMap: LR127
Type: 2 Marching Camps
Watling Street/Iter II: E (7) to PENNOCRVCIVM (Water Eaton, South Staffordshire)
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NGRef: SJ7710 OSMap: LR127 Type: 2 Marching Camps |
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| Roads | |
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Watling Street/Iter II: W (4) to VXACONA (Redhill, Shropshire) Watling Street/Iter II: E (7) to PENNOCRVCIVM (Water Eaton, South Staffordshire) | |
There are two Roman temporary marching camps beside the Watling Street opposite Burlington Pool in Shropshire. The first of these was possibly established by Legio XIV Gemina during the winter/spring campaign of AD47/48 as they pushed west towards Wales, under the direct command of the second Roman governor of Britain Publius Ostorius Scapula. The second camp was established at some later date.
| N.G.REF | DIMENSIONS | AREA | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington Camp 1, Shropshire | |||
| SJ779106 | (340 x 460 m) | (15.5 ha) | This camp is situated on a low spur just south of the line of Watling Street on the west side of a tributary stream of the River Worfe. The north-east defences of the camp are seemingly aligned along the valley of the stream and not on the military highway, which is possible proof that the camp preceeded the road, but the camp's proximity to the highway which lies just 65 feet (20m) outside its north-east defences cannot be ignored. Most of the camp's perimeter has been recorded, but although several gaps are visible in the perimeter of the camp the only ones which can be readily identified as gateways are those placed more-or-less centrally in the north-east and south-west sides, the latter perhaps being defended by an internal clavicula; it is possible that a gap in the north-west side about 390 feet (c.120m) from the north-east corner-angle is also an original gateway. Camp-2 lies in its north-eastern corner. |
| Burlington Camp 2, Shropshire | |||
| SJ779107 | (130 x 200 m) | (2.5 ha) | This roughly rectangular camp lies entirely within the north-eastern corner of Camp-1 and re-uses part of the older camps defences to form its own north-east perimeter. There are a number of gaps in the defences but only two may be positively identified as gateways; that placed centrally in the south-western side and another in the south-east side, slightly off-set to the west. This camp does not occupy the most favourable ground within the older encampment and it seems likely that its purpose was to guard the crossing of Watling Street over the Burlington Stream. |
