Temporary Marching Camps

Guilden Sutton, Cheshire

NGRef: SJ4568
OSMap: LR117
Type: 3 Marching Camps
Roads
See below

The three camps in the Guilden Sutton group were all discovered from the air on 15th August 1995, and are supplemented by another at Hoole, about a third of a mile (c.600m) west of the Pipers Ash camp, which had been discovered during the previous week. All four camps are spaced almost equidistantly apart, about two-thirds of a mile to the north of the Roman road between Chester and Northwich, the camp at Belle Vue Farm being about 2¼ miles (c.3.6km) east of the legionary fortress.

N.G.REFDIMENSIONSAREADESCRIPTION
Belle Vue Farm, Guilden Sutton 1, Cheshire
SJ441678c.564 x 390 ft
(172 x 119 m)
c.5 acres
(c.2.04 ha)
Aside from the S angle, which lies beneath farm buildings, the complete circuit of this camp has been traced. There is a gap in the middle of the NW side which may be a gateway, but none of the gaps visible in both the NE and SW sides may be positively identified as entrances.
Cinders Lane, Guilden Sutton 2, Cheshire
SJ450679230+ x 130+ ft
(70+ x 40+ m)
¾+ acres
(0.3+ ha)
This camp is the easternmost of the Guilden Sutton group and is known only from its NW corner-angle, about 130 feet (40m) of the N defences and a longer 230ft (70m) length of the W side. No gateways are recorded. The camp covers an area of at least ¾acre (0.3ha), and was very likely much bigger.
Pipers Ash, Guilden Sutton 3, Cheshire
SJ436677? x 289 ft
(? x 88 m)
2+ acres?
(0.8+ ha?)
This camp is known only from its S side together with both angles but only short lengths of the adjacent E and W defences. There is a centrally-placed entrance in the S. If the camp was aligned N-S, which appears likely, its defences would have enclosed at least 2 acres (0.8ha), possibly more.
See: A Note on New Evidence from Aerial Reconnaissance for Roman Military Sites in Cheshire by Robert A Philpott in Britannia xxix (1998) pp.341-353;
a copy of O.S. Landranger map 117 Chester and Wrexham is also recommended.

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