Roman Practice Camp and late Iron Age and Roman remains east of Stanway Hall Farm

Summary

A Roman Practice Camp and an adjacent enclosure, identified as a second practice camp or an Iron-Age or early Romano-British enclosure.

Reasons for Designation

The Roman Practice Camp, and an adjacent Iron Age or Romano-British enclosure, are scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Survival: for the clearly defined cropmark remains which are relatively untouched by later occupation activity;
* Period: as one of only about 140 Roman practice camps identified nationally, and one of the very few in East Anglia;
* Potential: the site has the potential to provide valuable evidence for the impact of the Roman conquest and government on native society. The site will harbour sediments and artefacts which can enhance our knowledge and understanding of this domestic, agricultural, ritual and military landscape;
* Documentation: for the high level historical and archaeological documentation pertaining to the evolution of the Gosbecks complex and the Roman settlement of the area;
* Group value: for its close proximity to 15 other related contemporary scheduled monuments.

History

The area south-west of modern Colchester (Roman Camulodunum) was an extensive area of settlement, military and ceremonial activity from the pre-Roman Iron Age to the C4 AD. Since the 1840s various explorations and excavations have taken place. At Sheepen, excavations in the 1930s and 1970 revealed widespread evidence of industrial processes, the minting of coins and continental trade. There are associated burial sites, the three most prominent of which are the Lexden Tumulus (National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entry 1019967), a group of excavated funerary enclosures at Stanway (beyond the western dykes) and a similar (unexcavated) enclosure at Gosbecks. Fifteen different monuments associated with this settlement were scheduled during the C20. Most recently, the scheduling for the Gosbecks territorial oppidum was amended in 2021 to reflect the latest knowledge of the site.

Archaeological investigations in 2020 west of the Gryme’s Dyke, including cropmark analysis and trial trenching, uncovered 245 features: primarily ditches and pits. The main periods of activity identified were late Iron Age and early Roman with the main focus of activity centred on a plateau of flat ground at the northern end of the area. The monument is indicated by the cropmark remains of two enclosures, one identified as a probable Roman practice camp, the other as an earlier, late Iron Age or early Roman field enclosure, or as a second Roman practice camp.

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.

Whilst the Roman camp approximately 280m west of the Gryme's Dyke is identifiable above ground only as a cropmark, investigations have confirmed the Roman camp retains archaeological information that will add to the understanding of such monuments. The camp's importance is further enhanced by the proximity of an earlier enclosure immediately to its north-east, dating from the late Iron Age or early Roman period and by their proximity to the Gryme’s Dyke: the south-western extent of the well-preserved Iron Age and Romano-British oppidum, and 14 other scheduled monuments within 6 km associated with this period. The Gosbecks scheduled site (NHLE entry 1002180) includes the remains of a Roman fort, the Roman practice camp (or camps) here may have been its forerunner.

Details

The monument is located on land south of Maldon Road, Stanway, Essex, as depicted on the attached map. Centred on NGR TL9543122125, it includes the buried remains of a probable Roman practice camp, orientated north-north-east to south-south-west in line with the Gryme's Dyke 280m to the east. It is rectangular in plan, measuring approximately 80m long by 45m wide, but is missing its south-west corner which has been truncated by a modern field boundary. Immediately to the north-east, centred on NGR TL9546022153 is a roughly square enclosure orientated north to south, measuring approximately 80m long by 60m wide and is interpreted as a field enclosure from the late Iron Age or early Romano-British period, or as a second Roman practice camp.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: the site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. The area of protection has been aligned with modern field boundaries and includes a buffer of at least 5m around the archaeological features, which is considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

EXCLUSIONS: all fences, fenceposts and gates are excluded from the scheduling, together with all signposts, information boards, feed bins, rubbish and dog waste bins and modern road surfaces. However, the ground beneath all these items is included.

Sources

Websites
Colchester Heritage Explorer, accessed 28 November 2024 from https://colchesterheritage.co.uk/Event/ECC2746
Colchester Heritage Explorer, accessed 28 November 2024 from https://colchesterheritage.co.uk/Monument/MCC5590

Other
Colchester Archaeological Trust CAT Report 1610 - Archaeological Evaluation on Land East of Colchester Zoo September-November 2020
TigerGeo report CZE201 Land to the East of Colchester Zoo, Essex - 16 March 202
Colchester Archaeological Trust CAT Report 1560 - Archaeological Desk Based Assessment – June 2020

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