Brown Moor Roman temporary camp

Over 40 temporary camps of many different sizes, some of them still visible as earthworks, have been recorded in the vicinity of the Wall. These generally consisted of a rampart of earth quickly thrown up to surround a military encampment. The rampart may have been surmounted by a timber palisade. Occupation of these camps was generally short-lived and, while very few of these examples have been firmly dated, it seems probable that at least some were work camps used by troops involved in the Wall construction. Others may have been created as practice camps during military training; temporary camps were widely used during military campaigning to provide overnight security to troops on the move.

The Brown Moor Roman temporary camp survives as upstanding earthworks. The rarity of temporary camps, and in particular examples with upstanding remains, identifies them as nationally important.

The monument includes a Roman temporary camp on Brown Moor. It is situated on a gently inclined south facing slope in permanent rough pasture. The site commands extensive views though they are more restricted to the north and west. The north east corner of the monument is overlain by a modern walled plantation and there are no upstanding remains in this area. Modern drains have also been cut into the monument. The camp survives as a square enclosure as defined by a series of turf covered ramparts with an outer ditch. It measures 35m across, enclosing an area of 0.12ha. The ramparts average 0.2m high and the ditch averages 0.2m deep. The ditch is silted up on the south and east sides. There are no visible traces of any entrances.