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Air Reconnaissance in Britain, 1955–7

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2012

J. K. St. Joseph
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Extract

This paper brings up to date accounts of discoveries by air reconnaissance in the field of Romano-British studies already published in this Journal (JRS XLI, XLIII, and XLV). In the last few years nearly every major Roman site in Britain has been repeatedly reconnoitred from the air in a yearly course of flights especially planned for the purpose of research. The body of information thus obtained shows that even air survey conducted over several successive years does not exhaust the possibilities of acquiring new knowledge at places already known, while discovery of sites hitherto unrecognized continues apace. The incidence of the discoveries, however, proves to vary. Scrutiny of military sites in the area of Hadrian's Wall and its hinterland, which yielded so much information in the decade 1945–55, has in the last three years added comparatively little to the record.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Roman Studies , Volume 48 , Issue 1-2 , November 1958 , pp. 86 - 101
Copyright
Copyright ©J. K. St. Joseph 1958. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

1 Roy, Military Antiquities (1793), pl. xvii; CW 2 XXXIV, 50 ff.

2 The references are to the National Grid.

3 Inventory of Westmorland (Roy. Comm. Hist. Mon.) 1936, pp. XL, 169; JRS XLI, 1951, 53.

4 JRS XLI, 1951, 53.

5 ibid., 54.

6 JRS XLV, 1955, 85. All the sites mentioned in Scotland have been visited on foot within the last two years. This ground survey was undertaken with Mr. Alastair MacLaren and owes much to his help.

7 Curle, Newstead (1911); JRS XLI, 1951, 57; for a site-plan which includes discoveries by air reconnaissance up to 1952, see Inventory of Roxburghshire (RCHM) 1956, 11, fig. 426.

8 JRS XLI, 1951, 57; XLV, 1955, 85; Inventory of Roxburghshire (RCHM) 1956, II, p. 312, fig. 423.

9 JRS XLVII, 1957, 200, where it is mentioned under ‘Channelkirk’.

10 Roy, Military Antiquities (1793), p. 61, pl. vi; Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. LXIV, 1930, 321; JRS XLI, 1951, 57; XLV, 1955, 85.

11 Cf. Chalmers, , Caledonia I (1807), 142Google Scholar, note (i), and 163, which seems to be the authority for the entry, in the glebe field, ‘Roman Camp, site of’ on the Ordnance Map, 25-inch scale (Berwick XIII, 6; edition of 1907). Chalmers' account should be accepted with caution in the absence of ‘Mr. Kinghorn's MS survey of 1803’.

12 JRS XLVII, 1957, 201, fig. 11.

13 Roman Occupation of SW Scotland (Glasgow Univ.Publ.) LXXXIII, 1952, 127–171; JRS XLI, 1951, 57; XLV, 1955, 85.

14 JRS XLI, 1951, 57.

15 ibid., 58.

16 ibid., 59.

17 ibid., 60–61.

18 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. LXXXIII, 1951, 28, pl. viii; JRS XL, 1950, 93.

19 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. XXXIII, 1898, 399 ff. and esp. pl. V; JRS XLI, 1951, 62.

20 JRS XLI, 1951, 63, pl. vii, 2.

21 ibid., 63; XLV, 1955, 87.

22 Roy, Military Antiquities (1793), pl. xiv.

23 I owe this information about the sites at Dupplin to Mr. R. W. Feachem who discovered them.

24 Roy, Military Antiquities (1793), pl. xii; Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. LIII, 1919, 145, fig. 2.

25 Roy, ibid., pl. xii; Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. LIII, 1919, 138; Crawford, Topography of Roman Scotland, 1949, 64, pls. ix–x.

26 JRS XLI, 1951, 63.

27 JRS XXXIII, 1943, 47 and fig. 8.

28 Annual summaries of recent excavations in JRS XLIII, 1953 and subsequent volumes: also JRS IX, 1919, 113–22 and fig. 3, interpreting earlier work at the site.

29 Roy, Military Antiquities (1793), pl. xiv.

30 ibid., pl. xiv; JRS XLI, 1951, 64.

31 JRS XLV, 1955, 87. The dimensions there given are in error.

32 Thus correcting the statement in an earlier report (JRS XLI, 1951, 64) that an internal clavicula had been seen at this gate.

33 JRS XLI, 1951, 65.

34 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot. L, 1916, 348; Crawford, Topography of Roman Scotland, 1949, 116 and fig. 31; JRS XLI, 1951, 65.

35 JRS XLI, 1951, 65.

36 Ardoch west, Innerpeffray west, Battledykes Keithock, and Kirkbuddo have six gates. One gate only is known in each of the longer sides at Broomhill, while at Kirkpatrick and Lintrose no gates have yet been identified in the long sides.

37 Trans. Dumfr. Gall. Antiq. Soc., 3rd ser., XXXIV, 1957, 9–21.

38 Arch. J. XCIII, 1937, 314 and fig 3.

39 Roy considered that at Ardoch the 63-acre camp was the later of the two (Roy, o.c, 63), but it should be observed that on his plan of Ardoch (pl. X) the lines marking the defences of each camp are interrupted at the point of intersection as if the evidence were not clear.

40 JRS XLIII, 1953, 83; Trans. B'ham Arch. Soc. LXIX, 1953, 52; ibid., LXXIII, 1957, 100.

41 Trans Dumfr. Gall. Antiq. Soc., 3rd ser. XXXIV, 1957, 9–21.

42 JRS XLIII, 1953, 84; Trans. B'ham Arch. Soc. LXIX, 1953, 54.

43 JRS XLIII, 1953, 85.

44 JRS XLIII, 1953, 86; Inventory of Radnorshire (RCHM) 1913, 33–4; Nash-Williams, Roman Frontier in Wales, 1954, fig. 2. The sites in Wales, here described, were visited together with Professor I. A. Richmond and Mr. S. S. Frere, in December, 1957.

45 Ordnance Maps, 25-inch scale, Brecknockshire, sheet XXI, 8 (1904 edition), where the earthwork is marked ‘castle, site of’.

46 Ordnance Maps, 25-inch scale, Carmarthen shire, sheet XXVII, 7 (1906 edition); the site lies just within the county of Carmarthen.

47 Inventory of Carmarthenshire (RCHM), 1917, 92–4; Nash-Williams, o.c., 67.

48 Mr. A. L. F. Rivet kindly told me of this site which was first recognized by Mr. J. F. Jones from RAF photographs. For the position, see Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain, 3rd ed. 1956.

49 JRS XLIII, 1953, 86; XLV 1955, 88; Archaeologia XVII, 1814, 168–172 and map pl. xii.

50 They were identified by the staff of the Archaeology Division of the Ordnance Survey, from RAF photographs, as Mr. A. L. F. Rivet informs me. The camps are mentioned by S. Lewis, Top. Dict. of Wales, 2nd ed. 1838, I, article on Glamorganshire, II, article on Loughor (pages not numbered), and by W. LI. Morgan, Antiquarian Survey of East Gower 1899, 26.

51 The earthwork was observed in 1948 in bad weather when it was not possible to take photographs. Mr. J. O. Myers, who came across the camp independently in 1957, and first noted the claviculae at the gates, has kindly sent me a tracing of his plan. His account of the camp is to be published in Yorks. Arch. J.

52 Verulamium (Soc. Antiq. Res. Repts. XI, 1936), for plan of the town and of pre-Roman earthworks: Antiquity XV, 1941, 113, pls. i–iii for air photographs of 1940.

53 Archaeologia XCII, 1947, 121–167; JRS XLIII, 1953, 89. For a large plan of the town see Arch. LXI, 1909, pl. lXXV facing p. 486.

54 Report on Excavations at Wroxeter 1923–27 (B'ham. Arch. Soc. Trans.) 1942; Arch. LXXXVIII 1940, 175–227; JRS XLIII, 1953, 88; XLV, 1955, 88.

55 For the Dorchester aqueduct see 6-inch O.S. map, Dorset, XL, SW (provisional edition 1938), also Inventory of Dorset (RCHM) 11, forthcoming. For information about the Wroxeter aqueduct, I am grateful to Mr. G. Webster.

56 VCH Hunts. I, 1926, 228; Inventory of Hunts. (RCHM) 1926, 52–4; JRS XLIII, 1953, 91. See below p. 139.

57 VCH Notts. II, 1910, 35; Trans. Thoroton Soc. XLII, 1938, 1; JRS XLIII, 1953, 91.

58 JRS XLIII, 1953, 92; Trans. B'ham Arch. Soc. LXXIV, 1958, 1 ff., pl. 1, where it is identified with Pennocrucium of the Antonine Itinerary.

59 The Romano-British town of Magna (Woolhope Field Club) 1916; Inventory of Herefordshire (RCHM) 11, 1932, 93–5; JRS XLIII, 1953, 92; XLVII, 1957, 211–2.

60 JRS XLIII, 1953, 124, pl.xxiv; 25-in. O.S. map, Devon, sheet LXV, 7 (1905 edition).

60a For excavations see below p. 137.

61 JRS XLV, 1955, 89.

62 VCH Kent III, 1932, 90–2; JRS XLVII, 1957, 224, and below, p. 149, for a temple and other structures nearby, recently excavated.

63 JRS XL, 1950, pl. vi, 2, for an air photograph; XLIII, 1953, 94.

64 VCH Oxfordshire I, 1939, 267 ff.; also Proc. Soc. Ant. 2nd ser., XVIII, 1899, 10; Oxoniensia III, 1938, 169–171; V, 1940, 164–5; VII, 1942, III; VIII/IX, 1944, 74 ff.

65 Geogr. J. cv, 1945, 54.

66 VCH Oxfordshire I, 1939, 298, 342, pl. xivB.

67 Oxoniensia V, 1941, 164–5.

68 ibid., 11, 1937, 12–40; VCH Oxfordshire I, 1939, 297, pl. xxiiD.

69 VCH Oxfordshire I, 1939, 310, pl. xxiiB.

70 ibid., p. 310, pl. xxiiiB.

71 For plans of ‘Celtic’ fields see Air Survey and Archaeology (O.S. Prof. Papers VII), 2nd ed., 1928; Wessex from the air, 1928, 144–162; Antiquity IX, 1935, 443–454; Oxoniensia XV, 1952, 1–28; Inventory of Dorset (RCHM) 1, 1952, passim.

72 Air Survey and Archaeology (O.S. Prof. Papers VII) 2nd ed., 1928, p. 30, pl. ix, and cf. Wessex from the air, 1928, p. 252, pl. xlix.

73 I am grateful to Dr. G. D. H. Bell, Director of the Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge, for advice on this subject. The information upon which to base precise figures is not available, owing to the entirely different conditions of agriculture then prevailing and the absence of comparative records of yields per acre, but the factor may well be in the range of 4 to 8.