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Air Reconnaissance in Britain, 1961–64

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2012

J. K. St. Joseph
Affiliation:
Committee for Aerial Photography, Cambridge.

Extract

Systematic air reconnaissance of Romano-British sites has continued during the last few years, with results that are summarized in this paper which supplements accounts of earlier surveys already published in this Journal. In both the summers of 1963 and 1964 a prolonged dry spell affected much of eastern Scotland, but this region apart, the weather was not particularly favourable for the development of crop marks in the period under review: the dry spell in central and southern England in 1964 came too late to affect the cereal crops, but was the cause of remarkable differential growth in certain roots, particularly beet.

The greatest gain in information is in the military zone of north Britain, where photography repeated year by year never fails to yield discoveries: in the civil districts of the Province, Romano-British settlements and their agriculture are the most rewarding subjects to study. Nearly every feature here described has been examined on the ground, for only so can an accurate impression be gained of a site in relation to its surroundings: except where noted otherwise, no remains are ordinarily visible on the surface. The records and photographs on which this account is based are housed in the offices of the Committee for Aerial Photography of the University of Cambridge.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © J. K. St. Joseph 1965. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

1 JRS XLI, XLIII, XLV, XLVIII and LI.

2 These references are to the National Grid.

3 cf. the camp at Castledykes considered to be of early Flavian date: A. Robertson, The Roman fort at Castledykes, 1964, fig. 29.

4 In Britain they are closely matched in size only by Kinvaston I and Clyro, which are, however, of different proportions.

5 JRS XLIII, 1953, 83–4, 92; XLVIII, 1958, 94.

6 JRS XLIII, 1953, 87–8, pl. XI, I; XLV, 1955, 82.

7 JRS XLI, 1951, 55.

8 JRS XLI, 1951, 57; XLV, 1955, 85; XLVIII, 1958, 88; LI, 1961, 121.

9 JRS LI, 1961, 122.

10 By members of the staff of the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (Scotland), as Mr. R. W. Feachem informs me.

11 JRS XLI, 1957, 57; XLV, 1955, 85.

12 Roman occupation of S.W. Scotland, Glasgow Univ. Publ. LXXXIII, 1962, 57–9; Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot. LXXXVII, 1955, 63–71

13 JRS XLI, 1951, 58; XLV, 1955, 85.

14 Roy, W., Military Antiquities, 1793, pl. VIIGoogle Scholar; JRS XLI, 1951,58.

15 JRS XLI, 1951, 59; XLVIII, 1958, 89; LI, 1961, 122.

16 JRS XLI, 1951, 60–1; XLVIII, 1958, 89; Trans. Dumfr. Galloway N.H.and Antiq. Soc. XXX, 1953, 1–16.

17 JRS XLV, 1955, 85; The Roman fort at Castledykes, 1964, 257–8.

18 Inventory of Midlothian (RCHM), 1929, 53. The ‘silted-up ditch’ may well be part of the same system.

19 JRS XXXVIII, 1948, 81–2, plan on pl. XII facing p. 104.

20 JRS LI, 1961, 122.

21 JRS XLI, 1951, 62.

22 JRS XLV, 1955, 86.

23 For Innerpefferay, where there are two such ‘annexes’, see JRS XLVIII, 1958, 90: for Kirkbuddo, Roy, Military Antiquities, 1793, pl. XIV; JRS XLVIII, 1958, 92.

24 JRS XLI, 1951, 64; XLVIII, 1958, 92.

25 JRS XLV, 1955, 87.

26 Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot. XXXII, 1898. 430–1, fig. 9, reproducing a MS. plan of 1789. I am grateful to Mr. Faulks for telling me of his observations at this site.

27 e.g. in 1960–62, confirming observations made in 1943; see Crawford, O. G. S., Roman Scotland, 1949, 55–6.Google Scholar

28 JRS XLVIII, 1958, 90. Two trial trenches dug across the ditch by Mr. R. W. Feachem, who discovered the site, yielded no objects.

29 Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot. LXXXIV, 1952, 217; JRS XLIII, 1953, 105, figs. 22–3.

30 JRS XLI, 1951. 63.

31 JRS XLVIII, 1958, 91; LI, 1961, 123.

32 Antiquity XIII, 1939, 287–8; Crawford, , Roman Scotland, 1949, 88–9.Google Scholar

33 Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot. LXXXVI, 1954, 81–105, and esp. fig. 3.

34 JRS XLVIII, 1958, pl. XII, 2.

35 Military Antiquities, 1793, pl. XIV; JRS XLVIII, 1958, 92.

36 Military Antiquities, 1793, pl. XIV; JRS XLI, 1951, 64–5; XLVIII, 1958, 92; LI, 1961, 123; cf. Roman Scotland, 1949, 100–2, fig. 26.

37 JRS XLI, 1951, 65; XLVIII, 1958, 92.

38 JRS LI, 1961, 123.

39 JRS XLIII, 1953, 84; LI, 1961, 123.

40 JRS XLVIII, 1958, 95; for Mr. Baker's photograph, see Trans. B'ham. Arch. Soc. 80, 1965, 82–3, pl. II.

41 JRS LI, 1961, 124–5, fig. 4.

42 e.g. Walford, Buckton, Brampton Bryan, Craven Arms, Stretford Bridge, Upper Affcot and Bromfield, the last lying 4½ miles SE. of Craven Arms, a little off the line of the road.

43 Margary, I. D., Roman roads in Britain II, 1957, 78.Google Scholar

44 Arch. Camb, XCIII, 1938, 192–211, plan facing p. 192; JRS XLIII, 1953. 87; LI, 1961, 130.

45 This could be traced on the ground, but the air photographs bring new understanding of the earthwork.

46 Bull. of Board of Celtic Studies XVII, 1961, 254.

47 JRS XLIX, 1959, 102.

48 Archaeologia L, 1887, 271; LIV, 1894, 222–7; Boon, G. C., Roman Silchester, 1957, 116.Google Scholar

49 By Mr. A. Baker, who kindly told me of the discovery. The enclosure has a decidedly Roman appearance, but there are no particular features conclusively Roman.

50 JRS XLIII, 1953, 92; LIII, 1963, 135, fig. 17.

51 VCH Warwickshire I, 1904, 236–7; Trans. B'ham. Arch. Soc. 76, 1960, 10–18; 77, 1961, 27–32.

52 VCH Nottinghamshire II, 1910, 11–5; JRS XLIII, 1953, 91; LI. 1961, 132, pl. X, 2.

53 JRS XLVIII, 1958, 98.

54 Smith, C. Roach, Antiquities of Richborough Reculver and Lymne, 1850, 162Google Scholar, where, however, the long axis is placed E. to W. The NE. to SW. orientation is confirmed by the O.S. air photo mosaic 61/35 NW., 1950.

55 VCH Kent, 111, 1932, 33.

56 JRS LI, 1961, 134.

57 JRS XLIX, 1959, 109; LIV, 1964, 159.

58 JRS XLV, 1955, 89.