Roman Practice Camp on Stafford Common

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument comprises a well-preserved practice camp dating to the Roman period (AD74-410). The camp was constructed as part of a military training exercise by auxillary soldiers, who paid particular attention to the corners and entrances, which were the most difficult elements of a fort to build. The camp is roughly square on plan with rounded corners aligned to the cardinal points of the compass. It measures 53m by 46m, with a 3m wide and 0.2m high bank. It was connected with the nearby Roman auxiliary fort at Loughor. The camp lies on boggy heathland in the junction between two roads.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of Roman military organisation. The monument forms an important element within the wider context of the Roman occupation of Wales and the structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques, together with a strong probability of environmental evidence.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.