Monument record MHG6892 - Enclosure (Roman?) Holme Rose

Summary

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Location

Grid reference Centred NH 8100 4830 (80m by 80m) (Buffered by site type)
Map sheet NH84NW
Old County NAIRNSHIRE
Civil Parish CROY AND DALCROSS
Geographical Area NAIRN

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Type and Period (4)

Full Description

S side and parts of E and W sides of a rectilinear enclosure are revealed as crop-marks in a field 300m N of Easter Galcantray. A gap at centre of the S side marks the position of the entrance.
RCAHMS 1978, visited May 1978.

Trial excavated by Professor Jones in 1985. Large Roman type ditch c. 4m wide and 3m deep, uncovered. Part of gate with three post holes, c. 30cm square, excavated. Small piece of Roman coarse ware found with burnt material at bottom of ditch.
G D B Jones and I Keillar 1984; 1985.

Further excavation confirms general Roman appearance of ditch. Evidence of manual backfilling. Many square post holes, massively chocked, in interior of site. The only pottery which is easily identifiable appears to be medieval. Topographical and geological investigations continue. Carbon-14 dates awaited. Further work necessary to conclusively establish the character of this site.
G D B Jones and I Keillar 1986.

Excavation for Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne Universities was directed by Professor G D B Jones and Messrs C M Daniels and I Keillar. At the SW angle the ditch was found to be c 3.6m wide with an upper filling of river-boulders. Within, the rampart-base was formed of a spread of cobbles in which were set the eight large post-pits of an angle-tower measuring 4.6 by 4.9m. The pits were c. 0.9m in diameter; the posts had been removed. Behind the tower lay an area of iron clinker and signs of at least three furnace bottoms. In the interior, close to the river-bank, elements of rectilinear timber buildings were noted.
S S Frere 1986.

Further excavation has revealed a gateway 4.3m wide flanked by three posts on each side. Within, a rectangular timber structure
represented by post-holes or post-pads ran N-S on W side of the road; it was 7.3m wide and at least 24.4m long, with a third row of smaller posts 2.7m to W. The building appears to be undivided internally. On E side of the road part of another similar structure was uncovered. No arteficial evidence of date was found save that sherds of medieval pottery were found over ditch-filling; but a C14 date of 1880 +/- 20 BP has been obtained from charcoal by Groningen Isotopic Laboratory, giving a calibrated date of AD 80-130. The charcoal came from demolition deposits in western ditch.
S S Frere 1987.

A third season's work by Manchester and Newcastle Universities uncovered curved SW corner of the ditch. Massive post holes indicate the probability of a corner tower while the cobbling and revetting is of good quality.
G D B Jones and I Keillar 1987.

The fourth season's work confirmed existence of a corner tower. Charcoal was obtained from several of the holes and dating is in progress. A blue melon bead was found in one of the post holes. A resistivity survey showed the presence of an oblique defensive structure shielding the entrance. Three very small pieces of coarse pottery were found.
G D B Jones and I Keillar 1988.

The fifth season's work uncovered a cobbled road-like surface behind southern ditch. The post-hole pattern outlined a building some 21m long. A final season's work is planned for next year.
G D B Jones and I Keillar 1989c.

Further work in 1990 uncovered many additional post holes.
G D B Jones and I Keillar.

Sources/Archives (46)

  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Roman Fort? E. Galcantray '85, T1. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Roman Fort? E. Galcantray '85, T3. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray, ditch terminal. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray, section of ditch terminal. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray,. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Roman Fort? E. Galcantray '85, T1. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Roman Fort? E. Galcantray, '85 T1, final cleaning. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray, bit of Roman? pot. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray, post holes of 'Gatehouse'. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray, Edge og Roadway?. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Roman Fort ?, E. Galcantray '85, T4,Gate postholes. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Roman Fort ?, E. Galcantray '85, T4/3. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray, Ditch section. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray, ditch terminal at entrance. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Roman Fort ? E. Galcantray '85, T3/4. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray, gen. view of '85 Excavations. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantray, ditch section. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. galcantray, Ditch terminal. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Maxwell and Wilson, G S and D R. 1987. 'Air reconnaissance in Roman Britain 1977-84', Britannia Vol. 18 1987, p.1-48. Britannia. 1-48. 34.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Frere, S S. 1986. 'Roman Britain in 1985. I. Sites explored', Britannia Vol. 17 1986, p.363-427. Britannia. 363-427. 370.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Frere, S S. 1987. 'Roman Britain in 1986. I. Sites explored', Britannia Vol. 18 1987, p.301-59. Britannia. 301-59. 309.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Frere, S S. 1988. 'Roman Britain in 1987. I. Sites explored', Britannia Vol. 19 1988, p.415-84. Britannia. 415-84. 425.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Frere, S S. 1989. 'Roman Britain in 1988. I Sites explored', Britannia Vol. 20 1989, p.257-326. Britannia. 257-326. 265.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Jones, B. 1986. 'Roman military site at Cawdor?: excavation of Cawdor, Nairn', Popular Archaeol Vol. 7 April 1986, p.13-15. Popular Archaeol. 13-15. 13-15.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Keillar, I. 1986. 'The Roman Fort at Cawdor, Nairn', Scot Archaeol Gazette Vol. 11 1986, p.9-10. Scot Archaeol Gazette. 9-10. 9-10.
  • --- Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1978. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Nairn District, Highland Region. . 15, No. 105.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Richard A Gregory. 2001. Excavations by the late G D B Jones and C M Daniels along the Moray Firth littoral. Proc Soc Antiq Scot Volume 131. 177-222. Digital.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph: B/W Negative. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph: B/W Negative. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph: B/W Negative. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): B/W Negative. .
  • --- Image/Photograph(s)/Aerial Photograph: B/W Negative. .
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Jones and Keillar, G D B and I. 1984. 'Easter Galcantray (Cawdor p) cropmark', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1984, p.14. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 14. 14.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Jones and Keillar, G D {B} and I. 1990. 'Easter Galcantray (Croy & Dalcross parish), post holes', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1990, p.24. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 24. 24.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Jones and Keillar, G D B and I. 1988. 'Easter Galcantray (Croy and Dalcross p) ditch, post holes', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1988, p.15. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 15. 15.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Jones and Keillar, G D B and I. 1987. 'Easter Galcantray (Croy and Dalcross p) ditch, post holes, c 14 date', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1987, p.27. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 27. 27.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Jones and Keillar, G D B and I. 1986. 'Easter Galcantray (Croy and Dalcross p) ditch, post holes, pottery', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1986, p.18. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 18. 18.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Jones and Keillar, G D B and I. 1985. 'Easter Galcantray (Croy and Dalcross p)', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1985, p.27. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 27. 27.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Jones and Keillar, G D B and I. 1989. 'Easter Galcantray (Croy and Dalcross parish), ditch, post-holes', Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1989, p.29. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. 29. 29.
  • --- Text/Publication/Article: Keillar, I. 1986. ''In fines Borestorum': to the land of the Boresti', Popular Archaeol Vol. 7 April 1986, p.2-9. Popular Archaeol. 2-9. 9.
  • --- Image/Photograph(s): Fort? E. Galcantrav, ditch section. Colour Slide; Digital Image. .

Finds (2)

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  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (3)

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Record last edited

Jun 14 2016 12:20PM

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