Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over three miles (five kilometres) northwest of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902. [1] It is designated as a scheduled monument. [2] A marching camp was a temporary camp used mainly for overnight stops on a long route between more permanent forts, or as a temporary base while on campaign in hostile territory.
Raedykes probably dates from the late 1st century AD (Agricolan), though it has been argued that it could be Antonine (2nd century) or Severan (early 3rd century). [3] The camp rampart (vallum) encloses the summit and eastern slopes of Garrison Hill (191 m or 627 ft), a prominent spur overlooking the valley of the Cowie Water, a small river draining into the North Sea on the outskirts of Stonehaven. The camp covered an area of about 93 acres (38 hectares), and a computer model suggests that this would have been sufficient to house three full legions, or around 16,000 troops [4]
The entire perimeter of Raedykes camp has been recorded, and is very irregular in shape, because of the terrain. There were six gateways of which five are visible, all protected by titulus outworks; two in the longest (east) side, one in the shortest (south) side, another in the north side and one more in the very irregular southwest side. The Mid Raedykes Farm lies inside the northwest corner of the camp and Broomhill Farm lies just inside the eastern rampart beside the southernmost eastern gateway.
Raedykes is situated a day's march north from Stracathro fort (initially also a marching camp) and a few hours' march south of Normandykes.
The Roman army established a chain of forts and camps during the late first century AD at Ardoch, Strageath, Inchtuthil, Battledykes, Stracathro, Raedykes (probably), Normandykes, Glenmailen, Bellie, Balnageith and Cawdor. Many of these forts and camps were reoccupied during the reign of emperor Septimius Severus about a century later.
In the summer of 84 Agricola defeated the massed armies of the Caledonians, possibly led by Calgacus, at the battle of Mons Graupius. The area around Raedykes including nearby Kempstone Hill has been advanced by Gabriel Jacques Surenne and other scholars as the likely location for the battle in 83 or 84 AD. The prominent hill called Bennachie, much further north, overlooking Inverurie near the Roman camp at Durno, is another potential site. However, there is no general agreement about the site of the battle, and no direct evidence to pinpoint it.
The Gask Ridge is the modern name given to an early series of fortifications, built by the Romans in Scotland, close to the Highland Line. Modern excavation and interpretation has been pioneered by the Roman Gask Project, with Birgitta Hoffmann and David Woolliscroft. The ridge fortifications: forts, fortlets and watchtowers were only in operation for a few years, probably fewer than ten.
Ardoch Roman Fort is an archaeological site just outside the village of Braco in Perthshire, Scotland, about seven miles south of Crieff.
Ury House is a large ruined mansion in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, built in the Elizabethan style in 1885 by Sir Alexander Baird, 1st Baronet. It is situated on the north-east coast about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Stonehaven in the former county of Kincardineshire.
The Causey Mounth is an ancient drovers' road over the coastal fringe of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This route was developed as the main highway between Stonehaven and Aberdeen around the 12th century AD and it continued to function as the principal route connecting these two cities until the mid 20th century, when modern highway construction of the A90 road occurred in this area. There are extant paved and usable sections of this road over part of the alignment; however, many parts of the ancient route are no more than footpaths, and in some cases the road has vanished into agricultural fields. Constructed in the Middle Ages, the Causey Mounth was created as an elevated rock causeway to span many of the boggy areas such as the Portlethen Moss. A considerable portion of the alignment of the Causey Mounth is illustrated on the UK Ordnance Survey Map, although a large fraction of the route cannot be navigated by a conventional passenger vehicle.
Cairnie Burn is a stream that rises in the Mounth, or eastern range of the Grampian Mountains, north of Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Cairnie Burn is a generally northeast flowing watercourse that is a tributary to the Crynoch Burn. Cairnie Burn rises in the eastern part of the Durris Forest, east of the Elsick Mounth passage.
The Fetteresso Forest is a woodland that is principally coniferous situated in the Mounth range of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The forest has a number of prominent mountain peaks including the Hill of Blacklodge and Craiginour peak. A good overlook for viewing the forest from the north side lies on an unnamed tarmack road which leads north from the Slug Road to the Raedykes Roman site. The Cowie Water flows through and drains much of the forest. To the north of the easternmost part of the forest is the archaeological site Raedykes Roman Camp, as well as Cowton Burn. The Slug Road runs along much of the northeast perimeter of Fetteresso Forest.
Normandykes is the site of a Roman marching camp 1 mile (1.6 km) to the southwest of Peterculter, City of Aberdeen, Scotland. The near-rectangular site, measuring approximately 860 by 510 metres, covers about 106 acres (43 ha) of the summit and eastern slopes of a hill overlooking the River Dee and the B9077 road further south. Aerial photographs for Normandykes have been archived between 1947 and 1976. The camp is about 6 miles (10 km), or less than half a day's march, north of the Raedykes camp. It is possible that the actual route taken would have entailed one day's march, over a route likely chosen to avoid the Red Moss, a virtually uncrossable bog near the present day village of Netherley.
Ythan Wells, also known as Glenmailen, is the site of a Roman military camp, near the farm of Glenmellan, 2.1 kilometres (1.3 mi) east of the village of Ythanwells in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site is a designated scheduled monument.
Craggie Cat is a hill landform in the Mounth of the Grampian Mountains at the southern edge of Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The peak elevation of Craggie Cat is 198 metres according to the Ordnance Survey. This hill's southwestern flanks form the northwest boundary of the moorland of Curlethney Hill.
Durris Forest is a chiefly coniferous forest south of the River Dee approximately three kilometres west of Netherley in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The A957 road forms the southwest boundary of Durris Forest, separating it from Fetteresso Forest. The Durris Forest includes several smaller named woodlands. The ancient route of Elsick Mounth crosses the Grampian Mounth within the Durris Forest. Notable natural features in the vicinity include Red Moss and Meikle Carewe Hill. Notable historic features in this area include Raedykes Roman Camp, Muchalls Castle and Maryculter House.
The Elsick Mounth is an ancient trackway crossing the Grampian Mountains in the vicinity of Netherley, Scotland. This trackway was one of the few means of traversing the Grampian Mounth area in prehistoric and medieval times. The highest pass of the route is attained within the Durris Forest. Notable historical structures in the vicinity are Maryculter House, Lairhillock Inn and Muchalls Castle. Most of the lands through which the Elsick Mounth passes are within the Durris Forest; while this forest would have been a mixed deciduous forest in ancient times, currently it is managed as a coniferous monoculture with extensive amounts of clearfelling and subsequent replanting.
Battledykes is a Roman camp slightly to the north of Forfar, Scotland. According to Hector Boece, Pictish chiefs met at a castle by Forfar Loch to plan how to repel the Roman armies, who invaded several times between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Eventually, the better equipped Romans prevailed, later to be displaced again by the Picts. The Romans established a Roman Camp at Battledykes, approximately three miles north of Forfar; this camp was assessed to have held 50,000 to 60,000 men. From Battledykes northward the Romans established a succession of camps including Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandykes.
Strageath is a Roman camp near the River Earn in eastern Scotland. Strageath was one of a chain of camps that the Romans used in their march northward. Other notable camps in this chain are Ardoch, Battledykes, Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandykes.
Coalford is a village in Drumoak, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is slightly north of the River Dee and about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Peterculter. The population is around 100.
Mergie is a settlement in Aberdeenshire approximately six miles west of Stonehaven, Scotland. Situated in the former Kincardineshire slightly south of the Slug Road.
Cairn Mon Earn or Cairn-mon-earn is a hill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Lochton is a settlement on the Slug Road in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Roman legions marched from Raedykes to Normandykes Roman Camp somewhat east of Lochton, using higher ground evading the bogs of Red Moss and other low-lying areas including the Burn of Muchalls. That march used the nearby Elsick Mounth, an ancient trackways crossing the Mounth of the Grampian Mountains, lying westerly of Netherley.
Balfour, Aberdeenshire is a settlement on Royal Deeside in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Balfour lies south of the River Dee.
Cawdor (Roman Fort), located near the small village of Easter Galcantray (15 miles or 24 kilometres east of Inverness), was suspected of being one of the northernmost Roman forts in Great Britain, although no evidence of Roman occupation has been found to date.
Muiryfold was one of the Roman fortifications built by Septimius Severus in northern Caledonia. The site is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of Keith in Moray.
Settlements and places of interest in Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire | ||
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