Raedykes
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Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over northwest of
Stonehaven Stonehaven ( ) is a town on the northeast coast of Scotland, south of Aberdeen. It had a population of 11,177 at th2022 Census Stonehaven was formerly the county town of Kincardineshire, succeeding the now abandoned town of Kincardine, Aberd ...
,
Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. National Grid Reference NO 842902. It is designated as a
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
. 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.


The site

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). The camp rampart ( vallum) encloses the summit and eastern slopes of Garrison Hill (), a prominent spur overlooking the valley of the Cowie Water, a small river draining into the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
on the outskirts of Stonehaven. The camp covered an area of about , and a computer model suggests that this would have been sufficient to house three full legions, or around 16,000 troopsRoger J.A.Wilson "A Guide to the Roman Remains in Britain" 2002 Constable, London p600 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 Normandykes (Grid Reference: NO 830994) is the site of a Roman marching camp to the southwest of Peterculter, City of Aberdeen, Scotland. The near-rectangular site, measuring approximately , covers about of the summit and eastern slopes of a ...
.


History

The Roman army established a chain of forts and camps during the late first century AD at Ardoch, Strageath,
Inchtuthil Inchtuthil is the site of a Roman legionary fortress situated on a natural platform overlooking the north bank of the River Tay southwest of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland (Roman Caledonia). It was built in AD 82 or 83 as the adva ...
,
Battledykes Battledykes is a Roman camp slightly to the north of Forfar, Scotland. According to Hector Boece, Pictish chiefs met at a castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the ...
, Stracathro, Raedykes (probably), Normandykes, Glenmailen, Bellie, Balnageith and Cawdor. Many of these forts and camps were reoccupied during the reign of emperor
Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; ; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through cursus honorum, the ...
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 Bennachie ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Beinn na Cìche'') is a range of hills in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.Whiteley, A.W.M. (Ed.) (1976). ''The Book of Bennachie''. The Bailies of Bennachie. . Mostly anecdotes and verse about the mountain and its surro ...
, much further north, overlooking
Inverurie Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Uraidh'' or ''Inbhir Uaraidh'', 'mouth of the River Ury') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Ury and River Don, Aberdeenshire, Don, about north-west of Aberdeen. Geography ...
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.


See also

* Fetteresso Castle, 14th-century tower house, south * Muchalls Castle, 13th-century tower house, east * Burn of Muchalls, a scenic stream *
Normandykes Normandykes (Grid Reference: NO 830994) is the site of a Roman marching camp to the southwest of Peterculter, City of Aberdeen, Scotland. The near-rectangular site, measuring approximately , covers about of the summit and eastern slopes of a ...
, Roman marching camp, north * Cawdor (Roman Fort) near
Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
*
Inchtuthil Inchtuthil is the site of a Roman legionary fortress situated on a natural platform overlooking the north bank of the River Tay southwest of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland (Roman Caledonia). It was built in AD 82 or 83 as the adva ...
, site of a major Roman legionary fortress, near Blairgowrie


References


External links


RCAHMS: Raedykes Roman Camp


{{Coord, 57.0020, -2.2632, type:landmark_region:GB-SCT, display=title Archaeological sites in Aberdeenshire Roman fortified camps in Scotland Scheduled monuments in Aberdeenshire