Dalginross Roman Fort and Temporary Camp SM1612

Historic Environment Scotland requested that a programme of archaeological mitigation and recording, specifically focused on the strainer posts at an access point and a fence needed to be carried out. Eight of the hand dug test trenches (1 to 8) located a similar sequence of turf and dark brown sandy clay overlying natural gravel and stones and there was no sign of any archaeological deposits or features. Two of the test trenches (9 and 10) located similar filled cut features which are likely to be the ditches of the Roman Temporary Camp which is visible as a cropmark on that part of the Scheduled Area. Trenches 11 and 12 also located filled cut features which correspond to a cropmark of unknown date that is visible to the North of the ditch of the temporary camp. All twelve of the strainer posts had been driven vertically into the ground so any potential damage to the archaeological deposits in Trenches 9 to 12 is limited to the void for the posthole which in all cases had a diameter of 0.26m and was 0.80m deep. The author noted and recorded the partially upstanding earthwork of the Roman Fort which is visible between Strainer Posts 3 and 4 and 5 and 6.