Ardoch Roman Fort - Braco, near Dunblane - from a guide by David J. Breeze

"The military complex at Ardoch is one of the most important surviving monuments of the Roman period in Britain. The focus of the site is the fort with its remarkable preserved earthworks. Stretching away from this to the north are an annexe, a watch-tower and six overlapping marching camps, part of three of which are visible. These military installations were built at various times by the Roman army between the 80s and 200s AD. In 77 or 78 Gnaeus Julius Agricola, a Roman senator born in Gaul, was sent to govern Britain. He was to stay in the island for six years, and during this time he campaigned widely in north Britain before defeating the Caledonians at the Battle of Mons Graupius. The site of the Roman victory is not known, but it probably lay in north-east Scotland, perhaps on the Moray plain towards Culloden. During its march north the Roman army defended itself by constructing temporary camps each night: one of which was probably camp ¾ at Ardoch. Following the defeat of the Caledonians a fort was built at Ardoch, on the new road north. The life of the fort was brief, for soon after 90 AD the Roman army withdrew from Scotland. Fifty years later it returned, re conquered the barbarian tribes, and constructed a new fort at Ardoch. Now Ardoch lay on the very edge of the Roman world and it served as an outpost of the Antonine Wall 20 miles to the south. The fort was modified once, probably about 158, before being abandoned, probably about 163, after a life of only twenty years.

In 208 the Roman army was back, for the Emperor Septimius Severus decided to solve the problem of the northern frontier by coming to Britain and completing the conquest of the island. He died in 211 before his objective could be achieved, but during the course of his campaigns his army twice camped at Ardoch (camps 5 and 7). Thereafter Ardoch relapsed into obscurity . In the Middle Ages a small hospice for travelers was built in the centre of the fort and a farm grew up in the annexe. In 1842 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Ardoch and this is commemorated by their initials and the date carved on a stone beside the road at the north-west corner of the fort.

The roman fort is located just north of Braco in Perthshire on the A822. Entrance to the fort which is on private land is via a gate signposted just over the bridge. “To the north of the fort lies a large area defended by a rampart and ditch; this was apparently the annexe of the fort. The north rampart of the annexe overlaps with the south-east corner of the largest marching camp at Ardoch, the 130 acre Severan camp [7]. At the east junction, the rampart of the marching camp can be seen crossing the ditch of the annexe, but at the west junction the annexe ditch appears to cut through the marching camp ramparts; possibly the ditch has been re-cut here in later times. The evidence of the east junction accords with the other archaeological evidence which suggests that the fort annexe is earlier than the Severan marching camp. A few yards west of the west junction part of the south entrance (and protective traverse) of the 13o acre camp lies beside the modern road. To the north-west of the annexe a short stretch of the defences of the 63 acre camp [5], the earlier of the two Severan camps, can be seen a few yards to the north-west of the Comrie road junction. At one point this rampart was slighted and the ditch backfilled by the builders of the 130 acre camp to make an internal road. 100 yards further west the west rampart and ditch of the 130 acre camp can be followed north as far as the west entrance, which is protected by a travers (a detached section of rampart and ditch).

The earthworks of the fort are very well preserved. The rampart still stands to a height of 6 feet and beyond it on the north and east sides are 5 ditches all close to their original profiles. The sites of all four gates are visible, while at the north and eat causeways stride impressively across the ditches: the east causeway is especially interesting for the outer ditch has an unexpected twist to provide extra protection.

Three phases of occupation are reflected in the earthworks. The visible rampart belongs to the later period of occupation (about 158-163). It consisted of a turf rampart with a stone kerb (no longer to be seen) at the front. This fort covered 5.7 acres. Its predecessor (7.2 acres) was rather longer, its north rampart being cut off from the rest of the fort by a pair of ditches in the last period of occupation. This fort was probably occupied from about 140 to 158. A stone barrack-block excavated in 1879-8 may date to either of these forts. The first century fort, which contained timber buildings, seems to have been larger than either of the second century predecessors, and it is possible that the two outer ditches to the north and east formed part of the defences of the fort. Its garrison included cohors I Hispanorum, a mixed infantry and cavalry regiment originally raised in Spain. The garrisons of the later forts are not known.

Further Reading:

D J Breeze, Roman Scotland: A Guide to the Visible Remains. Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1979.

L J F Kepple, Scotland’s Roman Remains. Edinburgh, 1986.

D J Breeze, The Northern Frontiers of Roman Britain. London, 1982.

[The Antonine Wall: The other major Roman monument surviving in Scotland is the Antonine Wall. Built by the Roman army in the 140s on the orders of the Emperor Antoninus Pius, it runs fro 40 Roman miles (60km) from Bo’ness on the Forth to Old Kilpatrick on the Clyde. The wall consisted of a rampart of turf 3-4 m high, placed on a stone base 4.3 m (15 Roman feet) wide, behind a wide and deep ditch. Forts, fortlets, and beacon-platforms, linked by a road, lay along the Wall.

The best places to see the Antonine Wall are: Rough Castle , Bonny bridge (NS 844798) fort, rampart and ditch; Kinneil, Bo;ness (NS 977803) fortlet; Bearsden (NS 746721) bath-house and (NS 557723) rampart house. The best continuous stretch of the Antonine Wall runs from Castle Cary (NS 784781) over Croy Hill and Bar Hill to Twechar (NS 7--758)."