Brompton 1 Temporary Camp

Only the northern defences of this camp are fully traced, measuring about 1,280 feet (c.390m), the western half visible as crop-marks on aerial photographs, the eastern half preserved as a modern field-boundary. The two northern angles are known and are both slightly obtuse, adjoining which are a short length of the eastern defences and a longer section of the western defences, respectively 620 & 1,280 feet (c.190 & 390m) in length. It would appear that the modern A489 road, which runs between the camp and Brompton Motte closely following along the edge of a natural break in slope, perhaps marks the southern boundary of the camp. In support of this, no evidence of a continuation of the western or eastern defences south of the road is seen on A.P.’s, and if, as seems likely, the Roman engineers used this slight break in the natural slope to delimit the southern defences, the camp would have formed a squat trapezium, almost square, which could have easily housed half a legion and several auxiliary regiments; perhaps totalling 4,000+ soldiers.