Bradford Abbas Roman Camp

The Roman camp at Bradford Abbas, Dorset, is identified through cropmarks that suggest the buried remains of a temporary military encampment. Situated on a southwest-facing slope between 85m and 95m above sea level, it follows the typical “playing card” layout of Roman camps, with rounded corners and a defined entrance. Measuring at least 265m by 350m, its ditches are approximately 4m wide, though no visible bank remains. Historical and archaeological sources indicate that Roman camps were usually built for short-term military campaigns, training exercises, or as temporary bases during troop movements.

The camp is located about 3km northeast of the supposed Dorchester-to-Ilchester Roman road, though its distance and position across a river suggest it was not directly linked to road construction. Instead, it may have been part of a local military campaign or a stopover site for forces moving westward toward areas like Mendip or Wales. The military presence in the southwest of England during the mid-to-late 1st century AD remains unclear, but evidence suggests complex and prolonged operations rather than a straightforward territorial expansion.

This discovery is particularly significant as only four Roman camps have been positively identified in the southwest of England. While temporary camps are well-documented in northern and western Britain, their rarity in southern England suggests either a lower military presence or gaps in archaeological survey work. The Bradford Abbas camp may be linked to early Claudian military campaigns (43 AD onwards), possibly related to the conquest of local Iron Age strongholds such as Ham Hill and Cadbury Castle. Further research is needed to establish its precise historical context and significance.

References for Waddon Hill

• A Roman Camp at Bradford Abbas, Dorset: Aerial Investigation and Mapping.
  English Heritage by Helen Winton and Damian Grady

Sites near Bradford Abbas Roman Camp

• West Coker Villa (6 km)
  Villa
• Ilchester (Lindinis) Roman Fort (10 km)
  Flavian Auxiliary Fort (AD 69–96) and Vicus
• Ham Hill Villa (10 km)
  Villa
• Cadbury Castle (11 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort
• Ham Hill Iron Age Fort (11 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort and Neolithic Causewayed Enclosure
• Ham Hill Roman Fort (11 km)
  Claudian Auxiliary Fort (AD 43–54)
• Waddon Hill Fort (20 km)
  Flavian Auxiliary Fort (AD 69–96)
• Pitney Villa (20 km)
  Villa
• Low Ham Villa (20 km)
  Villa
• Pilsdon Pen (22 km)
  Iron Age Hillfort