© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Esgairperfedd Marching Camp is a Roman marching camp situated in Wales, protected under Cadw reference RD131. The site occupies ground underlain by Llandovery Rocks, sedimentary formations of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that would have presented firm but weathered terrain to the Roman forces who constructed temporary fortifications here during their campaigns in Wales.
Marching camps served as overnight or short-term military encampments, typically square or rectangular in plan with defensive ditches and banks. Their modest scale and standardised design enabled rapid construction by mobile military units on campaign. The Llandovery bedrock at Esgairperfedd would have provided stable ground for the ramparts and ditches that characterised such installations, though the mixed geology of mudstone and sandstone may have influenced drainage and the ease of entrenchment.
The camp's preservation as a protected monument reflects its archaeological significance as evidence of Roman military organisation and logistics in the conquest and control of Wales. Such camps are invaluable for understanding Roman campaign routes and military strategy in the region, documenting the substantial military resources committed to subduing the Welsh uplands and maintaining the frontier of the Roman province of Britannia.
Esgairperfedd Marching Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD131. View the official record →
Esgairperfedd Marching Camp is a Roman marching camp situated in Wales, protected under Cadw reference RD131.
Esgairperfedd Marching Camp dates from the roman period, and is classified as a marching camp. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Esgairperfedd Marching Camp is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is RD131.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ring Cairn on Esgair Ceiliog (9.6 km), Two Ring Cairns near Esgair Hafod (9.8 km), Nant-y-Car South Lead Mine (9.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Esgairperfedd Marching Camp's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Esgairperfedd Marching Camp stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.