Scheduled MonumentsScotlandStracathro, Roman fort and camp
Iron Age · Roman fort and camp

Stracathro, Roman fort and camp

Scotland
HES SM2829
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Roman fort and camp
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Stracathro is a Roman fort and camp situated in Angus, Scotland, occupying bedrock of the Strathmore Group formed during the Emsian period. The underlying sandstone, interspersed with conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone, provided a stable foundation for the installation's substantial earthworks. The site represents a significant military presence in the Tayside region during Rome's northern campaigns in Britain.

The fort and associated camp demonstrate the strategic infrastructure the Romans deployed to control the Strathmore valley and the approaches to the Highlands. The multiple defensive ditches and ramparts characteristic of Roman fortifications would have been constructed using materials readily available from the local Strathmore bedrock and surrounding deposits, with stone and earth labour-intensive works defining the site's ground plan.

Stracathro is protected as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2829, recognising its importance as a physical record of Roman military occupation in Scotland. The site remains largely buried, with its archaeological potential offering evidence of Roman engineering, supply networks and interaction with local populations during the imperial period.

Stracathro, Roman fort and camp is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2829. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Stracathro, Roman fort and camp?

Stracathro is a Roman fort and camp situated in Angus, Scotland, occupying bedrock of the Strathmore Group formed during the Emsian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2829.

What period does Stracathro, Roman fort and camp date from?

Stracathro, Roman fort and camp dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a roman fort and camp. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Stracathro, Roman fort and camp?

Stracathro, Roman fort and camp is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM2829.

What other scheduled monuments are near Stracathro, Roman fort and camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kincraig,enclosure and ring ditch 300m E of (7 km), Balbirnie Mill,enclosure 300m ENE of (7.4 km), Arrat's Mill, unenclosed settlement 270m ENE of (7.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Stracathro, Roman fort and camp

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stracathro, Roman fort and camp's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Stracathro, Roman fort and camp

Stracathro, Roman fort and camp stands on Strathmore Group, bedrock that formed in the Emsian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.