Mastiles Lane camp is a Roman temporary marching camp situated on the limestone uplands of Malham Moor in the Yorkshire Dales, enclosing roughly 8 hectares and capable of accommodating a legionary-sized force. It is thought to date to the late 1st or 2nd century AD, likely associated with campaigns or training exercises in the Brigantian uplands. A medieval cross base on the site reflects later reuse of the route by Fountains Abbey monks driving stock along Mastiles Lane.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The camp lies on a key upland routeway linking the Roman forts at Ilkley and Bainbridge across the Pennines, demonstrating the army's penetration and control of the Brigantian highlands. Its scale suggests it served either as a campaign base or as a practice/training camp for troops garrisoning the northern frontier.
The site is known primarily from earthwork survey, with low turf-covered ramparts and traces of entrances still visible, but no significant modern excavation has been undertaken. The associated medieval cross base, a square stone socket, survives near the camp and marks the monastic drove road crossing the Roman enclosure.
Mastiles Lane camp is a Roman temporary marching camp situated on the limestone uplands of Malham Moor in the Yorkshire Dales, enclosing roughly 8 hectares and capable of accommodating a legionary-sized force. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a site site from the Roman period in Britain.
Roman temporary camp and medieval monastic cross base, Mastiles Lane. is classified as a Roman site — a civilian site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Kirk Sink (12.2 km), Elslack Roman Fort (16.1 km), Bomber Camp Romano-British farmstead and associated enclosure (19.3 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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Research the area around Roman temporary camp and medieval monastic cross base, Mastiles Lane.