Rispain Camp
Rispain Camp was built and inhabited between 100 BC and AD 200. It was home to a local tribe known to the invading Romans as the Novantae.
Its name may derive from the Old Welsh word rhwospen, meaning ‘the chief of the cultivated country’ – an appropriate name for this Iron Age farm.
The camp’s defences have remained so well-preserved that, until the excavations took place, archaeologists believed the site to be a Roman fortlet or medieval manor.
Statement of significance
Download our Statement of Significance to read more about Rispain Camp and the people who lived and farmed here.
The rectangular area within the defences measures about 70m by 50m. It’s surrounded by earthworks including:
an impressive double rampart
a ditch, originally 6m deep
an entrance causeway along the north-east side
Excavations in the 1970s and 80s revealed remains of a large timber gate at the entrance.
Within the enclosure were three timber round houses. One was excavated, and found to be about 13m wide and of ring-groove construction.
Discover more on trove.scot
See archive photographs of Rispain Camp, plus archaeology notes and more on trove.scot.
