Mons Graupius Contender: Kempstone Hill
Introduction
Maitland, impressed with the remains of the Roman Marching camp at Raedykes - north of the Mounth at Stonehaven in the southern fringes of Taexali territory - was the first to identify the site in 1757.
Roy, who generally favoured sites in Strathmore, is known to have visited Raedykes and the site was subsequently included by the publisher in his posthumous work in 1793 – Military Antiquities of the Romans in North Britain.
Stuart in 1822 was next to hail the site, identifying an enclosure (now lost) to the south at Arduthy as Agricola’s camp before the action, and Raedykes as his camp after the fight.
Finally Crawford, who appears to have hung somewhat on the coat tails of the legendary MacDonald (who drew the site up early in the 20th C) claimed, in 1943, that Raedykes (+200m OD at its highest) was Agricola’s base before the battle. Crawford was interested in the cairn field - which he incorrectly interpreted as the remains of a "Caledonian village" - on Kempstone Hill (rising from +70m to +132m OD) and which, he claimed was the scene of the fighting.
Until interest was generated in the Pass of Grange in the following two decades, Kempstone Hill was held, on account of the high academic esteem in which its various proposers were viewed, to be the generally accepted site of the battle of Mons Graupius.
A: Campaigning
Is the site located in an area of known Flavian campaigning?
Yes
Is the Flavian activity in the area likely to be Agricolan?
No, the string of circa 30 acre sites that pass this location are likely to date to Sallustius Lucullus term as governor and post date Mons Graupius.
B: Marching Camps
Is there a marching camp in the vicinity of the site?
Yes
Is the marching camp located close to the site?
No, 3km away.
Does the marching camps position and orientation "address" the site?
No, it addresses Meikle Carewe to its NNW and further into Vacomagi territory.
Does the marching camp display Flavian characteristics?
No, the camp displays late Roman marching camp morphology, showing two distinct structural phases of occupation.
Is the size of the marching camp reasonably close to the 117 acre criteria required to accommodate 26,000 men?
No, probable earliest camp – Severan – at around 140 acres is too large and could accommodate over 31,000 men.
Late Roman re-use of site at circa 105 acres is slightly too small and accommodates a force of 23,300 men - or less due to nature of the terrain.
C: Site topography
Is the site of an appropriate size to accommodate the forces engaged?
No, Kempstone Hill has a frontage of less than 1.5km.
Does the critical area of the engagement include terrain or features which are specifically inconsistent with Tacitus account?
Only White hill and Mondboys Burn, neither of which are major obstacles.
Does the site have a "plain" at the foot of the hill suitable for the recorded chariot action?
Yes
Is the hill of an appropriate gradient for:
- The Caledonians to be marshalled and advance down and around? Very easy gradient.
- A realistic Roman assault up? As above.
Does the countryside behind the Caledonian position have terrain consistent with the actions recorded in the immediate aftermath of the battle?
No, the north sea coast is directly behind the site.
Can reasonably ready access to the fleet (approx a day or twos march) be achieved from the sites location?
Immediate access is available at Stonehaven, not a noteworthy march away.
Is the likely point of contact with the fleet consistent with the broad strategy and location of the Roman fleet on the east coast?
Yes
Can the "Boresti" be identified locally?
No
Are there known marching camps which hint at Agricola’s movements after leaving the site of battle?
No
Is the sites location consistent with the position chosen the following year for the siting of the legionary fortress of Inchtuthil?
No, siting Inchtuthil so far to the south of the scene of victory on the field does not sit convincingly.
D: The Sites Name
Is there evidence in the locality for names from which Mons "Graupius" could be derived?
No
Summary
Raedykes is arguably the finest marching camp in Scotland to visit. It has a fascinating late Roman site structural sequence and is one of the key sites that assist in identifying the progress of several late Roman armies on campaign in lowland north east Scotland (article forthcoming).
It is the fine quality of its remains, its clearly strategic siting, coupled not least with the fine vistas available from the top of Garrison Hill within it that undoubtedly inspired the interest from those who proposed its involvement in the battle.
Crawford’s interpretations, however are not without problems (see his dismissal of Tillymorgan and Peterculter) while his Caledonian "village" has already been mentioned.
In the context of the search for Mons Graupius, Kempstone Hill is noteworthy perhaps best for being extremely unremarkable. It does not sit well at all with the spirit of Tacitus account, being both diminutive and lower in height than the ground on which Crawford would have us believe Agricola encamped.
Indeed, Kempstone Hill is so unimposing that from the summit of Garrison Hill it takes the assistance of a map and compass to actually identify which one of the low rolling gorse covered hillocks it actually is!
Further a Caledonian deployment on Kempstone Hill, which appears on paper to be a well sited strategic block to the (modern road) north, makes however - with the cliff lined north east coast worryingly hard behind - for uncharacteristically poor tactical judgement by the Caledonian tribal elders. And this is notwithstanding that with a marching camp situated at Raedykes, the Romans can be considered to have already breached whatever strategic impasse the Caledonians may have intended to place in their path to prevent them penetrating north of the Mounth.
Again, like all sites located north of the Mounth, a federated tribal army of the northern tribes ensconced on Kempstone Hill would have had plenty of time to watch the Romans devastate Venicone and Vacomagi territory to the south, as well as allowing an unacceptable degree of vulnerability to the glens leading into the Caledonii highland heartlands stretching north west from Stirlingshire.
Kempstone Hill secures only 7 appropriate answers out of a possible 19 and achieves a rating of "highly unlikely". This is a quite telling outcome for a previously accepted location, albeit one which unfortunately benefitted from distinctly partial readings of the historical sources.
NEXT PAGE: The Contenders: Knock of Crieff
©2009 Roman Scotland. All Rights Reserved
First Published February 2009
