Roman 'camp' at Campsall

[ThemWotDays]

Any local roman experts out there? Am I allowed to post about an historical site in Doncaster borough - it is part of the 'Sheffield City Region' after all?

I was mucking about on Google Earth the other day and noticed crop marks in a field west of the village of Campsall which to my wholly untrained eye looked like a Roman Camp. I measured the approximate dimensions off to be 160yd x 120yd. 'Camp' position on Google Maps

The reason I thought of the possible roman connection is the name of the village, which goes back at least as far as Domesday (where the Norman scribe wrote as Cansale). All I've been able to find on t'internet regarding the origin of the name is that neighbouring Burghwallis is assumed to take its Domesday 'Burg' (the Wallis was a Normal feudal suffix) from the roman fort 2 miles away on Ermine Street (next to current position of the Robin Hood's Well head structure adjacent the A1); there is a vague implication that 'Camp' in Campsall must also relate to this same roman feature.

To me a fort and a camp are not the same and it seems hard to believe Campsall would have been named after a small fort which is so far away.    

I've looked at the Environment Agency LiDAR scans available from a Government data website and they show this field as completely flat, so it's not likely to be a modern feature such as underground reservoir. The apparent crop marks would seem to indicate something beneath the surface.

[rob123]

I have no info but I really want to know what the answer is !

[lysander]

As you are probably aware the Romans were quite active around the Doncaster area. Apart from Danum itself the Roman legionaries erected a fort at Rossington and may well have erected other marching forts. The classic shape of a Roman fort is described as being like a playing card...a rectangle with rounded corners...the aerial shots seem to show a rectangle with sharp corners.

 I suggest you contact Doncaster's excellent museum and pose the question to them.