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A Possible Roman Camp on the Wirral Peninsula

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2025

Rowan Patel*
Affiliation:
Independent Researcher

Abstract

Satellite imagery in north-west Wirral shows a cropmark, plausibly representing the partial circuit of a Roman camp. On Wirral — that peninsula flanked by the rivers Mersey and Dee — the northern coast of which provided the only seaboard of the Cornovii tribe, Roman military sites are unknown. However, a fort has been posited 7 km to the north-north-west at Meols and a camp in its hinterland would not be unreasonable. This feature is therefore potentially significant and warrants description.

Information

Type
Shorter Contributions
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies.

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