Notes on the Roman Remains at Grassy Walls and Bertha, near Perth

Abstract

Portions of the fortifications on the two sites mentioned still survive. That the remains are the work of the Romans is no recent discovery, as they have been recognised as such for at least a century and a half. The camp at Grassy Walls was discovered in 1771 by General William Roy, when he was engaged in investigating sites connected with the Romans in Scotland, and the fort at Bertha was described as a " Roman Station " by William Maitland in 1757. Grassy Walls is bordered on the north, west, and south by steep banks, while on the east there is a slight fall in the ground before it begins to rise again towards the hills. When the Romans constructed a camp covering such a large area of ground as at Grassy Walls, we know that it was only a temporary fortification, made to protect an army on the march, and never occupied for very long. Only a single coin has been recovered. The descriptions given of the fort at Bertha by Maitland and Roy disagree and it is argued here that Maitland's description is the more accurate. Artefacts from Bertha include pottery vessels, the remains of a helmet and a spear.