Castle Greg

Castle Greg stands in Harburn on the Camilty Plantation, three miles south-east of West Calder in West Lothian. It is the remains of a small Roman fortlet, less than an acre in size, lying just off the B7008 road. The site is one of the best preserved Roman earthworks in Scotland. It was first excavated in the 19th century by Sir Daniel Wilson, with interior work carried out in 1852. The fortlet’s defences include two deep ditches and a rectangular rampart, originally at least fifteen feet deep and five feet high. A wooden palisade, over ten feet tall, once topped the rampart, with a walkway running along its length. An entrance at the eastern end led through the rampart, where a wooden tower stood above the walkway. Inside, two rows of barracks flanked a well, and a stable block was also present. Little remains of the interior today, though pottery found in the well during excavation confirms its use. Castle Greg likely served as a monitoring post for a Roman road running from the Forth to the Clyde Valley. When active in the 1st century AD, the fortlet overlooked open countryside, offering clear views as far as the Fife coastline and the mountains beyond. Its name may come from the Roman term Camulosessa Præsidium, linked to the nearby Camilty area.