From: Purton, R. C. (Rev.) 1900 Historical Notes Relating to the Parish of Kempsey (read at the Guildhall Worcester 11th December 1900).

"Kempsey (by whatever name it was then known) touches the history of our country at a very early period; for the Romans had a station there, and may have been pitched upon the site of an earlier Celtic fortification. Ostoris Scapula, in the campaign of A.D. 50, established a chain of forts along the Severn to protect the conquered territory. Such were Twyning, Ripple and Worcester, and so on to Uriconium in Shropshire. I suppose Kempsey was one of them, its object being to protect the ford there."

"The Roman camp at Kempsey occupies an irregular four-sided area between the village and the Severn, being the nearest land to the ford out of floods' way, and contains fifteen acres, in which the church, the Vicarage and several houses are situated. It can easily be traced, bringing to light, however, many interesting remains. It ends south of the church in a triangular tongue of land, forming (as it were) a "procestrium". The highest points is where the vicarage stands, suggestive of a citadel or praetorium. River, brook and marsh form a natural safe guard on all sides save the north, where the rampart is still most conspicuous, though a large portion was demolished in 1836.

Nash makes no mention of this camp. Allies describes it at some length. H.H. Lines, one of our greatest authorities on Roman castramentation, surveyed it, and his plan is among those preserved at the Worcester Free Library." (But, from the entry on Kempsey from the Victoria County History of Worcestershire, Volume 1 (1913), pages 210-11."Mr. H. H. Lines (Berrow's Worcester Journal, Oct. 25, 1890) challenges Mr. Allies measurements, but his own do not inspire confidence.")

"The Romans appear to have been more enterprising than the County Council, for they crossed the river at Kempsey by means of a bridge-like structure. In 1844, dredging revealed the remains of oaken piles and planking stretching halfway across: and here a Roman spearhead 7� inches long was brought to light."

From James A. E., 1958 ''Anglo-Saxon Worcester'.

"In itself the site is an extremely remarkable one as it not only contains the fort and burial ground, but also the villa."

(Author's note: don't confuse the length of this column with the weight of the evidence!)

From: O'Neil, Helen E. 1956 'Court House Excavations, Kempsey, Worcestershire', in 'Transactions of the Worcestershire Archaeological Society' pp. 33 - 44

"It will be seen from the following remarks that the slight and irregular nature of the earthwork makes it unlikely to be of Roman construction, although Roman remains have been found in the near vicinity. Such being the writer's opinion she will continue to call it an earthwork rather than a camp"

"The earthwork, then, being constructed on a natural deposit of gravel between two rivers and only needing an artificially-made defence on the line of approach i.e. from the north, may be considered a type of promontory enclosure, suggesting an earlier form of earthwork than that of one of the Roman period."

From the entry on Kempsey from the Victoria County History of Worcestershire, Volume 1 (1913), pages 210-11.

"A 'camp', now for the most part obliterated, is stated to have been formerly tracable at this place, the church being close to its southern end. According to the best measurements available, those made by Mr. Allies fifty years ago, its east and west sides were each 200 yards long, its north side 180 yards, its south side 90 yards, so the it formed an irregular quadrilateral of about 4 acres. It has usually been styled a Roman camp, but its shape is not that of an ordinary Roman fort or encampment, and no definite evidence really exists to assign it to any age. The unquestionably Roman remains of Kempsey indicate a dwelling or a village, and the earthwork, if Roman at all, may be the enclosure round the one or the other."