Milecastle

A milecastle was a small fort (fortlet), a rectangular fortification built during the period of the Roman Empire. They were placed at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along several major frontiers, for example Hadrian's Wall in Great Britain (Britannia in the Roman period), hence the name.

The remains of Milecastle 39 (Castle Nick), near Steel Rigg on Hadrian's Wall.
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Along Hadrian's Wall, milecastles were initially constructed of stone in the eastern two thirds, and stacked turf with a wooden palisade in the western third, though the turf milecastles were later rebuilt in stone. Size varied, but in general they were about 15m by 18m (50 feet by 65 feet) internally, with stone walls as much as 3m (10 feet) thick and probably 5m to 6m (17 to 20 feet) high, to match the height of the adjacent wall. There were 80 milecastles and 158 turrets.

On Hadrian's Wall, a milecastle (there are a few exceptions) guarded a gateway through the Wall with a corresponding causeway across the Wall ditch to the north, and had a garrison of perhaps 20–30 auxiliary soldiers housed in two barrack blocks. On either side of the milecastle was a stone tower (turret), located about one-third of a Roman mile (500m or 540 yards) away. It is assumed that the garrison also supplied soldiers to man the turrets. The milecastle's garrison controlled the passage of people, goods and livestock across the frontier, and it is likely that the milecastle acted as a customs post to levy taxation on that traffic.

A system of milecastles (known as milefortlets) and intervening stone watchtowers extended from the western end of Hadrian's Wall, along the Cumbrian coast as far as Tower 25B at Flimby,[1] but they were linked by a wooden palisade and not a wall fronted by a deep ditch, and they had no gateway through the palisade.[2]

Terminology and numbering

The term milecastle was formalised by Robert Smith in 1708, but was in informal use by locals before that date.[3] It generally refers to the installations attached to the curtain wall, with the term 'Milefortlet' being widely used to refer to similar installations that continued along the Cumbrian coast and were contemporary with the Milecastles. Turrets standing between milefortlets are referred to as towers.[4]

Milecastles are numbered from 1 (the easternmost Milecastle) to 80 in the West. This system was introduced by J. Collingwood Bruce at the end of the 19th century, and became a standard around 1930, though Peter Hill has suggested that there may have additionally been a Milecastle 0.[5] Milefortlets are numbered from 1 (West of Bowness on Solway) possibly as far as 26 (at Flimby). The widely used shorthand is, for example, 'MC1', 'MC2', etc. for Milecastles and 'MF1', 'MF2', etc. for Milefortlets. Intervening Turrets and Towers are referred to with an alphabetic suffix, so the turrets to the West of MC20 would be Turrets 20a and 20b, or 'T20a' and 'T20b'. Despite evidence of the curtain wall continuing for around a quarter of a mile west of Bowness-on-Solway, the Turrets between MC80 and MF1 are known as Towers 0a and 0b.[4]

Where the Turf Wall and Stone Walls diverge from one another (just to the west of Birdoswald), Milecastles and Turrets unique to the Turf Wall are given a 'TW' suffix, for example 'MC50 TW'.[4]

Milecastle plans

Gateways

The milecastles of Hadrian's Wall are recognised as having three principal types of gateway:[6]

  1. Type I have piers protruding symmetrically on the inside and outside of the gateway, with responds on both the inside and outside. The piers and passage-walls tend to be in large masonry, and the structure is broader (E to W) than it is deep (N to S, i.e. between the gateways). Examples are MC 38 (Hotbank) and MC 42 (Cawfields). Generally thought to have been built by Legio II Augusta.[7]
  2. Type II have piers protruding on the inside of the gateway, with responds on outside. The piers and passage-walls tend to be in smaller masonry than Type I. Only found on Narrow Wall milecastles; when similar gateways are found on Broad Wall milecastles, it is sometimes referred to as Type IV. An example is MC 9 (Chapel House). Generally thought to have been built by Legio XX Valeria Victrix.[7]
  3. Type III have piers protruding on the inside of the gateway, with responds on both the inside and outside. The piers tend to be in large masonry and the passage-walls in smaller material. Examples are MC 47 (Chapel House, E of Gilsland) and MC 48 (Poltross Burn). Generally thought to have been built by Legio VI Victrix.[7]

Axes

Two types of milecastle are discernible in plan. These are known as 'Long Axis' and 'Short Axis', with the referred axis being that between the northern and southern gateways. The only (known) exception is Milecastle 79, which was a Turf Wall milecastle subsequently rebuilt with stone.

  • Typical Long Axis Milecastle Plan
    Typical Long Axis Milecastle Plan
  • Typical Short Axis Milecastle Plan
    Typical Short Axis Milecastle Plan
  • Typical Turf Wall Milecastle Plan
    Typical Turf Wall Milecastle Plan
  • Gateway Type I – Short-axis milecastles built by legio II Augusta[7]
  • Gateway Types II and IV – long-axis milecastles built by legio XX Valeria Victrix[7]
  • Gateway Type III – Long-axis milecastles built by legio VI Victrix[7]

List of milecastles
NumberName
0(unnamed, existence uncertain)
1Stott's Pow[8]
2Walker[9]
3Ouseburn[10]
4Westgate Road[11]
5Quarry House[12]
6Benwell Grove[13]
7Benwell Bank[14]
8West Denton[15]
9Chapel House[16]
10Walbottle Dene[17]
11Throckley Bank Top[18]
12Heddon[19]
13Rudchester Burn[20]
14March Burn[21]
15Whitchester[22]
16Harlow Hill[23]
17Welton[24]
18East Wallhouses[25]
19Matfen Piers[26]
20Halton Shields[27]
21Down Hill[28]
22Portgate[29]
23Stanley[30]
24Wall Fell[31]
25Codlawhill[32]
26Planetrees[33]
27Low Brunton[34]
28Walwick[35]
29Tower Tye[36]
30Limestone Corner[37]
31Carrowburgh[38]
32Carraw[39]
33Shield-on-the-Wall[40]
34Grindon[41]
35Sewingshields[42]
36King's Hill[43]
37Housesteads[44]
38Hotbank[45]
39Castle Nick[46]
40Winshields[47]
41Melkridge[48]
42Cawfields[49]
43(Unnamed?)[50]
44Allolee[51]
45Walltown[52]
46Carvoran[53]
47Chapel House[54]
48Poltross Burn[55]
49Harrow's Scar[56]
50Turf Wall[57]
51Wall Bowers[58]
52Bankshead[59]
53Banks Burn[60]
54Randylands[61]
55Low Wall[62]
56Walton[63]
57Cambeckhill[64]
58Newtown[65]
59Old Wall[66]
60High Strand[67]
61Wallhead[68]
62Walby East[69]
63Walby West[70]
64Drawdykes[71]
65Tarraby[72]
66Stanwix Bank[73]
67Stainton[74]
68Boomby Gill[75]
69Sourmilk Bridge[76]
70Braelees[77]
71Wormanby[78]
72Fauld Farm[79]
73Dykesfield[80]
74Burgh Marsh[81]
75Easton[82]
76Drumburgh[83]
77Raven Bank[84]
78Kirkland[85]
79Solway House[86]
80(Unnamed)[87]

References
  1. "RISEHOW TOWER 25B". Pastscape. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  2. Stephen Johnson (2004) Hadrian's Wall, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc, 128 pages, ISBN 0-7134-8840-9
  3. Birley, E. (1961) Research on Hadrian’s Wall, Titus Wilson & Son (Kendal)
  4. Breeze, David J (1934), Handbook to the Roman Wall (14th Revised edition – Nov 2006), Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, p. 12, ISBN 0901082651
  5. Hill, Peter (2001) ‘Hadrian’s Wall from MC0 to MC9, Archaeologia Aeliana series 5, Volume 29, The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
  6. Stephen Johnson (2004) Hadrian's Wall, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc, 128 pages, ISBN 0-7134-8840-9 pp 31–32
  7. Wilmot, Tony (1 October 2009), Hadrian's Wall: Archaeological Research by English Heritage 1976–2000, Frank Graham, pp. 137–138, ISBN 978-1-905624-71-3
  8. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060287 (Milecastle 1 (Stott's Pow))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  9. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060277 (Milecastle 2 (Walker))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  10. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060312 (Milecastle 3 (Ouseburn))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  11. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060316 (Milecastle 4 (Westgate Road))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  12. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060354 (Milecastle 5 (Quarry House))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  13. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060357 (Milecastle 6 (Benwell Grove))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  14. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060352 (Milecastle 7 (Benwell Bank))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  15. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060349 (Milecastle 8 (West Denton))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  16. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060373 (Milecastle 9 (Chapel House))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  17. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060378 (Milecastle 10 (Walbottle Dene))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  18. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060371 (Milecastle 11 (Throckley Bank Top))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  19. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060410 (Milecastle 12 (Heddon))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  20. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060405 (Milecastle 13 (Rudchester Burn))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  21. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060404 (Milecastle 14 (March Burn))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  22. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060427 (Milecastle 15 (Whitchester))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  23. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060428 (Milecastle 16 (Harlow Hill))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  24. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060425 (Milecastle 17 (Welton))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  25. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060420 (Milecastle 18 (East Wallhouses))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  26. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060221 (Milecastle 19 (Matfen Piers))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  27. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060224 (Milecastle 20 (Halton Shields))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  28. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060215 (Milecastle 21 (Down Hill))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  29. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060252 (Milecastle 22 (Portgate))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  30. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060249 (Milecastle 23 (Stanley))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  31. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060246 (Milecastle 24 (Wall Fell))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  32. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060295 (Milecastle 25 (Codlawhill))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  33. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060294 (Milecastle 26 (Planetrees))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  34. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060297 (Milecastle 27 (Low Brunton))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  35. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060292 (Milecastle 28 (Walwick))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  36. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060332 (Milecastle 29 (Tower Tye))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  37. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060333 (Milecastle 30 (Limestone Corner))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  38. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060326 (Milecastle 31 (Carrowburgh))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  39. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060269 (Milecastle 32 (Carraw))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  40. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060272 (Milecastle 33 (Shield-on-the-Wall))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  41. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060271 (Milecastle 34 (Grindon))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  42. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060231 (Milecastle 35 (Sewingshields))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  43. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060232 (Milecastle 36 (King's Hill))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  44. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 893595278 (Milecastle 37 (Housesteads))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  45. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060234 (Milecastle 38 (Hotbank))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  46. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060395 (Milecastle 39 (Castle Nick))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  47. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060399 (Milecastle 40 (Winshields))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  48. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060392 (Milecastle 41 (Melkridge))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  49. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060363 (Milecastle 42 (Cawfields))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  50. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060368 (Milecastle 43)". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  51. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060361 (Milecastle 44 (Allolee))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  52. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060347 (Milecastle 45 (Walltown))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  53. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060342 (Milecastle 46 (Carvoran))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  54. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060341 (Milecastle 47 (Chapel House))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  55. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060302 (Milecastle 48 (Poltross Burn))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  56. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060303 (Milecastle 49 (Harrow's Scar))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  57. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060310 (Milecastle 50 (Turf Wall) (High House))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  58. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060283 (Milecastle 51 (Wall Bowers))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  59. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060278 (Milecastle 52 (Bankshead))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  60. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060243 (Milecastle 53 (Banks Burn))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  61. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060240 (Milecastle 54 (Randylands))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  62. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060237 (Milecastle 55 (Low Wall))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  63. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060244 (Milecastle 56 (Walton))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  64. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060258 (Milecastle 57 (Cambeckhill))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  65. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060265 (Milecastle 58 (Newtown))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  66. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060256 (Milecastle 59 (Old Wall))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  67. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060290 (Milecastle 60 (High Strand))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  68. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060328 (Milecastle 61 (Wallhead))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  69. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060389 (Milecastle 62 (Walby East))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  70. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060432 (Milecastle 63 (Walby West))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  71. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060433 (Milecastle 64 (Drawdykes))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  72. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060434 (Milecastle 65 (Tarraby))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  73. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060430 (Milecastle 66 (Stanwix Bank))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  74. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060218 (Milecastle 67 (Stainton))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  75. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060217 (Milecastle 68 (Boomby Gill))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  76. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060415 (Milecastle 69 (Sourmilk Bridge))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  77. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060327 (Milecastle 70 (Braelees))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  78. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060386 (Milecastle 71 (Wormanby))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  79. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060383 (Milecastle 72 (Fauld Farm))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  80. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060416 (Milecastle 73 (Dykesfield))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  81. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060419 (Milecastle 74 (Burgh Marsh))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  82. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060414 (Milecastle 75 (Easton))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  83. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060411 (Milecastle 76 (Drumburgh))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  84. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060324 (Milecastle 77 (Raven Bank))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  85. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060320 (Milecastle 78 (Kirkland))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  86. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060319 (Milecastle 79 (Solway House))". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  87. Vanderbilt, S. "Places: 967060359 (Milecastle 80)". Pleiades. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
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