Milecastle 17
| Milecastle 17 | ||
|---|---|---|
Grid reference NZ06306822 | | |
 |
| Part of a series on the |
| Military of ancient Rome |
|---|
 Ancient Rome portal |
Milecastle 17 (Welton/Whittledean) was a
Construction
Milecastle 17 was a short-axis milecastle with Type I gateways.[1] Short axis milecastles are thought to have been constructed by the Legio II Augusta who were based in Isca Augusta (Caerleon).[2] The milecastle is located near to Welton, Northumberland and around 200 yards (180 m) from the Whittle Dene reservoirs from which it derives its common names.[3] The remains of the milecastle are visible in the ground as a low platform 14.93m by 17.68m in size.[1] Ploughing has reduced the size of the platform but it remains visible with a scarp on the eastern side and a scatter of stones to mark its position.[3]
At a point on the wall 174m west of Milecastle 17 there is a significant change in construction, discovered in 1931.[4] East of this point the wall is constructed at the thickness of the foundations for one course of stone before stepping in to a narrower wall, west of here the wall continues at full foundation thickness for three or four courses before stepping in.[4] In addition the western part tends to use smaller stones, and east of Milecastle 17 until Turret 12A all turrets have east doors and thick walls, with those west until Turret 21A having doors in the western part of the south wall and thinner walls.[4] These differences has been attributed to a boundary between two legions engaged in construction of the wall.[4]
A milestone used to stand to the east of the milecastle, erected in AD 213.[1] This stone is now missing but amounts to the only written record of the name of Gaius Julius Marcus, a governor of Roman Britain.[5] During this year it is known that Marcus made a large number of inscriptions declaring his loyalty to the paranoid emperor Caracalla.[5] In every other case apart from the milestone his name has been erased.[5] Roman historian Guy de la Bédoyère has proposed that Marcus may have been subsequently arrested, convicted of treason and executed on Caracalla's orders as happened to the governor of Gallia Narbonensis that same year.[5]
Excavations and investigations
- 1732 – Location of milecastle identified by Horseley.[6]
- 1858 – Horseley's location was confirmed by Henry MacLauchlan.[6]
- 1867 – The milecastle was located and identified by Bruce.[6]
- Pre 1931 – Investigations on the northern portion of the milecastle by Hepple showed it to be a short-axis milecastle with type I gateways.[3] Three courses of stone (up to 0.8m in height) were discovered on the 3.3m wide north wall. The side walls were discovered to be 2.41m thick.[3]
- 1931 – Excavations by Birley, Brewis and Simpson confirmed the narrow side walls and recorded the dimensions of the milecastle as 53 feet (16 m) east to west and 49 feet (15 m) north to south.[3] The west half of the northern gateway was said to have been in good condition, with the liner of the pivothole being found and deposited in the Black Gate Museum.[6]
- 14 July 1997 – The milecastle structure was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[3]
- 1999 – Milecastles Project studied it, 2 trenches excavated on the platform showed it was deeply buried in colluvium. Evidence for activity outside the walls existed with a gully and pit which probably dated to the Roman era. Inside the milecastle most deposits were post-Roman including probable remains of a post-medieval barn.[3]
- 1999 – The
Associated turrets
Each milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two associated turret structures. These turrets were positioned approximately one-third and two-thirds of a
Turret 17A
Turret 17A (Welton East) became a
Location: 55°00′31″N 1°54′40″W / 55.008688°N 1.911003°W
Turret 17B
Turret 17B (Horsley) was scheduled at the same time as Turret 17A.[10] 17B was located on 11 June 1931 and excavated later that year.[10] It was found to be similar to 17A with a door at the southwest and a ladder platform in the southeast and lies beneath the B3618, leaving no visible surface traces of its existence.[10]
Location: 55°00′33″N 1°55′07″W / 55.009233°N 1.918507°W
Monument records
| Monument | Monument Number | English Heritage Archive Number
|
| Milecastle 17 | 20396 | NZ 06 NE 8 |
| Turret 17A | 20399 | NZ 06 NE 9 |
| Turret 17B | 20402 | NZ 06 NE 10 |
References
- ^ ISBN 0-14-027182-1.
- ISBN 0-14-027182-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Milecastle 17". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0-14-027182-1.
- ^ a b c d de la Bédoyère, Guy. "People of Roman Britain". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wilmott, Tony. "The Hadrian's Wall Milecastle Project:1999–2000". English Heritage. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- ^ "CfA Reports from 1999". Centre for Archaeology. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- JSTOR 526933.)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b c "Turret 17A". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ a b c "Turret 17B". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
External links
Media related to Milecastle 17 at Wikimedia Commons
Forts and structures of Hadrian's Wall | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wall Forts (East to West) |   | |
| Outpost Forts | ||
| Stanegate Forts |
| |
| Supply Forts | ||
| Cumbrian Coast Forts (North to South) |
| |
| Milecastles | ||
| Milefortlets | ||
| Other structures on Hadrian's Wall | ||
| Regular and linear features | ||