Milecastle 3

No evidence exists as to the configuration or type of Milecastle 3, though the curtain wall at this stage was almost certainly a narrow configuration.{{Citation | first = David J | last = Breeze

| title = Handbook to the Roman Wall (14th Revised edition - Nov 2006)

| publisher = Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne | year = 1934 | isbn = 0-901082-65-1

}}

• 1732 - Horsley surveyed the milecastle, recording its position.{{Citation | last=Horsley | first=John | author-link=John Horsley (archaeologist)

| title=Britannia Romana or the Roman Antiquities of Britain

| year=1732 | publisher=Frank Graham | publication-date=1974 | isbn=0-85983-090-X }}

• 1776 - The location was visited by Stukeley, who sketched the area for his Iter Boreale.{{Cite book

| first = William | last = Stukeley

| title = Itinerarium Curiosum: or, An account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great Britain

| edition = 2nd

| publisher = Baker & Leigh

| place = London

| year = 1776

| isbn = 0-576-19312-7 }}

• 1789 - Brand visited the site, but noted that many of the stones had been removed from the foundations some years previously, for use in the building of an adjoining house.{{Cite book

| first = John | last = Brand

| title = The History and Antiquities of Newcastle upon Tyne

| volume = 1

| edition = 1st

| publisher = B White & Son

| date = 1 Jan 1789

| pages = 138}}

• 1848 - Collingwood Briuce reported that a small, partly illegible altar had been found close to the presumed site of the milecastle. The altar (NMR Number: NZ 26 SE 227) was dedicated by Julius Maximus. Having searched the area, he could find no trace of Roman remains.
• 1858 - Henry MacLauchlan surveyed the area but reported no dependable trace of the milecastle.{{cite web|url=http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=24904|title=Milecastle 3|work=Pastscape|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=24 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225073348/http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=24904|archive-date=25 February 2012}}
• 1928 - FG Simpson measured the distance from Milecastle 2 to Milecastle 3 as {{convert|1450|yd|m}}.
• 1979 - Exploratory trenches were sunk during the building of the Metro, revealing no trace of the milecastle.

Each milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two associated turret structures. These turrets were positioned approximately one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west of the Milecastle, and would probably have been manned by part of the milecastle's garrison. The turrets associated with Milecastle 3 are known as Turret 3A and Turret 3B.

Nothing is known of Turret 3A and it was presumed to be located around {{coord|54.974892|-1.596128|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline|name=Turret 3A}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=24907|title=Turret 3A|work=Pastscape|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=24 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225073401/http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=24907|archive-date=25 February 2012}} In September 2022 Pre-Construct Archaeology announced that they had located the turret at approximately {{coord|54|58|28|N|1|35|44.5|W}}, during surveys in advance of construction of student accommodation. Excavations found the walls of the turret in addition to a ditch and six obstacle pits. Turret 3A became the most easterly known turret on the wall. The turret was recorded as having a length of around {{convert|12|m}} and foundations of {{convert|2.36|-|2.46|m}} in width. The interior of the turret is thought to have been truncated by late 19th or early 20th century construction work. A Roman tegula tile was recovered, suggesting that the turret may have had a tiled roof.{{cite news |title=Archaeologists uncover remains of Roman turret at Hadrian’s Wall |url=https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/09/archaeologists-uncover-remains-of-roman-turret-at-hadrians-wall/144602 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=HeritageDaily |date=7 September 2022}}

Nothing is known of Turret 3B.{{cite web|url=http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=24912|title=Turret 3B|work=Pastscape|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=24 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225073446/http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=24912|archive-date=25 February 2012}}

Presumed location: {{coord|54.972217|-1.602403|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline|name=Turret 3B}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{citation|last=Daniels|first=Charles|year=1979|title=Review: Fact and Theory on Hadrian's Wall|journal=Britannia|volume=10|pages=357–364 |jstor=526069}}

{{Milecastles}}

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