Milecastle 66
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox castrum
|name = Milecastle 66
|image = River Eden - geograph.org.uk - 4064263.jpg
|caption = The River Eden close to the site of Milecastle 66 and the Roman bridge
|alt_names =
|built_during_reign_of =
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|abandoned =
|previous_fortification =
|type = Milecastle
|province =
|limes =
|coordinates = {{coord|54.902135|-2.941333|display=inline,title}}
|altitude_m =
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|map = United Kingdom Cumbria
|map_alt =
|place_name =
|location_town =
|location_county = Cumbria
|location_country = England
|ref:UK:OSNG = {{gbmappingsmall|NY39735678}}
|discovery_year =
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Milecastle 66 (Stanwix Bank) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall ({{gbmapping|NY39735678}}).
Description
File:The Romans Were Here - geograph.org.uk - 4331968.jpg
Milecastle 66 was on the north, Stanwix, side of the River Eden in Carlisle. The site is near the cricket ground.Mark Richards, (2011), Hadrian's Wall Path: Two-way national trail description, page 187. Cicerone Press. {{ISBN|1849654263}} In Roman times there was a bridge crossing the Eden at this point.Frank Graham, (1979), The Roman Wall: comprehensive history and guide, page 178. {{ISBN|085983140X}} On the south side of the river was the Roman fort and town known as Luguvalium.{{NHLE |num=1014579 |desc=Carlisle Castle; medieval tower keep castle, two lengths of city wall, a 16th-century battery, and part of an earlier Roman fort known as Luguvalium |access-date=13 December 2013 |mode=cs2}} In the 16th century, William Camden noted remains of the bridge as "within the {{Not a typo|chanell}} of the river, mighty stones the {{Not a typo|remaines}} thereof." When the Eden was dredged in 1951, nearly 100 stones were recovered. Most of these dredged stones can be seen today in Bitts Park.
Milecastle 66 was seen by Thomas Pennant in 1772, when he passed through Carlisle on his way to Scotland.{{Cite PastScape |num=10568 |desc=Milecastle 66 |access-date=13 December 2013 |mode=cs2}} He describes the milecastle as "vestiges of some dikes describing a small square, the site of a fort to defend the pass". There are no visible remains of the milecastle today.
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 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 66 are known as Turret 66A ({{gbmapping|NY392566}}) and Turret 66B ({{gbmapping|NY387565}}). None of the turrets between Milecastles 59 and 72 were sought or identified prior to 1961, and the exact locations of turrets 66A and 66B have not been found.