milecastle

The term milecastle was formalised by Robert Smith in 1708, but was in informal use by locals before that date.Birley, E. (1961) Research on Hadrian’s Wall, Titus Wilson & Son (Kendal) 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.{{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 = 0901082651

| page = 12}}

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.Hill, Peter (2001) ‘Hadrian’s Wall from MC0 to MC9, Archaeologia Aeliana series 5, Volume 29, The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne {{Doi|10.5284/1061058}} 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.

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'.

The milecastles of Hadrian's Wall are recognised as having three principal types of gateway:Stephen Johnson (2004) Hadrian's Wall, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc, 128 pages, {{ISBN|0-7134-8840-9}} pp 31–32

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.
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.
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.

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.

File:Typical Long Axis Milecastle Plan.png|Typical Long Axis Milecastle Plan

File:Typical Short Axis Milecastle Plan.png|Typical Short Axis Milecastle Plan

File:Typical Turf Wall Milecastle Plan.png|Typical Turf Wall Milecastle Plan

• Gateway Type I – Short-axis milecastles built by legio II Augusta{{Citation | last=Wilmot | first=Tony| author-link=John Horsley (archaeologist)

| title=Hadrian's Wall: Archaeological Research by English Heritage 1976–2000

| publisher=Frank Graham | publication-date=1 Oct 2009 | isbn=978-1-905624-71-3 | pages=137–138 }}

• Gateway Types II and IV – long-axis milecastles built by legio XX Valeria Victrix
• Gateway Type III – Long-axis milecastles built by legio VI Victrix

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Category:Roman sites in Northumberland