Milecastle 10
Encyclopedia
Milecastle 10 was a milecastle
of the Roman
Hadrian's Wall
. It is located near to the modern village of Throckley
, Tyne and Wear
, in northern England
. Much of the milecastle lies beneath a road but partial remains of the north wall can be seen in the garden of Dene House. It has been excavated several times and its walls located, though the remains have been "considerably damaged by ploughing". Only one of the two associated turrets has been located and excavated.
who were based in Deva Victrix
(Chester
). The usually straight Hadrian's Wall changes direction in this area, making a 20 degree turn just before it crosses a Dene
(valley) and heading towards the Great Hill at Heddon-on-the-Wall
.
The milecastle measures 78 in 2 in (23.83 m) long north to south and 67 feet (20.4 m) east to west with walls approximately 10 feet (3 m) wide. The north gateway survives in the front garden of Dene House and consists of twelve foundation slabs with three stone blocks lying on top. One of the blocks is marked with an asterix
, two of them contain pivot holes for a gate and one shows signs of a lewis-hole
. The southern part of the milecastle is visible only as a 0.4m high mound in a field and part of the ditch is also visible.
Most of the pottery discovered in the turret has been dated to before 140 AD with just one sherd
dating later than that. This places the turret's occupation to within the early period of the wall's life with little later activity, though there is no evidence that the turret was demolished after it ceased to be occupied. The excavation discovered that the walls consisted of a core of sandstone and clay surrounded by pointed mortar, with foundations of stone slabs set on clay. Extensive areas of burning and charcoal were discovered within the turret which could represent a series of hearths located in the door threshold and along the north wall. Other finds on the site have included a spearhead and four worked flints and a possible platform located in the south west corner.
The 1980 excavation removed the floor of the turret to examine the underlying clay layer. Here they discovered a series of criss-crossed grooves in the clay that were vertical on one side and sloping on the other. These were identified as ard (plough) marks that were likely to date to the late neolithic
or early bronze age
periods and are certainly pre-Hadrianic. The excavation was later backfilled and the ard marks and turret sealed beneath the modern road.
Location: 54.995841°N 1.751213°W
Location: 54.996036°N 1.758871°W
Milecastle
A milecastle was a small fort , 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 , hence the name.Along Hadrian's Wall, milecastles were...
of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
. It is located near to the modern village of Throckley
Throckley
Throckley is a village, located approximately 11 km west of Newcastle upon Tyne, in North East England. Hadrian's Wall passes through the village, its course traced by the village's main road, Hexham Road....
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, in northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
. Much of the milecastle lies beneath a road but partial remains of the north wall can be seen in the garden of Dene House. It has been excavated several times and its walls located, though the remains have been "considerably damaged by ploughing". Only one of the two associated turrets has been located and excavated.
Construction
Milecastle 10 was a long-axis milecastle with Type IV gateways. Such milecastles were thought to have been constructed by the legio XX Valeria VictrixLegio XX Valeria Victrix
Legio vigesima Valeria Victrix was a Roman legion, probably raised by Augustus some time after 31 BC. It served in Hispania, Illyricum, and Germania before participating in the invasion of Britannia in 43 AD, where it remained and was active until at least the beginning of the 4th century...
who were based in Deva Victrix
Deva Victrix
Deva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary fortress and town in the Roman province of Britannia. The settlement evolved into Chester, the county town of Cheshire, England...
(Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
). The usually straight Hadrian's Wall changes direction in this area, making a 20 degree turn just before it crosses a Dene
Dene (valley)
A Dene, derived from the Old English denu and frequently spelled dean, used to be a common name for a valley, in which sense it is frequently found as a component of English place-names, such as Rottingdean and Ovingdean....
(valley) and heading towards the Great Hill at Heddon-on-the-Wall
Heddon-on-the-Wall
Heddon-on-the-Wall is a village just outside Throckley, Northumberland, England, located on Hadrian's Wall. Heddon-on-the-Wall is roughly nine miles west of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne...
.
The milecastle measures 78 in 2 in (23.83 m) long north to south and 67 feet (20.4 m) east to west with walls approximately 10 feet (3 m) wide. The north gateway survives in the front garden of Dene House and consists of twelve foundation slabs with three stone blocks lying on top. One of the blocks is marked with an asterix
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...
, two of them contain pivot holes for a gate and one shows signs of a lewis-hole
Lewis (Lifting appliance)
A lewis is one of a category of lifting devices used by stonemasons to lift large stones into place with a crane, chain block, or winch. It is inserted into a specially prepared hole, or seating, in the top of a stone, directly above its centre of mass...
. The southern part of the milecastle is visible only as a 0.4m high mound in a field and part of the ditch is also visible.
Excavations and investigations
- 1864 - The north and south gateways were excavated, the centre of the milecastle lying beneath a road. The north gateway was found to stand two coursesCourse (architecture)A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
high and contained an entrance 11 feet (3.4 m) wide. A centurial stone was discovered that was inscribed with "c[entvria] Car...", this stone is now in the collection of the Black Gate Museum.
- 1928 - The milecastle was excavated by the North of England Excavation Committee. They uncovered part of the south west gateway which lay in a field to the south of the road. The excavation discovered that little remained of the east wall and found no evidence of any internal structures.
- 1966 - An English HeritageEnglish HeritageEnglish Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
field investigation found that only the northern gateway remained visible on the surface.
- 1979 - Another English Heritage field investigation was carried out and recorded the foundations of part of the north wall. The foundations were 6.4m long with three blocks of the first stone course still lying on top of them.
- 1988 - The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of EnglandRoyal Commission on the Historical Monuments of EnglandThe Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England was the body formerly responsible for documenting the records of English historical monuments. It was merged with English Heritage on 1 April 1999....
surveyed and measured the milecastle.
- 1999 - The milecastle was excavated by P Duffy of Central Archaeological Services as part of an interim evaluation carried out by English Heritage's Centre for Archaeology. Two trenches were put in to assess the state of the milecastle. The east and west walls were uncovered as well as some flagstone surfacing on the west side and an oven in the south-east corner. The remains were found to have been "considerably damaged by ploughing".
- 2000 - An archaeological investigation was carried out on the vallumVallumVallum is a term applied either to the whole or a portion of the fortifications of a Roman camp. The vallum usually comprised an earthen or turf rampart with a wooden palisade on top, with a deep outer ditch...
near to Milecastle 10 by English Heritage in September.
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 10 are known as Turret 10A and Turret 10B.Turret 10A
Turret 10A (Throckley East) is located 509 yards (465.4 m) west of Milecastle 10. The turret lies beneath the modern Hexham Road (B6528) and there are no visible surface remains but has been excavated in 1930 and 1980. The 1930 excavation could only examine the south-east corner of the turret. It discovered that the walls were approximately 3 foot (0.9144 m) thick and stood five courses of stone high. The entrance to the turret was located in the south wall. The 1980 excavation, carried out before some nearby construction work, was more extensive and discovered just two distinct occupation layers within the turret.Most of the pottery discovered in the turret has been dated to before 140 AD with just one sherd
Sherd
In archaeology, a sherd is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used to refer to fragments of stone and glass vessels as well....
dating later than that. This places the turret's occupation to within the early period of the wall's life with little later activity, though there is no evidence that the turret was demolished after it ceased to be occupied. The excavation discovered that the walls consisted of a core of sandstone and clay surrounded by pointed mortar, with foundations of stone slabs set on clay. Extensive areas of burning and charcoal were discovered within the turret which could represent a series of hearths located in the door threshold and along the north wall. Other finds on the site have included a spearhead and four worked flints and a possible platform located in the south west corner.
The 1980 excavation removed the floor of the turret to examine the underlying clay layer. Here they discovered a series of criss-crossed grooves in the clay that were vertical on one side and sloping on the other. These were identified as ard (plough) marks that were likely to date to the late neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
or early bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
periods and are certainly pre-Hadrianic. The excavation was later backfilled and the ard marks and turret sealed beneath the modern road.
Location: 54.995841°N 1.751213°W
Turret 10B
Turret 10B (Throckley) has not yet been located and there are no visible surface remains. It's likely position is under Hexham Road but excavations carried out in 1928 and 1983 failed to locate the turret. The soil in the area contains burnt wood remains possibly associated with ground clearance for the construction of the wall in this area.Location: 54.996036°N 1.758871°W
Monument Records
| Monument | Monument Number | National Monuments Record Number |
| Milecastle 10 | 22673 | NZ 16 NE 8 |
| Turret 10A | 22678 | NZ 16 NE 9 |
| Turret 10B | 22681 | NZ 16 NE 10 |