Milecastle 31

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Milecastle 31
Northumberland, England, UK
(The site of) Milecastle 31 just east of Brocolitia - geograph.org.uk - 1075156.jpg
The site of Milecastle 31
Northumberland UK location map.svg
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Milecastle 31
Location in Northumberland
Coordinates 55°02′06″N2°13′40″W / 55.034899°N 2.227914°W / 55.034899; -2.227914 Coordinates: 55°02′06″N2°13′40″W / 55.034899°N 2.227914°W / 55.034899; -2.227914
Grid reference NY85537117

Milecastle 31 (Carrawburgh) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a turf covered platform beside (and partially covered by) the B6318 Military Road, just to the east of Carrawburgh fort (adjoining the car park).

Contents

Place-name etymology

Carraw seems to be a Cumbric name cognate with Welsh carrau 'rocks'. [1]

Construction

Nothing is known of the construction of Milecastle 31. Only the west wall has been located. [2]

Excavations and investigations

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 31 are known as Turret 31A and Turret 31B.

Turret 31A

Turret 31A (The Strands) is buried beneath the B6318 Military Road, and so there are no visible remains. Despite an investigation in 1966 by R.W.Harris of Durham University, the turret remains unlocated at the measured distance from the milecastle. [4]

Predicted location: 55°02′06″N2°13′39″W / 55.034972°N 2.227382°W / 55.034972; -2.227382 (Turret 31A)

The site of Turret 31B (The site of) Turret 31b on Hadrian's Wall near Carraw Farm - geograph.org.uk - 1075166.jpg
The site of Turret 31B

Turret 31B

Turret 31B (Carraw East) is located just south of the B6318 Military Road, a few metres east of Carraw farm. It exists as a slight, square, faintly disernable platform. Excavation by R Harris in 1966 revealed that the door was located on the east side of the south wall (a turret plan attributed to XX Valeria Victrix who were based in Deva Victrix (Chester). [5] ). The threshold had also been raised, probably in the late 2nd century. [6]

Location on Ordnance Survey 1:25 000 map: 55°02′03″N2°14′06″W / 55.034166°N 2.234997°W / 55.034166; -2.234997 (Turret 31B)

Monument records

MonumentMonument Number English Heritage Archive Number
Milecastle 3116701NY 87 SE 9
Turret 31A16707NY 87 SE 11
Turret 31B16710NY 87 SE 12

Public access

The site of the Milecastle is accessible from the car park at Carrawburgh (Brocolitia) fort.

The site of Turret 31A is beneath the B6318.

Although the site of Turret 31B is on private land, it is visible from (and adjacent to) the B6318.

Related Research Articles

Milecastle 18

Milecastle 18 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. It is located to the west of the settlement of East Wallhouses in Northumberland and is visible as a platform in the ground. The milecastle is of a unique construction, having a gateway associated with builders of the Legio II Augusta and a layout typical of the Legio VI Victrix or Legio XX Valeria Victrix. Historians have suggested that it may have been begun by men of one legion and finished by those of another. One of Milecastle 18's associated turrets shows evidence of being used as a workshop, possibly for the repair of shoes.

Milecastle 10

Milecastle 10 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. It is located near to the modern village of Throckley in Tyne and Wear, 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.

Milecastle 12

Milecastle 12 (Heddon) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains lay under Town Farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall, with nothing visible on the surface.

Milecastle 13

Milecastle 13 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a low platform south of the B6318 Military Road.

Milecastle 14

Milecastle 14 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a low platform, south of the B6318 Military Road and about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the west of the road junction at Rudchester Farm.

Milecastle 15

Milecastle 15 (Whitchester) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a bold platform with robbed walls located on the southern side of the B6318 Military Road approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of its crossing of the A69 road. It has not been excavated.

Milecastle 16

Milecastle 16 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. The milecastle is located at Harlow Hill, Northumberland. There are no visible surface remains of the milecastle or either of its associated turrets.

Milecastle 19

Milecastle 19 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Sited just to the east of the hamlet of Matfen Piers, the milecastle is today covered by the B6318 Military Road. The milecastle is notable for the discovery of an altar by Eric Birley in the 1930s. An inscription on the altar is one of the few dedications to a mother goddess found in Roman Britain, and was made by members of the First Cohort of Varduli from northern Spain. The presence of the Vardulians at this milecastle has led to debate amongst archaeologists over the origins of troops used to garrison the wall. A smaller altar was found at one of the two associated turrets.

Milecastle 21

Milecastle 21 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. The site was identified by measurement only, as the milecastle's remains have been totally removed. This is probably due to extensive quarrying at the site, which now lies under pasture.

Milecastle 22

Milecastle 22 (Portgate) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a low, turf covered platform just east of the Portgate roundabout. The platform is 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) on the east side, reducing to only a parch mark on the west side.

Milecastle 23

Milecastle 23 (Stanley) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a low, grass covered platform with traces of an external ditch. It is located to the south of the B6318 Military Road around 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) west of its junction with the A68.

Milecastle 27

Milecastle 27 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. It was located on the line of Hadrian's Wall, approximately midway between the A6079 and the River North Tyne. Its remains survive as a slight squarish platform with a maximum height of 0.4 metres (1.3 ft), but it is poorly defined to the north and east.

Milecastle 24

Milecastle 24 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a low platform, and are located to the south of the B6318 Military Road around 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of its junction with the A68.

Milecastle 25

Milecastle 25 (Codlawhill) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a low platform, and are located to the south of the B6318 Military Road, nearly 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the west of its junction with the A68.

Milecastle 26

Milecastle 26 (Planetrees) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its position is slightly to the south of, but mostly covered by the B6318 Military Road., and it is located around 700 metres (0.43 mi) east of the B6318 Military Road's junction with the A6079. No visible traces exist currently. The dimensions are the same as Milecastles 23, 24, and 25.

Milecastle 28

Milecastle 28 (Walwick) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall in England. No remains are currently visible. Its location is immediately to the south of the B6318 Military Road in Walwick.

Milecastle 29

Milecastle 29 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as a mutilated earth platform accentuated by deep robber-trenches around all sides, and are located beside the B6318 Military Road. Like Milecastles 9, 23, 25, and 51, a ditch has been identified around the Milecastle, and is still visible to a small extent. It has been postulated that this was as a result of the need for drainage on the site.

Milecastle 30

Milecastle 30 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as an outward-facing scarp with a maximum height of 0.8 metres (2.6 ft). Masonry from the east wall remains in situ. The remaining stretch is 3.1 metres (10 ft) in length by 2.25 metres (7.4 ft) thick, and survives to a height of 0.6 metres (2.0 ft). It is located at the western part of Limestone Corner, just off the B6318 Military Road.

Milecastle 32

Milecastle 32 (Carraw) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains exist as earthworks and with no exposed masonry. The layout of the milecastle walls is defined by robber trenches (to a maximum depth of 0.3 metres. The north wall is beneath a modern wall.

Milecastle 33

Milecastle 33 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall, one of a series of small fortlets built at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along the length of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern England.

References

  1. ↑ Bethany Fox, 'The P-Celtic Place-Names of North-East England and South-East Scotland', The Heroic Age, 10 (2007), http://www.heroicage.org/issues/10/fox.html (appendix at http://www.heroicage.org/issues/10/fox-appendix.html).
  2. 1 2 3 4 Breeze, David J (1934), Handbook to the Roman Wall (14th Revised edition – Nov 2006), Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, p. 215, ISBN   0-901082-65-1
  3. 1 2 "Milecastle 31". Pastscape. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "Turret 31A". Pastscape. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  5. ↑ David J Breeze and Brian Dobson (1976). Hadrian's Wall. Allen Lane. pp. 14–15. ISBN   0-14-027182-1.
  6. ↑ "Turret 31B". Pastscape. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2012.

Bibliography

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