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Milecastle 50TW (High House) was a
milecastle A milecastle was a small fort (fortlet), 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 Br ...
on the Turf Wall section of
Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall (, also known as the ''Roman Wall'', Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Aelium'' in Latin) is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Roman Britain, Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. Ru ...
(). The milecastle is located close to the Birdoswald Roman Fort and is unique in that it was not replaced by a stone milecastle when the turf wall was upgraded to stone, the replacement wall instead running some 200m to the north. The milecastle was partially demolished by the Romans after it was abandoned. The milecastle was excavated in 1934 and several Roman rubbish pits discovered. The remains of the two turrets associated with this milecastle (which were demolished when the turf wall was abandoned) have also been located. As the turf wall lies some distance from the stone wall, the sites are not accessible from the
Hadrian's Wall Path Hadrian's Wall Path is a long-distance footpath in the north of England, which became the 15th National Trail in 2003. It runs for , from Wallsend on the east coast of England to Bowness-on-Solway on the west coast. For most of its length it ...
.


Description

Milecastle 50TW was constructed as part of the turf wall section of Hadrian's Wall, and is situated to the west of Birdoswald fort. It is unique in being the only original turf wall milecastle where the stone wall milecastle built to replace it was not constructed on the same site; this is due to the divergent nature of the original turf wall, and replacement stone wall at this reach. The replacement stone wall milecastle,
milecastle 50 Milecastle 50 (High House) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall (). Description Milecastle 50 is west of Birdoswald fort.
was built some to the north. All milecastles on the turf wall section of Hadrian's Wall were thought to have been constructed with turf ramparts, with a wooden tower over the north gate. There are no visible remains of Milecastle 50TW, however a corresponding causeway across the wall ditch is discernible; one of only two milecastles where such a structure survives, the other being Milecastle 25. A wooden culvert was initially used to allow water to flow beneath the causeway, but this was later replaced with a stone culvert.


Construction

Milecastle 50TW measured x ( long-axis type). The ramparts measured at the base. The north gateway(similarly sized to a
Turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...
) was found to contain five square posts at each side (each measuring on a side), whereas the south gateway was of a smaller area, and only contained three posts on each side. It has been speculated that the additional posts were used to support the extra weight imposed by a tower above the north gateway, not required over the south gateway. Evidence of an internal timber structure (dimensions x was identified in the eastern side of the milecastle (southern end). The structure was divided into two unequal rooms, each containing the remains of a hearth. A better used hearth was located outside, and to the north of this structure. A large pot was discovered set into the ground, and connected to a drain, beside the south gate. It is presumed that this was used as a latrine. A stairway base (located in the north eastern corner of the milecastle) was also discovered.


Vallum

The
vallum Vallum is either the whole or a portion of the fortifications of a Roman camp. The vallum usually comprised an earthen or turf rampart ( Agger) with a wooden palisade on top, with a deep outer ditch (fossa). The name is derived from '' vallus'' (a ...
ditch and south mound divert to the south to accommodate the milecastle. The north vallum mound (absent from Milecastle 49 westwards), restarts at Milecastle 50TW's west rampart. A stone-revetted causeway was constructed across the vallum ditch, with a corresponding gap in the south mound. This was later replaced with a wider crossing.


Demolition

As part of the first phase of extension of the stone wall westwards from Milecastle 49, Milecastle 50TW was demolished. The evidence found during the 1934 excavation indicated a purposeful dismantling of both gates, and the digging of pits to bury bedding, and other detritus.


Excavations and investigations

*1933 – Nothing was found at the measured position of Milecastle 50TW, though a smooth platform slightly to the west was noticed, and trenches dug. This revealed cobbled foundations and 2nd century pottery. *1934 – The platform was fully excavated and the construction details established. The demolition process was noted, including the contents of pits dug to dispose of rubbish, including:. **The remains of bedding **The damaged leaf of a wooden writing tablet **A bundle of leather tent fragments **A broken drinking mug **A fragment of an inscription cut into an oak panel. This is thought to include parts of the names of the Emperor
Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...
and the
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
,
Aulus Platorius Nepos Aulus Platorius Nepos was a Roman senator who held a number of appointments in the imperial service, including the governorship of Britain. He was suffect consul succeeding the ''consul posterior'' Publius Dasumius Rusticus as the colleague of th ...
. ( R.I.B.# 1935). *1971 –
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
Field Investigation. Lack of visible remains was noted, and the location of the site confirmed. *1990 – The site was revisited as part of the Hadrian's Wall Project. No visible remains were identified, with the exception of the causeway across the ditch.


Associated turrets

Each milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two associated
turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...
structures. These turrets were positioned approximately one-third and two-thirds of a
Roman mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...
to the west of the Milecastle, and would probably have been manned by part of the milecastle's garrison. The turrets associated with Milecastle 50TW are known as Turret 50A TW and Turret 50B TW. Both turrets were demolished when the turf wall was replaced with a stone wall.


Turret 50A TW

Turret 50A TW was discovered in 1934, located west of Milecastle 50TW. Sufficient trace of Turret 50A TW survived demolition to establish that the walls were wide, and the structure had approximate external dimensions of square. Location: (Ordnance Survey National Grid Coordinates: )>


Turret 50B TW

The remains of Turret 50B TW were located east of Milecastle 51. Its external dimensions were square, and the north and south faces both contained a plinth. A hearth was discovered a little to the east of centre of the floor. This suggests that the door may have been located on the west of the south wall. Location: (Ordnance Survey National Grid Coordinates: )>


Monument records


Public access

Although there are no visible remains at any of the three sites, they are all visible (but not accessible) from the Hadrian's Wall path. The nearest accessible parking is at
Birdoswald Birdoswald is a former farm in the civil parish of Waterhead in the English county of Cumbria. It stands on the site of the Roman fort of Banna. Middle Ages Birdoswald first appears in the written record in 1211 when Walter de Beivin was far ...
.


References


Bibliography

* {{Milecastles 50TW