Milecastle 48
Encyclopedia
Milecastle 48 , one of the milecastle
s on Hadrian's Wall
, is situated in the village of Gilsland
in Cumbria
immediately adjacent to the Tyne Valley Line (OS grid reference
NY 634 661). It is known locally as "The King's Stables" but in recent years the heritage industry has begun to call it Poltross Burn
Milecastle.
It measures 18.5m east to west by 21.3m north to south and two barracks
buildings are visible, one either side of the main north to south road. It is built with broad gauge defensive walls, including stub 'wing wall
s' which join onto the Narrow Wall curtain
of Hadrian's Wall on either side. It has Type III gateways. It lies 1521m west of Milecastle 47
and 1458m east of Milecastle 49
.
The distinguishing feature of this milecastle is the stair base in the north-east corner, since the first few steps survive, allowing a wall walk height of 3.6m to be projected, suggesting a height for the curtain wall (including parapet
) of 4.6m.
Milecastle 48 was excavated by J.P. Gibson and F.G. Simpson in 1909. (Gibson, 1911) The monument is currently in the care of English Heritage
.
This milecastle was built by the Sixth Legion but manned by auxiliary troops, and was occupied until the Fourth Century AD, all according to the English Heritage placard at the site.
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...
s on 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...
, is situated in the village of Gilsland
Gilsland
Gilsland is a village in northern England about west of Hexham, and about east of Carlisle, which straddles the border between Cumbria and Northumberland...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
immediately adjacent to the Tyne Valley Line (OS grid reference
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
NY 634 661). It is known locally as "The King's Stables" but in recent years the heritage industry has begun to call it Poltross Burn
Poltross Burn
The Poltross Burn is a tributary of the River Irthing. The burn rises on Denton Fell and flows north-east, joining the Irthing at Gilsland. The well preserved Roman Milecastle 48, known locally as The King's Stables, stands on the west bank. A 19th. century water mill within the village ground corn...
Milecastle.
It measures 18.5m east to west by 21.3m north to south and two barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
buildings are visible, one either side of the main north to south road. It is built with broad gauge defensive walls, including stub 'wing wall
Wing wall
A wing wall is a smaller wall attached or next to a larger wall or structure.-Bridges:In a bridge, the wing walls are adjacent to the abutments and act as retaining walls.They are generally constructed of the same material as those of abutments...
s' which join onto the Narrow Wall curtain
Curtain wall (fortification)
A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two bastions of a castle or fortress.In earlier designs of castle the curtain walls were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a ditch or moat to make assault difficult....
of Hadrian's Wall on either side. It has Type III gateways. It lies 1521m west of Milecastle 47
Milecastle 47
One of a series of Milecastles or small fortlets built at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along Hadrian's Wall....
and 1458m east of Milecastle 49
Milecastle 49
Milecastle 49 , one of the milecastles on Hadrian's Wall, is situated immediately west of the gorge of the River Irthing , where the Wall was carried over the river by the bridge at Willowford....
.
The distinguishing feature of this milecastle is the stair base in the north-east corner, since the first few steps survive, allowing a wall walk height of 3.6m to be projected, suggesting a height for the curtain wall (including parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
) of 4.6m.
Milecastle 48 was excavated by J.P. Gibson and F.G. Simpson in 1909. (Gibson, 1911) The monument is currently in the care of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
This milecastle was built by the Sixth Legion but manned by auxiliary troops, and was occupied until the Fourth Century AD, all according to the English Heritage placard at the site.
Nature of Hadrian's Wall in this reach
Milecastle 48 is connected to well-preserved stone-built sections of Hadrians Wall, which continue several miles to the west, at least as far as Banks.External links
- Visit Cumbria A good aerial photo of Milecastle 48