Milecastle 11
| Milecastle 11 | |
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 <div style=""font-size:small;";">Throckley Bank Top Club - the presumed site of the milecastle | |
  Milecastle 11 Milecastle 11 shown within Tyne and Wear | |
| NZ14986686 | |
| List of places: UK • England • Tyne and Wear | |
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This article is part of the series on: Military of ancient Rome (portal) 753 BC – AD 476 | |
| Structural history | |
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| Roman army (unit types and ranks, legions, auxiliaries, generals) | |
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| Campaign history | |
| Lists of wars and battles | |
| Decorations and punishments | |
| Technological history | |
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| Frontiers and fortifications (limes, Hadrian's Wall) | |
Milecastle 11 (Throckley Bank Top) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. No remains exist, but the measured position is the middle of the old village of Throckley Bank Top, under the Working Men's Club.[1]
Construction
Nothing is known of the construction of Milecastle 11. The curtain wall at this point is known to have been 2.59 metres (8.5 ft) thick with a clay core.[2]
Excavations and investigations
- 1858 – Henry MacLauchlan surveyed the area, and discovered what he assumed to be the milecastle.[3]
- 1879 – A coin hoard of over 5000 silvered coins (dated 244 AD to 275 AD) in a pot was discovered at a point slightly north of the currently assumed milecastle position (just behind the wall).[2]
- 1928 – Maclauchlan's find is identified as an old pit heap. Trenching in the measured site of the milecastle is unsuccessful.[1]
- 1929 - Further unsuccessful investigation.[1]
- 1959 - Further unsuccessful trenches by Miss Phillips in the area of demolished miners' cottages.[4]
- 1990 - English Heritage's Central Excavation Unit observed a 0.5 m deep cable trench cut through the site, without result.[1]
- 2002 - A metalled surface on two levels was discovered slightly north of the presumed milecastle position.[2] From a point just east of the milecastle, as far as Turret 11B, 145 pits were discovered along the berm. Some retained the impression of two upright stakes.[2]
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 11 are known as Turret 11A and Turret 11B.
Turret 11A
Investigation in 1928 failed to find Turret 11A (Heddon Hall).[5]
Presumed location: 54°59′48″N 1°46′27″W / 54.996605°N 1.774228°W
Turret 11B
Turret 11B (Great Hill) was located just to the east of the summit of Great Hill. No masonry remains, but the location was confirmed in 1919 by the discovery of pottery and occupation earth.[6]
Location on Ordnance Survey 1:25 000 map: 54°59′47″N 1°46′56″W / 54.996404°N 1.782154°W
Monument Records
| Monument | Monument Number | English Heritage Archive Number |
| Milecastle 11 | 22684 | NZ 16 NE 11 |
| Turret 11A | 22769 | NZ 16 NW 1 |
| Turret 11B | 22772 | NZ 16 NW 2 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Milecastle 11". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 03 Jun 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Breeze, David J (1934), Handbook to the Roman Wall (14th Revised edition - Nov 2006), Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, p. 165, ISBN 0-901082-65-1
- ↑ Maclauchlan, Henry (1858), Memoir Written During A Survey Of The Roman Wall: Through The Counties Of Northumberland And Cumberland, In The Years 1852-1854, Kessinger Publishing Co, p. 16, ISBN 1-4370-5803-5
- ↑ Taylor, MV (1960). "Roman Britain in 1959". Journal of Roman Studies (Society for Promotion of Roman Studies) 50: 214.
- ↑ "Turret 11A". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 03 Jun 2010.
- ↑ "Turret 11B". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 03 Jun 2010.
Bibliography
- Daniels, Charles (1979), "Review: Fact and Theory on Hadrian's Wall", Britannia 10: 357–364, JSTOR 526069
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