Milefortlet 3

Milefortlet 3

Looking towards Pasture House Farm, and the approximate site of Milefortlet 3
Milefortlet 3 shown within Cumbria
Milefortlet 3 shown within Cumbria
Type Milecastle
Place in the Roman world
Province Britannia
Location
Coordinates 54°55′57″N 3°16′18″W / 54.932558°N 3.271664°W
County Cumbria
Country England
Reference
UK-OSNG reference NY18616050

Milefortlet 3 (Pasture House) was a Milefortlet of the Roman Cumbrian Coast defences. These milefortlets and intervening stone watchtowers extended from the western end of Hadrian's Wall, along the Cumbrian coast and were linked by a wooden palisade. They were contemporary with defensive structures on Hadrian's Wall. There is little to see on the ground but Milefortlet 3 has been located on aerial photographs.

Description

Milefortlet 3 is situated in a field beside Pasture House Farm in the civil parish of Bowness. It was located in 1945 by the finding of turfwork immediately beyond the stream northeast of the farm.[1] There is little to see from the ground but most of the outline of the milefortlet was seen as a soilmark on aerial photographs in 1946.[1]

Associated Towers

Each milefortlet had two associated towers, similar in construction to the turrets built along Hadrian's Wall. These towers were positioned approximately one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west of the Milefortlet, and would probably have been manned by part of the nearest Milefortlet's garrison. The towers associated with Milefortlet 3 are known as Tower 3A (grid reference NY18126042) and Tower 3B (grid reference NY17646031).[2][3]

The position of Tower 3A is uncertain, although there used to be a mound in a field about 400 metres west of Pasture House.[2] The site of Tower 3B is within another field, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[3] Tower 3B was excavated by in 1880 which revealed a flagged floor surface, on which were the remains of pottery, an amphora handle, human bones, and quantities of mussel shells.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Historic England, "Milefortlet 3 (9694 )", PastScape, retrieved 26 November 2013
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Historic England, "Tower 3A (9688 )", PastScape, retrieved 26 November 2013
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Historic England, "Tower 3B (9691 )", PastScape, retrieved 26 November 2013

External links