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MILECASTLE 37

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The site of Roman milecastle 37, part of the defences on Hadrian's Wall. Excavations in 1988-9 showed three periods of the north gate, having been built, blocked, then partly demolished. The milecastle has been partly reconstructed and consolidated and is now in the care of English Heritage. The wall achieves a maximum height of 2.2 metres internally, and the single barrack block in the east half survives to 1.0 metres high. There is much excavation spoil on the escarpment north of the milecastle blocking what would have been a difficult but possible descent to the base of the crag.

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[NY 78506869] MILECASTLE [G.S.]
Excavated AD 1852. (1)

Milecastle 37, two furlongs beyond Housesteads, was excavated in 1853, 1907 and 1933. It is a "short-axis" with type I gates, and contains the remains of a small barrack block. A re-used corner of a Hadrianic dedication slab was found in 1853, and two altars inscribed to Cocidius and Jupiter were found at the foot of the precipice, and behind the milecastle respectively. (2)

The remains are correctly described and in good condition, with six courses of masonry standing to a maximum height of 1.3 m.
Resurveyed at 1/2500. (3)

Excavations in 1988-9 showed three periods of the north gate, having been built, blocked, then partly demolished (4a). The milecastle at NY 7850 6869 has been partly reconstructed and consolidated; it is now in the care of English Heritage. The wall achieves a maximum height of 2.2m internally, and the single barrack block in the east half survives to 1.0m high. There is much excavation spoil on the escarpment north of the milecastle blocking what would have been a difficult but possible descent to the base of the crag. (4)

Scheduled (5)

The remains of the milecastle are visible on air photographs and were mapped as part of the Hadrian's Wall National Mapping Project. (6-7)

Depiction from the James Irwin Coates Archive: 'S Gateway. Mile Castle W. of Borcovicus.1882'. (8)

Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (9)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

25" 1921

( 2) General reference

Handbook to Roman Wall 11th Edition 1957 (JC Bruce Ed IA Richmond) Page(s)133-5

( 3) Field Investigators Comments

F1 DK 06-OCT-66

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

Keith Blood/02-FEB-1987/RCHME: Hadrian's Wall Project

( 4a) Archaeologia Aeliana : or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity

Crow, J G 'An excavation of the North Curtain Wall at Housesteads, 1984' 16, 1988 Page(s)273-4

( 5) Scheduled Monument Notification

14-JUL-1997

(6) Oblique aerial photograph reference number

NMR NY 7868/20 (1678/294) 22-AUG-1979

(7) Oblique aerial photograph reference number

NMR NY 7868/76 (16651/17) 18-MAY-1999

(8) Tony Wilmott (Ed) 2009 Hadrian's Wall: archaeological research by English Heritage 1976-2000

Page(s)33

(9) English Heritage 2010 An Archaeological Map of Hadrian's Wall, 1:25,000 scale

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