| Summary : The site of milecastle 42 on Cawfields Roman Wall. It is a well preserved section of Hadrian's Wall on a steep slope including turrets and Milecastle 42, believed to have been built by the Second Legion. This section of the wall is consolidated for about 1.2 kilometres and reaches a maximum height of 12 courses or 2.8 metres high. Milecastle 42 lies on a steep south facing slope, 8 metres to 10 metres south of the steep north-facing crags and looks over Hole Gap to the west. In 1936, the milecastle was excavated and found to be of 'short axis' type with type I gates. The pivots must have been set at a higher level than the foundation slabs to enable the doors to open. It measures 17.8 metres east-west by 14.4 metres north-south internally, with walls 2.8 metres thick and 1.4 metres high, and slopes north-south by 15 to 20 degrees. The north gate is well built, jutting out north and south of the Wall-line, measuring 3.4 metres in width and 1.5 metres in height, inserted into a wall which is 2.9 metres thick. The inner doorway of the north gate is 2.8 metres wide, the outer doorway 2.6 metres wide and it is 3.4 metres wide in the centre. The south gateway similarly projects from the wall-line of the milecastle and survives up to 1.6 metres in height. The inner doorway of the south gate is 2.7 metres wide, the outer 2.9 metres wide and it is 3.4 metres wide in the centre. The east and west walls of the milecastle survive up to 1.4 metres high with five courses of stone. The site was first excavated by J. Clayton in 1847-8, which uncovered part of a dedication slab inscribed IMP CAES TRAIAN H. AUG LEG II AUG A. PLA NEPOTE LEG PR PR; and a re-used tombstone inscribed D MANIBUS S DAGVALDS M-1 I PAN UIXIT AN PASINNA CON X TITULA POS. These are now held in Chesters Museum. Further excavation work was undertaken in 1935-6 by F. G. Simpson and I. A. Richmond. |
More information : [NY 7157 6670] Milecastle [G.S.] (1)
Milecastle 42, just east of Hole Gap, was excavated in 1848. It measures 63 ft. east to west and 49 ft. north to south with type I gates. Part of a dedication slab, Imp Caes Traian H. Aug leg II Aug A. Pla Nepote leg pr pr; and a Tombstone inscribed D Manibus S Dagvalds m-1 I Pan uixit an Pasinna con x titula pos, recovered from the milecastle, are in Chesters Museum. Scheduled. (2-4)
Resurveyed at 1/2500. The milecastle has been consolidated by the M.O.W. Its walls are complete, and stand to an average height of 1.5 m. See GP AO/66/174c/7. (5)
In 1936 the milecastle was excavated and found to be of short axis type with type I gates. The pivots must have been set at a higher level than the foundation slabs to enable the doors to open (6a). Consolidated and in care of English Heritage, milecastle 42 lies on a steep south facing slope, 8m to 10m south of the steep north-facing crags and looks over Hole Gap to the west. It measures 17.8m east-west by 14.4m north-south internally with walls 2.8m thick and 1.4m high; the whole slopes internally north-south by 15 to 20 degrees. The north gate is well built, jutting out north and south of the Wall-line, measuring 3.4m in width and 1.5m in height, inserted into a wall which is 2.9m thick. The inner doorway of the north gate is 2.8m wide, the outer doorway 2.6m wide and it is 3.4m wide in the centre. The south gateway similarly projects from the wall-line of the milecastle and survives up to 1.6m in height. The inner doorway of the south gate is 2.7m wide, the outer 2.9m wide and it is 3.4m wide in the centre. The east and west walls of the milecastle survive up to 1.4m high with five courses of stone. (6)
Cawfields Roman Wall is a well preserved section of Hadrian's Wall on a steep slope including turrets and Milecastle 42, believed to have been built by the Second Legion. This section of the wall is consolidated for about 1.2 kilometres and reaches a maximum height of 12 courses or 2.8 metres high. (7-9)
Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (10)
Several depictions in the James Irwin Coates Archive of the milecastle and the wall at Cawfields (dated 1877-1896). (11) |