Turret 10a |
| Hob Uid: 22678 | |
Location :
Newcastle upon Tyne
Non Civil Parish
|
| Grid Ref : NZ1601066830 |
| Summary : The site of Roman turret 10A, part of the defences on Hadrian's Wall. It is buried beneath a modern road, and was excavated in 1980; there are no visible remains. The foundations of the turret were found to consist of slabs set into clean clay. The surviving wall faces above this had been pointed with mortar, with the wall cores consisting of sandstone blocks packed with clay. The interior layers were often impersistent spreads with only two layers seeming to indicate distinct floors. A number of areas of intense burning or charcoal, normally associated with a stone setting, were found in and outside the turret. The pottery found on the site, stratified and unstratified, was all of types common to Hadrian's Wall Period IA and only one sherd (found unstratified) was of a type considered diagnostic of Period IB. This might imply no activity in the turret after circa 140 A.D. Nothing survived to suggest that the turret 10A had ever been demolished and the recesses built over. Removal of the construction levels associated with the turret and curtain wall revealed a pre-wall soil level. |
More information : NZ 1601 6683. Turret 10a [GSC] (site of) [T.I.] (1)
Located at the east side of Callerton Road, 509 yards west of milecastle 10. Only the S.E. corner could be examined and this was found to be three feet thick. The east wall stands five courses high and the doorway is at the normal position in the south wall. (2)
No visible remains. Site covered by modern road. (3)
Excavations took place in 1980 in advance of construction work. The foundations of the turret were found to consist of slabs set into clean clay. The surviving wall faces above this had been pointed with mortar, with the wall cores consisting of sandstone blocks packed with clay. The interior layers were often impersistent spreads with only 2 layers seeming to indicate distinct floors. A number of areas of intense burning or charcoal, normally associated with a stone setting, were found in and outside the turret. The pottery found on the site, stratified and unstratified, was all of types common to Hadrian's Wall Period IA and only one sherd (found unstratified) was of a type considered diagnostic of Period IB. This might imply no activity in the turret after c.140 A.D. Nothing survived to suggest that the turret 10a had ever been demolished and the recesses built over. Removal of the construction levels associated with the turret and curtain wall revealed a pre-wall soil level. When this was removed down to the natural clay a series of criss-cross linear grooves was revealed each filled with material identical with the pre-wall soil level. These grooves are almost certainly evidence for ard ploughing. No dating evidence was available bar a Pre-Hadrianic terminus ante quem, but the likely cultural and chronological context for them is suggested to be the Late Neolithic or Bronze Age. (4)
Ard marks now recorded seperately see NZ 16 NE 49.
There is no surface trace of the turret now buried beneath the road and its verge. Located precisely from the excavator's site plan to NZ 1601 6683. (5)
NZ 1601 6683. Hadrian's Wall, Vallum and associated works. Scheduled no. TW/28. (6)
Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (7) |