Milecastle 11 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Milecastle 11
Tyne and Wear, England, UK
Throckley Bank Top Club - the presumed site of the milecastle
Milecastle 11 Location in Tyne and Wear
Coordinates	54°59′46″N 1°46′02″W / 54.996142°N 1.767306°W / 54.996142; -1.767306

Milecastle 11 (also known as Throckley Bank Top) was a small fort built by the Romans. It was part of Hadrian's Wall, a famous ancient barrier in England. Today, you can't see any remains of Milecastle 11. It's believed to be located under the old Working Men's Club in Throckley Bank Top village.

Milecastle 11: A Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall

What is a Milecastle?

Hadrian's Wall was a huge defensive line built by the Romans. Along its length, small forts called milecastles were placed about every Roman mile. These milecastles were like mini-forts. They had gates that allowed people to pass through the wall. Soldiers lived in them and guarded the area.

Building Hadrian's Wall

The Romans built Hadrian's Wall to protect their land from tribes to the north. At the spot where Milecastle 11 stood, the wall was quite thick. It was about 2.59 meters (8.5 feet) wide. The wall here had a core made of clay. We don't know much about how Milecastle 11 itself was built.

Searching for Clues: Excavations and Discoveries

Finding old Roman sites can be tricky! Many people have tried to find Milecastle 11 over the years.

• 1858: A person named Henry MacLauchlan explored the area. He thought he found the milecastle.
• 1879: An amazing discovery was made nearby! Over 5,000 silver coins were found in a pot. These coins were from the years 244 AD to 275 AD. This treasure was found just behind where the wall would have been.
• 1928: Later, MacLauchlan's "find" was identified as an old pile of mining waste. Digging in the actual suspected spot of the milecastle didn't find anything.
• 1929 & 1959: More attempts to dig and find the milecastle also failed.
• 1990: Even when a cable trench was dug through the site, no Roman remains were found.
• 2002: A paved surface was discovered slightly north of the milecastle's expected spot. Also, 145 pits were found along the "berm." A berm is a flat space between the wall and a ditch. Some pits still showed marks from two wooden stakes.

The Turrets of Milecastle 11

Each milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two smaller watchtowers called turrets. These turrets were placed about one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west. Soldiers from the milecastle would have guarded these turrets. The turrets linked to Milecastle 11 are called Turret 11A and Turret 11B.

Turret 11A (Heddon Hall)

People tried to find Turret 11A in 1928, but they were not successful. Its presumed location is: 54°59′48″N 1°46′27″W / 54.996605°N 1.774228°W / 54.996605; -1.774228 (Turret 11A)

Turret 11B (Great Hill)

Turret 11B was found near the top of Great Hill. There are no stone remains left today. However, its location was confirmed in 1919. This was thanks to finding old pottery and "occupation earth." Occupation earth is soil that shows signs of people living there long ago. Its location on the map is: 54°59′47″N 1°46′56″W / 54.996404°N 1.782154°W / 54.996404; -1.782154 (Turret 11B)