Milecastle 12 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milecastle 12 |
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| Northumberland, England, UK | |
The curtain wall in Heddon-on-the-Wall (east of Milecastle 12). The Vallum ditch can be seen running parallel in the field at right.
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 Milecastle 12
Location in Northumberland
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| Coordinates | 54°59′48″N 1°47′23″W / 54.996768°N 1.789811°W |
Imagine a long, ancient wall built by the Romans across Britain! This was Hadrian's Wall, and along it, every Roman mile, there was a small fort called a milecastle. Milecastle 12 (Heddon) was one of these important little forts. Today, its remains are hidden underground, beneath Town Farm in Heddon-on-the-Wall, so you can't see anything on the surface.
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Building Milecastle 12
Milecastle 12 was a small fort built by the Romans as part of Hadrian's Wall. We don't know exactly how its main entrance or layout looked. This is because most of it is still buried and hasn't been fully explored.
Discoveries at Milecastle 12
Over the years, people have found interesting clues about Milecastle 12. These discoveries help us learn more about the Roman soldiers who lived and worked here.
Early Finds (1700s-1800s)
- Around 1746: While building a road called the Military Road, workers found two special stone carvings. These carvings showed that the Roman army's Legio VI Victrix (Sixth Victorious Legion) had done some rebuilding work here. One carving mentioned two Roman leaders, Tertullus and Sacerdos, who were important officials (called Consuls) in 158 AD.
- 1752: A large collection of Roman coins was found in wooden boxes at this site. Imagine finding a treasure chest full of ancient money!
- 1820: Another smaller collection of coins was discovered nearby. These coins dated from the time of Emperor Maximian (286 - 305 AD) to Emperor Arcadius (383 - 408 AD). This shows the milecastle was used for a very long time.
Later Investigations (1900s)
- 1926: Records show that the north gate of the milecastle was found.
- 1928-1929: More searches were done, but they didn't find much more.
- 1966: Experts from English Heritage looked at the site. They noted that there were no signs of the milecastle on the surface. Modern farm buildings covered much of the area.
- 1989: Another English Heritage investigation confirmed that no traces of the milecastle could be seen above ground. Its exact spot remains a bit of a mystery.
Turrets Near Milecastle 12
Every milecastle along Hadrian's Wall had two smaller watchtowers, called turrets, nearby. 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 connected to Milecastle 12 are known as Turret 12A and Turret 12B.
Turret 12A (Heddon West)
Turret 12A is located next to, and mostly underneath, the B6318 Military Road. You can't see any signs of it on the surface today.
This turret was first found in 1928, about 548 yards (501 meters) west of Milecastle 12. A small dig in 1930 confirmed its location. The walls of the turret were very low, but it had a similar layout to Turret 12B. The walls were about 1.22 meters (4 feet) thick, and its doorway was on the east side. Location on Ordnance Survey map: 54°59′53″N 1°47′51″W / 54.998174°N 1.797620°W
Turret 12B (North Lodge)
Turret 12B is also located next to the Military Road. It was found in 1928, about 543 yards from Turret 12A and 529 yards from Milecastle 13.
When it was dug up in 1930, it looked almost exactly like Turret 12A. It had a rectangular platform inside, which was on the south side of the tower. Location on Ordnance Survey map: 54°59′57″N 1°48′19″W / 54.999264°N 1.805243°W
