Milecastle 13 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milecastle 13 |
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| Northumberland, England, UK | |
Hadrian's Wall Path near the site of Milecastle 13
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 Milecastle 13
Location in Northumberland
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| Coordinates | 55°00′01″N 1°48′45″W / 55.000327°N 1.812460°W |
Milecastle 13 (Rudchester Burn) was a small fort or guard post built by the Romans. It was part of Hadrian's Wall, a famous stone wall that stretched across northern England. This wall was built to protect the Roman Empire from tribes to the north. Milecastle 13's remains can still be seen today as a low platform. It is located just south of the B6318 Military Road.
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Building Milecastle 13
Milecastle 13 was designed in a specific way. It was a "short-axis milecastle," meaning its shorter side faced the wall. The main gate on the north side was a "Type I" gateway. Roman soldiers from the legio II Augusta likely built this milecastle. This legion was based far away in Isca Augusta, which is now Caerleon in Wales.
The milecastle was about 15.24 meters (50 feet) long and 17.91 meters (59 feet) wide. Its side walls were quite thick, about 2.34 meters (7.7 feet). The entrance to the north gate was raised about 23 centimeters (9 inches). It didn't show much wear, suggesting it might not have been used heavily.
Discoveries and Investigations
People have studied Milecastle 13 for a long time. Here are some key discoveries:
- 1776 - A big treasure was found here! A pot containing 516 gold and silver coins was discovered. The newest coin was from AD 168. This gives us a clue about when the milecastle was in use.
- 1930 - Archaeologists dug here and learned about the milecastle's size. They also identified the type of gateway it had.
- 1955 - Experts from English Heritage looked at the site. They noted that the milecastle was visible as a slight rise in the ground.
- 1989 - Another English Heritage study confirmed that a platform still survived. It was about 0.2 to 0.4 meters (0.7 to 1.3 feet) high.
Nearby Watchtowers: Turrets
Every milecastle along 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 connected to Milecastle 13 are known as Turret 13A and Turret 13B.
Turret 13A
The remains of Turret 13A (Rudchester East) are now covered by the B6318 Military Road. When it was investigated in 1930, it was found to have a similar layout to other turrets. It had a rectangular platform inside. Its walls were strong, about 1.22 meters (4 feet) thick, and the doorway was on the east side.
Turret 13B
Sadly, no remains of Turret 13B (Rudchester West) exist today. Its location was measured to be about 73 meters (80 yards) beyond the west wall of the nearby Roman fort of Vindobala (Rudchester). An old toll-cottage once stood at this spot.
