Milecastle 26 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Milecastle 26
Northumberland, England, UK
Looking towards the site of Milecastle 26 on Hadrian's Wall Path
Milecastle 26 Location in Northumberland
Coordinates	55°01′14″N 2°06′35″W / 55.020461°N 2.109670°W / 55.020461; -2.109670

Milecastle 26 (Planetrees) was a small fort built by the Romans as part of Hadrian's Wall. This wall was a huge barrier across northern England. Milecastle 26 is located in Northumberland, England. Today, you can't see any parts of it because it's mostly covered by the B6318 Military Road. This milecastle was similar in size to other nearby milecastles, like Milecastle 23, 24, and 25.

Building Milecastle 26

Milecastle 26 was about 15.24 meters (50 feet) wide. It was built by a Roman army group called the Legio VI Victrix, which was based in York. They were known for their building skills.

During its construction, workers found two iron tools, called wedges, in the wall's rubble. These wedges were about 260 millimeters (10 inches) long and were used to split stones. This shows us how the Romans built such strong walls.

Exploring the Site

People have studied the site of Milecastle 26 several times to learn more about it.

Early Discoveries (1930)

In 1930, a researcher named Miss T. Hepple dug at the site. She found out where the milecastle was located and how big it was. She also made a sketch of the area.

Later Checks (1966 & 1989)

Later, in 1966 and 1989, another group called English Heritage checked the site. They confirmed that there were no visible remains of the milecastle. They noted that the modern road and a garden covered most of the area.

Nearby Watchtowers

Every milecastle along Hadrian's Wall had two smaller watchtowers, called turrets, nearby. These turrets were usually about one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile (a Roman mile is about 1,480 meters or 4,856 feet) to the west. Soldiers from the milecastle would have guarded these turrets. For Milecastle 26, these watchtowers are known as Turret 26A and Turret 26B.

Turret 26A (High Brunton)

Turret 26A was found in 1930 by Miss T. Hepple, near the B6318 Military Road. When it was explored again in 1959, researchers found that its floor had been changed several times. It started with clay and mortar, then had stone, and was later covered with sand and flat stones. Each time the floor was changed, a new fireplace was built.

Interesting finds at Turret 26A included tools for working with bronze, like a crucible (a pot for melting metal) and a whetstone (for sharpening tools). They also found pieces of pottery, including jugs and large storage jars. Some of these pottery pieces were made by the Legio VI Victrix near York around 120 AD. This suggests that the same Roman army group that built the milecastle might have built this turret too. There is no evidence that anyone lived here after the 2nd century.

Turret 26B (Brunton)

Remains of Brunton Turret

Turret 26B is located west of Brunton House. It's special because parts of it are still standing, up to 2.8 meters (9.2 feet) high! It's part of a 69-meter (75-yard) section of Hadrian's Wall that you can still see today. Inside the turret, there's a stone altar.

This turret was first dug up by John Clayton in 1873 and then by T. Hepple in 1930. Since then, it has been made stronger to help preserve it. The inside of the turret is about 3.88 meters (12.7 feet) by 3.5 meters (11.5 feet). Its side walls are about 0.84 meters (2.7 feet) thick.

Hadrian's Wall forms the northern wall of the turret. In 1947, this part of the wall was still standing eleven stone layers high. Near the turret, a special stone was found with an inscription. It said "COH IX > PAV.APRI," which means "The century of Paulus Aper of the ninth cohort." This tells us which Roman army unit worked on that section of the wall.

Visiting the Sites

You can visit the areas where Milecastle 26 and Turret 26A once stood by walking along the Hadrian's Wall Path. Turret 26B, which still has parts standing, can be reached from the east side of the A6079 road.

Images for kids

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  Looking towards the site of Milecastle 26 on Hadrian's Wall Path

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  Remains of Brunton Turret