Milecastle 40 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milecastle 40 |
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![]() The site of Milecastle 40
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Type | Milecastle |
Location | |
Coordinates | 55°00′08″N 2°23′57″W / 55.002179°N 2.399161°W |
County | Northumberland |
Country | England |
Milecastle 40, also known as Winshields, was an important small fort along Hadrian's Wall. These milecastles were like mini-forts built by the Romans. They helped control who passed through the wall and provided shelter for soldiers.
Contents
Discovering Milecastle 40
Milecastle 40 is found in a beautiful area of Northumberland, England. It is located northwest of a place called Twice Brewed. You can see its remains as low, grassy mounds. These mounds are made of rubble and earth, rising about 1 meter (3 feet) high. It gives us a peek into what these ancient structures looked like.
What We Learned from Digging
Archaeologists excavated Milecastle 40 in 1908. To excavate means to carefully dig up and study old sites. They found that the remains were quite messy, but the south wall was still standing ten stone layers high!
They also discovered it had a special kind of entrance called a "Type II gateway." Sadly, they couldn't find a clear layout of the buildings inside the milecastle. This means we don't know exactly how the rooms were arranged.
Understanding Associated Turrets
Every milecastle along Hadrian's Wall had two smaller watchtowers nearby. These towers are called turrets. They were placed about one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west of each milecastle. Soldiers from the milecastle would have guarded these turrets. They helped keep an eye on the area and send signals. The turrets linked to Milecastle 40 are known as Turret 40A and Turret 40B.
Turret 40A: Winshields
Turret 40A, also called Winshields, was first found in 1912. It was then excavated in 1946. This turret had thin walls. It was almost completely destroyed while the Romans were still using it. Today, you can't see any remains of Turret 40A above ground.
Turret 40B: Melkridge
Turret 40B, also known as Melkridge, was also found in 1912 and dug up in 1946. Its remains were not very well preserved. Only part of the east doorway was left. The excavations showed that this turret was unusually wide. It measured 2.7 meters (nearly 9 feet) across inside. Like Turret 40A, there are no visible remains of Turret 40B today.
Visiting These Historic Sites
If you're interested in Roman history, you can visit the sites of Milecastle 40 and its two turrets. They are all accessible by walking along the Hadrian's Wall Path. This path lets you explore many parts of the ancient wall.