Milecastle 7 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milecastle 7 |
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| Tyne and Wear, England, UK | |
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Milecastle 7 probably lies near the A186 road
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Turret 7B and attached wall
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 Milecastle 7
Location in Tyne and Wear
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| Coordinates | 54°58′48″N 1°40′35″W / 54.980119°N 1.676469°W |
Milecastle 7, also known as Benwell Bank or Benwell Hill, was a small fort on Hadrian's Wall. This famous wall was built by the Romans across northern England. Milecastle 7 has not been found by archaeologists yet. It is thought to be hidden under houses built in modern times.
Even though the milecastle itself is missing, Roman objects have been found nearby. One important part of the wall that still stands is Turret 7B. This turret was a small watchtower connected to the milecastle.
Contents
Building Milecastle 7
Archaeologists have not yet found the exact spot of Milecastle 7. Experts believe it is located between two other parts of the wall: Turret 6B and Turret 7A. This area is now covered by modern homes.
Discoveries and Investigations
In 1928, a search was done to find Milecastle 7, but nothing was discovered. However, three stones were found in the area. These stones had special marks from the Legio II Augusta. This was a famous Roman army group called a legion.
The style of these stones shows they were made around the late 100s AD. This suggests that parts of Hadrian's Wall in this area were repaired around that time.
Associated 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 of the milecastle. Soldiers from the milecastle would have guarded these turrets.
The two turrets connected to Milecastle 7 are known as Turret 7A and Turret 7B.
Turret 7A
Turret 7A is located in a place called Denton Burn. It is found between Thorntree Drive and Brignall Gardens, near the A186 road.
In 1923, during the building of a house nearby, a Roman coin was found. This coin was a sestertius, a type of Roman money, and it was from the time of Emperor Trajan. Another coin was discovered in 1929.
Location: 54°58′55″N 1°40′57″W / 54.981843°N 1.682549°W
Turret 7B (Denton Hall Turret)
Turret 7B, also called Denton Hall Turret, is located in West Denton. It stands across from East Denton Hall on West Road. This turret is made of sandstone and is still standing up to six stone layers high.
It is built into a 65-meter-long section of the wide part of Hadrian's Wall. Turret 7B is about 4 meters wide from north to south and 4.2 meters from east to west. Its entrance, which is about 1.1 meters wide, is on its south side. The wall connected to Turret 7B is the furthest east part of Hadrian's Wall that we know still exists.
Archaeologists first found Turret 7B in 1928. It was dug up by the Office of Works in 1929. During this dig, a pile of pottery was found in the middle of the east wall. This might have been where a window was located.
They found three different floor levels, which means the turret was used during three different periods:
- From 122 AD to 196 AD
- From 205 AD to 295 AD
- From 300 AD to 367 AD
The first floor was made of clay and had a fireplace and a stone box with a stone bowl on it. Parts of this floor had been fixed with flat stones called flagstones. A spearhead and parts of a shield were found within these repairs. Later, a building was constructed over the turret, and pottery from the 1700s was also found. Another excavation happened in 1936.
Some experts believe that soldiers from the Condercum fort in Benwell were stationed at Turret 7B.
By 1971, English Heritage, an organization that protects historic sites, took care of the turret. They maintain the turret and the wall connected to it as one property, known as "Denton Hall Turret." This site is open to the public, and you can visit it for free. Turret 7B was the first place on Hadrian's Wall visited in Guy de la Bédoyère's BBC Radio 4 radio series, The Romans in Britain.
Location: 54°59′03″N 1°41′28″W / 54.984139°N 1.691234°W
Images for kids
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Turret 7B and attached wall
See also
In Spanish: Castillo miliar 7 para niños
