Milecastle 79 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milecastle 79 |
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View towards the Solway Firth near the site of Milecastle 79
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 Location in Cumbria
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| Type | Milecastle |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 54°56′56″N 3°11′40″W / 54.948979°N 3.194427°W |
| County | Cumbria |
| Country | England |
Milecastle 79 (Solway House) was a small fort built by the Romans along Hadrian's Wall. These "milecastles" were like mini-forts placed about every Roman mile (which is about 1,600 meters) along the wall. They helped the Roman soldiers guard the frontier.
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Where is Milecastle 79?
Milecastle 79 is located in Cumbria, England. It sits about 350 meters west of Field View Lane. This is near the village of Port Carlisle. Today, you won't see any parts of the milecastle above ground.
What Did It Look Like?
Milecastle 79 was first built using turf (grass and soil) and timber (wood). This was part of the original Turf Wall. It was built on a raised platform, about 1.5 meters high. This platform helped protect the milecastle from floods.
Later, the Romans rebuilt it using stone. This stone milecastle was a bit larger. Inside, it had a timber-framed building. The gates of the stone milecastle were made smaller after it was first built.
Discovering Milecastle 79
In 1801, a historian named William Hutton walked along Hadrian's Wall. He saw parts of the wall near where Milecastle 79 would have been. He described it as being long and quite tall in some places.
Hutton even met a farmer who had been taking stones from the wall. Hutton convinced the farmer to stop destroying the ancient structure.
Digging Up the Past: Excavations
Archaeologists have dug at Milecastle 79 twice.
First Dig: 1949
The first excavations happened in 1949. This dig helped experts understand the size and shape of the milecastle. They found evidence of both the early turf and timber fort and the later stone fort.
Second Dig: 1999
Another excavation took place in 1999. This was part of a bigger project to study all the milecastles. The archaeologists confirmed what was found in 1949. They also found more details about the timber building inside the stone milecastle.
What Are Turrets?
Every milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two smaller watchtowers called turrets. These turrets were placed between the milecastles. They were about one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile away. Soldiers from the milecastle would have guarded these turrets.
Turret 79A
Turret 79A has never been found. Its likely spot is calculated based on other parts of the wall. It's thought to be about 400 meters west of Milecastle 79. At this spot, Hadrian's Wall changes direction. You can still see a raised bank where the wall once stood.
Turret 79B (Jeffrey Croft)
Turret 79B is also known as Jeffrey Croft. It's located about 250 meters southeast of the houses in Bowness-on-Solway. You can see a small, slightly raised area on the ground where it once stood.
This turret was partly dug up in 1934. Archaeologists found parts of its walls. It was first built as a stone tower that stood next to the Turf Wall. Turret 79B is the most western turret that we know of on Hadrian's Wall.
