Milefortlet 16 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Milefortlet 16 |
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 Location in Allerdale
Location in Cumbria
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| Type | Milecastle |
| Place in the Roman world | |
| Province | Britannia |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 54°48′35″N 3°25′42″W / 54.80967°N 3.428225°W |
| County | Cumbria |
| Country | England |
Milefortlet 16 was a small Roman fort, part of a long line of defenses along the coast of Cumbria, England. These forts, called milefortlets, were built by the Romans at the same time as Hadrian's Wall. They stretched from the western end of Hadrian's Wall all along the Cumbrian coast. Each milefortlet was connected by a wooden fence and had stone watchtowers in between. Today, there isn't much to see at the site of Milefortlet 16, but its location has been found.
What is Milefortlet 16?
Milefortlet 16 is located west of a village called Mawbray. This area is in the civil parish of Holme St Cuthbert. The fort was built among sand dunes right on the coast. Over time, strong winds and quarrying (digging for stone) have damaged the site.
Only the back part of the fort's wall, known as the eastern rampart, still remains. When experts looked closely at the damaged wall, they found two holes where wooden posts used to be. These posts were likely part of a gate tower. They also found a curved gravel road.
Nearby Watchtowers
Each milefortlet had two watchtowers nearby. These towers were built in a similar way to the turrets found along Hadrian's Wall. The towers were placed about one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west of the milefortlet. Soldiers from the nearest milefortlet would have guarded these towers.
The two towers connected to Milefortlet 16 are known as Tower 16A and Tower 16B.
Tower 16A Discoveries
Tower 16A was dug up by archaeologists in 1937. During the dig, they found two small pieces of pottery from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Three large sandstone blocks found nearby might have come from the tower itself.
Tower 16B Discoveries
Tower 16B was excavated in 1954. Here, archaeologists found the foundations of the west wall and half of the north wall. They also discovered pottery, three spear-heads, and other items left behind by the Roman soldiers. You can still see a small part of the outer face of the north wall, which is about 15 centimeters high, on the ground today.
