Milecastle 42 on Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland, UK
640 views · Published 28 September 2009 · 2:32 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: Alan Heath · 2009 · Travel & Events
SEE MY HISTORY PAGE ON FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alan-Heaths-History-Page/173472422695696 Milecastle 42 is located close to Cawfield Quarry, close to Haltwhistle, Northumberland, UK. The wind is so bad here at times that you can scarcely hear me rabbit on. This film does make the point however that it is very windy here - and the wind can suddenly appear from nowhere. It cannot have been a popular posting for a Roman soldier! An unusual position for a fort as it is on a slope. Was it to protect the gap between the two hills or was it because the Romans were keen on getting their milecastles bang on one mile? As you can see in this video, Milecastle 42 is situated on a steep south facing slope close to Cawfield Crags. It overlooks Hole Gap to the west. It measures 17.8 metres east-west by 14.4 metres north-south internally, with walls 2.8 metres thick and 1.4 metres high. An excavation in 1847 - 8 uncovered part of a dedication slab indicating that the milecastle had been built by the Legio II Augusta. Each milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two associated turret structures. These turrets were positioned approximately one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west of the Milecastle, and would probably have been manned by part of the milecastle's garrison. The turrets associated with Milecastle 42 are known as Turret 42A and Turret 42B. The former was probably destroyed by quarrying. Hadrian's Wall was 117.5 km long, it varied in height depending on what construction materials were available nearby. In this area the wall was around 2.4m high and we can still see where the ditches were located. Roman Emperor Hadrian came to Britain in 122CE and the wall was no doubt planned before then, maybe even started before then. The wall was a clear indication of Roman power but also an indication that enough was enough and that the Empire was not going to continue growing. Hadrian's father Trajan had extended the Empire with the acquisition of Dacia in modern Romania and Mesopotamia in modern Iraq but Hadrian retreated from these areas. Hadrian followed the principle of Augustus a century earlier that consolidation, not enlargement was the name of the game. Would it not have been easier for Hadrian simply to have conquered the remainer of Britain rather than build a wall? After all, he knew it was an island. This is a good question, the north had a low population and indeed the Empire did make north briefly later. I am unable to give an answer. The Wall served more of a statement than a military value. It showed outsiders how strong Rome was and was useful in collecting taxation revenues. Certainly in other parts of the Empire, the 'barbarians' outside were beginning to live like Romans at this time and organise towns, roads etc. The wall took only six years to finish although no doubt extra work was continually being done. At each of the 80 Roman miles there was a milecastle holding a handful of troops who could be called out if necessary. These milecastles were located within signalling or physical view of each other and so they are not equidistant. The garrison was made up of auxiliaries, sometimes from far away places. The fortress of Arbeia (not strictly speaking a border fortress) at South Shields was garrisoned by people from Iraq! Although there were attacks on the wall, on the whole it was peaceful. In 410CE, Rome itself was under attack and Roman troops were pulled out of Britain. The locals, who were Romanised, were told that they needed to take care of their own defence. The wall lasted long after the Romans went. Most damage was done in the eighteenth century as stone was removed for road and agricultural use. Fortunately the wall was protected from the nineteenth century onwards. Hadrian's Wall was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and in 2005 it became part of the transnational "Frontiers of the Roman Empire" World Heritage Site which also includes sites in Germany. My channel on you tube : http://www.youtube.com/alanheath is one of the most prolific from Poland. I have produced a number of films, most in English but also in Polish, French, Italian, Spanish and the occasional hint of German and Hebrew. My big interest in life is travel and history but I have also placed films on other subjects There are a number of films here on the packaging industry. This is because I am the publisher of Central and Eastern European Packaging -- http://www.ceepackaging.com - the international platform for the packaging industry in this region focussing on the latest innovations, trends, design, branding, legislation and environmental issues with in-depth profiles of major industry achievers. Most people may think packaging pretty boring but it possibly effects your life more than you really imagine!
