Milecastle 13 (Rudchester Burn) was a

milecastle A milecastle was a small fort (fortlet), a rectangular fortification built during the period of the Roman Empire. They were placed at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along several major frontiers, for example Hadrian's Wall in Great Bri ...

of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...

. Its remains exist as a low platform south of the B6318

Military Road {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019 The following is a list of military roads worldwide. Australia * Part of the A8 (Sydney) between Neutral Bay and Mosman * Military Road, part of Route 39, Melbourne * Military Road, off Wanneroo Road just north ...

Construction

Milecastle 13 was a short-axis milecastle and the north gateway has been identified as Type I. Such milecastles were thought to have been constructed by the

legio II Augusta Legio II Augusta ( Second Legion "Augustus'") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army that was founded during the late Roman republic. Its emblems were the Capricornus, Pegasus, and Mars. It may have taken the name "''Augusta''" from a victory or ...

who were based in

Isca Augusta Isca, variously specified as Isca Augusta or Isca Silurum, was the site of a Roman legionary fortress and settlement or ''vicus'', the remains of which lie beneath parts of the present-day suburban village of Caerleon in the north of the city of ...

(

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

). The milecastle measured × with narrow side walls having a thickness of . The threshold of the north gate was unworn, and raised . One stone remained, which could have acted as a third threshold, or part of a later narrowing of the gateway.

Excavations and investigations

*1776 – A hoard of 516 gold and silver coins (in a pot) were found. The latest dated to AD 168. *1930 – Excavation revealed the dimensions and gateway type. *1955 –

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

Field Investigation. It was noted that the milecastle was visible as a slight rise, but that the slopes not surveyable. *1966 –

Field Investigation. The description and published survey was confirmed. *1989 –

Field Investigation. It was noted that a platform survived, to high, with a further drop of around to the east. The platform measured approximately east-west and north-south overall. to the east was another slight mound, measuring east-west and north-south overall.

Associated turrets

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 The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 Engli ...

to the west of the Milecastle, and would probably have been manned by part of the milecastle's garrison. The turrets associated with Milecastle 13 are known as Turret 13A and Turret 13B.

Turret 13A

The remains of Turret 13A (Rudchester East) are covered by the B6318 Military Road. Investigation in 1930 revealed the turret to have the same plan as Turrets 12A and 12B, having a rectangular platform which occupied the south side of the interior. The mortared walls were recorded as 1.22 metres (4.0 ft) thick, with the doorway lying to the east. At the location of Turret 13B, the curtain wall was recorded as thick (broad wall). The fort of

Vindobala Vindobala (Brytonnic Celtic : windo- ''fair, white'', bala ''place, situation?'', cf. Old Irish bal, bail ''place, situation, condition, (good) luck'') was a Roman fort at the modern-day hamlet of Rudchester, Northumberland. It was the fourth fo ...

(Rudchester) lies between Turrets 13A and 13B. Location on

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1:25 000 map:

Turret 13B

No remains exist of Turret 13B (Rudchester West). Its measured position is beyond the fort's west wall, at the location of an old toll-cottage. Measured location:

Monument records

References

Bibliography

* {{Milecastles 13