Milecastle 30 (Limestone Corner) 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 an outward-facing scarp with a maximum height of . Masonry from the east wall (both faces) remains in situ. The remaining stretch is in length by thick, and survives to a height of . It is located at the western part of

Limestone Corner Limestone Corner is an area of Hadrian's Wall (and associated defences) at its most northerly point, in present-day northern England. It represents the most northerly point of the Roman Empire, outside the two periods during which the Antonine ...

, just off the B6318 Military Road.

Construction

Milecastle 30 was a long-axis milecastle though the gateways were never excavated and so the type has not been identified. Such milecastles were thought to have been constructed by the

legio VI Victrix Legio VI Victrix ("Victorious Sixth Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army founded in 41 BC by the general Octavian (who, as Augustus, later became Rome's first emperor). It was the twin legion of VI ''Ferrata'' and perhaps held vete ...

who were based in

Eboracum Eboracum () was a fort and later a city in the Roman province of Britannia. In its prime it was the largest town in northern Britain and a provincial capital. The site remained occupied after the decline of the Western Roman Empire and ultimate ...

(

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

), or by the

legio XX Valeria Victrix Legio XX Valeria Victrix, in English Twentieth Victorious Valeria Legion was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. The origin of the Legion's name is unclear and there are various theories, but the legion may have gained its title ''Valeria ...

who were based in

Deva Victrix Deva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary fortress and town in the Roman province of Britannia on the site of the modern city of Chester. The fortress was built by the Legio II ''Adiutrix'' in the 70s AD as the Roman army advanced north ag ...

(

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

). The only stated dimension (with the exception of the surviving east wall) for the milecastle is the North South length of .

Excavations and investigations

*1927 – The milecastle is visited and examined by FG Simpson. The north–south length is identified at this time, and the presence of the Military Way noted. *1951 – The wing walls (and curtain beyond the wing walls) are excavated. It is discovered that the curtain is

Narrow Narrow may refer to: * The Narrow, rock band from South Africa * Narrow banking, proposed banking system that would eliminate bank runs and the need for a deposit insurance * narrow gauge railway, a railway that has a track gauge narrower than th ...

gauge on Broad gauge foundations. *1965 –

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 remains consisted of a mutilated earth platform, with a fragment of the east wall exposed near the north-east corner. It was also noted that the Military Way was well defined by the presence of an

agger Agger may refer to: * Agger (surname) * Agger (ancient Rome), a type of ancient Roman rampart or embankment * Agger (river), a river in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * Agger nasi, an anatomical feature of the nose * Agger Rockshelter, in Wisconsi ...

and ground swelling. *1989 – English Heritage Field Investigation (as part of the Hadrian's Wall Project). Previous observations were reconfirmed.

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 30 are known as Turret 30A and Turret 30B.

Turret 30A

Turret 30A (Carrawburgh East) lies mostly under the B6138 Military Road, though the south face was discovered in 1912 on the south side of the road. Its actual position is about west of the calculated position, as measured from Milecastle 30, but correct as measured from Turret 30B. This suggests that the turrets were laid out first, and the difference is due to the site of Milecastle 30 being repositioned slightly to the summit of Tuppermoor Hill. Further excavation in 1966, and English heritage Field Investigations in 1965 and 1989 failed to find the remains. Location on

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1:25 000 map:

Turret 30B

Turret 30B (Carrawburgh West) exists as a mound, west of the track to Carrawburgh Farm. The west wall was discovered in 1912, though a 1966 excavation by RW Harris of Durham University proved inconclusive, as did visits by English Heritage Field Investigators in 1966 and 1989.
Location on

1:25 000 map:

Monument records

Public access

Although on private land, the site of the milecastle is visible over a wall adjoining the

Hadrian's Wall Path Hadrian's Wall Path is a long-distance footpath in the north of England, which became the 15th National Trail in 2003. It runs for , from Wallsend on the east coast of England to Bowness-on-Solway on the west coast. For most of its length it ...

National Trail National Trails are long distance footpaths and bridleways in England and Wales. They are administered by Natural England, a statutory agency of the UK government, and Natural Resources Wales (successor body to the Countryside Council for Wa ...

. Nothing is visible of Turrets 30A and 30B, but their sites are accessible from the B6318 Military Road.

References

Bibliography

* {{Milecastles 30