| Summary : The site of Roman milecastle 49. Harrow's Scar Milecastle is situated on the west side of the Irthing gorge on the cliff known as 'Harrow's Scar'. It survives as an upstanding stone feature and measures 23 metres north to south by 20 metres east to west. The section of Hadrian's Wall west of the River Irthing (to which the milecastle belongs), was first built as a turf rampart, probably due to the lack of building stone in the vicinity. It stretched from Harrow's Scar to the south side of the east gate of Birdoswold fort, continuing on the west side from the west gate. The turf wall was rebuilt in stone by the end of the second century AD. This 874 metre section of stone wall averages 2.2 metres wide, on a broad foundation 3 metres wide, and over 1 metres high. I. A. Richmond excavated the milecastle in 1953, revealing the remains of a gateway and the earlier turf milecastle, measuring 16.6 metres north to south by 15.4 metres east to west. |
More information : (NY 6203 6641) Milecastle 49 (Remains of) (1)
Harrow's Scar Milecastle measures 76' N-S by 65' E-W. (2)
Excavated 1953. Full report, plans, illustrated. (3)
Roman Altar found during excavation dedicated to Silvanus. Now (1958) stored by MPBW at Corbridge, pending disposal. (4)
West and part of east wall visible. Enough remains to show that this milecastle was not rectangular. The external E-W measurements vary from 23.6m to the N to approx 27.0m (deduced) to the S. (5)
A building stone, No 1868, was found in 1939 in debris from the Wall between Harrow's Scar and MC/49. Now in Carlisle Museum. Full details given. (6)
Remains exposed and consolidated by D of E. Surveyed at 1:2500. (7)
Work on the W side of the milecastle in 1967 confirmed Richmond's results. The barrack block could not be traced. Two trenches outside the W wall showed no trace of turf work of the original turf-wall milecastle, but the trench inside showed traces (no more) of turf work. (8-9)
The milecastle at NY 6202 6640 is consolidated and under guardianship. It was surveyed by RCHME Newcastle in 1987 at 1:1000 scale as part of the survey of Birdoswald fort and its environs. This survey and field report are lodged in the National Monuments Record at Swindon. (10)
[The centurial stone is now recorded as NY 66 NW 55]
Scheduled Harrow's Scar Milecastle, also known as Milecastle 49, is situated on the west side of the Irthing gorge on the cliff known as 'Harrow's Scar'. It survives as an upstanding stone feature and measures 23 metres north to south by 20 metres east to west. The section of Hadrian's Wall west of the River Irthing (to which the milecastle belongs), was first built as a turf rampart, probably due to the lack of building stone in the vicinity. It stretched from Harrow's Scar to the south side of the east gate of Birdoswold fort, continuing on the west side from the west gate. The turf wall was rebuilt in stone by the end of the second century AD. This 874 metre section of stone wall averages 2.2 metres wide, on a broad foundation 3 metres wide, and over 1 metres high. I. A. Richmond excavated the milecastle in 1953, revealing the remains of a gateway and the earlier turf milecastle, measuring 16.6 metres north to south by 15.4 metres east to west. (11-13)
The structural remains of the Roman milecastle described above were mapped from historical aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Hadrian's Wall NMP project. (14)
Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (15)
The excavated ruined walls of the milecastle are visible on air photographs and were mapped by Historic England as part of English Heritage Trust's 'Hadrian's Wall: Birdoswald Sector Survey'. A post medieval farmstead was constructed inside the milecastle, recorded as UID 1612338.
(16) |