Milecastle 13 was a milecastle

Milecastle

A milecastle was a small fort , 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 Britain , hence the name.Along Hadrian's Wall, milecastles were...

 of the Roman

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

 Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...

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

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

Legio secunda Augusta , was a Roman legion, levied by Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus in 43 BC, and still operative in Britannia in the 4th century...

 who were based in Isca Augusta

Isca Augusta

Isca Augusta was a Roman legionary fortress and settlement, the remains of which lie beneath parts of the present-day village of Caerleon on the northern outskirts of the city of Newport in South Wales.-Name:...

 (Caerleon

Caerleon

Caerleon is a suburban village and community, situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport, South Wales. Caerleon is a site of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hill fort...

).

The milecastle measured 15.24 metres (50 ft) x 17.91 metres (58.8 ft) with narrow side walls having a thickness of 2.34 metres (7.7 ft).

The threshold of the north gate was unworn, and raised 23 centimetres (9.1 in). 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
  English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
  
   Field Investigation. It was noted that the milecastle was visible as a slight rise, but that the slopes not surveyable.

• 1966 - English Heritage
  English Heritage
  English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
  
   Field Investigation. The description and published survey was confirmed.

• 1989 - English Heritage
  English Heritage
  English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
  
   Field Investigation. It was noted that a platform survived, 0.2 metre (0.656167979002625 ft) to 0.4 metres (1.3 ft) high, with a further drop of around 4 metres (13.1 ft) to the east. The platform measured approximately 20 metres (65.6 ft) east-west and 13 metres (42.7 ft) north-south overall. 20 metres (65.6 ft) to the east was another slight mound, measuring 12 metres (39.4 ft) east-west and 7 metres (23 ft) 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 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

Th 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 2.82 metres (9.3 ft) thick (broad wall).

The fort of Vindobala

Vindobala

Vindobala was a Roman fort at the modern-day hamlet of Rudchester, Northumberland. It was the fourth fort on Hadrian's Wall, after Segedunum , Pons Aelius and Condercum. It was situated about to the west of Condercum. The name Vindobala means “White Strength”...

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

Location on Ordnance Survey 1:25 000 map: 55.001399°N 1.819958°W

Turret 13B

No remains exist of Turret 13B (Rudchester West). Its measured position is 73 metre beyond the fort's west wall, at the location of an old toll-cottage.

Measured location: 55.002596°N 1.827551°W

Monument Records

Monument	Monument Number	National Monuments Record NMR NMR may refer to:Applications of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance:* Nuclear magnetic resonance* NMR spectroscopy* Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance* Protein nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy* Proton NMR* Carbon-13 NMR... Number
Milecastle 13	22784	NZ 16 NW 6
Turret 13A	22789	NZ 16 NW 7
Turret 13B	22792	NZ 16 NW 8