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Swarthy Hill milefortlet 21 is a Roman coastal defence installation situated approximately eighty metres south of the Saltpans in Cumberland, forming part of the integrated frontier system that protected the north-western frontier of Roman Britain. Dating to the second century AD, the milefortlet represents the characteristic small fortified outpost type deployed along the Cumbrian coast, functioning as a garrison point within the defensive network that complemented larger forts in the region. The site preserves archaeological evidence of its Roman military occupation, though its physical remains are now largely subsurface. Like other examples in this coastal chain, the milefortlet would have served functions of surveillance, control of movement, and communication along this strategically important maritime frontier zone.
Swarthy Hill milefortlet 21, 80m south of the Saltpans, part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1015252. View the official record →
Swarthy Hill milefortlet 21 is a Roman coastal defence installation situated approximately eighty metres south of the Saltpans in Cumberland, forming part of the integrated frontier system that protected the north-western frontier of Roman Britain. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1015252.
Swarthy Hill milefortlet 21, 80m south of the Saltpans, part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1015252.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Maryport (Alavna) Roman fort, part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast, its associated vicus and a length of Roman road (3.7 km), Roman cremation cemetery, 380m south east of Maryport Roman fort (3.9 km), Netherhall (4.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Swarthy Hill milefortlet 21, 80m south of the Saltpans, part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Swarthy Hill milefortlet 21, 80m south of the Saltpans, part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.