Milecastle 38 (Hotbank) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall in the vicinity of Hotbank Farm, (grid reference NY77276813). It is notable for the joint inscription bearing the names of the emperor Hadrian and Aulus Platorius Nepos, the governor of Britannia at the time the Wall was built.
The site of Milecastle 38 is in the vicinity of Hotbank Farm, Little remains of the milecastle except rubble walls outlined by robber trenches.
The milecastle was excavated in 1935 and found to be 18 metres (59 ft) east–west by 15 metres (49 ft) north–south. It was found to have a short axis, with a Type I gateway. Pottery finds indicated an occupation of the 4th century. There was a rectangular building in the south-west corner and a causeway, 3.6 metres (12 ft) wide, to the east. A tombstone was found, inscribed "...us.. xit annis... mensibus du...ebus quinque", re-used as a pivot stone in the south gateway.
Milecastle 38 is notable for the joint inscription bearing the names of the emperor Hadrian and Aulus Platorius Nepos, the governor of Britannia at the time the Wall was built. The left-hand part was found c. 1715 and the right-hand part was found in 1829.
The first two lines identifies the emperor Hadrian, the third the Legion – Legio secunda Augusta (Second Augustan Legion) which erected the plaque, and the fourth the governor Aulus Platorius Nepos.
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 38 are known as Turret 38A and Turret 38B.
Turret 38A (Milking Gap) (grid reference NY76876792) was located by exploratory excavation in 1911. There are no visible remains.
Turret 38B (Highshield Crag) (grid reference NY76396785) was also located by exploratory excavation in 1911. The turret is only visible as an earthwork platform.
The milecastle, and the sites of both turrets, are accessible via the Hadrian's Wall Path.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Milecastle 38 (Hotbank) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall in the vicinity of Hotbank Farm, (grid reference NY77276813). It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fortlet site from the Roman period in Britain.
Milecastle 38 (Hotbank) is classified as a Roman fortlet — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Turret 38A (Milking Gap) (0.5 km), Turret 37B (Hotbank Crag) (0.5 km), Turret 37A (Rapishaw Gap) (0.9 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
Aubrey Research generates detailed historical reports for any location in Britain, incorporating Roman heritage, Domesday Book records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and much more. Enter a nearby address to begin.
This page covers the Roman site at Milecastle 38 (Hotbank). A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this site alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain, drawing on Roman heritage, Domesday records, scheduled monument data and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Milecastle 38 (Hotbank)