Milecastle 42 (Cawfields) is a short-axis milecastle on Hadrian's Wall, built in stone during the original Wall construction phase around AD 122–125 under the governorship of Aulus Platorius Nepos, whose name appears on a building inscription recovered from the site (RIB 1666), attributing the work to the Second Legion Augusta. It is dramatically sited on the steep Whin Sill escarpment near Cawfields Quarry, with its north gate opening onto an impractically sheer drop — a striking example of the Wall's rigid adherence to the standard one-Roman-mile spacing regardless of terrain.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
As one of the better-preserved milecastles in the central sector, it illustrates both the military rigidity of Hadrianic planning and the small-garrison checkpoint function (likely housing 20–30 auxiliary soldiers) controlling movement through the Wall. The Nepos inscription is also a key piece of dating evidence for the Wall's construction sequence.
Excavated by F.G. Simpson in 1935, the milecastle measures approximately 18.5 by 15 metres internally (short-axis type, with gates on the long sides), with substantial walls preserved to several courses; a single barrack block and an oven were identified, along with the building inscription. The site is now a consolidated monument in guardianship, partly truncated on its western side by 19th- and 20th-century quarrying that destroy
Milecastle 42 (Cawfields) is a short-axis milecastle on Hadrian's Wall, built in stone during the original Wall construction phase around AD 122–125 under the governorship of Aulus Platorius Nepos, whose name appears on a building inscription recovered from the site (RIB 1666), attributing the work to the Second Legion Augusta. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Milecastle 42 (Cawfields) is classified as a Roman fort — 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 42A (Burn Head) (0.3 km), Cawfields Roman temporary camp (0.3 km), Haltwhistle Burn Temporary Camp 4 (0.3 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.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on Roman heritage, Domesday records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Milecastle 42 (Cawfields)