Roman BritainMilecastle 58 (Newtown)
Roman Fortlet · Military

Milecastle 58 (Newtown)

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: 967060265
Site type
Fortlet
Category
Military
Latitude
54.9554
Longitude
-2.7856
Overview

History & context

Milecastle 58 (Newtown) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall (grid reference NY49786258).

Milecastle 58 is believed to lie near the lane heading southwest out of the village of Newtown, Cumbria. It is thought to be located on the north side of a hedge which has traces of a platform below it, and an unusually large quantity of stones in the hedge bottom. In 1853, a stone inscribed with the words "LEG II AUG FECIT" (The Second Augustan Legion built this) was apparently found among the stones at Milecastle 58. A geophysical survey conducted in 1980–81 failed to detect the milecastle.

Excavations in 1902 located the course of Hadrian's Wall to the southwest of Newtown, and the geophysical survey in 1981 indicated that masonry still survives on the line of the Wall to the immediate southwest of Newtown.

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 58 are known as Turret 58A and Turret 58B.

Turret 58A (grid reference NY49406223) has never been located. Its approximate position has been calculated in relation to other structures on Hadrian's Wall, and it is thought to be situated about 300 metres east of Cumrenton farm.

Turret 58B (grid reference NY49026188) has an uncertain location. It was apparently found in 1894 by the Society of Antiquities of Newcastle but its precise location was not recorded. Its approximate position has been calculated in relation to other structures on Hadrian's Wall, and it is thought to be situated in the field immediately northeast of Chapel Field.

Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Milecastle 58 (Newtown)?

Milecastle 58 (Newtown) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall (grid reference NY49786258). Milecastle 58 is believed to lie near the lane heading southwest out of the village of Newtown, Cumbria. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fortlet site from the Roman period in Britain.

What type of Roman site is Milecastle 58 (Newtown)?

Milecastle 58 (Newtown) 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.

What other Roman sites are near Milecastle 58 (Newtown)?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Turret 57B (0.5 km), Turret 58A (0.5 km), Turret 57A (Beck) (1 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.

How can I research the history of the area around Milecastle 58 (Newtown)?

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Everything a full report reveals about Milecastle 58 (Newtown)

This page covers the Roman site at Milecastle 58 (Newtown). A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this site alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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