Roman BritainMilecastle 65 (Tarraby)
Roman Fortlet · Military

Milecastle 65 (Tarraby)

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: 967060434
Site type
Fortlet
Category
Military
Latitude
54.9126
Longitude
-2.9241
Overview

History & context

Milecastle 65 (Tarraby) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall (grid reference NY40855793).

Milecastle 65 is located about 1 km northwest of the Roman fort of Petriana on a west-facing slope 150 metres southwest of the hamlet of Tarraby in the former Carlisle district. There are no visible remains of the milecastle. A Roman altar and a sword were supposedly found near this site in the 19th century.

To the south, a short section of the Vallum can be seen in the fields, running parallel to the B6264 road. It survives as a broad depression 10 metres wide and 0.5 metres deep.

A trial excavation was conducted at the southwest corner of the milecastle in 1976, following a geophysical survey. At least two courses of foundations were found to survive, and the geophysical survey indicated that internal cobble flooring survives as buried remains. The milecastle is thought to be of the short axis type.

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 65 are known as Turret 65A (grid reference NY405575) and Turret 65B (grid reference NY402571). None of the turrets between Milecastles 59 and 72 were sought or identified prior to 1961, and the exact locations of turrets 65A and 65B have not been found.

Turret 65A is thought to be about 250 metres east of Beech Grove. Turret 65B corresponds to the site of Stanwix Roman Fort, and is likely to have been replaced by the fort when it was constructed. Excavations in 1975 at the calculated position of Turret 65B found only wall core. It is thus unknown whether Turret 65B was replaced by the fort before or after the replacement of the Turf Wall by the Stone Wall.

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

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Milecastle 65 (Tarraby)?

Milecastle 65 (Tarraby) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall (grid reference NY40855793). Milecastle 65 is located about 1 km northwest of the Roman fort of Petriana on a west-facing slope 150 metres southwest of the hamlet of Tarraby in the former Carlisle district. 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 65 (Tarraby)?

Milecastle 65 (Tarraby) 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 65 (Tarraby)?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Turret 65B (1 km), Uxelodu(nu)m (1.1 km), Milecastle 64 (Drawdykes) (1.2 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 65 (Tarraby)?

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Everything a full report reveals about Milecastle 65 (Tarraby)

This page covers the Roman site at Milecastle 65 (Tarraby). 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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