Milefortlet 1 (Biglands House) was the northernmost fortlet of the Cumbrian Coast system, the chain of milefortlets and towers extending Hadrian's frontier defences down the Solway shore from Bowness-on-Solway. Excavations revealed two main phases: an initial turf-and-timber fortlet built under Hadrian c. AD 122–130, with subsequent reoccupation in the Antonine period and possible later activity into the later 2nd century. It enclosed roughly 0.1 ha and would have housed a small detachment of auxiliary soldiers, equivalent in form to the milecastles on the Wall itself.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
As the first installation south of Bowness-on-Solway (the western terminus of Hadrian's Wall), Biglands marks the point where the Wall's regulated frontier transitioned into the coastal surveillance system, monitoring movement across the Solway Firth where it could be forded at low tide. Its position made it a key node in controlling unwalled approaches that could otherwise outflank the Wall.
The site was excavated by Richard Bellhouse in 1974–75, revealing two ditches, a turf rampart, and timber gate-towers, with internal timber buildings; pottery and structural evidence indicated Hadrianic construction, Antonine reoccupation, and a final phase. The fortlet is not visible above ground today, having been confirmed through aerial photography and trenching r
Milefortlet 1 (Biglands House) was the northernmost fortlet of the Cumbrian Coast system, the chain of milefortlets and towers extending Hadrian's frontier defences down the Solway shore from Bowness-on-Solway. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fortlet site from the Roman period in Britain.
Milefortlet 1 (Biglands House) 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 Maia (1.7 km), Milecastle 80 (1.7 km), Campfield (tower 2b) and associated parallel ditches and Roman road, 350m south west of Campfield Farm part of Roman frontier defences along Cumbrian coast (2 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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