Milefortlet 3 (Pasture House) was a Milefortlet of the Roman Cumbrian Coast defences. These milefortlets and intervening stone watchtowers extended from the western end of Hadrian's Wall, along the Cumbrian coast and were linked by a wooden palisade. They were contemporary with defensive structures on Hadrian's Wall. There is little to see on the ground but Milefortlet 3 has been located on aerial photographs.
| Milefortlet 3 | |
|---|---|
 Looking towards Pasture House Farm, and the approximate site of Milefortlet 3 | |
  Milefortlet 3 shown within Cumbria | |
| Type | Milecastle |
| Place in the Roman world | |
| Province | Britannia |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 54°55′57″N 3°16′18″W / 54.932558°N 3.271664°W |
| County | Cumbria |
| Country | England |
| Reference | |
| UK-OSNG reference | NY18616050 |
Description
editMilefortlet 3 is situated in a field beside Pasture House Farm in the civil parish of Bowness. It was located in 1945 by the finding of turfwork immediately beyond the stream northeast of the farm.[1] There is little to see from the ground but most of the outline of the milefortlet was seen as a soilmark on aerial photographs in 1946.[1]
Associated Towers
editEach milefortlet had two associated towers, similar in construction to the turrets built along Hadrian's Wall. These towers were positioned approximately one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west of the Milefortlet, and would probably have been manned by part of the nearest Milefortlet's garrison. The towers associated with Milefortlet 3 are known as Tower 3A (grid reference NY18126042) and Tower 3B (grid reference NY17646031).[2][3]
The position of Tower 3A is uncertain, although there used to be a mound in a field about 400 metres west of Pasture House.[2] The site of Tower 3B is within another field, and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[3] Tower 3B was excavated by in 1880 which revealed a flagged floor surface, on which were the remains of pottery, an amphora handle, human bones, and quantities of mussel shells.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Historic England, "Milefortlet 3 (9694)", Research records (formerly PastScape), retrieved 26 November 2013
- ^ a b Historic England, "Tower 3A (9688)", Research records (formerly PastScape), retrieved 26 November 2013
- ^ a b c Historic England, "Tower 3B (9691)", Research records (formerly PastScape), retrieved 26 November 2013