Milecastle 5

Coordinates: 54°58′17″N 1°37′44″W / 54.971402°N 1.628967°W

Milecastle 5
Milecastle 5 probably lies under the A186 road
Milecastle 5 Milecastle 5 shown within Tyne and Wear
OS grid reference	NZ23806410
List of places UK England Tyne and Wear

Milecastle 5 (Quarry House) was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. No remains exist of the milecastle, though its supposed position is at the junction of the A186 Westgate road and the B1311 Corporation Street.^[1] No remains currently exist.^[2]

Construction

Nothing is known of the long/axis or gateways type of Milecastle 5.

Excavations and investigations

• 1732 - Horsley surveyed the area, and noted that he:^[3]

“

thought there were visible signs of a castellum just behind the quarry-house

”

• 1858 - Henry MacLauchlan agreed the location, stating that:^[4]

“

It is probable there was a Mile Castle where the Wall makes a bend at the top of Westgate Road

”

• 1968 - English Heritage Field Investigation. It was noted that all traces of the Milecastle had been obliterated by modern development.

Associated Turrets

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 5 are known as Turret 5A and Turret 5B.

Turret 5A

The discovery of Milecastle 4 some way from its presumed location has brought into question the presumed sites of all milecastles and turrets in this area. However, the site is included in the English Heritage Archive.^[5]
Presumed location: 54°58′24″N 1°38′12″W / 54.973223°N 1.636761°W

Turret 5B

The discovery of Milecastle 4 some way from its presumed location has brought into question the presumed sites of all milecastles and turrets in this area. However, the site is included in the English Heritage Archive.^[6]
Presumed location: 54°58′27″N 1°38′40″W / 54.974144°N 1.644564°W

Monument Records

Monument	Monument Number	English Heritage Archive Number
Milecastle 5	25026	NZ 26 SW 3
Turret 5A	22667	NZ 26 SW 4
Turret 5B	25032	NZ 26 SW 5

References

1. Hope Dodds, Madeleine (1930), A History of Northumberland, 13 (first ed.), Andrew Reid, Sons & Co, p. 498
2. Birley, Eric B (1961), Research on Hadrian's Wall, Titus Wilson & Son
3. Horsley, John (1732), Britannia Romana or the Roman Antiquities of Britain, Frank Graham (published 1974), pp. 137–8, ISBN 0-85983-090-X
4. "Milecastle 5". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
5. "Turret 5A". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
6. "Turret 5B". Pastscape. English Heritage. Retrieved 26 May 2010.

Bibliography

• Daniels, Charles (1979), "Review: Fact and Theory on Hadrian's Wall", Britannia, 10: 357–364, JSTOR 526069