HALTWHISTLE BURN
and Haltwhistle Common,
Northumberland, England.
1) Fortlet (NY 715662) on the Stanegate 53 km W of
Newcastle, 0.8 km S of Milecastle 32 on Hadrian's Wall.
Large fortlet (0.32 ha) at the crossing of the Haltwhistle
Burn, with stone-faced earth ramparts, two main gates on
the E and S sides (the W postern being finally blocked)
and stone internal buildings, including at least one barrack and a granary. Occupation dates in the first half of
the 2d c. and was very short; the fortlet probably served
as an element in the detailed control of the Stanegate as
a fortified frontier road in the later part of Trajan's reign
and the early years of Hadrian's; it was abandoned and
carefully demolished when Hadrian's Wall was built.
2) Undershot watermill, on the burn just S of the Wall
(NY 712665).
3) Series of temporary camps: one just N of fortlet,
1 ha, one entrance on S side; a second just to the E, ca.
0.25 ha, with annex of 0.25 ha on S, entrance on S side.
These two camps were probably connected with the construction of the fortlet or of the bridge over the burn.
Two large camps, 2.8 and 0.8 km W of the fortlet, on
Haltwhistle Common, and another 0.8 km E, were cut
by the line of the Stanegate, and were perhaps of Flavian
date. Some others in the area were probably related to
the building of Hadrian's Wall; others may be practice
works.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) J. P. Gibson & F. G. Simpson,
Arch. Ael. 5 (1909) 213-84; J. C. Bruce,
Handbook to
the Roman Wall, 12th ed. I. A. Richmond (1966) 141-42; E. Birley,
Research on Hadrian's Wall (1961) 145-46. 2)
Proc. Soc. Ant. Newcastle ser. 3, 4 (1909-10) 167.
3)
Arch. Ael. 5 (1909) 259-63;
Proc. Soc. Ant. Newcastle ser. 3, 7 (1915-16) 125-26, 196-97; Ordnance Survey,
Map of Hadrian's Wall (1964); J. K. St. Joseph,
JRS 59
(1969) 105.
J. C. MANN
