Milecastle 39, Hadrian's Wall. Photo by Northumberland County Council.

[NY 7606 6773] MILECASTLE 39 [G.S.] (Remains of) (1)

Milecastle 39, was cleared in 1854. It measures 55ft east to west and 62ft north to south, with type II gates. The well preserved, side walls, 7ft thick have six or seven courses of stone standing. The foundations of a small barrack block remain on its western side. (2)

As described and in good condition, with walls standing to a maximum height of 1.4m. Resurveyed at 1/2500. (3)

Additional bibliography. (4)

Scheduled. (5)

Milecastle 39 measures 18.9m north-south by 15.05m east-west. The gates are built of small blocks, unlike milecastles 37 and 38 to the east, but are similar to those at milecastle 40. A small building on the west side is an 18th century milking-house. The interior of the milecastle is now rather overgrown. The excavations of the interior in the 1980s are the only example from Hadrian's Wall of complete excavation down to pre-Roman levels. (6)

Constructed entirely to the Narrow Wall standard (between 2.14m - 2.00m wide), and has unusually narrow gateways. (7)

During excavations in 1987 below the later Roman chalet-type buildings, west of the central roadway, a single stone building was found with evidence for at least three doorways leading onto the central roadway. The east half was extremely disturbed and the main surviving features were anoven in the south-east corner and a stone-built drain built alongside the road. Beneath these stone built features were a number of post holes and beam slots overlying extensive construction debris. There is evidence for some Roman occupation in Castle Nick before the construction of milecastle 39. (8)

Examination of residues from Castle Nick showed that there was no evidence for metalworking on the areas excavated in the 1980s. (9)

The milecastle was excavated in 1908-11 and measured 61 feet 9 inches long by 49 feet 4 inches across on the north side, 51 feet 7 inches across on the south side (long axis). The gates were type II, the south gate measured 8 feet 5 inches wide at the entrance and was subsequently reduced in the second century to 4 feet wide. A building on the west side was found, 9 feet wide and 18 feet 6 inches long. There was very little stratified pottery, and the length of occupation is unknown (10b). It was subsequently re-excavated in 1982 (10c), 1985 (10d), 1986 (10e) and 1987 (10f). The north gate, north wall and wing foundations were built first together with the foundations of the east wall and the butt end of the west wall, these foundations were later reduced and set in steps cut into the hillslope because of the steep slope (10c). In earlier phases a long barrack stood on the west side with a row of small buildings on the east (10d). Excavations in 1986 showed that the road that ran through the milecastle was restricted to 2m across by post holes on one side and barracks on the other. In the south-east corner was a stone oven and the south-west corner a rectangular building with a sunken floor associated with Roman finds (10e). The south gate was found to be clay bonded whinstone boulders rather than the sandstobne blocks of the north gate which suggests that the south gate had no tower (10f). The latest Roman buildings lay on the west side with doorways facing the east, these were then given curving porches that overlay the road (10d). The north gateway was narrowed in Phase V (10c); the milecastle appears to have been occupied until the late 4th century (10d). In the 18th century a possible milking house was built in the west corner (10c). The milecastle at NY 7606 6773 is now consolidated, and the walls are up to 1.75m high. (10a)

Reference (10g)

The excavated stonework remains of milecastle 39 are visible on air photographs and were mapped as part of the Hadrian's Wall National Mapping Project. (10h)

Depiction from the James Irwin Coates Archive (1879) showing Castle Nick Milecastle. (10i)

Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (10j)

General association with HER 6562 (Turret 39a), HER 6563 (Turret 39b). (10)