[NY 7562 6763] TURRET [G.S.] (Site of) (Excavated A.D 1911) (1)

Turret 39a is on the top of Peel Crag. It was excavated in 1911 and found to have been abandoned, dismantled and its recess built up at the end of the 2nd century. The later masonry is still visible in the south face of the wall. (2)

The remains consist of a slight step in the north face of the wall, and a hollow in the ground on the south side. Surveyed at 1:2500. (3)

Part of national monument number 26060, scheduling revised on 14th July 1997. Turret 38b is located on the crest of Peel Crags and commands wide views in all directions. It is visible as a slight rectangular hollow about 0.2m deep. The turret was located in 1909 and excavated in 1911 by Simpson. Its walls were of narrow gauge and were found to have been demolished and the Wall built over its entrance indicating that it fell out of use during the Roman period. A platform, probably for a ladder, was positioned in the south west corner. The remains of a man and a woman were found buried in the north west corner. Burial in such a place was against Roman law and as such these could be the remains of an unlawful event. (4)

Excavations in 1911 found evidence that the turret had been abandoned and demolished by the early third century AD. The recess in the north wall was blocked with very large blocks of stone. There is no evidence of wing walls and it appears to have belonged to the narrow wall phase of building. Excavations found a rectangular structure in the south-west corner (1.1m by 0.84m), evidence of a central hearth and another outside the east wall. After the interior was abandoned a man and woman were buried in the north-west angle.
Peel Crags turret is a rare example of a turret built with the narrow phase of construction and the discovery of burials inside is unique, as are the very large, well-dressed stones used in the later blocking. They were constructed with the same mortar as the adjacent lengths of rebuilt curtain wall and show the rebuilding of the wall was contemporary with the demolition and restructuring of the turrets. (5)

The turret was located in 1909 (6b) and excavated in 1911; the S, E, and W walls had been taken down to ground level in the Roman period and were narrow gauge. In the SW corner of the turret a rectangular structure, 3 feet 8 inches by 2 feet 8 inches, was built against the S wall beneath the level of a platform. In the NW corner was a burial of a man and a woman overlain by blocking material (6c). The turret is visible as a slight rectangular hollow about 0.2m deep. (6a)

Reference (6d)

Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (6e)

General association with HER 6561 (Milecastle 39), HER 6563 (Turret 39b). HER 6643 (Peel Gap Tower). (6)