Milefortlet 1
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| Milefortlet 1 | |
|---|---|
 View towards the Solway Firth near the site of Milefortlet 1 | |
  Location within Cumbria | |
| Type | Milecastle |
| Place in the Roman world | |
| Province | Britannia |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 54°56′43″N 3°14′14″W / 54.945407°N 3.237098°W |
| County | Cumbria |
| Country | England |
| Reference | |
| UK-OSNG reference | NY20856189 |
Milefortlet 1 (Biglands 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. The remains of Milefortlet 1 survive as a slight earthwork.
Milefortlet 1 is situated in a field beside Biglands House in the civil parish of Bowness. Aerial photographs show a square platform about 50 metres wide surrounded by ditches.[1] All that can be seen on the ground is a slight ridge defining the north side, and to a lesser extent, the west side.[1]
Excavations
The milefortlet was trial-trenched in 1954 and 1974, and fully excavated in 1975.[1] The excavations revealed a rectangular fort measuring 40 metres by 50 metres. The original defence was a turf rampart 7 metres wide surrounded by a v-shaped ditch.[1] There were three distinct phases in the fort's history when each time it was demolished and rebuilt. The dating evidence suggests that the fort was occupied throughout most of the 2nd century.[1]
