Milecastle 34 (Grindon), Hadrian's Wall

There are no visible surface remains of Milecastle 34, but the site is marked by a distinctive copse of trees in a walled enclosure, located about ¾ mile east of Sewingshields Farm. The Milecastle was recorded by the antiquarian Horsley in this location during the 1730s. It survives as a buried feature beneath the walls of the plantation and the wooded interior. 

There are thought to have been 80 milecastles on Hadrian’s Wall, located every Roman mile (1,000 paces) along the Wall, with two turrets (observation towers) spaced every third of a mile between them. The Milecastles were rectangular forts manned by small garrisons (probably 10-30 soldiers). The milecastles significance was much more than just their role in defending the Roman frontier. The milecastles had gateways in the north and south walls, often with towers on the north gate. They controlled passage through the Wall, supporting the checking of movement and levying taxes (customs) on goods and people. The milecastles also provided a visible symbol of Roman authority and imperial control. After Hadrian’s Wall was initially built (AD 122-8), larger forts (such as Housesteads) were added to the wall, providing bigger bases for fighting units, suggesting a shift in Roman strategy. In the 1930s a numbering system was devised, with the Milecastles numbered east to west.