Roman Milestone Approximately 74 Metres To West Of Road

Roman Milestone at Middleton is an ancient road marker standing in Middleton, a village in Cumbria, in the north-west of England. It is a rare survivor from the Roman road network of northern Britain and is protected twice over: as a Grade II* listed structure and as a scheduled monument.

What is the Roman milestone at Middleton?

A milestone was the Roman equivalent of a modern distance sign. Set beside a military road, it told soldiers, officials and traders how far they still had to travel. The Middleton example is a stone shaft about 1.68 metres tall and roughly 457 millimetres across. Its eastern face carries a Latin inscription reading "MP LIII", an abbreviation of "milia passuum", or thousands of paces. In other words, the stone marked the fifty-third Roman mile of a route measured towards Carlisle.

Where is it?

The marker belongs to the landscape of Middleton, in the Westmorland and Furness area of Cumbria, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. The area lay close to the course of the Roman road running between Ribchester in Lancashire and Low Borrow Bridge near Tebay, a line that linked forts across the north-west. The historic listing describes the monument as lying roughly 74 metres west of the road, which explains the long official name under which it is recorded.

Why is it protected?

The milestone was scheduled as an ancient monument in 1924, one of the early entries of that kind, and it received Grade II* listing in 1962. Grade II* is a high category, applied to particularly important buildings and structures. Few Roman milestones survive in Britain with their inscription still legible, which is why this one carries such status.

A stone that was moved

For centuries the stone stood in a field. Cattle eventually knocked it over, and in 2016 it was moved to the church field nearby for safekeeping. Today it can be seen in the grounds of the Church of the Holy Ghost in Middleton, which makes it easy to combine with a visit to the village church.

Visiting tips

• Allow around fifteen to twenty minutes; the object itself is small and the visit is short.
• Look closely at the east face to find the carved letters of the distance inscription.
• Combine the stop with a walk or drive through the nearby Yorkshire Dales and the Lune valley.
• Treat the churchyard with respect: it is a working place of worship and a burial ground.
• Take a camera with good close-up capability, since the details of the lettering are the main attraction.

Frequently asked questions

How tall is the Middleton milestone? The shaft is about 1.68 metres high.

What does "MP LIII" mean? It stands for 53 Roman miles, measured along the road towards Carlisle.

Is it free to see? The stone stands in the church grounds and can be viewed from outside; check local information for any access restrictions.

Is it the original position? No. After being knocked over by cattle it was relocated in 2016 to the nearby church field.

Is it protected? Yes, it is both a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed structure.