was built as an outlying defence of Hadrian's Wall to the south, to which it was linked by a road direct from the Roman fort of Banna (Birdoswald) on the wall, and a signal station on Gillalees Beacon between the two. The fort was later rebuilt in stone. Much of the stone was subsequently used to build a Norman castle within the northern perimeter of the fort. The ruins of Bewcastle Castle have recently been consolidated by English Heritage, and are accessible to the public without charge. People Two brothers born in Bewcastle, Joseph Armstrong (1816–1877) and George Armstrong (1822–1901), became noted steam locomotive engineers; their careers were spent mainly on the Great Western Railway. Gallery See also Listed buildings in Bewcastle References Bibliography External links Cumbria County History Trust: Bewcastle (nb: provisional research only - see Talk page) Bewcastle website, description, history, Bewcastle Cross, what's on Brief description The Cumbria Directory - Bewcastle GENUKI page Derivation of place-name FANVM COCIDI Roman Fort Villages in Cumbria City of Carlisle Civil parishes in Cumbria