Chapter XVI: Part III: Local Description of the Works (7)

This peculiar term is probably derived from the Saxon _Seuch_, a
furrow or fosse, and _Shiel_, a hut for those who have the care of
cattle, and thus signifies, the cottage by the fosse.

Footnote 96:

It is reported in the neighbourhood, that Mrs. Spearman having dreamt
that she found a rich hoard of treasure among the ruins of the castle,
made diligent search for it, but without success. When the castle was
removed, however, the farmer obtained a valuable deposit of mediæval
manure.

Footnote 97:

Pliny’s Natural History, lib. vii. c. 2, q.

Footnote 98:

Hodgson’s Northumberland, II., iii., 287.

Footnote 99:

The country being depopulated, lands once in tillage, again became
wastes. The forests being partially destroyed, either by fire or the
axe, the streams which used to permeate the low-grounds were arrested
in their course by prostrate trunks and branches, and gave rise to
extensive morasses. In the bogs of the district we are now
considering, immense quantities of large oak and birch timber, as well
as of oak leaves and hazel nuts, are continually being found. The Dike
would not, of course, originally, be drawn through swampy ground.

Footnote 100:

Many of them are preserved in the Museum of the Society of
Antiquaries, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Footnote 101:

Horsley remarks, 'I cannot say that Hadrian’s Vallum has made the
south rampart of this station at Housesteads, but I think it has
passed it not much to the south, and seems to have a small turn just
at the brook, in order to come near, if not up to it.' This looks as
if Horsley could not altogether throw off the idea that the works
exhibit unity of design. Hutton notices his inconsistency, and,
quoting him, (as transferred to the pages of ‘the judicious
Warburton,’) writes—‘But can a thing be brought near to what does not
exist! Hadrian was dead long before the appearance of this station.’

Footnote 102:

This circumstance, together with the fact, that all the camps of the
Barrier abound in stones reddened with fire, is confirmatory of the
view, that the buildings supplied with hypocausts were not necessarily
baths.

Footnote 103:

The site of the western gateway is marked by a figure in the
background of the picture.

Footnote 104:

Pompeii.—Library of Entertaining Knowledge.

Footnote 105:

Two of this number, however, would always be on duty, to the very
great comfort of the eight who remained.

Footnote 106:

The initial N, page 43, is formed of three nails from Housesteads,
drawn to three-fourths of the actual size.

Footnote 107:

The most satisfactory specimen that I have seen is at Carvoran; it has
apparently been rolled, when in a soft state, on a stone table, and
presents, from its slightly roughened surface, the degree of opacity
which plate-glass has before it is polished.

Footnote 108:

One of them is engraved, on p. 63, the inscription of the other is
illegible; both are in the Museum at Newcastle.

Footnote 109:

See also the vignette, page 42. Most of these are still on the ground.
They are drawn to the usual scale.

Footnote 110:

Archæologia Æliana, i. 268.

Footnote 111:

Britannia Romana, 125.

Footnote 112:

Hutchinson’s Northumberland, i. 60.

Footnote 113:

A dilapidated building, near the east end of the town, illustrates
some of the peculiarities of this species of border fortress. The
lower portion of it was devoted to the reception of cattle—the upper
was occupied by the family. The floor of the second story consists of
stone flags laid upon massive beams of oak, very roughly dressed. The
object of this arrangement has probably been to prevent the enemy, who
might get possession of the lower part of the building without being
able to take the upper part by storm, from applying, with much success
at least, fire to the floor. The stone slates of the roof were
generally fastened with the bones of sheeps’ trotters—a most durable
fastening—instead of wooden pins; but, in this instance, the original
roof has been removed.

Footnote 114:

Whilst lying in prison, and cheerfully waiting for the time when he
should be offered, his mind reverted to the scenes and companions of
his youth. 'My hope was of late that I should have come among you, and
to have brought with me abundance of Christ’s blessed gospel,
according to the duty of that office and ministry whereunto among you
I was chosen, named, and appointed, by the mouth of that our late
peerless prince, king Edward.' In a letter, in which, as one ‘minding
to take a far journey,’ he bids farewell to his loving brothers and
sisters, and his well-beloved and worshipful cousins, he specifies
many of the well-known localities of this district, then their places
of residence.

Footnote 115:

Labbe’s edition of the Notitia Imperii, published at Paris, 1651.

Footnote 116:

It is preserved in the collection of antiquities at Chesters.

Footnote 117:

Arch. Æliana, i. 118.

Footnote 118:

History of the Picts’ or Romano-British Wall, 35.

Footnote 119:

Hodgson, II. iii. 293.

Footnote 120:

History of the Picts’ Wall, 35.

Footnote 121:

The owner of the ground was provoked to obliterate the remains of this
ancient city, in consequence of the manner in which curiosity-mongers
(not antiquaries) trespassed on his fields, in their way to the
station, instead of taking the beaten track.

Footnote 122:

I have been strongly reminded of these circular pedestals by the
figures of the columns of the Roman part of Reculver church, given (p.
198) in Mr. C. Roach Smith’s admirable work on Richborough and
Reculver. The northern examples are, however, of coarser workmanship
than the southern seem to have been; the moulding that encircles the
Carvoran specimen resembles straw-ropes rather than carefully
fabricated cables.

Footnote 123:

Thirl, from the Saxon _thirlian_, signifies to pierce, to bore. It is
generally supposed, that this stronghold derived its name from the
Scots having broken through the Wall here. It may, however, have taken
it from the sluice or bridge where the river passed through the Wall;
thirl, says Hutchinson, being frequently applied to the opening left
in moor fences for sheep to pass through.

Footnote 124:

Can it have been derived from the Saxon _bryddes wald_ or _weald_, the
bird’s forest? The local pronunciation of the name of the place is
peculiar and rather favours the proposed etymology.

Footnote 125:

The Wall is at too great a distance from the Vallum to be introduced
into the section; it is beyond the extra fosse, on the right hand side
of the wood-cut.

Footnote 126:

In this locality, the traveller is apt to lose his reckoning, in
consequence of the number of cottages and villages which are
denominated ‘Wall.’

Footnote 127:

Some antiquaries have conceived, that in the last two words of the
inscription, a reference is made to the emperor Septimius Severus.
This cannot be admitted, for—1. The emperor’s name would not be placed
after that of the prefect: 2. The term _instante_ implies the
discharge of a subordinate duty; for, not to mention other examples,
the temple of which the CILURNUM slab records the restoration (p.
186), was built by command of Marius Valerianus, under the
superintendence of (_instante_) Septimius Nilus: 3. That _princeps_
was the designation of a subordinate officer in the army, appears not
only from a collation of other inscriptions, but from the following
statement of Manutius—'In a legion there were three kinds of foot
soldiers, _hastati_, _principes_, and _triarii_, and in each there
were ten centurions, who were called the first _hastatus_, the second
_hastatus_, the third, and so on, up to the tenth; the first
_princeps_, the second, and so on; but the _triarii_, the bravest of
all, were named in a different manner, for they did not call them
first triarius, but _primipilus_, or _primipili centurio_.'—_Arch.
Æl._, ii. 88.

_Principi_ is doubtless intended for the more usual form of the
ablative, _principe_.

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~The Roman Barrier of the
Lower Isthmus.~