Chapter XVII: Part IV: The Supporting Stations of the Wall (1)

Altho’ we have now traversed the line of the mural Barrier from one extremity to the other, and examined all the camps that lie upon its track, we have met with but seventeen or eighteen of the twenty-three that are mentioned in the Notitia as stations _per lineam Valli_. According to Horsley, five remain to be accounted for, and according to Hodgson, who rejects Watch-cross, six. These must be sought for among the stations which support the great Barrier on its northern or southern side. As the names of the camps north of the Wall have been ascertained by independent authority, and as they do not correspond[Sidenote: SECONDARY FORTS OF THE NOTITIA.] with those of the remaining stations of the Notitia, it is agreed on all hands, that the list is to be completed from among the fortified places which support the Barrier on the south. Without dwelling upon the reasons which have guided the conjectures, (for they are but conjectures at the best), of the great author of the Britannia Romana, and other antiquaries, in appropriating the remaining names supplied by the Notitia, it may be sufficient to say, that as the primary stations, so far as they have been ascertained, are found to be arranged in that document in regular consecutive order, beginning at the eastern extremity of the line, it is conceived to be highly probable that a similar course has been pursued with the secondary camps. If, therefore, we could correctly ascertain which, of all the camps that dot the country in the southern vicinage of the Wall, are mural stations, we might, with tolerable plausibility, bestow upon them in their order the remaining names of the Notitia roll. But this is a task of great difficulty, and considerable uncertainty must necessarily attend the appropriation of the names upon this principle.

An examination of the forts themselves, however, on both sides of the Wall, is a task equally easy and instructive, and it is one which is essential to a correct estimate of the strength of the principal fortification—the Wall. Sir John Clark must have altogether overlooked the existence of these supporting stations, when he wrote in the following strain to his friend Gale:—

After all, I cannot but take notice of two things with regard to the
Wall, that have given me great matter of speculation. The first is,
why it was made at all, for it could never be a proper defence, and
perhaps at Bowness less than at any other place, since our barbarian
forefathers on the north side could pass over at low water, and if the
sea was higher or deeper than it is now, could make their attacks from
the north-east side by land.—The second is, why the Scots historians,
vain enough by nature, have not taken more pains to describe the Wall,
a performance which did their ancestors more honour than all the
trifling stories put together which they have transmitted to us. It is
true the Romans walled out humanity from us; but it is as certain they
thought the Caledonians a very formidable people, when they at so much
labour and cost built this Wall; as before they had made a Vallum
between the Forth and the Clyde.

[Sidenote: THE BARRIER NOT A NAKED WALL.]

The Romans did not oppose to the enemy a single line of fortification only, which, by some casual negligence on their part, or a sudden exertion of desperate bravery on the side of their antagonists, might in a moment be rendered useless. In addition to the Wall, stationary camps were planted along its whole course, at a few miles distance from it, both to the north and the south; so that, in reality, a triple line of fortresses was opposed to the passage of an enemy from either quarter. These subsidiary stations were connected with the garrisons on the Wall, and to some extent with each other, by good roads. In maintaining a surveillance over an enemy, whether to the north or the south of the chief member of the fortification, in furnishing a secure retreat for the soldiery when venturing beyond their line, and in stemming the first shock of an onset, the importance of the out-stations cannot be over-rated.

[Sidenote: THE SUPPORTING FORTS OF DIFFERENT ERAS.]

It is not contended that all the stations which are immediately on the north and south of the Wall were erected with the express view of supporting it. Several of them doubtless were, but others, there is reason to believe, were made by Agricola, before the Wall was projected or thought of. All that is necessary for us to admit is, that they contributed materially to the strength of the main structure, and as such, formed an important element in the calculations of the engineer of the Wall.

In taking a cursory survey of the supporting stations of the line, it may be well, first, to examine those which defended its eastern extremity: next, those which are upon Watling-street—the great channel of communication between the northern and southern sections of Britain on the east side of the summit level: afterwards, those which are on the Maiden-way—the road on the west of the summit level: and reserve to the last, the important stations which strengthened the works on the northern and southern shores of the Solway.

_TYNEMOUTH._—The Castle and Priory stand upon a peninsula so strong and so easily defended, that it could not have escaped the attention either of the aboriginal Britons or the Romans. The altar, which was erected by the fourth cohort of the Lingones, has been already described (_p._ 109). Another lettered stone, found along with it, is here represented.

GYRVM CVMBAS
ET TEMPLVM
FECIT C IV
MAXIMINVS
LEG VI VI
EX VOTO

About the reading of the first line of this inscription, which Brand translates, ‘a circular harbour for the shipping,’ there is some uncertainty; but there is no doubt about the other lines, which import that—

Caius Julius Maximinus, _of_ the Sixth Legion, victorious,
in the performance of a vow, erected _this_ temple.

The mere circumstance of its selection as the site of a temple, proves this to have been a place of some importance in the Roman age. The name of the builder of the temple fixes, with a near approach to precision, the date of its dedication. Caius Julius Verus Maximinus was a Thracian shepherd of great personal strength; he attracted at an early period of his life the notice of Septimius Severus, and under Caracalla attained to the rank of centurion. On the assassination of Alexander Severus, in 235, he assumed the purple, and was himself assassinated in 238. He probably accompanied Septimius Severus into Britain, and on this occasion erected the temple commemorated by this inscription. The following amusing account of the personal qualifications of Maximinus, is given in Dr. William Smith’s admirable Dictionary of Biography and Mythology.

His height exceeded eight feet, but his person was not ungraceful, for
the size and muscular developement of his limbs were in proportion to
his stature, the circumference of his thumb being equal to that of a
woman’s wrist, so that the bracelet of his wife served him for a
ring.... The remarkable magnitude of his eyes communicated a bold and
imposing expression to his features. He was able single-handed to drag
a loaded wagon, could with his fist knock out the grinders, and with a
kick break the leg of a horse; while his appetite was such, that in a
day he could eat forty pounds of meat, and drink an amphora of wine.
At least such are the statements of the ancient writers.

Nearly all traces of the camp at Tynemouth have been erased. Some years after the modern well near the entrance into the castle was sunk, another of wide diameter, and cased with masonry, was discovered, in consequence of the falling in of its covering; it is supposed to be Roman, but was again closed by order of the commander of the garrison, before it could be properly inspected.

[Sidenote: MEDIÆVAL REMAINS.]

The mediæval remains at Tynemouth are of great interest. The castellated gateway which formerly defended the approaches to the priory precincts has been sadly mutilated by tasteless renovators, but the ecclesiastical buildings, which have happily been left to the mercy of the elements, exhibit even in their ruins, much of their original beauty. The church-yard, affords a resting place to many who for years had been tossed upon the restless ocean, and to some who, venturing into the briny flood in search of health and pleasure, met with an untimely end. Friendly tomb-stones, speak of them; some names, however, are in danger of being forgotten.

The murdered body of Oswin king of Deira, was deposited in the church-yard of this monastery. Here too, were buried Malcolm Canmore king of Scotland—the friend of the Saxon—and his son, prince Edward, so named after his maternal ancestor the Confessor; they were both slain in the same fatal battle fought near Alnwick, A.D. 1094. Queen Margaret, through whom her present majesty, queen Victoria, derives her Saxon blood, survived the slaughter of her husband and son but a few days.

[Sidenote: BLAKE-CHESTERS.]

_BLAKE-CHESTERS_, at the high end of North Shields, is the site of another camp. Waterville, the residence of George Rippon, esq., is within its bounds. Several carved stones, much worn by the weather, are on the ground, and many Roman building-stones may be observed in the contiguous fences.

These are not the only camps which were situated on the east coast north of the Wall. Hodgson says—

From the Wall northward, are numerous small square camps, strengthened with deep ditches, scattered over the country, as if they had been intended for rural purposes.[128] A line of them may still be traced through the parishes of Long-Benton, past Cramlington, into the Plessy grounds.

There is every probability that the site of Morpeth castle was fortified by the Romans. Some portions of the curtain-wall still standing have been pronounced by competent judges to be of Roman masonry.

[Sidenote: FORT AT SOUTH SHIELDS.]

_SHIELDS LAWE._—The southern shore of the estuary of the Tyne was as well protected as the northern. A camp, comprehending several acres, stood upon the slightly elevated headland at South Shields called the Lawe. The excellence of the situation, as a post of observation, is proved by the acts of the pilots who have planted a beacon and erected many of their residences upon it. In 1798, the foundations of many old walls, which obstructed the plough, were removed. The lowest course of some of them consisted ‘of rough whinstone, evidently brought from the shore, as the barnacles were still adhering to them.’ The remains of a hypocaust were discovered at the same time. Several coins were also found, and as some of them were of the reign of Valentinian (A.D. 380), it may be presumed that the station was in use only a short time before the desertion of Britain by the Romans. An altar, despoiled of its inscription, which was found in this station, is preserved in the library at Durham.

The ancient military-way called the Wreckendike terminated at this station. Until a recent period, one branch of it could be traced by Lay-gate, the Dean-bridge, and Jarrow-slake, to Gateshead-fell. It also led to Lanchester, Binchester, and the South.

[Sidenote: STATION AT JARROW.]

_JARROW._—At nearly the same distance from the camp on the Lawe, on the south side of the river, as Blake-chesters is from Tynemouth, on the north, the site of another Roman fort occurs. Hodgson, who first drew attention to it, says—

At Jarrow, an oblong square of about three acres, with its corners
rounded off, overlooking the estuary of Jarrow-slake, and fronting on
the south the bank of the navigable stream called the Don, is, on good
grounds, supposed to have been the site of a station or fortified town
of the Romans. Under-ground foundations of a wall of strong masonry
mark out its area on every side, and include within them the site of
the present church and church-yard, and some ragged remains of the
ancient monastery of Jarrow. In digging up part of the remains of
these walls in 1812, a silver denarius of Aulus Vitellius was found
embedded in mortar in the heart of the wall; and when the road was
formed past Jarrow-row, in 1803, two square pavements of Roman brick
were discovered.

Two inscribed stones have been found here which give strength to the opinion that Jarrow was a Roman station. One of them, now at Somerset-house, is shewn in the wood-cut. As Brand observes, it is interesting as containing the name of our island at length. It has been read—

DIFFVSIS PROVINC_IIS IN_ BRITANNIA AD VTRVMQVE
O_CEANVM_ EXERCITVS _FECIT_.—

The army erected this, on the extension of the Roman dominion in Britain, from the western to the eastern sea.

The other stone has formed part of an altar erected in honour of the adopted sons of Hadrian.

The church of Jarrow is a simple building, but it contains some undoubted Saxon work. Within the walls of the ancient monastery, some portions of which exist, the venerable Bede passed his useful and unostentatious life. Of him, Surtees, the Historian of Durham, observes—

The lamp of learning, trimmed by the hand of a single monastic who
never passed the limits of his Northumbrian province, irradiated from
the cell of Jarrow, the Saxon realm of England with a clear and steady
light; and when Bede died, history reversed her torch, and quenched it
in deep night.

This venerable man died, A.D., 735, in the act of completing a translation into Anglo-Saxon of the Gospel of St. John. His name would have been worthy of all reverence, even had he done nothing more than give to his countrymen the Scriptures in their vernacular tongue. It must however be confessed that ‘he fell on evil times,’ and that his works embody many of the errors and superstitions of the period.

[Sidenote: WARDLEY.]

_WARDLEY._—An ancient entrenchment containing an area of upwards of six acres, may yet be observed at Wardley, in the parish of Jarrow, nearly opposite to Wallsend. Hodgson, who resided for several years in this neighbourhood, was not able to learn that any Roman antiquities were ever found in it. He was disposed, however, to think that it belonged to the Roman era. It may have been a summer encampment of the garrison at Wallsend, and as such, would contribute not a little to their comfort, and the defence of the river.

Wardley, there is some reason to suppose, is the Wredelau of the chroniclers, where the body of St. Cuthbert became immoveable, and where the wandering monastics received the revelation which directed them to Durham.

Such were the strongholds by which the garrisons on the eastern extremity of the Wall were assisted in maintaining their ground against the foe.

Watling-street, running north and south, crossed the Wall at about twenty miles from its termination at Wallsend. The modern turnpike-road between Corbridge and West-Woodburn adheres very closely to its track, and occasionally the ancient ditches protecting it on both sides are to be seen. Its stations were probably planted by Agricola, but were not on that account less useful to the soldiers of the Barrier. Our examination of them must be brief.

_CHEW-GREEN._—Here, close upon the Scottish border, is an extensive Roman camp; investigation is necessary to decide whether it was of a temporary or permanent character; it is probably only an earthen entrenchment.

[Sidenote: HIGH-ROCHESTER.]

BREMENIUM, or High Rochester, is a station of considerable interest. It stands upon Watling-street, at about twenty two miles north of the Wall. Between Rochester and Chew-green the pavement of the Roman road may be distinctly traced for many miles together. The site on which the station stands is high and much exposed; but, in a military point of view, it is very strong. On all sides the ground slopes from it, but on the north it sinks so rapidly, as to give it the protection of a bold breastwork. The walls of the station are stronger than those of the forts on the line of the Wall; they are not only thicker, but are composed of larger stones.[Sidenote: BREMENIUM.] A moat has surrounded the camp; on the east side, which is by nature the weakest, two ditches have been formed, which there is reason to believe were supplied with water. All the gateways may be traced with considerable distinctness; the southern one has suffered least from depredation. The interior of the station is filled with the ruins of buildings; some of them would well repay examination. Of the modern structures which have been raised within its area, two are peel-houses or fortified dwellings of considerable strength. The suburban buildings of the station have been situated on the west side, where their foundations still appear. Here they would be protected by the valley along which, at about a quarter of a mile’s distance, the Sills-burn runs. The stones of the ramparts are strongly marked by the diamond broaching. The station contains an area of four acres and three roods.

At about half-a-mile distant from the station, in a south-east direction, there have recently been discovered the foundations of some Roman _cippi_ or funeral monuments. They are close by the road, and as was usually the case, on the south side of it. Three of them are square, the fourth, which is the largest, is circular. The masonry of all of them is remarkably fresh. The circular tomb has two courses of stones standing, besides the flat stones which form the foundation. On clearing out the interior, a jar of unburnt clay was found; it had no bones in it. The natural soil was found to have been acted upon by fire to the depth of more than a foot. Mixed with the rubbish was a quantity of white ashes. A coin of Alexander Severus was found within the area, a circumstance which strengthens the presumption that the station was occupied by the Romans until a late period.

There are several temporary camps in this neighbourhood. Persons well acquainted with the country, and who have noticed the peculiar structure of Roman roads, give it as their opinion that a Roman way has proceeded eastwards from Rochester by Yatesfield, Potts-Durtrees, Yardhope, Holystone, and Glanton, in a direction which renders it probable that it joined that branch of Watling-street which traversed the eastern side of Northumberland, and is often inelegantly termed the Devil’s-causeway.

Some distance south of the station, and near to the point at which Watling-street crosses the modern high-way, (in front of Redesdale cottage) the remains of an ancient lime-kiln were recently found. It was situated on the slope of a rocky hill, and had been formed partly by the excavation of the natural rock, and partly by regular courses of masonry. In order to take advantage of the form of the ground, the mouth for drawing out the lime was placed in front. The stones were much reddened by the action of fire, and portions of lime were adhering to them. There is excellent limestone near the kiln, and several beds of coal are in the vicinity. Several heaps of rubbish, on the line of Watling-street, where the coal crops out, render it probable that this mineral was wrought by the Romans.

[Sidenote: THE ITINERARY OF ANTONINE.]

In ascertaining the Roman names of the stations on the line of the Wall, reference has hitherto been made only to the Notitia Imperii. Another document has come down to our time, of which we may now avail ourselves—the Itinerary of Antonine. It does not mention any of the stations immediately upon the Wall, but names some to the north and and south of it. It is a sort of road-book of the whole Roman empire, and is supposed to have been made by one of the emperors who bore the name of Antoninus. Horsley thinks that Caracalla is best entitled to be accounted its author. That part of it which relates to Britain contains fifteen routes; the towns upon each are named, and the distances from one to another given in Roman miles. The aid which such a document gives in ascertaining the ancient designations of the stations that occur in it is obvious. The first ‘Iter’ is entitled ‘A Route from the Limit, that is, from the Wall, to PRÆTORIUM, 156 miles.’ It begins thus—

From BREMENIUM to CORSTOPITUM XX miles.
To VINDOMORA IX ”
To VINOVIA XIX ”

The second ‘Iter’ also begins at the Wall, and goes to the Ritupian-port, Richborough, 481 miles.

The first portion only, of it also, bears upon our present investigation.

From BLATUM BULGIUM to CASTRA EXPLORATORUM XII miles.
To LUGUVALLIUM XII ”
To VOREDA XIV ”

The tenth ‘Iter,’ which is from GLANOVENTA to MEDIOLANUM, 150 miles, begins with towns which are supposed to be in the vicinity of the Wall.

From GLANOVENTA to GALAVA XVIII miles.
To ALIONE (or ALIONIS) XII ”

That Rochester is the BREMENIUM of the first route, is established by the discovery of an altar in it, which professes to be erected by the _duplares_ of the exploratory troops stationed at BREMENIUM. In no position would exploratory troops be more needed than here, and no place could be more appropriately fixed upon as the starting point of an ‘Iter’ than this. Several of the inscriptions belonging to this station bear the name of Caracalla. Both BREMENIUM and HABITANCUM seem to have undergone important repairs in the time of this emperor.

Eight miles south of High Rochester, and on the line of Watling-street, is another Roman station.

[Sidenote: HABITANCUM.]

HABITANCUM is the name which Camden, and Horsley, on the authority of a stone found near the station, and which was inspected by them both, agree in bestowing upon the modern Risingham.

The position of HABITANCUM will strike a stranger with surprise. Instead of occupying an eminence, it is placed in a valley, and close upon the banks of the Rede. Hills environ it, though not very closely, on every side. They who, in early spring, have been exposed on the neighbouring heights to the sleety shower, will know the reason of the selection. The climate of Risingham is peculiarly mild. The west wind blows with the steadiness of a trade wind, and the harsh east seldom descends into this favoured valley. The village of Woodburn is on the opposite side of the river. The lines in ‘Rokeby’ well characterize the spot, though its wood is fast disappearing—

Where Rede upon his margin sees
Sweet Woodburn’s cottages and trees.

Notwithstanding the secluded nature of the situation, it is not destitute of military strength. The Rede defends it on the north, which was the point of greatest danger; and, excepting on the south, where an out-post seems to have been maintained, an enemy could be descried long before approaching the camp.

The walls of the station have been constructed of the same strong masonry as those of BREMENIUM. Owing to the excellence of the stone, the marks of the tool upon them are peculiarly distinct. In the hill behind the station, called the Bell-knowe, the ancient quarrymen have left numerous wedge-holes and other indications of their labours. Although a fosse usually surrounded the ramparts of a station, and although sir Walter Scott has sung of—

The moated mound of Risingham,

[Sidenote: RISINGHAM.]

Risingham does not appear to have been defended in this way. In company with the owner of the property, who had a little before thorough-drained the ground bordering on the south and east sides of the camp, I sought in vain for any traces of a fosse. The ruins of the interior would yield a rich harvest to the careful explorer. Recent excavations have revealed some chambers of great interest; but, with the exception of those near the south-east corner, they have been removed as soon as displayed. Some of the buildings were evident restorations of prior structures: a circumstance which confirms the conclusion deduced from other considerations, that the station was long occupied by the Romans. After being deserted, a portion of its north rampart has been carried away by the river. Until recently, the remains of the bridge by which Watling-street crossed the Rede, on the west side of the station, were distinctly visible. The soil which covers the camp is peculiarly rich, being replete with animal matter. Many important antiquarian treasures have been procured from this spot. The large slab, six feet long, which forms the ground-work of the initial letter at the beginning of this part, was found among the ruins of the south gateway. The inscription mentions the restoration of the gate with the walls of the station (PORTAM CUM MURIS VETUSTATE DILAPSIS). The upper part, which is lost, probably contained the name of Severus; in what remains, some of the titles of Caracalla appear. Geta’s name seems to have been erased. The stone is now at Newcastle. Another very fine slab found at this station, is at Cambridge. Some of the altars discovered here will be described in the last part.

Horsley is naturally surprised that HABITANCUM is not named in the Antonine Itinerary. One conjecture in which he indulges, in order to account for this is, ‘that the station might be neglected before the reign of Caracalla,’ which is proved to be unfounded by the slab already referred to, and by the discovery last year of some large fragments of inscriptions, mentioning that emperor by his title Adiabenicus. A second supposition which he entertains may be the correct one. He says—

Possibly Risingham might be looked on as too near to
Rochester, to make it another mansion in this route. And
though two places are sometimes set down in the same iter,
which are at no greater distance, yet other circumstances
might render this proper at one place, and not so at another.

It is not improbable that the two stations may have been under one command. The exposed situation of BREMENIUM would render it highly desirable that the _exploratores_, after having battled for a season with the elements and the Caledonians, should be allowed a period of comparative relief in some more sheltered spot, such as HABITANCUM.

[Sidenote: CORSTOPITUM.]

CORSTOPITUM is the next place that occurs in this ‘iter,’ in which it is set down as being twenty miles from BREMENIUM. At the distance of about twenty-three English miles from the camp of High Rochester, and on the line of Watling-street, are now to be found the remains of the station of Corchester.

[Sidenote: CORCHESTER.]

This, which is a little to the west of the town of Corbridge, is doubtless the ancient CORSTOPITUM. The station, which is now entirely levelled, and can with difficulty be traced, has stood upon a gently swelling knoll on the north bank of the Tyne. A bridge, the foundations of which the floods of seventeen centuries have spared, connected it with the opposite bank of the river; the remains of this bridge are precisely similar in appearance to those on the North Tyne at CILURNUM. The bridge has crossed the river obliquely, a circumstance which corroborates the opinion formerly expressed, that the bridges in these parts consisted of horizontal roadways, supported upon piers—unless, indeed, we suppose that the Romans were acquainted with the construction of the skew-arch. Hutchinson states, that a ‘military way passes from this place south-west through Dilston Park, over Hexham Fell to Old Town in Allendale, and meets with the Maiden-way at Whitley Castle.’ Abundance of medals, inscriptions, and other Roman antiquities, have been found at Corchester. Pieces of Roman bricks and pots are spread over the surface of the ground. The church at Corbridge has been raised at the expense of the station. Horsley conceives that this fort was abandoned before the compilation of the Notitia, as it is not mentioned in that document. It is about two miles south of the Wall.

The large altar which is figured in the initial letter at the beginning of this volume, formed, in Horsley’s days, the shaft of the market-cross at Corbridge. It is now on the stairs of the entrance-tower, at the castle of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The inscription is defaced, but the carving on both sides remains; on the one side is a soldier, armed—the representative probably of war; on the other is a warrior, having laid aside his weapons, dragging an amphora of wine—a picture, emblematic of peace. The singular use made of this heathen relic suggests the insertion here of the story of the ‘Fairy stone,’ as it is still told in this neighbourhood.

A Roman altar in the vicinity of Bywell was, during the ‘troublesome
times’ of 1715, put to a use little contemplated either by the
ancients or moderns. It was employed as the post-office of the
non-juring gentry of the district. The parties, wishing to keep up a
correspondence with each other, arranged to deposit their
communications in a hollow of the altar. In the gray of the morning
little girls clad in green, and trained to the task, approached the
stone with a dancing step, and, having got the letters, retired with
antic gestures. So well did they perform their part that they were
mistaken for fairies, and the object of their visits was not
discovered for a long time afterwards. The stone was known by the name
of the Fairy stone.

[Sidenote: CORBRIDGE LANX.]

But the greatest curiosity which has been discovered at CORSTOPITUM, is the silver _lanx_, or dish, which is represented on the next page. A piece of plate so massive, is of rare occurrence in the stations of the North. It is in the possession of the duke of Northumberland. There is an accurate cast of it in the Newcastle Museum of Antiquities.

'It was found (says Mr. Robert Cay, in a letter of 4th March 1734)
near Corbridge, by some ignorant poor people who have cut off the feet
in such a vile barbarous manner, that they have broke two holes
through the table, and a small piece off one of the corners too.' It
is 19½ inches long, and 15 broad; it weighs about 150 ounces. The rim
of the plate rises nearly an inch above the interior. The figures have
been punched into form. Gale’s conjecture as to its use is probably
the correct one. ‘This is big enough (he says) to contain the _exta_
of a sheep, or other small victims, which seems to me to be the
likeliest employment for it, and that it was one of these sacrificing
utensils that Virgil calls _Lances_:

Lancibus et pandis fumantia reddimus exta.’

The principal figures on the plate are probably, those of Diana,
Minerva, Juno, Vesta, and Apollo.

On the left side of the design is Diana, armed with a bow and arrow.
Below her feet is an urn with water flowing from it; in front of her,
is an altar with an offering, of a globular form, upon it, and below
the altar, is a dog of the greyhound species, looking up to the
goddess.

The next figure is Minerva. She wears a helmet, and her breast is
adorned with the Gorgon’s head. A spear is in her left hand. The thumb
and first two fingers of her right hand are uplifted, as if in the act
of bestowing a benediction.

The next figure is supposed to be Juno, though no symbol is given by
which she can be decisively distinguished. Her right hand is uplifted
in a manner similar to Minerva’s. At her feet lies a dead buck.

Vesta succeeds. She is seated; part of her peplus or mantle is drawn
over her head; the two fore-fingers of her left hand, which is
apparently resting upon her bosom, are upraised. Beneath the goddess
is an altar with the fire burning.

On the right of the piece is Apollo, standing under a canopy. His bow
is in his left hand, a flower in his right. His lyre is on the ground
by his side, and a griffin is below him.

An eagle and some other birds are among the branches of the tree in
the upper part of the piece.

Under the whole representation some recondite meaning is probably
concealed, which can only be a subject of conjecture. (_See Hodgson’s
Northumberland_, II. iii. 246.)

[Sidenote: GREEK ALTAR.]

Two important altars, with Greek inscriptions have been found at Corbridge. One is dedicated to the Tyrian Hercules; the other, which is represented in the adjoining wood-cut, to Astarte, the Ashtaroth of the Scriptures.

ΑΣΤΑΡΤΗΣ
ΒΩΜΟΝ Μ’
ΕΣΟΡΑΣ
ΠΟΥΛΧΕΡ Μ’
ΑΝΕΘΗΚΕΝ

Of Astarte,
The altar
You see,
Pulcher
replaced.

Josephus tells us, that Hiram king of Tyre, built two temples, which he dedicated to these deities. The Israelites, in forsaking the living God, not unfrequently betook themselves to the abominations of the Sidonians.

... With these in troop
Came Astoreth, whom the Ph[oe]nicians call’d
Astarte, queen of heaven, with crescent horns;
To whose bright image nightly by the moon
Sidonian virgins paid their vows and songs,
In Sion also not unsung,...

It is deeply and painfully interesting to dig up in our British soil decided traces of this gross idolatry.[129]

[Sidenote: HEXHAM CRYPT.]

_HEXHAM_ is generally admitted by antiquaries to have been a Roman town, though the proof of it is not absolutely decisive. St. Wilfrid built a church and monastery here about the year 673, after the Roman manner, which was considered the wonder of the age. We are told by the historians of that period that ‘secret cells and subterranean oratories were laid with wondrous industry beneath’ the building. Some vaults still remaining probably formed the crypt of this ancient structure. The stones which compose this under-ground building are all Roman; the peculiar mode in which they are chiselled is exhibited in the annexed wood cut, representing one of its chambers. The walls exhibit several Roman mouldings and cornices, besides inscriptions.[130] It is not likely that these stones would be brought from Corbridge (the nearest Roman station, if Hexham be not one), which is on the other side of the river, and three miles distant; especially as there is abundance of stone in the immediate neighbourhood. The most important of the inscribed slabs which are walled up in the crypt, is here exhibited; it is one[Sidenote: INSCRIPTION TO SEVERUS.] of the inscriptions bearing the names of the emperor Septimius Severus (who added to his own name that of his predecessor, Pertinax), of his eldest son, Caracalla, who styled himself Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius, and of Geta, his younger son, whose name and title have obviously been erased from the tablet, an operation which we find has been studiously performed on many similar inscriptions, doubtless after his murder by his unnatural brother Caracalla. The date of this inscription is marked by the union of Severus and his two sons in the imperial title. Its object does not appear from what remains of the stone, further than that it recorded some act done by a vexillation of some portion of the Roman forces.

The mediæval antiquities of Hexham are highly interesting. The gateways and embattled towers will repay examination; but the gem of this fine old town, which in the Saxon era was an episcopal see, is the Abbey-church. The choir and transepts alone remain; they exhibit much beauty of detail, and their several parts blend most harmoniously together. The church formerly possessed the right of sanctuary. The frid-stool is still in its place. The cross which marked the eastern boundary of the privileged territory is nearly entire, and is kept near its original site, in the yard of the poor-house. The _disjecta membra_ of that which marked the northern boundary of the sanctuary lie by the side of the road going over Cross-bank, a hill between two and three miles north of Hexham, and from which the traveller approaching the town from the north first obtains a view of the venerable abbey-church, and surrounding town. The prospect is now, to the peaceful antiquary, guiltless of his neighbour’s blood, singularly interesting—what must it have been when descried in ancient times by panting fugitives, pressed by an avenging hand, and fleeing to the sanctuary! This cross remains a monument of the disordered state of society in the middle ages, and leads the reflecting passenger to contrast his present tranquility with the insecurity of former times. No favoured spot is now necessary to shield the innocent from the rage of a stronger assailant, or will be allowed to stay the course of justice upon the guilty.

[Sidenote: EBCHESTER.]

_EBCHESTER_, situated upon the line of Watling-street, is, as its name indicates, a Roman station. Surtees thus describes it:—

Ebchester stands at the foot of a long descent, yet on the edge of a
still steeper declivity. Its cottages and trees are scattered along a
lofty brow overhanging the green haugh-lands of the Derwent. On the
very edge of the steep, the vallum of a Roman station is still
extremely distinct, and the little chapel of Ebchester, a farmhold,
and a few thatched cottages, stand within the very area of the ancient
VINDOMORA—if VINDOMORA it be, for the point is by no means stated as
beyond controversy.

[Sidenote: LANCHESTER.]

_LANCHESTER_ is, on the authority of the itinerary of Richard of Cirencester, conceived to be the EPEIACUM of the Romans. Though several miles removed from the Wall, its position upon Watling-street would render it useful as a supporting station. It occupies a lofty brow to the west of the village, on a tongue of land formed by the junction of two small streams. On three sides the ground falls from the camp; on the west only it is commanded by a high moorland hill, whose prospect ranges from the Cheviots, in the north, to the Cleveland hills, in the south. The station is one of the largest class, containing an area of about eight acres. The walls may be distinguished on all sides. The south wall, though deprived of its facing-stones, stands eight feet high, and shews nine courses of thin rubble-stones arranged edgewise in a leaning direction. A layer of very rough mortar has been placed on each course of stones after they have been placed in their bed. On the outside of the south-east angle a subterranean chamber has been discovered; the descent to it is by steps. It is difficult to conjecture the use to which it has been put; a similar chamber was found to occupy the same position outside the camp at Plumpton. The masonry of some chambers near the south-east corner of the station, which when first opened were found to be full of bones, is very perfect. The remains of a hypocaust may be seen near to the place where the pretorium has probably stood. Lanchester seems to have been garrisoned almost throughout the entire period of Roman occupation; a large proportion of the coins found at it are of the higher empire, but the series extends down to Valentinian. The name of Gordian occurs on two inscriptions as the restorer of some of its buildings. The destruction of the station was probably owing to some sudden and violent catastrophe. The observations of Surtees on this subject, are applicable to many of the camps of the Barrier.

The red ashes of the basilica and bath, the vitrified flooring, and
the metallic substances evidently run by fire, which occur amongst the
ruins, form a strong indication that the structure perished in the
flames.

It has already been observed (p. 261) that two aqueducts have brought water to the station from a distance of some miles. This is the more remarkable as several deep wells have been found near the camp, and there are open springs within fifty paces from the south and east wall.

The surrounding moor abounds in iron-stone; of this the Romans seem to have availed themselves, for immense heaps of slag, of ancient production, have been found in the neighbourhood.

_BINCHESTER_ is still farther to the south, on the same line of road; but, on account of its distance, would have but little intercourse with the stations immediately connected with the Barrier. It contains some hypocausts, which are peculiarly worthy of careful examination.

Retracing our steps and again penetrating the region of fierce Caledonian onslaughts and border feuds, we find Bewcastle occupying a position north of the Wall, on the Maiden-way, corresponding with that which Risingham does on Watling-street.

[Sidenote: BEWCASTLE.]

_BEWCASTLE_ stands in the bottom of a basin formed by a wide amphitheatre of bleak and lofty hills. The camp occupies a platform slightly elevated above the rivulet, the Kirkbeck, which washes its southern ramparts and permeates the valley. The northern side is the weakest part of the position, but even here there is a depression in the contour of the ground, which would render it more easily defensible. In this quarter too there are marks of artificial fortifications beyond the station wall. The fort, in order to suit the nature of the ground, is not of the usual square form, but is six-sided; it probably encloses an area of about four acres. The ground on which the camp stands is reckoned the most fertile in all Cumberland. It was in the depth of winter that I visited it (1, Jan. 1850) but even then the space occupied by the fortifications might be distinguished by its peculiar verdure. To the east of the camp are some barrow-like mounds, and on the west of it are terraced lines, bearing testimony to the agricultural industry of the Romans. On the eminence westward of the camp are the foundations of square buildings, probably posts of observation. On the lofty summits of some of the adjacent hills the concentric lines of British encampments plainly appear. They still seem to bid defiance to the Roman fort in the valley.

Within the lines of the camp, and protected by a moat of its own, is a dark and frowning castle; it is tersely described in an ancient manuscript, ‘as a strength against the Scots in time of warre.’ The captain of Bewcastle was a military chief of considerable power; he is frequently mentioned in Border minstrelsy. The castle is built with the stones of the station. Its masonry is very rude; the mortar which has been used is rough, containing, besides gravel and sand, pieces of coal, charcoal, burnt clay, and broken bricks. A tower, apparently added after the main structure was reared, guards the entrance-gateway.

This, or some previous building, gives name to Bewcastle—Bueth’s-castle.

Bueth was, before the conquest, lord of Bewcastle and Gilsland. After
some previous changes, Henry II., by a grant, dated ‘_apud Novum
Castrum super Tynam_,’ gave the manor of Gilsland to Hubert de
Vallibus, one of his Norman retainers. The Saxons were not men quietly
to submit to wrong. Gilbert Bueth, son of the dispossessed proprietor,
collecting a band of followers, made frequent incursions into his
ancient patrimony. Robert de Vallibus, son of Hubert, the former
possessor, suggested a conference, at which he basely assassinated the
unarmed Saxon. Expiation was easy; the[Sidenote: ORIGIN OF LANERCOST
PRIORY.] priory of Lanercost was founded and richly endowed. It is
traditionally said that part of the expiatory ceremony consisted in
the demolition of the walls of his castle at Castle-steads
(Cambeck-fort), and sowing the site with salt. The baronial residence
was transferred to Irthington, where, as already observed, some traces
of it remain. Robert de Vallibus was afterwards employed by Henry II.
as a judge of assize. How lax must the state of morality have been,
when a murderer was allowed to sit upon the bench! His ill-gotten
lands were not permitted to descend to his posterity, William, his
only child, dying before him.

The far-famed Runic cross, respecting which so much has been written, holds its ancient place in the church-yard of Bewcastle. The inscription, which is now hardly legible, is pronounced by Kemble (Archæologia xxviii. 347) to be an Anglo-Saxon, not a Norse one. Two Roman inscriptions, not now to be found, have been described as belonging to this station. One of them, which Camden saw used as a grave-stone, bore the letters,

LEG[IO] II AVG[VSTA]
FECIT

The second legion, the august,
made _this_.

The other, much fractured, Horsley saw fulfilling the same office. He says, ‘I take it to have been an honorary monument erected to Hadrian, by the _Legio secunda Augusta_, and the _Legio vicesima_.’

[Sidenote: WHITLEY CASTLE.]

_WHITLEY CASTLE_ is the modern name of another outpost, which is situated on the Maiden-way, as far south of the Wall as Bewcastle is north of it. An imperfect inscription found here, and described by Camden and Horsley, commemorates the dedication of a temple to Caracalla, in his fourth consulship (A.D. 213), by the third cohort of the Nervii. As the Notitia places the third cohort of the Nervii at ALIONIS, it is conceived that such may have been the ancient designation of the camp at Whitley Castle. The station stands upon the gently inclining side of a hill, about two miles north of the town of Alston. The railway approaches within a few furlongs of it. The form of the camp is peculiar, being that of a trapezoid, whereas the usual figure is that of a parallelogram. In another respect it differs from all the other camps that we have hitherto examined; it is surrounded by an extraordinary number of earthen entrenchments. On the western side, which is the most exposed, there are no fewer than seven ditches, with corresponding ramparts, and on the north, four. These earth-works are in a state of wonderful preservation. The strength of these lines, and the comparative absence, both within and without the station, of Roman stones, render it probable that the garrison trusted to breastworks of earth, rather than of masonry. The general level of the camp is elevated above the surface of the contiguous ground, in consequence, probably, of the mass of ruins which it contains. Its whole area, including the entrenchments and ditches, amounts to nine acres.

A large altar procured from the station is in the neighbouring farm house; the inscription is illegible, but it has on the upper part of its four sides, a carving in bold relief.

[Sidenote: ROMAN DUNGHILL.]

It is no unusual thing to find in the neighbourhood of a Roman station manifest traces of the dunghill of the fort. As might be expected, such a repository is replete with objects which, though once despised and cast away as worthless, well repay the search of the antiquary. Not far from the north-east angle of this camp a large dunghill was found, which has been recently removed for farm purposes. It contained numerous fragments of Roman earthenware and glass, as well as armillæ of jet or fine cannel coal. Its most curious product, however, was a large store of old shoes or sandals. The soles were all made ‘right and left,’ and consisted of several folds of leather fastened together with round-headed nails. (See Plate XVIII. figs. 3, 4, 5.) Were this the only place where these curious objects have been found, we might hesitate to assign to them a primeval date, but very many having been discovered in digging the foundations of Carlisle gaol, and some in clearing the buildings at CILURNUM, as well as other places, and being accompanied in every instance by other articles of undoubted Roman manufacture, we are entitled to consider them as the produce of Roman hands. Modern artists might examine them with advantage; Roman shoe-makers thought it no dishonour to let nature prescribe the form that their handy-work should assume.

[Sidenote: WALLIS’S ENTHUSIASM.]

Wallis, the author of the Natural History and Antiquities of Northumberland, was born within the ramparts of this camp; the house is now removed. In the preface to his work he accounts for the antiquarian bias of his mind in the following strain:—

Northumberland being Roman ground, and receiving my first breath in
one of their _castra_, I was led by a sort of enthusiasm to an inquiry
and search after their towns, their cities, and temples, their baths,
their altars, their _tumuli_, their military ways, and other remains
of their splendour and magnificence; which will admit of a thousand
views and reviews, and still give pleasure to such as have a gust for
any thing Roman; every year almost presenting new discoveries of the
wisdom, the contrivance, ingenuity, and elegance of that respectable
people.

Although nearly a century has elapsed since Wallis wrote this, the field of Romano-British antiquities still retains much of the fertility he ascribes to it, and doubtless, has stores yet in reserve for the assiduous inquirer.

Before proceeding to the stations which supported the western extremity of the Wall, there are two camps, one to the east, and another to the west of the Maiden-way, which demand a little of our attention.

_OLD TOWN._—Horsley entertained the idea that he had found the remains of a Roman camp at Old Town, near Catton Beacon, in Allendale. Hodgson treats the opinion with some degree of ridicule. I am disposed to think that Horsley is right, though the inquiries I made on the spot did not lead me to a decision of the question.

[Sidenote: STATION NEAR BRAMPTON.]

_BRAMPTON._—About a mile west of the modern town of Brampton, upon a gentle eminence commanding a view in every direction of a most beautiful country, are the traces of a small Roman camp. The father of English topography, guided in some measure by the similarity of the names, fixed the ancient BREMETENRACUM at Brampton; but Horsley, in consequence of the absence of Roman remains, demurred to the correctness of the conclusion. It is not surprising that this camp escaped the attention of Horsley, as it is situated within the ancient park of Brampton, considerable portions of which were, a century ago, covered with tangled brushwood and venerable forest trees. Its trenches, though still visible, are fast disappearing; every time it is ploughed, the furrow is turned into the hollow of its fosse. Though hundreds of cart-loads of stones have been taken from it, the ground on which the camp stood is thickly strewed with stony fragments. On walking over the spot, I picked up a piece of dove-coloured pottery, part of a millstone, and several portions of Roman tile. Besides individual coins which have occasionally been found here, an earthen jar, containing a large hoard, was turned up by the plough in 1826. It contained not fewer than five thousand pieces, all of them of the lower empire.

If Whitley Castle be the ALIONIS of the Notitia, this, as coming next in order, may be, as Camden conjectured, BREMETENRACUM.[131]

[Sidenote: ANCIENT TUMULI.]

In the plain to the south of the camp, are some remarkable _tumuli_. One mound of large dimensions, standing alone, is covered with oak trees. Three others of small size, and close to each other, are at the eastern extremity of the same field. Two of them are circular, and about twelve yards in diameter; the third is elongated, and measures about thirty-two yards in length. Whatever opinion we may form respecting the larger mound, there can be no doubt that the smaller ones are artificial barrows; the hollow made by the excavation of the soil for their formation is discernible. They do not appear to have been opened, but will no doubt soon yield up their long-hoarded treasures to some enterprising antiquary.

Between the station and the town of Brampton, may be noticed the faint traces of an earthen encampment of the usual Roman form; it is fast disappearing under the action of the plough. West of the station, stands an ancient church, formed of Roman stones. Though the living have forsaken the venerable pile, the dead are still being laid in its church-yard.

We now approach the stations which supported the Barrier near its western extremity; it will be well to examine first those north of the Wall.

[Sidenote: CAMP AT NETHERBY.]

_NETHERBY._—The nucleus of the seat of sir James Graham is a border tower, with walls of great thickness. These walls were doubtless erected at the expense of the ramparts and buildings of the camp, within which the mansion is situated. The form of the station cannot now be satisfactorily defined; but the number and importance of the coins, altars, and sculptures, which have been found within it, prove that it was a place of consequence during the period of Roman occupation. The site, though not greatly elevated, commands an extensive prospect in every direction. The bank on its western side, which slopes down to the valley of the Esk, is said to have been washed in ancient days by the waters of the Solway.

Among the many important inscriptions discovered here, is one to Hadrian, closely resembling those which have been found at Milking-gap, Bradley, and other places. The stone has long been lost, but in Gough’s Camden the inscription is given thus—

IMP. CAES. TRA.
HADRIANO
AVG.
LEG. II. AVG. F.

[Sidenote: SCULPTURE AT NETHERBY.]