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start of Cumberland |
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Page 203:-
Pompeianus, and as it was in the 4th year of his reign that
he was consul with him, these numerals cannot refer to a 3d
consulate which he never took, but must relate to his being
the 3d emperor of that name. If it be objected that it was
not usual for the Roman emperors to style themselves I. II.
III. Mr. Gale answers that there never were three of the
same name thus nearly preceding each other as the three
Gordians, if at any time: however, the inscription in
Gruter, p.MLXXXV. must include a mistake where it represents
this Gordianus P.M. TRIB. POT. COS. III. P .P. the III.
immediately followed COS, and so cannot be applied to any
other word, but is a palpable mistake of the stone-cutter.
In the wood where the fort has been Mr. Appleby found a
Roman hypocaust, a regular clay floor with above 100 pillars
on it about two feet high, and between every two of them a
hollow parallelopipedon of burnt clay, 16 inches long and
six wide, with a hole through the opposite side serving as
flues. It was five yards by nine within the walls: and on
the pillars was another floor of white stone, about an inch
thick, curiously cemented for the bath. There was also found
the bottom and sides of an iron grate, and some pieces of
charcoal were lying scattered up and down on the floor.
Adjoining to the south wall where the grate stood were two
rooms, supported in the same manner with pillars and flues,
and the floors paved as the baths with the addition of a
curious cemented composition of lime, brick, dust, and
pebbles, at least four inches thick, spread over the stone,
of a wonderful hardness. Many other curious floors were
found among the ruins and some coal-ashes: but these were
supposed of later date, as well as several other articles
found here. There was also a cold bath found near the place,
and not far from it something like a cistern about five
yards by 1½, composed of thick slate stones, very
large and set edgewise, well cemented together [q].
The two inscriptions, mentioned by Mr. Camden, as discovered
at Castlesteeds and Trederman hard by, Mr. Horsley could no
where find. Trederman is much nearer Burdoswald than
Cambeck, and there is nothing of Roman antiquity in that
castle or about it: nor are they at Naworth, where is half
an altar standing in a gate, which Mr. Horsley could not
think had any relation to them. There is also a large altar
built up in the jamb of a chimney at Whitefield, about a
mile west from this fort, which the old people said was
brought from hence or a part of the wall very near it. But
it is so defaced that not a letter is visible on it [r]. No
decisive conjectures can therefore be offered on these two
inscriptions.
In Holland's edition is the following inscription given as
lately found on a fair votive altar erected to the goddess
Nymphe of the Brigantes for the health of the empress
Plautilla wife to M. Aurelius Antoninus Severus, and the
whole imperial family by Cocceius Nigrinus, a treasurer to
the emperor, when Laetus was 2d time consul:
DEAE NYMPHAE BRIG
QVOD VOVERAT PRO
SALVTE PLAVTILLAE CO. INVICTAE
DOM. NOSTRI INVICTI
IMP. M. AVRELII SEVERI
ANTONII PII FEL. CAES.
AVG. TOTIVSQVE DO
MVS DIVINAE EJVS
M. COCCEIVS NIGRINVS
Q. AVG. N. DEVOTVS
LIBENS SVSCEPTVM S
LAETO II ...
which intricate connexion of letters the Doctor read,
Deae Nymphae Brigantum
Quod voverat pro
Salute Plautillae conjugis invictae
Domini nostri invicti
Imperatoris Marci Aurelii Severi
Antonii pii felicis Caesaris
Augusti totiusque do
mus divinae ejus
M. Cocceius Nigrinus
Quaestor Augusti numini devotus
Libens susceptum solvit
Laeto II ...
It is not in the additions to the edition of 1722, nor could
Mr. Horsley find it [s], but he was of opinion it should be
referred to some part near Cambeck or Brampton.
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Old wall
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At Old wall about two miles west from Cambeck fort
are two inscriptions of the centurial kind [t]:
LEG. II. AVG.
[V] IVLI. TE
RTVLLIA.
and
[V] COISIL
NCINI.
Mr. Horsley [u] supposed them to belong to the station at
Watch cross or somewhere by Scaleby castle. In the
field called the House steeds near Watch cross, one
of the altars now at Scaleby castle was ploughed up, but had
no inscription on it. Another of the altars in the same
castle, had been neglected till Mr. Gilpin took it into his
garden. This had probably belonged to the same station [x].
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BREMETURACUM. Brampton.
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Bremeturacum
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Horsley [y] places BREMETURACUM or BREMETEURACUM at Old
Penrith, as we have already seen. Afterwards he changed
his opinion for Brampton [z], which is a little
market town under lofty hills, having two fairs for cattle
and sheep. The moat is a considerable fortification,
probably Danish, near 360 feet perpendicular, about 40 feet
perpendicular from the crown, a ditch near 20 feet deep and
300 paces in circumference, the top a level plain 40 paces
diameter [a].
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Pl.XIV. 1. Geltr.
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Written Rock of Gelt
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The Inscription on a rock overhanging the river Gelt
about half a mile above Gelt bridge, Gordon or Gale in him,
and Horsley Cumb. XLIV. copied differently and more full.
Agricola is supposed to have been some optio or
deputy to the centurion commanding the party that worked in
this quarry, now known by the name of the Old Quarry.
The numerals IX. X. added above express the 9th and 10th
cohorts of the Legio II. Aug. employed here. The consuls
mentioned in one of the five lines left dotted by Mr. Camden
held their office A.D. 207, under Severus, who, Cassiodorus
says, that year made war
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[q]
Gent. Mag. 1741, p.30. 76. 135.
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[r]
Horsl. 263, 264.
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[s]
P. 269.
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[t]
Cumb. xxxvi. xxxvii. p.264.
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[u]
P. 264.
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[x]
Ib. 265.
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[y]
P. 111.
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[z]
P. 481.
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[a]
Hutchinson, 261.
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upon
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gazetteer links
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-- "Brampton" -- Brampton
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-- "Moat, The" -- Mote, The
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-- Camboglanna
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-- (roman fort, Watchcross)
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-- Written Rock of Gelt
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