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start of The Wall |
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Page 228:-
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River Eden
River Caldew
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station here, as it has generally done with respect to the
other stations upon the wall. This situation will suit
exactly well with those rules which the Romans observed in
building these stations. For here is a plain area for the
station, and a gentle descent to the south, and towards the
river, for the out-buildings. And by all accounts, and the
usual evidences, it is upon this descent, and chiefly to the
south-east, that the Roman buildings have stood. Abundance
of stones have been lately dug up in this part. I was told
of some, which by the description of them resembled the
stones of an aqueduct. The ruins of the wall are very
visible to the brink of the precipice, over which it seems
to have passed in going down to the river, just as at
Burdoswold. But doubtless both these precipices have been
made more steep, since the building of the wall, by the
falling away of the bank. It is not unlikely (as some have
thought) that the river Eden has formerly run near the north
side of Carlisle castle, and joined the river Caudey near
the north-west corner. However, I think it evident, that
there must have been some alteration in the course of the
river since the time of the Romans. And I believe the wall
has been carried forward pretty directly from the height on
one side of the river to the opposite height on the other.
We are told in Camden, "that the wall passed the river
over-against the castle, where in the very channel the
remains of it (namely the great stones) appear to this day
[i]."
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Grinsdale
Newton Arlosh
Kirkandrews upon Eden
Beaumont
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"On the west side of Eden the walls are mostly
obscure. At a part between Grinsdale on the one side and
Newton on the other, Severus's wall is very visible, and
Hadrian's may be discovered about a furlong to the south of
it. And a little to the east of Kirkanders the vestiges are
clear. Between Wormanby and Brugh the track of the walls is
also visible, and they come within a chain or two of each
other. But excepting the ditch at the west end of Brugh,
Hadrian's vallum appears no more after this with plainness
and certainty. And Severus's wall in the general is for
several miles very obscure, and much levelled. The people
hereabouts have no stone quarries for building, so that they
spare no pains in digging for stones, wherever they have any
prospect of finding them, upon which account the wall and
stations have been sufficiently plundered. The ditches are
here the most visible part of the works, and are very
discernible in going up to Beaumont. At the entrance into
Wormanby I apprehended I saw something like a military way,
that seemed to be continued to Brugh on the south side of
the wall, but I am doubtful of this.
"The distance between Stanwicks and Brugh is about four
measured miles and a half, and in all this space we have not
one visible castellum; but allowing the usual interval
between them, there must have been five; for by carrying on
the computation thus, the next visible castellum comes just
in the proper place.
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15. AXELODUNUM.
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Burgh by Sands
Aballava
Watch Hill
Longburgh
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"The name of BRUGH leads one to think of a station there.
And when I was upon the spot I saw and heard such evidences
as leave no room for doubt. The station has been a little to
the east of the church, near what they called the old
castle, where there are the manifest remains of its
ramparts. On the west side these remains are most distinct,
being about six chains in length. And Severus's wall seems
to have formed the north rampart of the station. I was
assured by the person to whom the field belonged, that
stones were often plowed up in it, and lime with the stones.
Urns have also frequently been found here. I saw, besides an
imperfect inscription, two Roman altars lying a door in the
town, but neither sculptures nor inscriptions are now
visible upon them. I saw also a large stone coffin standing
in the church yard, which has been dug up hereabouts not
long ago. If, besides all this, we consider the distance
from the last station at Stanwicks, I think it can admit of
no doubt but there must have been a station here, though
most of its ramparts are now leveled, the field having been
in tillage many years. I shall only farther add, that it was
very proper to have a station at each end of the marsh,
which, if the water flowed as high as some believe, would at
that time make a kind of bay; and then the station here, and
the next at Drumbrugh castle, would be the more necessary.
The walls are lost near the village, which is a mile in
length; yet by pretty certain accounts it appears, that
Severus's wall has passed on the north side of the town. I
take it, that about a quarter of a mile west from this town
there has been a castellum; for, at this place, they have
dug up a larger quantity of stones, than the bare thickness
of the wall could well have afforded. They call the field
the Watch-hill, and a remarkable tree in it called
the Watch-tree; and the tradition runs, that in
antient times there was a watch tower on this spot. I was
also told that they sometimes struck upon a pavement
hereabouts, not far from the track of the wall, and that the
stones they found there, were such as they now use in
paving. This, I think, must be the military way, especially
since it seems to have been between the two walls. For, as
Severus's wall seems to have run nearly parallel to the
highway from Brugh westward, and to the north of this way;
so from Brugh to Dikesfield there is a ditch very visible to
the south of Severus's wall, at first five chains, and at
the end of the village Long-brugh about ten from it, which
therefore must have belonged to Hadrian's vallum.
"Whether Hadrian's work has been continued any farther than
this marsh, or to the water side beyond Drumbrugh, is
doubtful. But I am pretty confident that it was not carried
on so far as the wall of Severus at this end, any more than
at the other. And I can by no means yield to Mr. Gordon's
sentiments, that the one for a good space at each end was
built upon the foundation of the other. However it is
certain, that from the side of the marsh to the west end of
the wall there is no appearance of Hadrian's work, or any
thing belonging to it.
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Boustead Hill
Easton
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"From hence to Drumbrugh castle no vestige of the wall is to
be seen; though I think it certain, that the wall did not
pass through the marsh, but by Bow-steed hill and Easton:
for both tradition and matter of fact favour this course of
it. The country people often strike upon the wall, and could
tell exactly several places through which, by this means,
they knew it had passed, and always by the side of the
marsh. Besides, it is no way reasonable to suppose, that the
Romans would build their wall within tide-mark; and it is
evident, that the water has formerly overflowed all this
marsh. The Solway frith has reached much higher, both
southward and northward, than it does now; and in very high
tides it
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[i]
See before, p.174.
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has
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gazetteer links
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-- Milecastle 72
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-- (roman bridge, Stanwix)
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-- "Brugh" -- Aballava
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-- Uxelodunum
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