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Ancient Carlisle
A short description of the ancient City of CARLISLE.
CARLISLE has a most pleasant situation, being between
three rivers, having on the North side the Eden, on
the East the Petterell, and on the West the
Caude. It is secured by a strong stone wall, a
castle, and a citadel. 'Tis of an oblong form from N. West
to S. East, extending in a point to the * South; the
castle, which stands in the N. West extremity, is pretty
large, and by the arms (as Mr Camden infers) seems to
have been built by K. Richard III. but the
commentator on him tells us, that it is certain it was built
by K. William II. for K. Richard III. in so
troublesome and short a reign, could only repair it. The
citadel is by the Bother gate, very strong, fortified
with several orillons, or roundels, and built by K.
Henry VIII.
The British chronicle tells us, that it was first
built by a petty king of this country, named Luel, or
Lugubal, long before the Romans invaded
Britain, and upon that account had the name of
Caer-Luel or Lugubal. When the Roman
legions, in the reign of the emperor Claudius,
extending their conquests thus far Northward, they alter'd
the name but very little, calling it Luguballum, or
Luguvallum. The Saxons kept to the old name
Luel. Ptolemy calls it Leucopibia: Nennius,
Caer Lualid; the Welch writers, the city of
Duballus, we Carlile; and the Latins,
Caerleolum. Great pains are taken by some to find out
the derivation of the name Luguballum; but none is so
probable as this, that being situate just by the
Picts wall or Vallum, and Lugus, or
Lucus, signifying, in the language of the
Celtae and Britains, a tower, it implies a
tower or fort upon the wall, or Vallum. And tho'
indeed there are little or no remains of the
Stan-
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