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Gentleman's Magazine 1866 part 1 p.202
[remark]able that, while all the stations upon the wall from
the first or easternmost have been identified without much,
if any, doubt, Aballava has hitherto baffled the inquiries
and explorations of the most active and expert invesigators.
Horsley placed it at Watch-cross or Watch-close, a locality
altogether wanting in the indicia of a permanent
military post. The late Rev. John Hodgson, with more show of
reason, locates it at Stanwix, but chiefly from its position
in the Notitia, the fourteenth station from Wallsend;
Petriana, the thirteenth, being Walton Chesters. He remarks
"that it had its name from contiguity to the wall, I cannot
doubt; for alla, falla, and balla, in the old
language of Britain and the present speech of Ireland, are
synonymous to vallum in Latin and wall in
English." a Dr. Bruce, who more than any one has
studied the wall and its stations, hesitates to identify the
site of Aballava, and also of some other stations to the
west of Petriana. Papcastle, where, no doubt, the
inscription under consideration was originally found, is
away from the the line of the wall, and of course has no
claim to be considered as Aballava; but it falls into
another series of the Notitia stations, the sites of
most of which have by no means been positively ascertained;
and, notwithstanding researches from Camden to the present
day, much remains to reward careful and personal
explorations. A valuable instalment will no doubt be given
in Dr. Bruce's third edition of his "Roman Wall," now
passing through the press, which will contain, among much
additional matter, a full and illustrated of Mr. Clayton's
discovery of the remains of a Roman bridge over the North
Tyne at Chesters, the Cilurnum of the Notitia.
The Frisiones of this inscription are no doubt the Frisiani
of the rescript of Trajan found at Sydenham, of whom
lapidary records have been dsicovered at Binchester and at
Melandra Castle; and at the same time they are probably the
same as the Frixagi of the Notita stationed at
Vindobala on the Wall.
... ...
a The Roman Wall and South Tindall, p.219.
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