button to main menu  Camden's Britannia, edn 1789

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Page 217:-
  roman inscriptions
  roman altars

and other roman stones with an altar now at Cousin's house, which must have belonged to this station, or to this end of the wall
  The Wall, line of
"The wall having left the station passes on to a stile in the hedge which incloses the more westerly Well-lawe; and is for this space (near an hundred and fifty yards) in the second degree, the ditch only in the first. At the stile it makes a very small turn, still keeping in the main towards the west, though inclining a little to the south. It passes through the outer court of Cousin's house, and on the north side of the mansion itself; the wall at this part being only in the first degree, though the ditch be in the second. The wall and ditch in the same state pass close by the Beehouses on the north side.
  Milecastle 1
  Walker
  Byker hill

"A little west of these Beehouses has been a castellum, the foundation and remains of which are very visible. It is 22 yards or 66 foot square, which appears to have been the stated measure of all these castella. This, which is the first of them on the east side, is about three furlongs distant from the end of the wall; and has been, like all the rest, built on or close to the wall; but wholly within it, or on the south side. From hence the wall passes by Walker or Wall-kier to Byker hill, both it and the ditch being for this space in the second degree, and keeping all the way within the inclosures. Walker, no doubt, has its name from the wall, and perhaps from the word kier, which in the present highland tongue (as I remember) signifies a town, as caer does in the British.
  Milecastle 2
  Ewsburn

"Between Walker and Byker hill, upon an easy ascent, are the visible remains of another castellum, of the common stated dimensions. The distance between this and the last is about an English measured mile and half a furlong, which is somewhat more than the usual distance. From Byker hill the wall descends towards Ewsburn, being in the first, and the ditch mostly in the second degree. As the wall goes down this descent, it keeps within the fence on the south side of the highway, which seems sometimes to have been repaired with the stones of it.
  Milecastle 3
"At the head of Ewsburn [o] bank, that is the bank on the east side of the village, is the visible foundation of another castellum, conveniently situated for prospect as well as the last. And the distance between these two is exactly the same as before. There are also in this part of the track of the wall (I mean from the end of it to Ewsburn) some ruinous heaps, which may probably have been remains of some of the smaller exploratory turrets, that have been placed all the way upon the wall. But these ruins are scarce distinct enough to be relied on.
  Redbarns
"From Ewsburn to the Red-barns the wall is scarce to be discerned; it passes through the inclosure, close by the hedge on the south side of the highway. The stony part of the highway itself between the mill and the Red-barns can't have been the wall; because this is on the north of the ditch, which is visible in one degree or more. These stones may have been taken from the wall to repair the road. The wall seems to have passed through the mansion house of the Red-barns, between the court and the garden. The ditch is visible in the first degree or second to the west of the Red-barns, not far from the walls of Newcastle, bearing full upon the castle there, and Pandon-gate in the way to it. But this is the last appearance of any part of the work on the east side of this town.
"I could no where from the end of the wall to Newcastle discern any certain vestiges of the military way. Nor the Red-barns, and upon the descent from Byker hill to Ewsburn, I saw the track along which I believed it had gone; but the appearance is so very faint and obscure, that I lay no great stress upon my conjecture; nor should I have observed it, had I not known before, that it must have been thereabouts.
"As for Hadrian's vallum, I could no where in all this space discern the least trace of it or anything belonging to it; nor did I ever hear of any traditionary account of its having been here.
  Newcastle upon Tyne
"The distance from the station at the end of the wall to St. Nicholas's church in Newcastle is exactly three measured miles and five furlongs. And in this space there are three castella, all visible; that which should have been next in course, is lost in the station at NEWCASTLE.
  2. PONS AELII.
  Pons Aelii
  Benwell Hill
  Benwell

"No appearance of either of the walls can be expected, as far as the buildings of this great town extend; but as soon as they are well ended, some faint vestiges of both, or of what has belonged to them, begin to shew themselves. For just at the end of the houses without Westgate, and on the south side of the street or highway, what I take to be Hadrian's ditch is for a short space pretty visible; and I believe the raised foot-way there has been upon the north agger. For a little space again every thing relating to Hadrian's vallum does quite disappear, till near the quarry house some faint marks of the ditch, and north agger, begin to appear, but chiefly of the latter. And this state of the vallum extends to Benwel fort.
  Quarry House
"As to Severus's wall, little or nothing relating to it can be discovered between the town and the quarrry house. There seemed to me, at first sight, to be some visible remains both of the wall and ditch, in a small field near the quarry house, between it and the town, and on the north side of the highway which comes from Westgate. But upon examining them more narrowly, they appeared not so distinct as I imagined. A quarry, which has been wrought hereabouts, and from whence the house has its name, does very much perplex this affair. Yet I still saw reason to believe, that the wall had passed through this field.
  castellum
  Elswick Windmill

"I thought there were some visible remains of a castellum just behind the quarry house, and the line of the wall appeared to go through the midst of the house. And, as I think the walls converged a very little before, so Severus's wall has made a very small turn hereabout, in order to come up to the north rampart of the station at Newcastle, and to get to a sufficient distance from Hadrian's vallum. The castellum at the quarry house is conveniently placed for prospect, and is the only one that is visible between Newcastle and the next station. By the distance there should have been another, but it is quite demolished. From the quarry house to Elswick windmill, Severus's wall is but in the first degree; but from hence to the fort on Benwel hill, the appearance of the ditch is frequently very distinct, and the track of the wall (which keeps much upon the high road) pretty certain.
"From the station at Newcastle to Benwel hill is
[o] This is a rivulet so called, the true name of which is perhaps Ouse-bourne.
nearly
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