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start of The Wall |
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Page 222:-
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military way
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hill to Walwick. However Severus's military way which seems
plainly to have come off from the castellum at Walwick,
inclines a little to Hadrian's north agger, and thus
converging gradually for a little space, they again coincide
and continue united for a long way very noble and grand,
except where Severus's way goes a little off to reach the
castella. A remarkable instance of this appears at a
considerable turn the wall makes between Towertay and
Carrawbrugh. This suprized me at first, till I
plainly discovered the reason of it; that Severus's military
way goes dirctly off to the castellum , and coming
out from thence again with a gentle curvature, bends its
course towards the north agger, and within six or
seven chains runs upon it again. After this re-union it
becomes larger and broader, and in every respect more grand
and magnificent. This is a strong proof both that Hadrian's
work and the north agger was prior to that of
Severus's; and that the north agger was really a
military way leading from station to station. But this will
be best understood by a particular draught of this part of
the wall, which I have added for that purpose. The walls
keep near to one another for a long way, and the military
way, separated or united, is within a chain or two of the
wall.
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Tower Tye
Milecastle 30??
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"Near Towertay there are five or six regular courses of the
facing stones of the wall. And a little west from thence are
large remains of a castellum, detached about a yard
from the wall, the reason of which is not very obvious.
"Hereabouts also there are for a small space heaps of
rubbish lying on the north side of Hadrian's ditch, at a
place where the ditch passes through some rocks; which looks
as if stones had been wrought there for the use of the wall.
There are also in this part of the north agger
several breaks, as if they had been made for the passage of
carriages, which I also observed in other parts. I remember
not to have seen any such in those places, where the
military ways are united. And here both the rubbish upon the
north agger, and the breaches in it, are where
Severus's military way leaves it to go off to a
castellum.
"The distance between Walwick chesters and Carrawbrugh fort
is almost three measured miles and a quarter. And in this
space there are three visible castella. The fourth
has either been very near the station at Carrawbrugh, or
just fallen in with it. The intervals between these
castella are seven furlongs.
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7. PROCOLITIA.
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Brocolitia
Carrawbrugh
Newburgh
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"Hadrian's vallum seems to fall upon the middle of
the fort at CARRAWBRUGH a little obliquely. And Severus's
military way, which hitherto continues united with the north
agger, appears to enter the east gate of the fort,
and go out at the west. This I suppose must be what Mr.
Gordon means, when he says [a], "that Hadrian's ditch passes
through the middle of the area of this fort." 'Tis an
agreeable sight to see how intire a great part of the
ramparts of this fort still continue, especially on the east
side. And Severus's wall, which forms the north rampart, is
in the third degree at the fort. The ditch is most visible
on the west, being in the second degree; but on the other
sides it is not so much. Here too may plainly be seen, that
the corners of the forts were not strictly angular, but
turned off in a curve; excepting where Severus's wall makes
the north rampart, for at those angles the sides of the fort
seem to be rectilineal. The buildings without this fort have
been chiefly on the west side, where a year ago they
discovered a well. It is a good spring, and the receptacle
for the water is about seven foot square within, and built
on all sides with hewn stone; and the depth could not be
known when I saw it, because it was almost filled up with
rubbish. There had also been a wall about it, or an house
built over it, and some of the great stones belonging to it
were yet lying there. The people called it a cold bath, and
rightly judged it to be Roman. Carrawbrugh has its name from
Carraw the neighbouring village, and brugh or
burgh, which like chesters makes part of the name of
such places. Newbrugh seems to be so called in
contradistinction to this place, and perhaps the stones with
which Newburgh has at first been built, may have been
brought from hence; for I see no appearance of its being
Roman.
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Broom Dikes
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"From this fort to the village of Carraw, Hadrian's
vallum and ditch are not very conspicuous. But
Severus's wall is in the second degree or more, though the
ditch is very obscure. About half a miles south-west from
Carraw, upon a high ground, is a square fort now called
Broom-dikes. It is as large as the fort at
Carawbrugh, and probably has been for exploration, or for
the aestiva of this fort. About half way between
Carraw and Threep-fell-house there seemed to be some
vestiges of the smaller military way, supposed to have gone
close by Severus's wall from turret to turret.
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military way, measured
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"Here I measured the breadth of the united military way, and
found it to be eight yards, though the limits were somewhat
uncertain. The height was about four foot; in some places it
is much higher, and farther to the west nine foot or more.
It was about eight yards distant from the side of Hadrian's
ditch. There was about five yards distance between the south
agger and the vallum, the earth being much
scattered; the vallum was about seven yards broad,
and five foot high, and the south agger about two
foot high and four yards broad. But as they are now fallen
and spread, it is impossible to form an exact judgement from
these measures concerning the original height and breadth.
And in some places the south agger is much higher,
broader, and larger than the vallum itself.
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Milecastle 34
Sewingshields
Milecastle 35
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"For about a mile the walls keep near to each other, and for
that space are themselves and all their appurtenances very
large and conspicuous. Several courses of the regular stones
appear in Severus's wall, and the united military way is
very pompous and grand. But after this the walls part, and
take different courses; though the military ways continue
united for some space after the walls begin to diverge. But
near a castellum Severus's military way quits the
other, and bends its course towards the castellum in an
inclosed woody field about a quarter of a mile east from the
castellum which is next on the east to Shewen-sheel
houses. After the parting of the military ways, and near
half a mile east of Shewen-sheels, is a square entrenchment
between two walls about 60 yards square. This I think must
also have belonged to Hadrian's vallum, and become
useless when Severus's wall was built. The north
agger continues after the separation large and high,
though neither so large or so broad as when the two were
united. It is mixed with stones, and no regular pavement
appears; whereas Severus's military way after this parting
appears little raised, but regularly paved. Both of them
have the manifest appearance of a military way
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[a]
Itin. Septent. p.74.
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