button to main menu  Camden's Britannia, edn 1789

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Page 222:-
  military way
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.
  Tower Tye
  Milecastle 30??

"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.
  7. PROCOLITIA.
  Brocolitia
  Carrawbrugh
  Newburgh

"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.
  Broom Dikes
"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.
  military way, measured
"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.
  Milecastle 34
  Sewingshields
  Milecastle 35

"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
[a] Itin. Septent. p.74.
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