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start of The Wall |
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Page 224:-
quarries, now grown over with grass. But I scarce think they
are old enough for the Romans to have got their stones from
them.
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Peel
Steel Rigg
Haltwhistle Burn
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"From House-steeds Severus's wall runs immediatley upon the
precipices, and the military way attending it is very
conspicuous, particularly near the Peel and
Steel-rigg, and so they continue almost all the way
to Haltwhistle-burn, not far from Great chesters. But as for
Hadrian's vallum, as it keeps the low ground upon the
skirt of the hill, and is at a good distance from Severus's
wall; so for about a mile west of House-steeds all belonging
to it is very obscure as far as Bradley, from whence
to High-sheel the vallum is in the second or third
degree, and all the rest in the first or second.
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Milecastle 37-38
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"The distance between House-steeds and Little Chesters is
about a mile and three quarters. And the distance between
House-steeds amd (sic) that part of the wall which is
directly opposite to Little Chesters, is about a mile and
three furlongs. And in this space there are two visible
castella, the interval between which seems to be just
about six furlongs. This is the least interval between any
two castella upon the whole track of the wall. The
reason of which may be the distance of the station at Little
Chesters from the wall.
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9. VINDOLANA.
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Vindolanda
Chesterholme
roman bath
hypocaust
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"LITTLE CHESTERS is south from both the walls, but stands
just by the military way, which I have already described,
tha passes directly from Walwick chesters to Carrvoran,
which is very visible for a considerable space from this
station. So that this station must be reckoned among those
which belong to the wall, it being in this rout, and the
only military way which belongs to it, coming from the wall
and returning to it. There are two or three forts more, as
Carrvoran and Cambeck fort detached to the south of the wall
though none so far as this; yet this is not above half a
mile from Hadrian's vallum. The people there call
this station Chesters or the Bowers; but by others it
is called Little Chesters, to distinguish it from the next
station, that goes by the name of Great Chesters; and it is
in reality not only less than Great Chesters, but than most
of the other forts on the wall. It is only seven chains long
from north to south, and four broad from east to west, and
so does not contain three acres of ground. The ramparts are
visible quite round and very large, being in the third
degree; but the ditch only in the first. The town or
out-buildings here have been chiefly to the west and
south-west of the fort; there being a small brook to the
south-east, and a descent from the station to it. The
praetorium may be distinguished; and there seems to
have been some towers at the corners of the fort, and
perhaps too in the sides of the ramparts. The ruins of one
of these towers are still very visible. What Dr. Hunter has
told us in the Philosophical Transactions [c] deserves
notice. In the last edition of Camden's Britannia, this
passage is quoted from him, but through mistake referred to
House-steeds instead of Little Chesters. The doctor's words
are as follow: "Some years ago, on the west side of this
place, about 50 yards from the walls thereof, there was
discovered under a heap of rubbish a square room strongly
vaulted above, and paved with large square stones set in
lime; and under this a lower room, whose roof was supported
by rows of square pillars of about half a yard high. The
upper room had two nitches (and perhaps in the nature of)
chimneys on each side of every corner or square, which in
all made the number sixteen: the pavement of this room, as
also its roof, were tinged with smoke. The stones used in
vaulting the upper room have been marked as joiners do the
deals for chambers; those I saw were numbered thus, x. xi.
xiii." This I take to be the place which they shewed me, but
it was then filled up. It looks very like a balneum,
with the hypocaustum below it. And somewhat of this
nature I saw at Lanchester and Risingham; at this latter
place it was not far from the praetorium.
"Severus's wall, which keeps upon the precipices all the
way, is almost at a mile's distance from this station. And
if this station was prior to both the walls, there is an
obvious reason why neither of the walls could come near it.
For Severus's could not reach it without quitting the
precipices entirely; and Hadrian's could not come up to it
without crossing some hills, which it always avoids, and
quitting the plain low ground and the streight way, which it
always endeavours to keep.
"From that part which is over-against Little Chesters, all
the way to Haltwhistle-burn, Hadrian's vallum, ditch,
and all its appurtenances, are pretty conspicuous,
especially the ditch and north agger. And it is
remarkable, that the vallum, to avoid a morass or
peet-moss, keeps the high ground south of the moss, so as
that the flat mossy ground lies between the two hills, on
the brow or edge of which stands the walls. But from
Haltwhistle-burn to Great Chesters it goes through some
softer ground, tilled and enclosed, and is not quite so
large as before. Between the Steel-rigg and the Peel there
is a very remarkable turn in the military way attending
Severus's wall, which seems to have been designed to carry
it upon a slope, from one castellum to another. The way
forms nearly a right angle pointing from the wall.
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Haltwhistle Burn
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"Severus's wall descends at Haltwhistle-burn from the
precipices for a small space, or rather the precipices fail
here, and for above half a mile are not considerable.
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Great Chesters
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"From this place to Great Chesters Severus's ditch is very
large in the third degreee, and near the station there are
four of five courses of stones in the wall. One thing which
here desrves to be remarked, is the considerable turn made
by the wall, as it crosses the rivulet, which has been
manifestly formed with a design to bring up the wall to the
fort of Great Chesters, so as to fall in with the north
rampart. For if the intent had only been to gain some
advantage of the ground, or to bring it up again to the
precipices beyond Great Chesters, it would not have needed
to turn either so sharp or so soon.
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Four Lawes
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"There are several lawes, barrows, or tumuli,
near the military way, or the branches of it, which goes
from Walwick chesters to Carrvoran, particularly near
House-steeds and the two Chesters. There are four of these
near the branch of the military way that goes off to Great
Chesters, and within sight of the station, which they call
the four lawes.
"The distance between Little Chesters and Great Chesters is
about three miles and three quarters, and here again all the
castella are visible, being four in number, besides
one more, which seems to have fallen in with the station at
Great Chesters. The interval
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[c]
No 278.
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here
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