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start of The Wall |
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Page 229:-
has been known even within memory to come a great way.
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Milecastle 72-76
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"Between Brugh and Drumbrugh is somewhat more than four
measured miles. It is not to be expected that any castellum
should be visible here, considering the ruinous state of the
wall; but computing after the same manner as before, there
must have been five castella between these two stations, the
last of which is pretty near to the station at Drumbrugh.
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17. GABROSENTUM.
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Drumburgh
Concavata
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"At DRUMBRUGH is a fort about five chains square, whose
ramparts are large, and the ditch very deep. Out of this
fort abundance of stones have been taken. It is very
probable, that the house and garden walls have been built
with the stones of the wall and station, and that it has the
name of castle (as Whitley castle) from the old Roman fort;
for the seat is not built in the form of a castle. There
seemed to be somewhat like a ditch to the south of the
house, which I suspected might have been Hadrian's; but this
I dare not depend on. I am much of opinion, that Severus's
wall may here too have fallen in with the north side of the
station. As for the altars and inscriptions that are here,
it is generally said that they were all brought from another
place. And it is certain from Camden [c], that the two
curious inscriptions [d] which yet remain at this place, and
are legible, did not originally belong to it. Whether any
other altars which are here, and whose inscriptions are
effaced, may have at first been found here, I can not
determine.
"A little beyond Drumbrugh castle, Severus's wall begins
again to appear plain in the second degree, and the ditch is
also to be discerned, and continues nearly in this state all
the way to Boulness. About half a mile on the east of
Boulness the wall measured ten foot in height, though
the facing stones are removed. As for Hadrian's vallum, I
have said before, that the track of it is entirely lost. And
yet I am rather of opinion, that it has gone beyond
Drumbrugh, and down to the Solway frith; and that this may
have been one reason why Severus's wall has formed in such
an angle in its way to Boulness.
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Milecastle 78
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"The distance between Drumbrugh and Boulness is near three
miles and an half; one castellum is visible, which falls in
the proper place, when the computation is carried on, and
just seven furlongs allowed for the distance between
castella. This castellum is fourteen furlongs from Boulness;
so that there has been another between this and the station,
which has supplied the place of the last. If the wall was
begun at Boulness, then the castellum has been built just at
a proper distance.
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18. TUNNOCELUM.
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Maia
Bowness-on-Solway
Solway Firth
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"At BOULNESS, besides coins and other antiquities found
there, as also an inscription, a copy whereof is yet at
Appleby, there are still the visible remains of a station.
The vilage now stands, and the fort has stood, upon a rock
or promontory, on the edge of Solway frith; and it is not to
be doubted but the church, and what other stone buildings
are in the village, have been raised out of its ruins.
"The station must have supplied them sufficiently with what
stones they have used in their houses, most of which are
made of clay; so that they have not gone to any distance to
fetch stones from the wall, the remains of which are
considerable not far from this place on the east, but there
is no appearance of it to the west. Camden [e] supposes that
the wall begun a mile beyond Boulness, from the foundations
that appear at low water; but, upon enquiry into this
matter, I could not find any thing about it which could be
relied on, and therefore am of opinion that it has been the
foundation of one of the small forts, which were placed
along the shore of the frith, that led him into this
mistake. When the tide is out, the river is fordable here. I
rode it the evening I was there, but was told it could not
be forded below; so that it is probable the wall has
terminated in this station."
For the better representing the present appearance of the
ruins of the wall, we have copied Mr. Horsley's general map
of the whole wall, which will be found to comprehend all the
castella on it expressed in his particular maps of
the parts of it upon a larger scale, as well as to represent
the course of Hadrian's vallum and its parallellism with
that of Severus. The former is marked by the fainter line
accompanying the latter expressed by the blacker line.
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map, The Wall
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Severus's wall has manifestly terminated in a square fort
above a furlong to the east of a mansion called Cousin's
house, where are ruins of a Roman station and town still
very discernble, though the site has been plowed, and is now
a rich meadow. The site is called Well lawes, q.d.
Wall hills, corresponding with Segedunum (a
station). Hence it passes a stile, where it makes a little
turn. through the outer court of Cousin's house, by the
Beehouses, Walker, or Wall kier, Byker hill;
descends to Ewsburn, the Red burns, and
Pandon gate at New castle (a station). After
passing through that town it appears again out at the west
gate at the Quarry house. Thence proceeds to Elswick
mill, Benwel (a station), Denton, Chapel houses,
Walbottle, Newburn deen, Throcklow, Heddon (a
station), Rutchester (a station), Harlow hill, Halton
sheels, Wall houses, Halton Chester (a station),
Watling street gate, Portgate, St. Oswald, North Tine river,
Walwick or East Chesters (a station), Walwick,
Towerstay, Carrawburgh (a station), Shewen sheels,
Buisy gap, House steeds (a station), Haltwistle burn,
Little Chester (a station), Great Chesters (a
station), Cockmount hill, Waltown, Wintergap cross,
Carrvoran (a station), Tippal river to Thirwall
castle, Stonegap, Willoford, Burdoswald (a station),
Midgham foot, Wallbours, the Banks, Hare-hill (where Mr.
Horsley measured the wall three feet and a half high,
probably within half a yard of its original height),
Birchshaw, Randilands, Waltown, Cambeck, or
Castlesteeds (a station), Irthing, New town,
Comeranton, Old wall, Wall head, Wallby, Tarraby,
Stanwick (a station), cross the Eden, on the north
side of which both walls are mostly obscure, but the ditch
visible at Beaumont. They both run to Brugh (a
station). Whether Hadrian's wall was continued beyond
Drumburgh (a station) is uncertain, but Severus's may
be traced to Boulness (a station).
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[c]
P. 1015.
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[d]
Cumberland, No. lvi, lvii.
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[e]
P. 1017.
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The
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gazetteer links
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-- "Boulness" -- Bowness-on-Solway
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-- Drumburgh Castle
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-- Hadrian's Wall
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-- Maia
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-- "Drumburgh" -- Concavata
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