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Gentleman's Magazine 1746 p.302
embrasures for the cannon, before the first march of the
rebels out of Scotland; a work sufficient to drown the shot
of any pieces which the enemy cou'd bring along with them,
the road they came. But these were presently thrown down by
the repeated shocks of the eighteen pounders, and the
rebels, expos'd to too brisk a fire, abandon'd the battery
at D by noon, the army continuing to batter in breach all
that afternoon and next day, besides the cohorns which were
thrown from the ditch, at the end of Priestbeck bridge, as
exhibited in the map, and which greatly incommoded the
garrison. The wall by Sunday night began to totter, and
three more cannon arriving they were erected on a new
battery at H, somewhat nearer, to play on the angle C; the
other 5 were to batter in breach (one of the six having
burst). At the sight of this new battery the governor hung
out a flag of truce, before any breach was effect'd,
subsequent to which were the conditions publish'd in the
Gazette, to which I refer, (see p.81)
DESCRIPTION of CARLISLE castle.
THE castle of Carlisle is built on a rising ground, close to
the North side of Hadrian's vallum, near the conflux of the
Eden and Cauda. It was at first probably one of Agricola's
stations, which Severus remov'd to the opposite bank of the
Eden, for the better securing of his wall; for which reason
it is omitted in the list of Pancirolus's garrisons (being
none in his time) and Congevata, or Stanwix, substituted in
its stead. It continued nevertheless a place of note, and is
frequently mention'd, in the Itinerary of Antonine under the
name of Lugo-vallum, ad vallum, deriv'd, as etymologists
imagine, from the Celtic word LUGOS, a tower, and VALLUM, a
trench, or rampart. But I rather conjecture that it was
wrote Leucovallum, denoting a particular whiteness in the
wall of this place, almost all the other walls in that
country appearing red from the colour of the stone of which
they are built. Egfrid, a king of Northumberland, seems to
be the first who built a castle here in the 7th century, but
it was afterwards demolish'd by the Danes, and again
restor'd by Rufus son of the Norman, for a safe-guard
against the Scots. The munificence of succeeding kings added
greatly to its strength, so that it was able to hold out a
considerable time in the civil war;
and might have been an impregnable barrier against the
rebels, who could not have lain long before it, even with
the garrison of invalids, had they done their duty. It
consists at present of an inner and outer fortification,
both together making one triangular building: A figure least
susceptible of improvement from modern fortification, but
abundant amends is made for this defect by the thickness of
its walls, the firmness of its mortar, and the distance of
annoying batteries, those of his royal highness being 700
yards (about 300 beyond point blank) and the escalado being
impracticable; besides the security of an inner castle of
much less compass, of a pentagonal form, and incredible
strength, especially against any cannon which the rebels had
or cou'd bring by that road. Nevertheless it surrendered
with the city, or immediately after, at a time when his
majesty's army was within two days march to relieve it. Quis
talia fando, &c. For the position of the batteries, and
the number of guns, I refer you to the map and plan.
While the rebels had this castle in possession, a project
was formed by some of the city, after a surfeit of highland
government, to seize it by surprize; a scheme feasible
enough, as the governor lodg'd in the city, and as it was to
be effected on a market day, when a curiosity to gaze drew
the rebel garrison from their stronghold. But it was
unluckily discover'd a little before the time fixed for the
execution. Some of the projectors were secur'd, and other
precautions taken, which unhappily prevented the entire
destruction of the rebels in their flight back, and render'd
the loss of the place so much the greater consequence, and
never enough to be regretted.
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