button to main menu  Pennant's Tour 1773


button title page
button previous page button next page

Page 182:-

Bewcastle Cross In the church-yard is the celebrated Obelisk, carved with figures in good taste and great power of fancy. On it is a Runic inscription, which was copied by order of Lord William Howard, and sent to him by him to Sir Henry Spelman, who again communicated it to the learned Wormius. Wormius suspects it to have been incorrect, but ventures at this reading: RINO Lapides hos runicos posuit. - It is certainly of Danish origin, but the time and cause of its erection are quite unknown. Its height is fourteen feet two inches; its breadth on the bottom of the broadest side, one foot ten; of the narrowest side, one foot seven; on the top, one foot four. FINE RUNIC OBELISK.
From Beucastle I rode about twenty miles along a very bad and uncultivated country, with here and there a tract of oats or barley: passed through the village and parish of Stapleton, the first place granted forth as a fee of the barony of Gillesland*; crossed the Line, and reached Netherby, where I again experienced the hospitality of its owner, the Reverend Mr. Graham†. Numbers of pieces of antiquity had been collected here since my former visit to this place.
From
* Burn, 11, 479.
† He died February 2, 1782; was succeeded by his son Charles, who died soon after; he was succeeded by his brother James, created a Baronet December 28, 1782..

next page


button to main menu Lakes Guides menu.