|
CAMBDEN says, "At the upper corner of Winandermere lieth the
dead carcase of an ancient city, with great ruins of walls,
and many heaps of rubbish, one from another, remaining of
buildings without the walls, yet to be seen. The fortress
thereof was somewhat long, fenced with a ditch and rampire,
took up in length 132 ells, and breadth 80. That it has been
the Romans work is evident by the British bricks, by the
mortar tempered with little pieces of brick among it, by
small earthen pots or pitchers, by small cruets or vials of
glass, by pieces of Roman money oftentimes found, and by
round stones as big as millstones or quernstones, of which
laid and couched together they framed, in old times, their
columns, and by the paved ways leading to it. Now the
ancient name thereof is gone, unless a man would guess at
it, and think it were that Amboglana, whereof the book of
notices maketh mention, seeing at this day it is called
Ambleside."
By some stones found on Agricola's wall since Cambden's
time, it appears Amboglana was there; the stones are now at
Naworth Castle. The cohort might be first established at the
Picts wall, and a part of them remove hither and give it
their name; for Guthrie says, "under the Honourable the Duke
of Britain was placed the prefect of a detachment of the
Nervii called Dictenses at Ambleside."
The fort lyes a little below the town; the remains of it are
now very small, but many coins have been found there; and in
the year 1785, a man planting potatoes with the spade there,
found a crucifix of brass, which was given me. The
inhabitants dug up, not many years ago, several pieces, (as
they called them) of free stone, which probably had been
altars or the pedestals of Pillars. As there is no free
stone within twenty-five miles of the place, I should think
they were brought hither for urns, fonts, or some purpose of
that kind, as the blue ragg, or granite stones found here,
cannot be worked with a chissel: Had any Antiquarian been
there, some things perhaps might have led to a more perfect
discovery, but they were generally broken small for scowring
sand, which is a scarce article at Ambleside. That it was a
Roman station is, I think, beyond a doubt: it is by the
inhabitants called the Castle, and I should suppose that
this castle or fort was of some account in the year 794, and
was the place where the two sons of Elfwold were decoyed to
before they were murdered, and not Bowness, as Cambden has
conjectured: All the old authors agree that they were
murdered at Winandermere, and I should suppose this
was the only place of note in 794 within the parish called
Winandermere.
|
|
King James the II. granted to the inhabitants of Ambleside a
weekly market on Wednesday, and two fairs in the year, with
a court of Pie-powder to be holden before his
Steward: The profits arising from the said fairs and market
shall be for the use of the poor inhabitants of the town of
Ambleside. A poor salary indeed! for the market
frequently begins at twelve o'clock, and ends at
noon! It hath one tolerable good fair, viz. on
the 29th of October, commonly called the Tip-Fair.
There is on that day a good shew of long-horned heifers, and
Tips *, which here sell at great prices: The
country meet to drink, and dance as at wakes, and the
steward reads the charter.
|
Lakes Guides menu.
