“Take these flowers, which, purple waving, On the ruined rampart
grew, Where, the sons of Freedom braving, Rome’s imperial standard
flew. Warriors from the breach of danger Pluck no longer laurels
there; They but yield the passing stranger Wild-flower wreaths for
Beauty’s hair.” —_Sir Walter Scott._ (Lines written for a young
lady’s album.)
Of all the abundance of treasure which Northumberland possesses,
from a historical point of view—of all its wealth of interesting
relics of bygone days—ancient abbey, grim fortress, menhir and
monolith, camp and tumulus—none grips the imagination as does the
sight of that unswerving line which pursues its way over hill and
hollow, from the eastern to the western shores of the north-land,
visible emblem, after more than a thousand years, of the far-flung
arm of Imperial Rome.
From Wallsend on the Tyne to Bowness on the Solway Firth it strode
triumphantly across the land; even now in its decay it remains a
splendid monument to that mighty nation’s genius for having and
holding the uttermost parts of the earth that came within their
ken. As was inevitable, after the lapse of nearly eighteen
centuries the great work is everywhere in a ruinous condition, and
in many places, especially at its eastern end, has disappeared
altogether; but not only can its course be traced by various
evidences, but it was actually standing within comparatively recent
years. As lately as the year 1800—lately, that is, compared with
the date of its building—its existence at Byker was referred to in
a magazine of the period. Now nothing is to be seen of it excepting
a few stones here and there, for many miles from Wallsend; but the
highroad westward from Newcastle, by Westgate Road, as is well
known, follows the course of the Wall for nearly twenty miles. But
farther west we may walk along the uneven, broken surface of the
mighty rampart, or climb down into the broad and deep fosse which
lies closely against it along its northern side, without troubling
ourselves with the arguments and uncertainties of antiquaries, who
have by no means decided on what was the original function of the
Wall, who was its real builder, why and when the earthen walls and
fosse which accompany it on the south were wrought, and many other
smaller controversial points, which afford endless matter for
speculation and discussion.
Early references to the Wall show that our forefathers knew it as
the Picts’ Wall; it is now generally referred to as the Wall of
Hadrian, the general concensus of opinion yielding to that
indefatigable ruler the credit of having wrought the mighty work.
Whether built originally as a frontier line of defence or not,
opinions are not agreed; but it is very certain that the Wall
afforded the only secure foothold in the North to the Romans for
well-nigh two centuries of hostility from the restless Brigantes to
the southward, and the Picts and Scots to the north; and for
another century or so after their southern neighbours had become
friendly and peaceful, it still remained a substantial bulwark
against the northern barbarians.
Throughout the whole of its length it steadily holds the line of
the highest ridges in its course, climbing up slopes and dipping
down into the intervening hollows with the least possible deviation
from its onward course. The most interesting, because most
complete, portion of the Wall, is that in the neighbourhood of the
three loughs—Broomlee, Greenlee, and Crag Loughs, which, with
Grindon Lough to the south of the Wall, boast the name of the
Northumberland Lakes. On this portion of the wall is situated the
large Roman station of Borcovicus, from which we have gained a
great deal of our information as to what the life of the garrisons
on this lonely outpost of Empire was like.
The station is situated on hilly ground, which slopes gently to the
south, and is nearly five acres in extent. On entering the eastern
gateway one cannot but experience a sudden thrill on seeing the
deep grooves worn in the stone by the passing and repassing of
Roman cart and chariot wheels. That mute witness of the daily
traffic of the soldiery in those long-past centuries speaks with a
most intimate note to us who eighteen hundred years afterwards come
to look upon the place of their habitation. The station itself is
of the usual shape of the Roman towns on the course of the
Wall—oblong, with rounded corners. The greatest length lies east
and west, in a line with the Wall; and two broad streets crossing
each other at right angles lead from the north to the south, and
from the east to the western gateways. Each of the four was
originally a double gateway; but in every case one half of it has
been closed up, no doubt when the garrison was declining in
numbers, and the attacks of the enemy were increasing in severity.
[Illustration: North Gateway, Housesteads and Roman Wall.]
Considerable portions of the guard-chambers, one at each side of
each gateway, still remain; and near one of them was found a huge
stone trough, its edges deeply worn by, apparently, the frequent
sharpening of knives upon it. Its use has not been determined; Dr.
Bruce tells us that one of the men engaged in the work of
excavation gave it as his firm opinion that the Romans used it to
wash their Scotch prisoners in! The buildings of the little town—a
row of houses against the western wall, two large buildings near
the centre of the camp, with smaller chambers to the east of
them—in which the garrison lived, worked, and stored their
supplies, are still quite plainly to be traced, although the walls
are only three or four courses high in most places, and of the
pillars the broken bases are almost all that remain.
A considerable number of people dwelt outside the walls of this, as
of all the stations, sheltering under its walls, and relying on the
protection of its garrison; the slope to the southward of
Borcovicus shows many traces of buildings scattered all over it. On
the northern side, the steep hill, massive masonry, and deep fosse
would seem to have offered well-nigh insuperable difficulties to an
attacking force such as then could be brought against the camp; yet
not only here, but in all the stations whose remains yet survive,
there is unmistakable evidence that more than once has the garrison
been driven out by a victorious foe, to re-enter and occupy it
again at a later period. And when we consider that the Wall and its
forts were garrisoned by the Romans for a period extending over
nearly three centuries, a period corresponding to the time from the
reign of James I. to the present day, it becomes a matter of
wonder, not that such was the case, but that such occurrences were
not more frequent than the evidences seem to declare.
In spite of all the hard fighting, however, the recreations of
lighter hours would seem not to have been forgotten; on the north
of the wall is a circular hollow in the ground, evidently a little
amphitheatre, in which doubtless many a captive Briton and Pict
played his part. On a little rise to the southward, called Chapel
Hill, stood the temple where the garrison paid its vows to the
various deities of its worship. Many remarkably fine altars found
on this and other sites have been preserved, either at the fine
museum at The Chesters, or at the Black Gate in Newcastle. One of
the most striking is the altar to Mithras, the Persian sun-god,
found in a cave near the camp, evidently constructed for the
celebration of the rites connected with the worship of Mithras. The
altar shows the god coming out of an egg, and surrounded by an oval
on which are carved the signs of the Zodiac.
The Teutonic element in the garrison is represented by the altars
to Mars Thingsus, the discovery of which caused great interest in
Germany, and by the altars to the Deae Matres—the mother-goddesses,
whose carved figures are shown seated, fully draped, and holding
baskets of fruits on their knees. They are generally found in sets
of three; but unfortunately they have been much mutilated, and all
the examples remaining are headless. The Deae Matres would seem to
correspond in some degree to the Roman Ceres and the Greek Demeter,
the bountiful givers of the fruits of the earth. The majority of
the altars found are, as was to be expected, dedicated to the
deities of Rome; chiefly, as shown by the constantly recurring
I.O.M.—_Jovi optimo maximo_—to “Jupiter, the best and greatest.”
The varying inscriptions which follow as reasons for their erection
as votive offerings give us glimpses of the life in these
communities clearer than those afforded by anything else. And as
most, if not all, of our knowledge concerning the details of the
Roman occupation of the north-country has to be obtained from the
inscriptions which the garrisons left behind them, the inscribed
stones as well as the altars are of the greatest possible interest
and value. One such stone, found at the Borcovicus mile-castle,
states that “the Second Legion, the August (erected this at the
command of) Aulus Platorius Nepos, Legate and Propraetor, in honour
of the Emperor Caesar Trajanus Hadrianus Augustus.”
At “Cuddy’s” (Cuthbert’s) Crag near Borcovicus is one of the most
picturesque bits of scenery to be found on the whole course of the
Wall. My first acquaintance with it was made on a day of grey mist
and drizzling rain, which completely hid any view of the
surrounding country, and of necessity confined our attention to the
stones (and wet grass!) immediately beneath our feet. But another
visit was on a day of wind and sunshine, and in the company of a
group of light-hearted students. We explored the ruins of
Borcovicus, walked along the broad and broken top of the Wall, and
climbed up hill and down dale with it under the pleasantest
conditions, if a trifle breezy on the heights. June was at her
traditional best, which she does not often vouchsafe to show us;
flowers waved all around, amongst the grass and in the crannies
between the stones, and more than once the lines at the head of
this chapter were quoted by one to another. Again and again our
progress was stayed while we admired the glorious view spread out
all around, but especially was this the case at Cuddy’s Crag. We
looked westward over Crag Lough, its usually dark waters flashing
in the afternoon sun; the three Loughs were all within view; away
to the southward, beyond Barcombe Hill, and the site of Vindolana,
Langley Castle could be seen, “standing four-square to all the
winds that blew”; and further away again, beyond the valley of the
South Tyne, to the southwest the faint outlines of Crossfell and
Skiddaw. Northward it was quite easy to imagine oneself looking out
over the Picts’ country still, so far do the moorlands stretch, and
so few are the signs of habitation. Rolling ridges stretch
northward, wave upon wave, clothed with grass and heather, amongst
which Parnesius and Pertinax went hunting with little Allo the
Pict; to the northeast the heights of Simonside showed; and far
beyond them, though more to the westward, the rounded summits of
the Cheviots lay on the horizon.
A short distance westward from the Crag is Hot Bank farmhouse, a
place which most visitors to the Wall remember with grateful
feelings; for what is more refreshing, after a long tramp, than a
farmhouse cup of tea accompanied by that most appetising of
Northumbrian dainties, hot girdle cakes! The Visitors’ Book at Hot
Bank is a “civil list” of all the most learned and noted names in
Great Britain, and many outside its shores, together with legions
of humbler folk. In this it resembles the one at Cilurnum, which is
the only other considerable station along the line of the Wall in
Northumberland.
This station of Cilurnum, or Chesters, is a little over five acres
in extent, and is quite near to Chollerford station on the North
British Railway. To describe Cilurnum in detail, and the
interesting museum connected with it, filled with a wonderful
collection of objects found on the line of the Wall, would require
a book to deal with that alone. The general plan is the same as
that which we have already seen at Borcovicus, with the same
rounded corners, and double gateway with guard-chambers at each
side; the western and eastern walls at Chesters, however, have each
an additional single gateway to the south of the larger portals. We
must content ourselves with a short survey of the camp, with its
two wide streets at right angles to each other as at Borcovicus,
and the rest of them very narrow—indeed, little more than two feet
in width; the remains of its Forum and market, its barracks and
houses, its open shops and colonnades, the bases of the pillars yet
in position; its baths, with pipes, cistern, and flues; and a
vaulted chamber which was thought, on its being first excavated, to
lead to underground stables, for a local tradition held that such
were in existence, and would be found, with a troop of five hundred
horses. The vault, however, did not lead further, so that the
tradition remained unproven. Notwithstanding this, there was a
grain of fact in it; for Chesters was a cavalry station, and five
hundred was the full complement of the _ala_, or troop (_ala_ being
a “wing,” and cavalry forming the “wing” of an army in position).
Outside the walls of Cilurnum are traces of the usual suburban
dwellings; and here, near the river, stood the villa of the officer
in command of the station. The excavation of all these buildings
and many others took place in the forties and fifties of last
century, and were due to the energy of Mr. John Clayton, the
learned and zealous antiquary, in the possession of whose family
the estate still remains. To Mr. N.G. Clayton we owe the Museum at
the Lodge gate, which he built for the reception of the notable
collection it contains of antiquities gathered from all the various
stations in Northumberland. A very fine altar brought from
Vindolana at once strikes the eye, and may be taken as a type of
many others, though not many are so perfect. The gravestone of a
standard-bearer, from the neighbouring station of Procolitia, shows
a full-length carving of the dead warrior. Other inscribed stones
are of great interest, though unfortunately most of them are but
fragments; still these fragments not infrequently contain a few
words which enable students of them to confirm a date or a fact
concerning the garrisons, which must otherwise have been a matter
of pure conjecture. For instance, it might seem very improbable
that the same regiments should have been quartered in certain
stations for over two hundred years; yet one of the inscribed
stones proves that such was the case at Cilurnum. The inscription
states that the second _ala_ of the Asturians repaired the temple
during the consulate of certain persons, which is found to be about
the year 221. In the _Notitia_, which was not compiled until the
beginning of the fifth century, the second _ala_ of the Asturians
is given as the garrison of Cilurnum.
Another thing which strikes the imagination is the sight, after the
lapse of so many centuries, of the erasures on various inscribed
stones—erasures of some emperor’s or Caesar’s name after his death
by the chisel of a soldier in one of his legions on this far-away
post of his empire. It is one thing to read one’s Gibbon, and learn
of the murder of Geta, son of Severus, by order of his brother
Caracalla, and another to see the youth’s name roughly scratched
out on a stone in Hexham Abbey crypt; and to read of the
assassination of Elagabalus does not move us one whit, but to see
his name erased from a stone in Chesters museum brings the
tumultuous happenings in ancient Rome very closely home to us.
Here are also several Roman milestones, with their lengthy and
sonorous inscriptions, from various points on the Wall; and a
miscellaneous and deeply interesting collection of smaller
articles, such as ornaments of bronze, jet, or gold, fibulae
(brooches or clasps), coins of many reigns, Samian-ware,
terra-cotta and glass, parts of harness, etc., etc.
Of carven figures there are several besides the standard bearer
already mentioned. The best is a figure of Cybele, with elaborate
draperies, but unfortunately headless; another, of Victory, holds a
palm branch in the left hand, but the right arm is missing. A
soldier is shown with spear, shield, and ornate head-piece; and a
representation of a river-god, the genius of the Tyne, is worthy of
notice. He is a bearded figure, after the style of the figures of
Nilus, or the representations in old prints of Father Thames. From
Procolitia comes an altar to the goddess Coventina, a name not met
with elsewhere, the presiding genius of the well in that station.
She is shown reclining on a water-lily leaf, holding in one hand a
water-plant, and in the other a goblet from which a stream of water
runs. An elaborate carving of three water nymphs, most probably
meant to be in attendance on the goddess, is one of the few pieces
of sculpture that are not greatly mutilated.
Centurial stones are numerous, having been put up at all parts of
the Wall to record the building of such and such parts by various
centurions and their companies. The mark >, which Dr. Hodgkin
supposes to be a representation of the vine rod, a centurion’s
symbol of authority, and the sign C or Q, are used to signify a
century. Thus a stone inscribed Q VAL. MAXI. states that the
century of Valerius Maximus built that part of the Wall. Two or
three small altars are inscribed DIBVS VETERIBVS—“To the Old Gods”;
and Mars Thingsus is well represented.
A very important relic of Roman times found at Cilurnum was a
bronze tablet of citizenship, giving this coveted privilege to a
number of soldiers who had served in twenty-five campaigns and
received honourable discharge. There have been only three specimens
of this diploma found in Britain, and all are preserved in the
British Museum. There are many memorial tablets erected by wives to
their husbands, and husbands to their wives, which leads to much
speculation as to how these ladies, high-born Roman, native Briton,
or freed-woman, liked their sojourn in a small garrison town on the
breezy heights of a Northumbrian moorland. Those ladies who dwelt
at Cilurnum, however, had not so much cause to complain, for such
natural advantages as were to be had were certainly theirs, in that
sheltered spot. The scenery round about Cilurnum is quiet, peaceful
and pastoral, altogether different from the wild beauty of Cuddy’s
Crag, Limestone Corner, or Whinshields.
Having now noticed the two chief stations on the line of the Wall,
it will be interesting to follow the course of the rampart itself
throughout its journey across Northumberland, though to do so in
detail is impossible within the limits of so small a volume as the
present one. Neither would it be necessary, or desirable, for the
last word in detailed description has been said long ago in the two
wonderfully exhaustive treatises on the subject by Dr. Bruce.
A list of Roman officials, civil and military, throughout the
empire has come down to us; in this list—_Notitia Dignitatem et
Administratem, tam civilium quam militarium in partibus orientis et
occidentis_—the portion which relates to the Wall is headed, _Item
per lineam Valli_—“Also along the line of the Wall.” The following
is a copy of this portion, as given by Dr. Bruce in his _Handbook
to the Roman Wall_.
The Tribune of the fourth cohort of the Lingones at Segedunum.
The Tribune of the first cohort of Cornovii at Pons AElii.
The Prefect of the first _ala_ of the Asturians at Condercum. The
Tribune of the first cohort of the Frixagi (Frisii) at Vindobala.
The Prefect of the Savinian _ala_ at Hunnum.
The Prefect of the second _ala_ of the Asturians at Cilurnum.
The Tribune of the first cohort of the Batavians at Procolitia.
The Tribune of the first cohort of the Tungrians at Borcovicus.
The Tribune of the fourth cohort of the Gauls at Vindolana.
The Tribune of the first cohort of Asturians at Aesica.
The Tribune of the second cohort of Dalmatians at Magna.
The Tribune of the first cohort of Dacians, styled Aelia, at
Amboglanna.
The Prefect of the _ala_ called “Petriana,” at Petriana.
The Prefect of a detachment of Moors, styled Aureliani, at Aballaba.
The Tribune of the second cohort of the Lingones at Congavata.
The Tribune of the first cohort of Spaniards at Axelodunum.
The Tribune of the second cohort of the Thracians at Gabrosentum.
The Tribune of the first marine cohort, styled Aelia, at Tunnocelum.
The Tribune of the first cohort of the Morini at Glannibanta.
The Tribune of the third cohort of the Nervians at Alionis.
The Cuneus of men in armour at Bremetenracum.
The Prefect of the first _ala_, styled Herculean, at Olenacum.
The Tribune of the sixth cohort of the Nervians at Virosidum.
Of these stations, with their officers and troops, only those as
far as Magna are in Northumberland; the rest continue the chain of
defences across Cumberland to the Solway Firth. Besides these
stations, there were _castella_ at the distance of every Roman mile
(seven furlongs) along the Wall, from which circumstance they are
known as “mile-castles.” They provided accommodation for the troops
necessary between the stations, which were at some distance from
each other; and between each two _castella_ there were also erected
two turrets, so that communication from one end of the Wall to the
other was speedy and certain.
All traces of the station of Segedunum (Wallsend) have long since
disappeared; the Wall from there, beginning actually in the bed of
the river, ran almost parallel with the N.E.R. Tynemouth Branch, a
little to the south of it, and climbing the hill to Byker, went
down the slope to the Ouseburn parallel with Shields Road, crossing
the burn just a little to the south of Byker Bridge. From there its
course has been traced to Red Barns, where St. Dominic’s now
stands, to the Sallyport Gate, and over the Wall Knoll to Pilgrim
Street; thence to the west door of the Cathedral, and on past St.
John’s Church, up Westgate Road.
The station at Pons AElii, it is generally agreed, occupied the
ground between the Cathedral church of St. Nicholas and the
premises of the Lit. and Phil. Society. Following the Wall up
Westgate Road, we are now out upon the highway from Newcastle to
Carlisle, which, as we have seen, is upon the very line of the Wall
for nearly a score of miles. At Condercum (Benwell) the next
station, garrisoned by a cavalry corps of Asturians from Spain, a
small temple was uncovered in the course of excavating, and two
altars found still standing in their original position. Both of
these were to a deity unknown elsewhere, given as Antenociticus on
one, and as Anociticus on the other. The former was erected by a
centurion of the Twentieth Legion, the Valerian and Victorious,
whose crest, the running boar, we shall meet with more than once in
our journey.
Westward from here, near West Denton Lodge, faint indications of
the turf wall (generally called the Vallum, to distinguish it from
the Murus, or stone wall), come into sight, and traces of a
mile-castle to the left of the road. After this the Vallum and
Murus accompany each other for the rest of their journey, with but
little intermission. The next mile-castle was at Walbottle, from
which point a delightful view of the Tyne valley and the
surrounding country can be obtained. Passing Throckley and
Heddon-on-the-Wall, where the fosse on the northern side of the
Wall is well seen, and also the Vallum and its fosse, Vindolana
(Rutchester) is reached; but there is little evidence here that it
is the site of a once busy and bustling garrison station. Indeed,
up to this point and for a considerable distance further, a few
courses of stones here and there are all that is to be seen of the
Roman Wall, its material having for the most part been swallowed up
in the construction of the turnpike road on which we are
travelling. This road was made in 1745 because there was no road by
which General Wade could convey his troops from Newcastle to
Carlisle, when “Bonnie Prince Charlie” marched so gaily to that
city on his way southward, and so sadly, in a month, returned
again.
The Wall now makes for the ridge of Harlow Hill, while the Vallum
goes on in a perfectly straight line past the picturesque Whittle
Dene and the waterworks, until the Wall joins it again near Welton,
where the old pele-tower is entirely built of Roman stones. After
Matfen Piers, where a road to the northward leads to the beautiful
little village of Matfen, and one to the southward to Corbridge,
the Wall passes Wall Houses and Halton Shields, where the various
lines of the Wall, road, and earthworks, as well as the fosse of
each, can be distinctly seen. Passing Carr Hill, the Wall leads up
to the station of Hunnum (Halton Chesters), where Parnesius was
stationed when Maximus gave him his commission on the Wall. It is
not easy to recognise the site now, but as we follow the road we
may comfort ourselves with the reflection that at least we have
walked right across it from the eastern gate to the western.
A short distance further on is Stagshawbank, famed for its fairs,
the glory of which, however, has greatly departed since the days
when Dandie Dinmont had such adventures on returning from
“Staneshiebank.” It stands just where the Wall crosses the Watling
Street, which enters Northumberland at Ebchester, and crossing the
moors to Whittonstall, leads down the long descent to Riding Mill;
there turning westward to Corbridge, it comes straight on to
Stagshawbank, leading thence northwestward past the Wall through
Redesdale to the Borders, which it reaches at Ad Fines Camp, or
Chew Green, where the solitudes of the Cheviots and the silence of
the deserted camp are soon to be startled by the rifle-shots of
Territorials at practice. West of Stagshawbank the earthen ramparts
are to be seen in great perfection.
As the Wall nears Chollerford, one may see, a little to the
northward, the little chapel of St. Oswald, which, as we have seen
in a former chapter, marks the site of the battle of Heavenfield.
Just before reaching this point, there is a quarry to the south of
the Wall from which the Romans obtained much building-stone, and
one of them has left his name carved on one of the stones left
lying there, thus—(P)ETRA FLAVI(I) CARANTINI—_The stone of Flavius
Carantinus_.
At Plane Trees Field and at Brunton there are larger pieces of the
Wall standing than we have yet seen. The Wall now parts company
with the highroad, which swerves a little to the north in order to
cross the Tyne by Chollerford Bridge, while the course of the Wall
is straight ahead, for the present bridge is not the one built and
used by the Romans. That is in a line with the Wall, and therefore
south of the present one; and as we have already noticed, its piers
can be seen near the river banks when the river is low. A diagram
of its position is given in Dr. Bruce’s _Handbook_.
The Wall now leads up to the gateway of Cilurnum, which we have
already visited; and after leaving the park, it goes on up the hill
to Walwick. Here it is rejoined by the road, which now for some
little distance proceeds actually on the line of the Wall, the
stones of which can sometimes be seen in the roadway. The tower a
little further on, on the hill called Tower Tye, or Taye, was not
built by the Romans, although Roman stones were used in its
erection; it is only about two hundred years old.
At Black Carts farm, which the Wall now passes, the first turret
discovered on the line of the Wall after the excavations had begun,
and interest in the subject was revived, was here laid bare by Mr.
Clayton in 1873. At Limestone Bank, not much further on, the fosse
north of the Wall, and also that of the Vallum, show a skill in
engineering such as we are apt to fancy belongs only to these days
of powerful machinery, and explosives for rending a way through the
hardest rock. The ditches have both been cut through the solid
basalt, and great boulders of it are strewn around; one huge mass,
weighing many tons, has been hoisted out—by what means, we are left
to wonder; and another, still in the ditch, has the holes, intended
for the wedges still discernible.
A mile or so further on is Procolitia (Carrawburgh), where is the
famous well presided over by the goddess Coventina, whose
acquaintance we have already made at Cilurnum. The remains of the
station at Procolitia are by no means to be compared with those at
Borcovicus or Cilurnum; very few of its stones are yet remaining.
The well was the most interesting find at Procolitia. It was known
to be there, for Horsley had mentioned it; but the waters which
supplied it were diverted in consequence of some lead-mining
operations. Then the stream formed by its overflow dried up, grass
grew over its course and over the well, and it was lost sight of
entirely. But the same thing which had led to its disappearance was
the means of finding it again. Some lead miners, prospecting for
another vein of ore in the neighbourhood, happened to dig in this
very spot, and soon struck the stones round the mouth of the well.
Mr. Clayton had it properly excavated, and was rewarded by coming
not only upon the well, but a rich find of Roman relics of all
kinds, which had either been thrown pell-mell into it for
concealment in a moment of danger, or, what is more likely, been
thrown in during the course of ages as votive offerings to the
presiding goddess of the well. There were thousands of coins,
mostly silver and copper, with four gold pieces among them; and a
large collection of miscellaneous objects, including vases, shoes,
pearls, ornaments, altars and inscribed stones, all of which were
taken to Chesters. The next point of interest on the Wall is the
farmhouse of Carraw, which the Priors of Hexham Abbey once used as
a summer retreat. A little further on, at Shield-on-the-Wall,
Wade’s road crosses to the south of the earthen lines, and parts
company with the Wall for a little while, for the latter bends
northward to take the high ridge, as usual, while the road and
Vallum continue in a straight line. The fragments of a mile-castle
are standing just at the point where the Wall swerves northward;
indeed, we have been passing the sites of these _castella_, with
fragments more or less in evidence all along the route, but those
which we shall now encounter are much more distinctly to be seen
than their fellows on the eastern part of the journey, many of
which have disappeared altogether.
The high crags which here shoulder the Wall are part of the Great
Whin Sill, an intrusive dyke of dolerite which stretches from
Greenhead northeastward across the county nearly to Berwick. The
military road here leaves the Wall, with which it does not again
come into close contact until both are near Carlisle, though in
several places the Roman road will be encountered near the Wall in
a well-preserved condition. The Wall now climbs another ascent to
the farmhouse of Sewingshields, which name is variously explained
as “Seven Shields,” and as “The shiels (shielings, or little huts)
by the seugh” or hollow—the hollow being the fosse. Sewingshields
Castle, long since disappeared, is the scene of the knight’s
adventures in Sir Walter Scott’s “Harold the Dauntless.” And
tradition asserts that King Arthur, with Queen Guinevere and all
the court, lies in an enchanted sleep beneath the castle, or at
least its site. Not only is there no castle, but the Wall also has
been despoiled to supply the material for building the farmhouse
and other buildings in the neighbourhood. The Wall climbs
unfalteringly over the crags, one after the other, until the wide
opening of Busy Gap is reached. This being such a convenient pass
from north to south, it was naturally used constantly by raiders
and thieves; and such an unenviable notoriety did it possess, that
to call a person a “Busy Gap rogue” was sufficient to lay oneself
open to an action for libel. Climbing the next slope we look down
on Broomlee Lough and reach the portion of the Wall we have already
noted—Borcovicus (Housesteads), Cuddy’s Crag, Hot Bank farmhouse,
and Crag; Lough.
The course of the Wall continues, past Milking Gap, along the
rugged heights of Steel Rig, Cat’s Stairs, and Peel Crag, till on
reaching Winshields we are at the highest point on the line, 1,230
feet above the sea-level. Dipping down to Green Slack, the Wall
crosses the valley called Lodham Slack, and begins to ascend once
more. The local names of gaps and heights in this neighbourhood are
highly descriptive, and sometimes weirdly suggestive; we have had
Cat’s Stairs, and now we come to Bogle Hole, Bloody Gap, and Thorny
Doors. A little further west from here the very considerable
remains of a mile-castle may be seen, in which a tombstone was
found doing duty as a hearth-stone. The inscription recorded that
it had been erected by Pusinna to the memory of her husband
Dagvaldus, a soldier of Pannonia.
Westward from this mile-castle the Wall climbs Burnhead Crag, on
which the foundations of a building, similar to the turrets, were
exposed a few years ago; then it dips down again to Haltwhistle
Burn, which comes from Greenlee Lough, and is called, until it
reaches the Wall, the Caw Burn. From the burn a winding watercourse
supplied the Roman station of AEsica (Great Chesters) with water.
Just here the Wall is in a very ruinous condition; and of the
station of AEsica but little masonry remains, though the outlines
of it can he clearly traced. Beyond AEsica, however, is a splendid
portion of the Wall, standing some seven or eight courses high.
Here it climbs again to the top of the crags which once more
appear, bold and rugged, to culminate in the “Nine Nicks of
Thirlwall,” so called from the number of separate heights into
which the crags divide, and over which the Wall takes its way.
At Walltown, on this part of its course, is to be seen an old well,
in which Paulinus is said to have baptised King Edwin; but the
local name for it is King Arthur’s Well. Now the Wall descends to a
level and pastoral country, leaving behind it the wild moorland and
craggy heights across which it has travelled so long; but
unfortunately much of it has been destroyed by the quarrying
operations at Greenhead. Of the station of Magna (Caervoran) little
can be seen at the present day. This station and Aesica are nearer
to each other than are any other two stations on the Wall, and a
line of camps, five in number, stand south of the Wall and Vallum,
from Magna to Amboglanna, showing that a third line of defence was
deemed necessary where the natural defences of moorland ridge,
lough or crag were absent.
The Roman way called the Stanegate comes from the eastward almost
up to the station of Magna, which stands a little to the south of
both Wall and Vallum, between them and Wade’s road, which here
approaches nearer to the Wall than it has done for many miles.
Another Roman road, the Maiden Way, comes from the South closely up
to the Vallum, quite near to Thirlwall castle. The name “Thirlwals”
was supposed to commemorate the “thirling” (drilling or piercing)
of the Wall at this point by the barbarians, but this is extremely
doubtful; though the difficulty of defending the wall on this level
tract lends an air of likelihood to this supposition. Near here the
little river Tipalt flows across the line of the Wall on its way
southward to join the North Tyne.
Passing Wallend, Gap, and Rose Hill, where Gilsland railway station
now stands, we follow the Wall to the deep dene of the Poltross
Burn, which forms the boundary between Northumberland and
Cumberland. The railway just beyond the burn crosses the line of
the Wall; and, further on, an interesting portion, several courses
high, takes its way through the Vicarage garden. Here we will leave
it to continue its way through Cumberland, and turn our attention
to the chief Roman ways which cross Northumberland, with other
stations standing upon them.
The Watling Street or Dere Street, we have already noticed; and the
chief station on it, which has also proved to be the largest in
Northumberland, is Corstopitum, near Corbridge. The recent
excavations since 1906 have resulted in the finding of many
interesting relics, including some hundreds of coins, amongst which
were forty-eight gold pieces, of later Roman date, ranging from
those of Valentinian I. to those of Magnus Maximus. Pottery in
large quantities has also been found, most of it, of course, in a
fragmentary condition, but some pieces, notably bowls of Samian
ware, almost perfect, and dating from the first century. Several
interesting pieces of sculpture have been unearthed; one a finely
sculptured lion standing over an animal which it has evidently just
killed; this was, no doubt, used as an outlet for water at the
fountain, judging by the projection of the lion’s lower lip.
Another piece of sculpture represents a sun-god, the rays
surrounding his face; and several altars and many inscribed stones
are also amongst the treasures lately revealed. A clay mould of a
human figure was also found, which is supposed to represent some
Keltic deity; but as the figure wears a short tunic not unlike a
kilt, and carries a crooked club, the workmen promptly christened
it Harry Lauder! The buildings in this town, for it is much more
than a military station, have been large and imposing, as is shown
by each successive revelation made by the excavators’ spades. The
portion of the Watling Street leading from Corstopitum to the river
has also been laid bare.
The Roman road called the Stanegate runs westward from the North
Tyne at Cilurnum, a little to the north of Fourstones railway
station, through Newbrough, on past Grindon Hill, Grindon Lough,
which it passes on the south, and Grindon Dykes, to Vindolana
(Chesterholm) another Roman town, which lies a mile due south from
Hot Bank farmhouse on the Wall. Vindolana stood on a most
favourable site, a high platform protected on three sides, and it
covered three and a half acres of ground. Here no excavations have
yet been made, and the site is grass grown and desolate although
the outlines of the station may be distinctly traced. A ruinous
building to the west of this station was popularly called the
Fairies’ Kitchen, a name given to it on account of the marks of
fire and soot on the pillars. From the station several inscribed
stones and altars have been taken to the museum at Chesters. One of
them is dedicated to the Genius of the Camp by Pituanius Secundus,
the Prefect of the fourth Cohort of the Gauls, which cohort, as we
have already seen by the _Votitia_, was stationed here. In the
valley below Vindolana a little cottage is standing. It is built
entirely of Roman stones, and was erected by an enthusiastic
antiquary, Mr. Anthony Hedley, for himself. Many of the stones used
in its construction have inscriptions on them; and in the covered
passage, leading from the cottage down to the burn, we come upon
one of them inscribed with the name of our old friend the XXth
Legion, and its crest, the running boar. The most interesting relic
of all in the neighbourhood is a Roman mile-stone, standing in its
original position on the Stanegate.
Leaving Vindolana, this road goes on westward to Magna, where it
joins the Maiden Way, another important Roman road, which runs from
north to south. Coming from the neighbourhood of Bewcastle Fells,
it enters Northumberland at Gilsland, and leading eastward as far
as Magna, then turns directly southward past Greenhead.
In concluding this chapter on the Roman remains in our county,
_apropos_ of the wholesale destruction of the Wall and larger
stations which has taken place in the last century or two, I will
quote the words of two historians on that subject. Dr. Thomas
Hodgkin says: “In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Camden, the
enthusiastic antiquary, dared not traverse the line of the wall by
reason of the gangs of brigands by whom it was infested. The union
of the two countries brought peace, and peace brought prosperity;
prosperity, alas! more fatal to the Wall than centuries of Border
warfare. For now the prosperous farmers of Northumberland and
Cumberland awoke to the building facilities which lurked in these
square green enclosures on their farms, treated them as their best
quarries, and robbed them unmercifully of their fine well-hewn
stones. Happily that work of demolition is now in great measure
stayed, and at this day we visit the camps for a nobler purpose, to
learn all they can teach us as to the past history of our country.”
None, I think, will disagree with these words of the learned
Doctor, whether or not they may go as far as Cadwallader J. Bates,
who, in concluding his chapter on the Roman Wall, gave it as his
opinion that “unless the island is conquered by some civilized
nation, there will soon be no traces of the Wall left. Nay, even
the splendid whinstone crags on which it stands will be all
quarried away to mend the roads of our urban and rural
authorities.”
[Illustration]