GILSLAND TO LANERCOST
After lunching at Gilsland, I started off again at three o'clock,
intending to make only a short distance that day, and to sleep at the
Lanercost Temperance Hotel. I picked up the line of the Wall where I
had dropped it--at the Vicarage. Keeping westward along the road, I
turned into a field-path on the right, just past a new cottage known
as "Roman Wall Villa," behind which, remains of the Wall are to be
seen. This path leads through meadows right along the line of the
Wall, with the lovely little river Irthing twisting its way below on
the right, half-hidden by the trees which overhang it.
Fragments of the core of the Wall are seen at intervals, and
presently the path runs right along the bottom of the deep
Wall-ditch. Great trees grow on the top of its northern mound. So
we come to Willowford farm-house, where for the moment all traces of
the Wall disappear, no doubt because its stones were used to build
the house.
I descended the steep little grassy hill on which {163} the house
stands, and crept through the barbed-wire fence at the bottom into a
flat meadow on a level with the river. There, in the hedge, were
Wall-stones in plenty, and again the path lay in the ditch, though it
had been very nearly levelled, probably by the plough. The river
Irthing was still on the right, curving round to meet the line of the
Wall. Just before they meet, the Wall disappears again, and the low
bank of the river is covered with undergrowth. The opposite bank is
very high and precipitous, thickly clothed with trees and bushes; but
on its summit can be seen clinging a precious bit of the Wall, seven
courses high.
Keeping to my resolve of following the Wall through thick and thin, I
took off my shoes and stockings, and crossed the river, after
searching in vain for any signs of how the Wall had crossed it.
Where it had crossed it I could guess, from the overhanging piece of
Wall in front, and the line along which I had come.
I am told by those who have the right to express an opinion that
there certainly is a bridge buried here, on the east bank, and that
it's simply "asking" to be excavated!
The river was fairly low, so I was able to cross dry-footed, jumping
from stone to stone, with only one hazardous jump in the middle,
where the current of the stream flows deepest. I was now {164}
beneath the cliffs which Jenkinson in his _Guide_ describes as "now
quite precipitous and impossible to ascend." But it was not
impossible at all, though difficult. The thick growth of trees and
bushes was both a hindrance and a help, for, though it barred my way,
it gave more foothold on the steep bank.
At last I came out on the top, close to the fine bit of Wall still
standing, and could examine it at leisure. It is making straight for
Birdoswald farm-house, now not far away, and the eye can follow it
along the boundary hedge between cornfields and pasture-land.
Close by, on the high bank of the Irthing, are traces of the Harrow's
Scar mile-castle, placed here to guard the passage of the stream.
THE WALL OVERHANGING THE IRTHING.
This bank of the Irthing, where the Wall still clings at the top, was
a perfectly bare, sandy bank in 1848, without trees or undergrowth,
as shown in H. B. Richardson's drawing in Newcastle. In 1801, when
Hutton climbed it, he speaks of "brambles," so it would almost look
as if there had been a landslip on this bank between 1801 and 1848.
Now it is covered very thickly with vegetation, especially low down
near the river.
[Illustration: THE WALL OVERHANGING THE IRTHING]
When I was making this sketch, I walked one day to the bank of the
river, a little below the Wall, {165} and there I suddenly saw the
figure of a girl appear in a tree overhanging the water on the other
side. I looked again, and I saw she was seated in a little wooden
chair suspended from a wire, and was pulling herself across by
another wire, both of which crossed from side to side. I waited for
her to land, and then I asked: "Do you think I might use that?" She
said: "It belongs to Underheugh, that farm down there, but I dare say
you might."
I promptly went to Underheugh and asked permission. The farmer's
wife said: "Oh ay, ye may if ye like, but ye'd do better by plodgin'."
"What _is_ 'plodging'?"
She laughed. "Oh, it's just takin' off yer shoes and stockin's and
goin' throo on yer feet."
"I have done that already; so I'd rather cross by the wire," said I.
"Well, then, ye may, so long as ye leave the ropes right."
So when it was time to go home, I ventured into the chair and laid
hold of the wire rope, and pulled. I only had one hand, as the other
clutched my sketching-things, so it was rather hard work. It was
literally uphill work after I got to the middle, though to start with
it was downhill, and the thing almost went of itself. It felt funny
to be suspended from a rope over the middle of the Irthing, in this
very primitive "chair."
I asked at Underheugh what they called the {166} arrangement, but
they could not say. Then I inquired at Birdoswald. "Oh, you mean a
sort of an aeroplane?"
That was the nearest I could get! And "a sort of an aeroplane" it
will always be to me! I used it several times after that.
A short walk from the overhanging Wall brought me to AMBOGLANNA, at
Birdoswald. This is the largest of all the forts, occupying 5½ acres
as against the 5¼ of Cilurnum. Like Cilurnum it has six gateways, an
extra and smaller gateway to east and west, lying to the south of the
main eastern and western gateways.
Unlike Cilurnum, but like Borcovicium and Æsica, its northern wall is
joined, at its rounded corners, by the Great Wall. The
circumscribing ditch of the fort has been found underneath the Great
Wall, as at Æsica, showing that the fort is earlier than the Wall.
An older fort is shown to have stood here, because the ditch which
surrounded it has been traced, cutting across the present fort to the
north portal of the eastern gateway, and this ditch can be traced
again in one or two places westward.
The north gate of the original fort would be about on the site of the
_Principia_ of the present one. The excavations conducted by
Professor Haverfield and Mr. and Mrs. T. H. Hodgson, between 1895 and
1900, prove that the fort was extended north and south at the same
time, northwards over the {167} ditch of the older fort, and
southwards on to the Vallum. The south-west angle tower is where the
north mound of the Vallum ought to be. The Vallum curves round the
original fort, and makes a straight course east. To the west it has
been entirely destroyed by a landslip.
[Illustration: Fig. 14.--Comparative Plans of Gateways. (After John
Ward.) Scale: 30 feet to 1 inch.]
It is a very steep fall to the Irthing on the south of the fort.
Possibly the river has changed its course 100 yards since Roman
times. Twenty years ago its course was changed 60 yards in a few
hours at Underheugh (just under these cliffs to the east) by a flood.
The granary, just in front of the farm-house, has air-passages
underneath, to keep the corn both {168} dry and cool, as at
Corstopitum. The gateways have as usual been built up in the later
periods of the Roman occupation, and the floors raised. The north
portal of the large eastern gateway has been blocked, and the west
portal of the southern gateway. Both of these gateways are in good
preservation, especially the eastern one, where one of the imposts is
specially noticeable.
Inscriptions found at Birdoswald confirm the _Notitia_ statement that
the first cohort of the Dacians, styled the Ælian, was quartered here.
The picture facing this page represents the view from Amboglanna
referred to by the late Lord Carlisle, in his _Diary in Turkish and
Greek Waters_. He says:
"Strikingly, and to any one who has coasted the uniform shore of the
Hellespont, and crossed the tame low plain of the Troad, unexpectedly
lovely is this site of Troy, if Troy it was. I could give any
Cumberland borderer the best notion of it, by telling him that it
wonderfully resembles the view from the point just outside the Roman
camp at Birdoswald: both have that series of steep conical hills,
with rock enough for wildness, and verdure enough for softness; both
have that bright trail of a river creeping in and out with the most
continuous indentations: the Simois has, in summer at least, more
silvery shades of sand."
[Illustration: VIEW FROM THE FORT OF AMBOGLANNA, LOOKING SOUTH,
ACROSS THE IRTHING]
While busy over this book, I came across a photograph {169} of the
Greek view at a friend's house, and though I recognized the
resemblance, I felt that Cumberland could well hold its own with
Greece.
From Amboglanna the Wall and the road follow the same line as far as
the village of Banks. For 500 yards west of Birdoswald, the Wall is
the south boundary of the road. From that point onwards to Banks the
Wall is the foundation of the road. This was ascertained by
excavations made by the late Mr. J. P. Gibson and Mr. F. G. Simpson,
who found that two Wall turrets (known as High House and Apple-tree
turrets) come within the road-boundary, as also does a quarter of the
mile-castle known as High House mile-castle. In these turrets and
the mile-castle four floors were traceable, the dates of which are
roughly as follows, beginning with the highest:
1. About 300 A.D.
2. 210 A.D. under Severus.
3. 158 A.D. " Antoninus Pius.
4. 120-125 A.D. " Hadrian.
The Vallum on the left and the Wall-ditch on the right call for
notice all along this stretch of road; and here also is something
unique, the turf-wall, running to meet the Great Wall at Wallbowers.
As has been mentioned, it starts from near Harrow's Scar mile-castle,
and is like the string of a bow, the Great Wall being the bow.
On the "Pilgrimage" in September 1920, sections {170} of the
turf-wall were cut to show the black and white lines marking the
limits of the turves. The vegetable-matter turns black, and bleaches
the soil that comes next to it.
At Coome Crag I turned off to the left to see the Roman quarrymen's
marks. I knocked at the lodge-door to ask for a guide, but only a
dog replied, and he was chained. So I followed the path, which runs
through a beautiful wood, sloping down towards the Irthing; and I had
no difficulty in finding the quarry, and the Roman names, cut rather
near the bottom of a large mass of rock with a flat wall-like
surface. How surprised "SECVRVS" and "IVSTVS" and "MATHRIANVS" would
have been if they had been told that thousands would follow the path
to the quarry, like pilgrims to a shrine, just to see the names they
had cut in an idle moment during their lunch-hour! It may be that
they were employed by Severus in repairing the Wall, for there is
another inscription, "FAVST ET RVF COS," and Dr. Bruce tells us that
Faustinus and Rufus were Consuls in 210 A.D., just when Severus was
in Britain.
Near Leahill farm-house, on the right of the road, the Wall-ditch is
in excellent condition.
It had been very hot and close in the Coome Crag woods, but now there
was a cool exhilarating breeze. On the left the Lake-mountains had
come clearly into view, Helvellyn, Blencathra and snow-capped {171}
Skiddaw. I passed a number of cottages which had been allowed to
fall into disrepair and would soon disappear altogether.
In the village of Banks, or Banks Hill, I saw an Inn, called "The
Traveller's Rest," and thought of tea, but, alas! there was no one at
home. The Banks Burn crosses under the road at the foot of a little
hill beyond the Inn, and in a field this side of the burn, there can
be seen a great piece of the Wall with bushes growing out of it.
Just after crossing the burn, the road ceases to run east and west,
and instead cuts the line of the Wall at right-angles. I stood in
the turn doubtfully, wondering how I could still continue to follow
the Wall, as a private garden evidently lay beyond the hedge which
faced me. Two children, and a man carrying a suit-case, were also
waiting in the road--waiting, it appeared, for a motor-car, just
coming into sight. Fortunately for me, this was the owner of the
garden, with his two grandchildren, and he kindly sent one of them to
ask if I was looking for the Roman Wall. Of course I said, "Yes";
and then he shouted: "Wait till I have packed the children into the
car, and I'll take you to see it." So I waited, and then followed
him along a side-road into the garden of Hare Hill, where suddenly,
round a corner, we came full on a splendid piece of Wall. This is
the piece of which Hutton says: "I viewed this relic with admiration.
I saw no {172} part higher." When he saw it, the facing-stones were
all gone, but now fifteen courses have been restored on the north
side by Lord Carlisle's architect. It stands 9 feet 10 inches high.
As we came away, I remembered there should be a mile-castle close to
this piece of Wall, and I wanted to turn back to look for it. My
guide was quite excited about it; he had no idea there was a _Castle_
at Hare Hill! But we would ask his wife about it first. So we went
to the house, and as we entered, he called: "Mrs. R----, here's a
lady to see you." I said: "Mr. R---- has kindly been showing me the
Roman Wall in your garden." He turned sharply on me and said: "Now
how on earth did you know my name?" I explained that it had not
required a wizard to guess it, under the circumstances!
Mrs. R---- could throw no light on the subject of the mile-castle,
and her husband continued to murmur: "To think I should have had this
place twenty years without knowing there was a castle in the garden!"
I again suggested going back to the Wall to look for it; but no! he
said we would go and ask some neighbours who lived in a long, low,
whitewashed thatched cottage close by, and who "ought to know, for
they have lived there over four hundred years."
I found this a very interesting visit. The family consisted of two
brothers and a sister, all {173} unmarried. They were the last
remaining members of the Burtholme family, who have occupied this
cottage since the sixteenth century. It had been the village smithy,
and their father had been the last of a series of "Thomas Burtholmes,
blacksmiths," who figure largely in the parish register. The cottage
was full of tokens of antiquity. On the old dresser there was the
most beautiful and complete set of pewter plates that I have ever
seen, each plate marked "T. B.," and I understood that Lady Carlisle
had more than once borrowed them for exhibition at Naworth Castle on
some special occasion.
But as for the Roman mile-castle, they also had never heard of it; so
we went back to the Wall, and there, quite clearly discernible, it
lay, between the line of the Wall and the Hare Hill cottage; and
though nothing but grassy mounds could be seen, still it was
something to have a "castle" of any sort in one's garden, so the
proud owner thought! He told me he was a Tynemouth man, and had come
to stay at Lanercost Temperance Hotel many years ago, when paralyzed
after a bad smash-up in a railway accident; and there, in the country
peace and quiet, he had learned to walk again. No wonder that he
loved the neighbourhood, and had been glad to secure this cottage for
his permanent use.
Lanercost Temperance Hotel was my objective {174} that evening, and
he offered to show me the shortest way, continuing the line of the
Wall from his garden. We went through a farm-yard and along the
fields, seeing bits of the Wall in the hedge at frequent intervals,
and the ditch in the next fields to the north. Below, on the left,
ran the Vallum, sometimes clearly seen, and sometimes disappearing in
the Priory Woods.
Up Craggle Hill the Wall-ditch is very strongly marked, and in one
place is full of water.
There is a lovely view from this hill, stretching right over Carlisle
to the Solway, and to Scotland, and the Lake-mountains.
At Hayton-gate Farm we left the Wall and turned down southwards,
crossing the Vallum, and soon coming into the lane which leads to
Lanercost Priory.
The Vicar of Lanercost was standing outside the ancient gateway of
the Priory; the evening service was just over, and he was apparently
taking leave of the last departing member of his congregation. My
guide performed a rough-and-ready introduction as we drew near,
shouting: "Mr. ---- here's a pilgrim to see you who has walked from
Wallsend." The Vicar came forward and shook hands, and then kindly
promised, at my request, to let me have the keys of the Priory at
nine o'clock next morning, instead of the usual hour of ten. The
beauty of the ruins in their warm red stone struck {175} me very
forcibly as I saw them now for the first time in the evening light.
I continued my way to the Lanercost Hotel, over the picturesque stone
bridge (dated 1723) which here crosses our now familiar friend, the
Irthing. "The last departing member of the congregation" was just
mounting his bicycle, but he kindly stopped to point out to me the
remains of an ancient bridge on the north side of the river, possibly
a Roman bridge, the position of which indicates that the river has
changed its course. He then asked if I wanted to see Naworth Castle
the next day. It was not really in my plan, for I had been told it
was not open to visitors till two o'clock, and that would have
delayed me too long, and I said so. I did not know I was speaking to
Lord Carlisle's agent, but now he gave me his name, and courteously
offered to show me the castle in the morning, after my visit to the
Priory. Such an opportunity was not to be missed, so I thankfully
accepted.
It was a blow for the moment when I reached the Hotel to find that
they could not take me in. Week-end visitors occupied all their
bedrooms, and the "all" was probably not many. However, the
proprietress told me there were houses along the road to Brampton
where I might get taken in. I was sorry not to stop at Lanercost,
for the Inn is in a beautiful spot, with the woods of Naworth Park
{176} just opposite, and the Irthing flowing past almost at its
doors. Besides, every step I took now would be one step farther from
the Wall, and would add to my journey on the following day. But
there was no help for it, so I pushed on up the steep hill towards
Brampton, with Naworth Park on my left, and passing on the right
Boothby, where the old Dowager Lady Carlisle had made her home.
I called at several cottages, but no one could give me a bed. It was
now beginning to get dark, and I was thinking it would soon be too
late to call at another house, when I came to one which looked more
promising. In answer to my knock, an old man appeared with a long
white beard, and a face which would have done credit to an apostle.
When I told him what I wanted, he looked doubtful, but asked me to
come in. I followed him along the passage, through the kitchen,
where a cheerful log-fire was burning, and through the garden to a
cow-byre at the back of the house. There, in spite of my desire to
find a haven, I forgot everything else in looking at the picture
before me. A young woman was milking the cow, and a picturesque
white-haired woman held the lantern for her. The face of the younger
woman, seen in the lantern-light, looked really beautiful. A small
boy and a collie dog made up the picture. There was something in the
lighting and the grouping--in the whole scene--which enthralled me.
I said to myself: {177} "It is worth anything to have seen that," and
it seemed hardly necessary to ask if they could take me in. I knew
quite well that I had come to the right house. And so I had! They
made no difficulty about the lateness of the hour, about the bed not
being made up, nor any details of that kind. They said I looked
tired, and that was enough for them. And indeed I was hungry, for I
had had nothing since lunch at Gilsland, and had been walking all the
time. So I did full justice, first to the new-laid eggs and
"berry-cake," and then to the roomy feather-bed, where I slept till
daybreak.
Next morning my kind hostesses filled the crannies of my haversack
with lunch, and I set out to visit Lanercost Priory.
{178}