Ivel, or Yeovil, the _Velox_ of Ravennas. Pillbridge, a little lower,
seems to retain the name: it is the _Uzella_ of Ptolemy. I perceived
immediately that this place had been originally encompassed with a
wall and ditch, and traced out the manifest _vestigia_ thereof quite
round: it was an oblong square 300 paces in length, 200 in breadth,
standing upon the oblique points of the compass, conform to the
Foss way, which passes through the town exactly from north-east to
south-west: the north-east side of the city lay against the river,
where I saw foundations of the wall here and there, and took up several
Roman bricks in searching for it in the gardens: the ditch on the
north-west side is become a road, called Yard-lane, as going behind
the yards and gardens: then it runs through the friery garden; for the
religious had extended their bounds beyond the city, and turned the
road on the outside: then it goes along the road on the back of Mr.
Lockyer’s garden: it is now visible between the Yeovil road and the
southern angle; then runs through another garden, being for the most
part levelled by the gardener, who showed me the track of it, and had
by times, in digging, taken up remainders of the wall, with many coins,
bricks, tiles, and other antiquities. I bought some coins of him, among
which the brass one of Antoninus Pius depicted in the plate; on the
reverse, Britannia sitting on a rock with a military ensign. Sir Philip
Sydenham has a great quantity of coins found here, and the minister of
the parish gave many to the learned Mr. Coke of Norfolk. This gardener
showed me many square paving bricks in the floor of his house, and
told me he dug up a great brass coin, as big as half a crown, under
the foundation of the wall, which doubtless would have discovered to
us the _area_ of its building. Crossing the Sherburn and Limington
road, we find the ditch again, turning up to the river-side, on the
eastern angle, conformable to the scheme; where it is again inclosed
into gardens and pastures: the occupier of the gardens there informed
me too, that he had frequently dug up the like antiquities, together
with the foundations of the wall. The quickset-hedge that fences in
the garden stands on the edge of the ditch, and observes its turn at
that angle of the city: by the new mill it meets the river. In all the
gardens hereabouts, by the Borough-green, they find foundations of old
houses; and some run across the present streets, now visible above
ground. This ditch, when perfect, admitted the water of the river quite
round. Mr. Lockyer’s house is built upon subterraneous arches. They say
here have been sixteen parish-churches, and foundations are to be found
all the town over; and that the suburbs extended southward, especially
on the Yeovil road, which formerly had a gate: it is not to be doubted
but that there were gates at the passage of all the other streets. They
say the bishop of Bath and Wells has a manuscript relating to the
ancient state of this town. They have the same tradition as in many
other places, that the old city was set on fire by matches tied to the
tails of sparrows, let fly from a place called Stannard-cross hill. As
soon as I came into the inn, (the Swan) I saw a great parcel of the
little stones of a tesselated pavement, found but two days before, in a
garden over the way near the river: a croud of people came immediately
out of curiosity to see it, and tore it up: I saw some of the remainder
_in situ_, about two foot deep, laid in strong mortar upon a hard
gravelled floor: I made the owner melancholy with informing him what
profit he might have got by preserving it, to show to strangers. The
Foss-way retains its name, and makes the principal street: the pavement
thereof, or the original ford across the river, may be seen on the
west side of the bridge, made with great flag stones. Upon the bridge
is an old chapel, called Little St. Mary’s: at the foot of the bridge
within the town is another, called White-chapel; both converted into
dwellings. Foundations of houses, chimney-pieces, and the like, have
been dug up in the meads on the west side the town, and on both sides
the river, with stone coffins and other funeral _apparatus_. The head
of the mayor’s staff or mace is a piece of great antiquity in cast
brass: there are four niches with four images, two kings, a queen, and
an angel: it seems to have been the crosier of some religious house:
round the bottom is wrote, in two lines, *+ JESU DE DRUERJE + NEME
DUNETMJE*. In the northern angle beyond the old ditch of the city,
towards the river, have been some bastions and modern fortifications,
of the time of king Charles I.
[Illustration: 72 ISCHALIS
_17. Aug. 1723._
a. _Little Sᵗ. Marys chappel_
b. _where I saw a mosaic pavement_
c. _pavement of Roman brick_
ddd. _old Foundations_
e. _pavement a cross the River_
f. _Road to Limington &c._
g. _White chapel_
_Carolo Lockyer Ar. tab. d.d. W. Stukeley._
_Stukeley del._ _I. Vᵈᵉʳ. Gucht Sculp._]
Beyond the river is a village adjoining, called North-over, with a
church; at Mrs. Hoddle’s, hard by, I saw a grey-hound bitch, from whose
side a skewer of wood seven inches long had worked itself out from the
stomach: we have some such rare cases in medicinal histories. They talk
of a castle standing where now is the gaol, and that the tide came
formerly up hither, though now it reaches not beyond Langport. West of
this, some time since, they dug up some bones in a leaden case, as big
as a band-box, laid in a hollowed stone; and near it, under a tree, was
a vault of stone, where a body was found lying at full length. Langport
is moted about, as they tell me, and probably was a Roman town. These
were all the remarkables I met with at _Ischalis_, where I staid but
half a day.
[Sidenote: Foss _road_.]
[Sidenote: +Hamden-hill.+ Ro. _camp_.]
[Sidenote: TAB. XLIV.]
Hence I continued my journey along the Foss, which I observed paved
with the original work in many parts: it is composed of the flat
quarry-stones of the country, of a good breadth, laid edgewise, and so
close that it looks like the side of a wall fallen down, and through
the current of so many ages is not worn through: a glorious and
useful piece of industry, and, to our shame, not imitated; for small
reparation from time to time would have preserved it intire, and where
it is so much wanted in a dirty country. As I rode, on my left hand
I saw the pleasant view of Montacute hill, a copped round eminence
incompassed at bottom with a broad verge of wood, so that it looks like
a high-crowned hat with a fringed hat-band: here has been a castle and
chapel at top, and below it a religious house built by the earl of
Moriton in the time of William the Conqueror.[133] Another hill near
it, much of the same figure. Between them and the Foss, upon the same
hilly ridge, is a Roman camp called Hamden hill, with a double ditch
about it; to which leads a vicinal Roman way from the Foss through
Stoke. The Foss is very plain and strait hither, and to Petherton
bridge near South Petherton, once the palace of king Ina: here was
formerly a wooden bridge, but ruinous, where two children were drowned,
as they say; whereupon their parents rebuilt it of stone, and caused
their _effigies_ to be cut upon a stone which lies at the foot of the
bridge. In a field not far off, two years ago a pot full of Roman coin,
to the quantity of six pecks, was dug up. Beyond this the Foss grows
intricate and obscure, from the many collateral roads made through the
badness and want of reparation in the true one; yet it seems to run
through Donington, which stands on a very high hill, and, when mounted,
presents us with a vast scene of Devonshire. I suppose this Foss went
on the east side of Chard, and so by Axminster and Culliton, to Seaton
or _Moridunum_, where properly it begins; whence if we measure its
noble length to the sea-coast in Lincolnshire, at Grimsby or Saltfleet,
where I imagine it ends, it amounts to 250 Roman miles in a strait
line from north-east to south-west. Your lordship presented me with
an oyster, found a little northward of Axminster, where the very fish
appears petrified with its cartilaginous concretion to the shell, all
in their proper colours.
[Sidenote: +Chard.+]
The street of Chard runs directly east and west, where formerly was
kept a large market on Sundays. Beyond this to Honiton is a very bad
road of stones and sand, over brooks, spring-heads, and barren downs.
From the hill-tops about Stockland I first had sight of the southern
ocean; a most solemn view, a boundless extent of water thrown into a
mighty horizontal curve. Beyond Honiton the scene of travelling mended
apace, and the fine Devonshire prospects entertained the eye in a
manner new and beautiful; for here the hills are very long and broad,
the valleys between proportional, so that the vastly-extended concavity
presented an immense landscape of pastures and hedge-rows distinct,
like a map of an actual survey, and not beyond ken: these are full of
springs, brooks, and villages, copses and gentlemen’s seats; and when
you have passed over one hill, you see the like repeated before you,
with Nature’s usual diversity. They told me of a great kairn, or heap
of stones, on Black down, called Lapper-stones; probably a sepulchral
monument.
[Sidenote: +Isca Dumnoniorum.+]
[Sidenote: TAB. LXXIII.]
Exeter is the famous _Isca Dumnoniorum_ of the Romans, the last station
this way in Antoninus his Itinerary; _pen cair_ of the Britons, the
capital: it is a large and populous city, built upon a pleasant
eminence on the eastern bank of the river _Ex_, or _Isca_ when
latinised. I suppose the original word signifies no more than waters,
like the French _eaux_, a collection of them, or several rivers, or
branches of rivers, running parallel; and that whether it be wrote
_Ax_, _Ex_, _Ix_, _Ox_, or _Ux_; of which many instances all over
England. This river is navigable up to the city, but the tide comes
not quite so high. The walls take in a very great compass, being a
parallelogram of 3000 Roman feet long, 2000 broad; having a gate on
every side: it lies oblique to the cardinal points of the compass,
and objects its main declivity to the south-west. What adds to its
wholesomeness and cleanliness, is that the ground is higher in a ridge
along the middle of its length, declining on both sides: further, on
the south-west and north-west sides it is precipicious: so that, with
the river, the walls, the declivity of ground and ditch without side,
it was a place of very great strength, and well chose for a frontier
against the ancient _Corinavii_: it was built with a good omen, and
has been ever in a flourishing condition. The walls are in pretty
good repair, having many lunettes and towers, and make a walk
round the city, with the advantage and pleasure of seeing the fine
country on the opposite hills, full of wood, rich ground, orchards,
villages and gentlemen’s houses. The beauty of the place consists
mainly of one long street, running the length of the parallelogram,
called High-street, broad and strait: the houses are of a very old,
but good model, spacious, commodious, and not inelegant: this street
is full of shops well furnished, and all sorts of trades look brisk.
The people are industrious and courteous: the fair sex are truly so,
as well as numerous; their complexions, and generally their hair
likewise, fair: they are genteel, disengaged, of easy carriage and good
mien. At Mr. Cole’s the goldsmith I saw an old ground-plot of this
city in queen Elizabeth’s time: there has been since a vast increase
of buildings within and without the city: the situation renders it
of necessity clean, dry and airy. The soil hither from Honiton was
rather sandy than stony, whence it must needs be very healthful; and
it is of a convenient distance from the sea. They drive a great trade
here for woollen manufacture in cloths, serges, stuffs, &c. all along
the water-side innumerable tenters or racks for stretching them.
Here is a good face of learning too; many booksellers’ shops: I saw
a printed catalogue of an auction of books to be sold there. I saw
the coloss head of the empress Julia Domna dug up near Bath, in Dr.
Musgrave’s garden, which his father calls _Andromache_: the head-dress
is like that of her times, and her bust at Wilton; nor is the manner
and carving despisable: the graver has not done it justice. It is
the noblest relique of British antiquity of this sort that we know:
it is twenty-one inches from the top of the attire to the chin, and
belonged to a statue of twelve foot proportion, set upon some temple
or palace originally. In the same place is the inscription of Camillus
published by him: I saw his library, a very good collection of books,
coins and other antiquarian _supellex_; likewise a treatise, ready for
publication, of the original gout, which he wrote thirty years ago,
before his other two. The doctor had made this distemper his particular
view through his long practice; and this country remarkably abounds
with patients of that sort, which he attributes in a great measure to
the custom of marling the lands with lime, and the great use of poor,
sweet cyder, especially among the meaner people.
[Illustration: 73 +Isca.+ _S. Sidwels_ +Dvmnoniorvm+.
19 Aug. 1723
Gulielmo Musgrave M.D. Gulielmi filio Amico suo d.d. _W. Stukeley_
_Stukeley delin._ _Parker sculp_]
In the northern angle of the city, and highest ground, is Rugemont
castle, once the royal residence of the West-Saxon kings, then of
the earls of Cornwall: it is of a squarish figure, not very large,
environed with a high wall and deep ditch: there is a rampire of earth
within, equal in height to the top of the wall at present, and makes
a terrace-walk overlooking the city and country. In the morning, the
air being perfectly serene, and the sun shining, I observed from this
place all the country southward, between the sea and Exeter, covered
with a very thick fog; the west side of the city and country beyond it
very clear. In this place is the assize-house and a chapel. In the wall
of this castle is a narrow cavity quite round, perhaps for conveyance
of a sound from turret to turret. Dr. Holland supposes this to have
been a Roman work originally; and it is not unlikely that it was their
_prætorium_, or garrison. Beyond the ditch is a pleasant walk of trees,
and a little intrenched hill, called Danes castle.
The cathedral is a good pile of building: two old towers stand on
the north and south transept of the most ancient part: the organ is
remarkably large; the diapason pipes fifteen inches diameter, and
set against the pillars of the church: the west front of the church
is full of old statues. Many religious foundations in the city are
converted into streets and houses, full of numerous families and
thriving inhabitants, instead of lazy monks and nuns. King Edward I. in
the Saxon times founded the monastery of Exeter, anno 868: Athelstan
enlarged it for the Benedictines in 932: Edward Confessor translated
those monks to Westminster, and made this an episcopal see; not Edward
III. as Mr. Camden says. Leofricus a Briton was the first bishop, and
founder of the cathedral: he was chaplain to king Edward the Confessor,
anno 1046: he gave his lands at Bampton in Oxfordshire to this church:
he has a monument in the southern transept. Warewast, the third bishop,
began to build the choir, 13 Henry I. Bishop Brewer created the dean
and prebends in the time of Henry III. Bishop Quivel built the body of
the church to the west end, 13 Edward I. he instituted the sub-dean and
singing-men. Bishop Grandison lengthened the cathedral by two arches,
and is buried in a little chapel in the west end: bishop Lacy began
the chapter-house; bishop Nevil finished it: bishop Courtney built the
north tower, or rather repaired it, and gave that large bell called
_Peter_: the dean and chapter built the cloysters. St. Mary’s chapel,
at the end of the choir, is now turned into a library: this, I suppose,
is what bishop Leofric built. The bishop’s throne in the choir is a
lofty Gothic work. Here are many monuments of bishops in the cathedral.
The present deanery, they say, was a nunnery. The monastery of St.
Andrew at Cowic was founded by Thomas Courtney earl of Devon; a cell
to Bec abbey in Normandy: it was dissolved in the time of Edward III.
Roger Holland, I suppose duke of Exeter, lived in it in the time
of Edward VI. St. Nicholas’ priory was a cell to Battle abbey: St.
John’s was of Augustine friers: Polesloe, a mile off, dedicate to St.
Catharine, a nunnery of the Benedictine order: Marsh was a cell to
Plympton: Cleve was a monastery of Black canons; St. James’ priory,
of Cluniac monks: Grey friers, without South-gate, were Franciscans;
Gold-hays, without West-gate, Black friers: the Bear inn was the abbot
of Tavistock’s house; the Blacklion too was a religious house; Lathbier
another, near the new river below Radford mount. Thus had these holy
locusts well nigh devoured the land.
In Corry lane, over-against St. Paul’s church, is a little old house
called King Athelstan’s, said to have been his palace, built of large
square stones, and circular arches over the doors: it seems indeed to
have been originally a Roman building, though other later works have
been added to the doors and windows: over the door in the street is a
very small niche crouded into the wall, as if it had been converted
into a religious house: in the yard a winding stone stair-case is
added. One arch of South-gate seems to be Roman. No doubt the walls of
the city are upon the Roman foundation for the most part, and great
numbers of antiquities have been found here. In digging behind the
guild-hall in Pancras-lane, they found a great Roman pavement of little
white square stones eight foot deep. A pot of Roman coin of two pecks
was dug up, two years ago, near St. Martin’s church: I saw some of
them in Dr. Musgrave’s possession, of Gordian, Balbinus, Philippus,
Julia Mæsa, Geta, Gallienus, and the like. Mr. Loudham, surgeon in this
city, has many of them among his curious collection of antiquities,
manuscripts, &c. Mr. Reynolds the schoolmaster is a great collector
and preserver of such learned remains. St. Mary Arches church, and St.
Stephen’s Bow, by their names seem to have been built out of Roman
temples.
[Illustration: 75 MORIDVNVM Aug. 20 1723.
A. _Seaton._ B. _Salt pans._ C. _Watch tower._ D. _Portland._
_Stukeley del._]
[Illustration: 74 Prospect of Exeter 19 Aug. 1723.
ISCA Dumnoniorum.
_Stukeley del._]
[Sidenote: TAB. LXXIV.]
The bridge over the _Isca_ is of great length, and has houses on
both sides and both ends; a considerable void space in the middle:
there is a church upon it with a tower-steeple. In the Guild-hall
are the pictures of general Monk, and the princess Henrietta Maria,
born at Bedford-house, a palace in this city, during the civil wars.
The composition of the stone of this country is intirely made of
little black pebbles, incrusted in a sandy matter of a red colour and
mouldering nature.
[Sidenote: +Moridunum.+]
[Sidenote: TAB. LXXV.]
Leaving Exeter, my farthest western longitude at present, I steered my
course back again along the sea-side, inwrapped in contemplation with
the poet,
_Undæ quæ vestris pulsatis littora lymphis,
Littora quæ dulces auras diffunditis agris!_ +Virg.+
[Sidenote: +Honey-Ditches.+ _a Camp_.
Nor could I think myself alone, when so much new entertainment was
presented to me every minute. Much rock-samphire grows upon these
cliffs. The Roman road seems to have crossed the Otter at Hertford. At
Woodbury is a camp. I passed by Sidmouth, and came to Seaton, a little
village upon the mouth of the river Ax. This Mr. Camden conjectures to
have been the Roman _Moridunum_, and with reason: it has been a great
haven and excellent port, of which they still keep up the memory: the
river runs in a large valley, having high ground on each side: the
shore is rocky, high and steep, consisting of the ends of hills which
here run north and south: the ground at bottom under the rocks is
marly; the waves wash it down perpetually, undermining the _strata_ of
stone, which from time to time fall down in great parcels. At present
this haven mouth, which is a good half-mile over, is filled up with
beach, as they call it; that is, coggles, gravel, sand, shells, and
such matter as is thrown up by the roll of the ocean: so that the river
water has but a very narrow passage on the east side under the cliff.
The beach was covered over with _papaver luteum corniculatum_, now in
blossom: the people in the isle of Portland call it _squat maw_, i. e.
bruise herb, and use it in that case, no doubt with good success, where
both intentions are answered, of dissolving the coagulated blood, and
easing pain. On the west side, near Seaton, upon a little eminence is a
modern ruined square _Pharos_ built of brick; they remember it sixteen
foot high; and two guns lie there. They say there were formerly many
great foundations of houses visible nearer the sea than the present
town, but now swallowed up; and in all likelihood there stood the Roman
city. More inward toward the land, beyond the great bank of beach, is a
marsh which the sea has made, landing itself up when its free flux was
hindered: this is full of salt-pans, into which they take the sea-water
at high tides. When they dig these places they find innumerable keels
and pieces of vessels, with nails, pitch, anchors, &c. six or eight
foot deep, because it was formerly part of the haven: anchors have
been found as high as Axminster, and beyond it, though now there is no
navigation at all: so great a change has Time produced in the face of
Nature, upon these confines of the two great elements always opposing
each other.
_Sic volvenda ætas commutat tempora rerum._ +Lucr. V.+
Half a mile off, upon higher ground, on the western side is a castle
in a pasture, but formerly tilled, called Honey Ditches: it is moted
about, and perhaps walled; for they dig up much square stone there. The
place is an oblong square, containing about three acres: I guess it to
have been the garrison of the port. Just by the present haven-mouth is
a great and long pier or wall, jutting out into the sea, made of great
rocks piled together to the breadth of six yards. They told me it
was built many years ago by one Courd, once a poor sailor, who, being
somewhere in the Mediterranean, was told by a certain Greek, that much
treasure was hid upon Hogsdon hill near here, and that this memorial
was transmitted to him by his ancestors: Courd, upon his return digging
there, luckily found the golden mine, which enriched him prodigiously;
so that at his own expence he built this wall, with an intent to
restore the harbour. The people hereabouts firmly believe the story,
and many have dug in the place with like hopes; and as an argument of
its truth, they say some of his family are still remaining, that live
upon their estate got by him.
A mile higher on the same western side of the river is Cullyford, where
was the ancient road from London to Exeter passing over at Axbridge,
which is now a stony ford, with two bridges that traverse the valley
and the river, once a haven. Here have been many inns and houses, and
a considerable town. They talk of great stone vaults being found; so
that it probably arose from the destruction of _Moridunum_, as Culliton
adjacent, from it. Further, it was a corporation, and they now keep up
their claim by an annual choice of a mayor, who has a mace too, but I
suppose not of great elegance.
[Sidenote: +Londinis.+]
[Sidenote: +Lyme.+]
[Sidenote: TAB. LXXVI.]
Lyme lies upon the sea-side, in the cavity between two mountains, the
_Londinis_ of Ravennas according to Mr. Baxter. Here is a bold stony
shore, the ridges of the hills jutting out into the sea; but broken off
continually, and wasted away, by the waves as before: the ground too
is clay and stone. Their method of opposing its violence is to throw
out a wall of huge dry stones, which by time gathers the beech, and
consolidates to a greater breadth. Besides, here is a great artificial
pier, called the Cobb, extended to the length of 1000 foot with a bow
into the ocean, where ships lie secure from the impetuous surges. Here
are two little forts, one with five, another with three guns. A large
sort of sea horse-tail grows plentifully upon these clayey cliffs; and
many little springs issue thereout in the face of the briny deep, which
loosen the earth, and hasten its continual downfall. I took notice
that the declivity of the hills, with the veins of stone and different
_strata_ of earth in these cliffs, is ever north-west, just as is the
appearance of the Isle of Portland hence, and with the same angle.
The town of Lyme has a pretty good appearance. A small river runs in
a rocky _alveus_ through the middle of it into the sea. Most of their
buildings are of a rag-stone, blue, not very durable. The duke of
Monmouth landed at this place just by the pier with only twelve men:
many of his party were executed on the spot afterwards, their limbs
hung up in the town. Before that time the duke of Tuscany came here on
shore in his visit to Britain. This is called Lime-Regis.
[Sidenote: +Icening-street.+]
[Sidenote: +Aggerdon.+]