68·2d. Found at Risingham.
Stukeley del.
Walking beyond the river, I found the Roman way going to Bonium: it answers precisely to the great street of the city, which I call principia, and is extremely strait: it goes through Eccleston, Easton, &c. Examining where it passed down by the bridge on the west side, I was led to visit a rock hard by, over-against the castle: there I discovered a Roman carving of a goddess,[TAB. LXVII.] in a tabernacle, with an altar: it was not in the least difficult to see the traces of a Roman hand, through so many years, rubbing of cattle, and ill usage. There is a seat hollowed out close by it, and which has taken away part of a pillar, supporting the pediment. It is a figure of Pallas, with a shield on her left arm: a belt from her left shoulder holds a sword tied under her right arm, after the Roman mode: she has a spear supporting her right hand: her under garments reach down to her feet. The altar stands against one of the pillars, and has a little hole at top of it. I wonder it has escaped ruin so long, placed so near a great city, and so low that it is subject to all manner of injuries.
This city is of a most charming situation; the prospect around it every way is august. The walls were repaired by queen Edelfleda. They talk of king Egbert’s palace by St. John’s. Between Eastgate and the river the Roman wall is pretty perfect for 100 yards together, made of squarish-cut stones, the length inwards, with little mortar appearing on the outside: I suppose they run it in along the inside liquid. This was an admirable contrivance for strength: as the wall of the gate was but one stone in thickness throughout; so by this means the city-wall consisted of few stones in thickness. Mr. Prescot showed us some urns, great and small, many fragments of patera’s of fine red earth, found here; some with embossed work of flowers, animals, &c. some with the potters’ marks at the bottom, particularly MACRINV and CARAIED OFF. likewise many horns of little deer and other animals found by the altar.
The village beyond the bridge is called Henbury, denoting its antiquity. Many fragments, seemingly of pillars and capitals, set for sitting-stones before the doors about the city, particularly in Parson’s lane.
To the east of the cloisters is the building called the Chapter-house, from the use it was put to; but I suppose it a mausolæum of the earls of Chester: it is on the north side of the choir; it is of an odd and ancient kind of building: there is a vestibulum to it, of a very pretty model, which I have not seen elsewhere: the pillars are cabled, without capitals, so that they resemble palm-trees. In the gateway between this and the mausolæum they showed us a coffin of stone, or rather vault, of the length of a man, and proper depth (about six foot): at the head was cut a cross; in the bottom lay the skeleton; probably the first abbot made by the earls: they guess that to be Hugh Lupus’s remains, which are buried in the very middle of the place. There were found seven of these graves, correspondent to the number of earls. Bishop Ripley, who built the body of the church, lies under a brass in St. Mary’s chapel: behind the clock is a painting of him, with Christ, St. Peter, and other figures, and much writing in Latin verse, but defaced. St. Werburg’s shrine, foundress of the cathedral, was an elegant structure of stone carved: little niches with gilt statues of saints, men and women of the Saxon nobles, their names wrote upon each, some still legible, all defaced, their heads broke off, &c. the bishop’s throne is built upon it. There has been an ancient monastery at St. John’s, much ruins of which remain. The cloysters have been built since the mausolæum. They have a report that king Edgar’s palace was upon that rock, by the river side, where the image of Pallas is cut; but I think erroneously: it seems to have been a Roman villa and gardens of some learned commander. There are but two chief streets of the city wanting, as plotted by the founders; on one stands the cathedral: that answering it, on the opposite side of the city, at present is but a foot-path, and lane across gardens, which have encroached upon it on both sides. There are some Roman bricks in the wall of the Friery, as observed by Mr. Gale. In one quadrangle by the cloysters is a wall with Gothic arches, very much pointed, like that at Peterburgh, engraven by Mr. Sparkes, V. p. 130. Edesburg was the name of the Chamber in the Forest. At the great house over-against the shambles is a hypocaust of the Romans, made of bricks all marked with the twentieth legion. It is now the floor of the cellar.
LEVERPOOL.
Leaving this famous seat, and the antique monuments of the renowned twentieth legion, we directed our course northward through the Chersonese, between the mouths of the Dee and the Mersey; a flat, sandy, clayey country, not much unlike the best part of the Lincolnshire levels. To the east of the old church of Bevington is added a spacious choir, and side-ailes. We ferried over the great bay to Leverpool. In the visto upward, the huge mountain whereon stands Beeston castle is very entertaining: it appears, though at the distance of above twenty miles, as a great rock emerging from the water. The novelty of Leverpool forbad us to hope for antiquities: it is a large, populous, busy town, placed upon the edge of the water, in a sandy soil, and open country, arisen from the commodiousness of its situation, with a spacious harbour. Quarry hill, a delf of stone of the red sort, and sandy, but not a brown red; so that in building it has a pleasant colour; and that fetched deep is lasting, and a good sort of stone: the new church is built of it; a neat building, by a good architect. I observed in this quarry, that the workmen make for themselves artificial springs at pleasure; for, though the strata here are very close together, and of a considerable breadth, yet there is a small dripping between some of them, especially those not far from the ground: here they cut a little bason, which is never empty. This confirms my former sentiments about springs.
Near the new church is a most magnificent charity-school. Here was a great castle, or tower, which they are pulling down; and a new church is building upon its ruins. The wet dock is a most capacious bason, with a broad street round it: the custom-house, a very neat building, fronts the dock. This town seems to be as big as Manchester; and they are building new streets every where. The process of the delf ware made here is very curious. There is a scarcity of good water here. From this place I first beheld the Irish sea.