Itinerarium curiosum (centuria II)

by William Stukeley

VOREDA. Caer Voran.

A little upon the south side of the wall was a great Roman city and castle. We traversed the stately ruins: it stood on a piece of high ground, about 400 foot square; had a wall and ditch; vestiges of houses and buildings all over, within and without. We observed the Madan-way coming over the fells from the south, where it passes by a work, or labyrinth, called Julian’s bower. We saw too the Roman road passing eastward along the wall. The country hereabouts is a wild moory bog; and the wall itself climbs all along a crag, and is set upon the southern edge of it; the steepness of the cliff northward performing the part of a foss. Near Haltwistle is Baliol castle, corruptly Belister castle, said to be founded by a king of Scotland.

I suppose this wall, built by Severus, is generally set upon the same track as Hadrian’s wall or vallum of earth was; for, no doubt, they then chose the most proper ground: but there is a vallum and ditch all the way accompanying the wall, and on the south side of it; and likewise studiously chusing the southern declivity of rising ground. I observe too the vallum is always to the north. It is surprising, that people should fancy this to be Hadrian’s vallum: it might possibly be Hadrian’s work, but must be called the line of contravallation; for, in my judgement, the true intent both of Hadrian’s vallum and Severus’s wall was, in effect, to make a camp extending across the kingdom; consequently was fortified both ways, north and south: at present the wall was the north side of it; that called Hadrian’s work, the south side of it: hence we may well suppose all the ground of this long camp, comprehended between the wall and the southern rampire, was the property of the soldiery that guarded the wall.

I remarked, that where the wall passes over a little rivulet, the foundation of it is laid with broad, flat stones, square, having intervals between, sufficiently large for the passage of the water.

At Haltwistle I got an altar of, DEO SOLI INVICTO. We took the wall again at Chester on the Wall, about two miles east from Caer voran, Wall town, lying between the Roman way paved with broad stones, which led us over the low boggy ground up to the castle. It is a square of 400 foot close to the wall, which makes one side of it; 350 foot less than those on the east and west. Great marks of buildings all over it, and even side-walls of houses left. At the south entrance were two round towers within side, and the cheeks of the gates. Last year one of the iron hinges taken away. All around this castle were houses built. An altar lies in the fields a little way off, but quite obliterated.

The Picts wall continues still on the southern verge of the cliff. Eastward hence we saw, here and there, the vestiges of the square towers, built on the inside of the Wall, and close to it: that called Hadrian’s ditch runs still on the southern verge of the hill, with a large vallum on the north.

We came again upon the Roman road, which goes on the inside of the wall, but not near it, chusing the best ground and shortest cut all the way through this boggy waste country. Upon it is the compass of an inn, or little station for lodging of travellers or soldiers. This road continues very strait and bold to Little Chester, the next station, on a brook, and somewhat better land. A mile before we came to it, on a hill stands a great stone, and a little one, called the Mare and Foal. A little west of that, over-against Chester, is a barrow which Mr. Warburton dug through, and found bits of urns, ashes, and other like marks of its being British. A little farther westward is a large group of British barrows.

Before we come to Little Chester is a most noble column, or milestone, set upon the road: it is of a large bulk and height, with an inscription, but only not quite defaced. Mr. Gale thought he could read TVNG. upon it: it is the finest stone of this sort I have seen, and would have informed us who made the road.

LITTLE CHESTER.

[TAB. LXXV.]We saw the castrum here, of a square figure, hanging on a precipice over a little river on the south side of the Roman road, and at some distance from the Wall: it had been walled about, as others: great vestigia of buildings, altars, carved stones and antiquities innumerable, have been found here, but now dispersed and gone. We saw the mouths of vaults with great stones lying over them. The fences of the pastures are made of the stones of the castle-wall. The man who lives here showed us a few fragments of Roman work; a pine-apple, which had been a pinacle on the top of a circular tholus; a piece of an inscription within a civic garland, finely cut; a brick, with LEG. VI. V. He has found many coins; but his children threw them away.