Northumberland Yesterday and To-day Part 10

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 sh.o.r.es 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 pa.s.sing and repa.s.sing 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 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, ma.s.sive 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 wors.h.i.+p. 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-G.o.d, found in a cave near the camp, evidently constructed for the celebration of the rites connected with the wors.h.i.+p of Mithras.

The altar shows the G.o.d 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-G.o.ddesses, 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 Traja.n.u.s Hadria.n.u.s 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 gra.s.s!) immediately beneath our feet. But another visit was on a day of wind and suns.h.i.+ne, 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 gra.s.s 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 flas.h.i.+ng 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 gra.s.s 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 refres.h.i.+ng, 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 sh.o.r.es, 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 _Not.i.tia_, 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 a.s.sa.s.sination 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 gla.s.s, 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, s.h.i.+eld, and ornate head-piece; and a representation of a river-G.o.d, 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 G.o.ddess 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 G.o.ddess, 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 G.o.ds"; and Mars Thingsus is well represented.

A very important relic of Roman times found at Cilurnum was a bronze tablet of citizens.h.i.+p, 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 Whins.h.i.+elds.

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--_Not.i.tia 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 Conderc.u.m. 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 Bremetenrac.u.m.

The Prefect of the first _ala_, styled Herculean, at Olenac.u.m.

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 c.u.mberland to the Solway Firth. Besides these stations, there were _castella_ at the distance of every Roman mile (seven furlongs) along the Wall, from which circ.u.mstance 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 s.h.i.+elds 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.