Itinerarium curiosum (centuria I) : $b or, an account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great BritainStukeley, William
History
Itinerarium curiosum (centuria I) : $b or, an account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great Britain
Stukeley, William
Great Britain -- Antiquities -- Early works to 1800; Great Britain -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
PRIEZ: PUR
LE: ALME
SIRE: JOHN
COLMAN
CHIVALER
In the church-yard are two priests cut in stone. This has been a
populous place; for here are great quarries about it, and the rock lies
very little under the surface. Mr. Camden speaks of vaults found here;
and W. Harrison, in his description of Britain, II. 17. mentions Mosaic
pavements.[75] The road seems to bend somewhat in this part, which I
conjecture was with an intent to take in the springs.
[Illustration: 15·2ᵈ.
_Stukeley delin._ _E. Kirkall sculp._
_Prospect of_ Ancaster. _Iuly 20. 1724._]
[Sidenote: +Hunington.+ Ro. _camp_.]
A mile and half off to the west, in the parish of Hunnington, upon
a hill surveying a lovely prospect, both toward the sea-coast, and
into Nottinghamshire, is a summer camp of the Romans, or a _castrum
exploratorum_, of a square form and doubly trenched, but of no great
bulk: the entrance seems to have been on the east side. Not long ago,
in this place, have been dug up, in ploughing, bits of spears, bridles
and swords, and two urns full of coins: I saw a large brass one of
Agrippa, and Julia daughter to Augustus, with many more, in possession
of the Rev. Mr. Garnon of North Witham: his daughter gave me a score of
them at Newark, Dec. 1728. Mr. Banks, 1735, digging for his new house
at Ancaster, found much Roman antiquity.
All the way from this road, upon Ancaster heath, we have a view of
the sea, and the towering height of Boston steeple. A little further
we come to a place, of no mean note among the country people, called
Byard’s Leap, where the Newark road crosses the Roman: here is a cross
of stone, and by it four little holes made in the ground: they tell
silly stories of a witch and a horse making a prodigious leap, and that
his feet rested in these holes, which I rather think the boundaries
of four parishes: perhaps I may be too fanciful in supposing this
name a corruption of _vialis lapis_. I mentioned before, that here
I apprehended the Roman road from the fen country passed down the
hill toward _Crocolana_. Upon our road there are many stones placed;
but most seem modern, and like stumps of crosses, yet probably are
mile-stones: it would be of little use to measure the intervals;
for one would find that the whole distance between two towns was
equally divided by such a number of paces as came nearest the total.
Over-against Temple-Bruer is a cross upon a stone, cut through in
the shape of that borne by the knights Templars, and I suppose a
boundary of their demesnes: some part of their old church is left, of
a circular form as usual. _Bruer_ in this place signifies a heath.
The Hermen-street hereabout is very bold and perfect, made of stone
gathered all along from the superficial quarries, the holes remaining.
I observed, whenever it intercepts a valley of any considerable
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account