The Roman Wall: A historical, topographical, and descriptive account of the barrier of the lower isthmus, extending from the Tyne to the Solway, deduced from numerous personal surveysBruce, J. Collingwood (John Collingwood)
History
The Roman Wall: A historical, topographical, and descriptive account of the barrier of the lower isthmus, extending from the Tyne to the Solway, deduced from numerous personal surveys
Bruce, J. Collingwood (John Collingwood)
Great Britain -- Antiquities, Roman; Walls, Roman -- Great Britain
To the north of Sewingshields, two strata of sandstone crop out to the
day; the highest points of each ledge are called the King and
Queen’s-crag, from the following legend. King Arthur, seated on the
farthest rock, was talking with his queen, who, meanwhile, was engaged
in arranging her ‘back hair.’ Some expression of the queen’s having
offended his majesty, he seized a rock which lay near him, and, with
an exertion of strength for which the Picts were proverbial, threw it
at her, a distance of about a quarter of a mile! The queen, with great
dexterity, caught it upon her comb, and thus warded off the blow; the
stone fell between them, where it lies to this day, with the marks of
the comb upon it, to attest the truth of the story. It probably weighs
about twenty tons!
A few miles to the north of Sewingshields stands an upright stone,
which bears the name of Cumming’s cross. Cumming, a northern
chieftain, having paid, one day, a visit to king Arthur at his castle
near Sewingshields, was kindly received by the king, and was, as a
token of lasting friendship, presented by him with a gold cup. The
king’s sons coming in, shortly after Cumming had left the castle, and
being informed of what their father had done, immediately set out in
pursuit of him. They overtook him, and slew him at this place, which
has borne the name of Cumming’s cross ever since.
King Arthur’s chair used to be pointed out in this vicinity. It was a
column of basalt, fifty feet high, slightly detached from the rest of
the cliff. The top of it had something of the appearance of a seat. It
was thrown down, several years ago, by a party of idle young men, who
were at great pains to effect their foolish purpose.
[Sidenote: SEWINGSHIELDS CRAGS.]
We now return to our more immediate object, the examination of the Wall.
Soon after leaving Sewingshields, a narrow chasm in the rocks, slightly
aided by art, called the Catgate, admits of an awkward descent to the
plain below. Here, says Hutton, the Scots bored under the Wall, so as to
admit the body of a man. Whether the Romans or the Scots made this
passage, it is certain that the garrison on the Wall would sometimes
visit the country to the north, for the purposes of plunder and of
slaughter, and would require the means of egress.
The mile-castles may now all be recognised in due succession.
[Sidenote: BUSY GAP.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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