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
Bede’s Ecclesiastical History, b. III. ch. ii. Giles’s translation.
Footnote 83:
Although a walk of a few minutes will bring the traveller, who knows
exactly whither to bend his steps, to this curious relic, a stranger
may fruitlessly spend much time in examining the many low scars which
diversify the surface of the fell. It is a deeply interesting object.
Footnote 84:
The cramps seem to have been of various kinds. Some authors speak of
iron cramps. One antiquary, I know, spent a livelong summer’s day
knee-deep in the water, extracting one which proved to be entirely of
lead. A. cramp, of very curious form and structure, taken from this
bridge, is preserved in the museum at Chesters, and is figured Plate
VII. fig. 1.; it seems to have been triply dove-tailed; the substance
of it is iron, but it has been coated all over to the thickness of
one-eighth of an inch with lead. The iron would give the instrument
tenacity, and the lead protect the more corrosive metal from
oxidization; truly the Romans built for perpetuity.
Footnote 85:
History of Northumberland, II. iii. 180.
Footnote 86:
The initial L, page 103, is formed of two of these Roman balusters.
The lower one is at Chesters, the upright one at Chesterholm.
Footnote 87:
The section of the hypocaust wall on Plate III is taken from this
example, and shews the hanging floor.
Footnote 88:
See an interesting ‘Account of an Excavation recently made within the
Roman Station at CILURNUM, by John Clayton, esq.’ in the Archæologia
Æliana, iii. 142.
Footnote 89:
The improved method of making draining-tiles for agricultural uses has
suggested the formation of hollow bricks for building purposes. A
floor might be paved and side-walls formed of these, so as readily to
admit of the circulation of air throughout the whole substance of the
apartment, and a handful of coke or charcoal, placed at the entrance
of the flue, would effectually warm the whole. Specimens of bricks of
this kind, remarkably strong, and ingeniously contrived for securely
locking into one another, are before me, for which I am indebted to
Robert Rawlinson, esq., after whose design they were formed. The Latin
comedy represents the miser begrudging the smoke that escaped from his
chimney—well may the benevolent man regret that whilst his poor
neighbours are bending under the chills of winter, three-fourths of
the heat generated in his parlour-grate is absolutely wasted.
Footnote 90:
Now at Alnwick-castle.
Footnote 91:
The words printed in italics have been supplied from contemporaneous
inscriptions; they can scarcely be said to be conjectural readings.
Footnote 92:
Soldiers who by their good conduct had earned a double allowance of
corn or pay.
Footnote 93:
Hodgson learnedly explains this inscription—Arch. Æl. i. 128.
Footnote 94:
Preserved in the interesting collection at Chesters.
Footnote 95:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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