new town their favourite shape of castrametation, and uniformly made it square, or oblong.* In ascertaining the precise locality of such Roman stations and towns as were distributed throughout Britain, we have for our principal guides the Itineraries of Antoninus and Richard.t From the Itineraries alone we are, indeed, enabled to trace with any resemblance of accuracy, the sites of many Roman settlements in this island; and it may not only prove interesting, but appears to be indispensably necessary, to present some observations concerning the methods usually adopted in fixing the sites of the towns specified in those curious works. The writers who first cultivated, in this country, a taste for the study of antiquities, relied on a mode of ascertaining the sites of Roman towns, which is proved, by more mature consideration, to be unsatisfactory, if not supported by circumstances of a less disputable character. With them, the resemblance of a name was deemed of primary and arbitrary importance; and an explanation of names to suit the evident, or conjectural, circumstances of locality, was, likewise, esteemed a criterion of predominating influence, where an actual resemblance of letters and sound could not be discovered. The errors arising from this system have been clearly proved; and the mistakes of Camden, who, under the guidance of such a persuasion, places Camulodunum at Maldon, and Ad-Pontem at Paunton, may be noticed, as instances of its precariousness, if not of its entire fallacy. In regard to the modern name by which a place of known antiquity is distinguished, it may, however, be received as a standard of frequent, and almost of general, operation, that where the word Chester, Caster, or Cester, occurs, either as the whole, or as * Specimens of regular Roman towns may be seen in Colchester, Winchester, Caerleon, Caerwent, &c. + To the information conveyed by the Itineraries must be added that of the Notitia Imperii, and the Chorography of the Anonymous Ravennas; both which works are noticed in our List of Books connected generally with England and Wales. as the part of an appellation, it declares that town to have been fortified and inhabited by the Romans. It is certain, that the Saxons, likewise, often preserved the first syllable, or more, of the Roman name, with a termination of their own.* Even the partial coincidence of name will, therefore, be admitted as fair and desirable collateral evidence; but, for primary groundwork of information, the judicious enquirer will look to other sources. That the Roman towns in Britain were numerous, and of considerable celebrity, is sufficiently evinced by the Itineraries; and there is reason for supposing that they were, in fact, much more numerous than is generally believed. But it will appear far from surprising that, comparatively, few local vestiges, even of the names by which the majority of such towns were distinguished should have been preserved until the revival of learning, when we remember the savage ferocity with which the Roman cities were razed, and annihilated, by the nations which succeeded to that ascendancy over the Britons, which was so long possessed by the imperial government.† So comprehensive was the policy, and so persevering the industry, of the Romans, that these towns, however numerous they may be supposed, were all united and rendered easy of access by lines • Sec observations to this effect in Nichols's Leicestershire, Vol, I. p. 148; and in Reynolds's Introduction to the Itinerary, &c. p. 58.-In the latter work are given numerous instances of such a practice among the Saxons. In a note, by the Bishop of Cloyne, on the introduction to Reynolds's edition of the itinerary of Antoninus, occur the following remarks, concerning the spirit which generally pervaded the tribes who triumphed over the arms of Rome -"The barbarian conquerors of the Roman provinces destroyed the cities, defaced the works of art, and even seem in some instances to have cut up the roads. When the strong and flourishing city of Aquileia was taken, it was immediately levelled with the ground, and the triumphant barbarian boasted that, in three days after its capture, he had gallopped his horse, without stumbling, over the spot where the town had stood. The wonder is, then, that we find such evident traces of many of the Roman towns in Britain at this day, not that some have intirely disappeared. Several of these towns >hew marks of fire in their ruins."-Iter, Britanniarum, &c. p. 32. lines of solid road. The existence of a Roman town, therefore, implies that of a contiguous Roman thoroughfare. Frequently, the town is situated on the direct line of the road; whilst, in other instances, the road deviates from the straight course so invariably pursued by the Romans, without the occurrence of such an inducement, or the intervention of great natural obstacles; or throws off a branch for the purpose of a communication with the town. But the want of discernible vestiges of a Roman road, near the site of a town supposed to have been occupied by that people, is no positive argument against the identity of such a site; on account of the alterations in thoroughfares effected by many successive ages, and in consideration of our defective knowledge of the number and direction of the numerous roads constructed by the Romans. This exception, however, does not relate to the usual situation of the chief military posts. It will be found that the regular stations are, in general, placed on the great roads, at nearly equal distances; which, in the majority of stages, do not exceed twenty miles, the length of a single march. It does not appear necessary to state, in this Introduction, the whole of the different criteria, for ascertaining, according to rules best approved by experience, the locality of such towns, or stations, as are noticed in the Itineraries of Antoninus and Richard. Those rules may be seen very judiciously enumerated, and explained, in the commentaries on the respective Itineraries, published by the Rev. Thomas Reynolds and by Mr. Hatcher; but it may be here observed, in attention to a remark contained in the latter work, that, "after the Romans had established their power, and completed their system of internal communication, they, undoubtedly, lessened the number of their garrisons, to avoid either too great a division of their force, or to reduce that part of it which was necessarily stationary." Hence, we may sometimes consider the direction of the road, and the general distance, "as sufficient data for determining a station, or stations, either when they were situated between two considerable fortified points, or when covered by others on every side; because it is probable such such posts were merely temporary, and were dilapidated, or de molished, even before the decline of the Roman power." The distance must, indeed, be received as the chief standard of consideration, in researches concerning the site of the Itinerary towns, as it is almost the only clue to discovery afforded by those works. But the most interesting, and, perhaps, the only indubitable proof of an ancient Roman town or station (if not of the temporary and deserted kind noticed above) certainly consists in the discovery of antiquities, of a Roman original. In numerous instances are seen remains of the wall which surrounded the town, or of the baths and other buildings used by the inhabitants; and fragments of brick and tile are often strewed, in surprising abundance, over the ploughed field where once stood the Roman city! This is particularly the case at Silchester, in Hampshire; it may be here remarked that the high preservation and great extent of the walls, together with the luxuriant existence of various scattered denotations of former dwellings, combine to render Silchester one of the most impressive instances of a depopulated and forsaken Roman station, that is, perhaps, to be found amidst the ruins of this once-mighty empire.-Such vestiges as are there seen (including coins, which are found in great numbers on almost every spot occupied for a length of time by the Romans; and inhumed urns, the repositories of the ashes of the colonists,) are often necessary to the entire conviction of the judicious enquirer, while the contemplation of them forms the most pleasing reward of his labours. The usual character of such Roman antiquities as are most frequently discovered, will meet with brief notice in a subsequent page; but it must be observed, in this place, that, whilst we consider the occurrence of such antiquities to be nearly the sole undoubted proof of the former existence of a Roman town, it is to be remembered that the mere discovery of a bath, a pavemeut, or other vestiges of domestic life, does not absolutely argue Commentary on the Itin. of Richard, &c. Edit. 1809, p. 106 argue that a town formerly stood on such a spot; as the Roman officers were accustomed to indulge that taste for rural scenery, so conspicuous among the most polished of their countrymen, by the construction of villas, in recluse, but picturesque, si tuations. The subject of such circumstances as usually denote the site of a town, formed or adopted by the Romans, may be closed with the following observations from the pen of Mr. Reynolds: "Remains of Roman military works are very common ;—their stations, or winter-quarters, adjoining to several principal towns; and their summer-camps, upon hills, or elevated situations, near them. In some places, the former remain to this day, very visible from their old intrenchments; but, in others, their ancient forms are obliterated by the British, and Saxon, or Norman, castles which generally occupy a part of the site of them. An ancient castle, or the ruins of one, seems very good probable proof that a Roman station may have first occupied the same ground; at least, in such towns as are known to have existed in those times."* Having thus endeavoured to convey a distinct idea of the character of the great stationary town, when arranged for lasting occupation, and secured by walls and massy turrets, it remains to notice such EARTH-WORKS as were indubitably constructed by the Romans, for military purposes. These are of frequent occurrence in most parts of the island, and are readily distinguished by their shape (the square, or oblong, constantly used by Romans, unless circumstances of natural strength, or convenience, induced a partial deviation) and by the other peculiarities of fortification, noticed in previous pages as being usual with the Romans. It will, indeed, create little surprise to find so frequently these vestiges of Roman earthen-ramparts, when we remember that it was the invariable practice of their armies to enclose themselves within Iter Britanniarum, p. 56. |