“Pres ae 
81 
died here probably on her way to join some of her own compatriots 
who were stationed a little further north at Middleby—the first 
recorded of the many strangers who at one time or another have 
passed through this little town. The inscription does not name 
her death—the Roman tombstones never did—it simply says she 
lived thirty-five years eight months and fifteen days. 
When at the beginning of the second century the Emperor 
Hadrian visited this district, and drew the line of stations that were 
to form the famous wall to be here the boundary of his empire, 
Netherby was left as an outpost to the north; and so, it may be, 
deserved the name with which it is usually identified—viz., that 
of Castra Exploratorum—the Camp of the Explorers. It is given in 
the 2nd Iter. of Antoninus in the list of Stations on the great road 
that extended from Richborough in Kent to Middleby, and is 
named as twelve miles north of ‘Carlislke—the Roman mile being 
somewhat shorter than our own, The name, however, is not found 
at a later date in the Roman Army list which we possess, and 
which, according to Dr. Bruce, was drawn up a few years before 
they finally left the country. It may be that this outpost had been 
already found untenable, and had been surrendered to the native 
tribes. But here for a long period the Roman troops remained ; 
and we cannot doubt that their presence exercised some permanent 
influence on the district. 
It was the practice of the Romans to use the inhabitants of one 
conquered country in the subjugation of another; and while here, 
we know there were gathered the representatives of various nation- 
alities, the natives, no doubt, from here would be drafted away to 
assist in that great task which fired the genius of Virgil when he 
wrote :— 
Be thine, O Rome, the glorious work the folks of earth to sway, 
For this shall be thy handicraft, peace on the world to lay. 
Well, it is not pleasant to speak of a period when we were a 
conquered country ; but I should not wonder if it was long before 
this district knew more settled days than those it spent under 
Roman rule; and there must have been a certain amount of life 
and interest, especially to the British ladies, in having amongst us 
6 
