18 



Horsley in 1732 mentions six others; and to these Hutchinson 

 in 1794 adds four more. These are in a much better state of 

 preservation than the previous ones ; but, so far as the scrolls and 

 inscriptions are concerned, they are much more weathered than 

 those found in 1870. 



Assuming then that all the altars — with possibly one or two 

 exceptions — were buried at the same time, and that the same rate 

 of deterioration took place in those far off times as now, it is clear 

 that they could not have been above ground a very great length 

 of time. Hence, assuming that the Bastasians were in garrison in 

 early times, we may fairly allow that the altars were buried, if not 

 about A.D. 184, at any rate before A.D. 240. A date later than 

 this is not probable, owing to the regular succession of coins from 

 that date onwards to the close of the Roman occupation. 



If then it be granted that the cohorts were not stationary, but 

 were, on the contrary — at any rate during the earlier part of the 

 occupation — frequently changing ; also that the altars are all of an 

 early date ; where is the altar or slab that proves Maryport to have 

 been the Axelodunum of the Notitia ? And, if there are none, why 

 should this name be given as "beyond doubt?" If the Notitia 

 was — as we know it was — an army list, surely it would not state a 

 fact which was true only some two hundred and fifty years before. 

 Clearly it states that the Spaniards were at Axelodunum about the 

 year A.D. 400, the altars apparently as clearly prove that they were 

 at Maryport before A.D. 138, and that they afterwards left the place. 

 To prove that the station is Axelodunum, we must prove not only 

 that they returned, but that they continued in residence till within 

 "measurable distance" of A.D. 400. Can this be satisfactorily 

 shown? I think not. Still we may argue that our chain of evidence 

 is not complete — that it has a thread of weakness running through 

 it. At any rate, whether this be so or not, we will now endeavour 

 to strengthen it by additional evidence from another quarter. 



To my mind a great flood of light is thrown on the question by 

 a consideration of the various lists of names of towns that have 

 come down to us. First we will take the Notitia. In the list of 

 twenty-three stations "per lineam valli" we have the following, viz.: 



