18C5.] 



The Antiquary. 



135 



the " Munimer.ta Antiqua ■/' but a 

 ftionger than all perhaps is given by Mr. 

 Gougli, in the " Additions to Cumden," 

 who fliews that the true Caer Caradoc, 

 the very fortrefs we have alluded to 

 in the fer.tence quoted, which, ii not tlie 

 royal feat cf Carsilacus, feems to hive 

 been at leaft his fcrirefs, was in Shrcp- 

 {liire, two miles fouth of Clun, and three 

 from Coxal. The defcription of it i"? 

 magnificent. Of the fame kind of for- 

 trtffes were Penmaen-Maur in Caernar- 

 voi.fliire, Warton Cragg in Lanca(l\ire, 

 Old Ofweflry in Shropfhiie, the irregular 

 jncan;pmeiit of Maiden Caftle nigh Dor- 

 chcfier, and probably Old Sarum, whcfe 

 char3(5ler was new-modelled by the Ro- 

 mars. 



The Britifh mode of warfare appears 

 to have received but little alteration from 

 the introduflion of the Roman taftics. — 

 Till finally fubdued, their princes fliewed 

 abilities both in the command of armies 

 and in the conduct of a war : they chofe 

 their ground judicioufly ; formed able 

 plans of adfive operation, and availed 

 themfclves of all the advantages of local 

 knowledge j but to the fortrefles defcrib- 

 ed, if we may rely on the teftimoiiies of 

 our old wrirers, they did not very fre- 

 quently retire. 



Of the Roman military works in this 

 country, the greater part were temporary j 

 many, however, were ftationary pofis ; 

 and a few, to the retention of which the 

 greateft importance was attached, became 

 walled caflra. Cxfar (De Bell. Gall. 1. 

 vii.) defcribes one of hii camps as fortified 

 very much in the manner of a walled city. 

 A few of the Reman flations in our own 

 country alTift in throwing light on the de- 

 _fcr)ption : and, in Ihort, fuch as were fo 

 furrounded appear to have been the li.ik 

 of conne-Slion between the Britiili earth. 

 work and the feudal caftle. 



Richborough, Portchefter, and Peven- 

 fcy, are the three greateit fortrefTtsthe Ro- 

 mans have left: us. Richborough, the 

 earlieft in order of tioie, is the compleateft 

 ruin 5 and i> decided on by Mr. King as 

 yet exhibiting all the principal parts of 

 one of the veiy greateli and moft perfeft of 

 the (iaiionary camps. It is fuppolijd to 

 have been begun m the year 43, in the 

 rtign of Claudius ; but not to have been 

 compleaied till 205, under the direftion of 

 tiie Emperor Stveius. That in the Roman 

 times there mult have been many other 

 (uch wall.d nations, is more than probable. 

 T he Saxons, in the courle of their long 

 wars with the BritgnSj dertroyed many cf 



the fortifications that had beei thus erefl- 

 ed ; and, after their final fettlement, ne- 

 glected to repair thofe that remained, or to 

 build any of their own. By tbefe means 

 the country became open and defencelefs ; 

 which greatly facilitate J the incurfions cf 

 th-; Danes, who met with little ohftruilioti 

 from fortified places. 



That there was, however, fmething 

 like a caftle at Bambarough in Northum- 

 ber'an :!j erefted early in the 6th century, 

 we have the concurrenr teftimony of hif- 

 torians. A caftle at Corffe, in Dorfet- 

 rtiire, is faid to have exiftfd in the days of 

 Edgar. Pcitchefter Ciftle, during this 

 peiiod, undoubtedly retained i.s defigna- 

 tinn ; and Mr. King endeavours to prjve 

 that the fortrefs of Caftlctcn in Derbydiire 

 is of as high antiquity. 



Alfred the Great feems to have been 

 the firlt of the Anglo-Saxon kings who was 

 fenilble of the delencelefs ftate to which the 

 country in this point had been reduced.— 

 After tells us, that, when he had reduced 

 the Danes, he fpent much of his time in 

 repairing the ruined walls of London, and 

 in building forts in the moft convenient: 

 places; but that in doing this he met: 

 with much oppofition and trouble from the 

 indolence of his people. Elfleda, his he- 

 roic daughter, inherited the vvifdomofher 

 father ; and not only fought many battles 

 againft the Danes, but, if Henry of Hun- 

 tingdon may be believed, in the fhorC 

 fpace of three years bulk no lefs than 

 eight fort! eftes of tolerable ftrength. From 

 this time the erection, reparation, and de- 

 fence, of caftles became a public objedl of 

 attention, and one of the three fervices to 

 which all the lands of England were fub- 

 je6ted. 



When we refleft, however, on the low 

 ebb to which the aits were then reduced, 

 we flinll not expeft to find thefe caftles 

 either ftrcng or beautiiul. Yet thoughto 

 us they may appear exceeding weak and 

 aitlefs, they afforded no lefs advantage and 

 fecurity to their defenders than the moft 

 regular ionifications of the prefent day 

 can do to their defcendants. They were 

 ufufllly taken by fiulden bold affaults ; by 

 wounding and killing their defenders witb 

 ftones, arrows, darts, ai;dfpears ; by fcaU 

 ing their walls, and burfting ojen their 

 gates, or letting them on fire. Among 

 ihe ftrongeft and moft curious, however, 

 of the Sa.xon caftles, we may reckon that 

 of Colchefter, which appears to have, been 

 ereiled early in the tenth century by Ed- 

 ward the Elder. Some have called tiiis 

 venerable ruin Roman j othus have tailed 



it 



