LAPIDAEIUM SEPTENTRIONALE. 555 



themselves notable, are rendered more remarkable by the questions 

 which they suggest relative to the topography of Koman Britain. 

 The first pi-inted notice that we have seen of such questions was in 

 this journal, Vol. XII, 1870, p. 131. 



"Another altar has more recently been found, bearing a similar date, and 

 dedicated by a Niimerus Frisiomim AbaUavensium ; a designation which it is 

 exceedingly difficult to comprehend. The difficulty, to which Dr. Bruce refers, 

 is not as to the meaning of the words, for they plainly signify ' the detachment of 

 Frisiones stationed at Aballava.' The Frisii, or Frisiones, regarded by some as 

 identical with the Frisianones, or Frisiavones, or FriscBvones, or Frixagi, are well 

 known as a portion of the Roman auxiliary troops in Britain. The first cohort 

 was there in A.D. 106, in A.D. 124, and at the beginning of the fifth century, 

 as appears from the diplomas of Trajan and Hadrian, and from the Notitia_ 

 Aballava is also well known as a place in the island, although there are various 

 opinions as to the identification of the site. In the Notitia, a detachment of 

 Moors, called Aurelian, is said to have been stationed there. Nor is there any 

 difficulty as to the use of AbaUavensium. We have similarly Numems explora- 

 trrum Nemanhigensium, Henzen's n. 6731, Nuvierus Brittonum Triputiensium. 

 Orelli's, n. 1627, and Nmnerus exphratomm Bremeniensium, Bruce's Roman 

 "Wall, 3rd ed., p. 315. See Brit. Rom. Inscrip. p. 139. Dr. Bruce's difficulty as 

 to the inscription, I apprehend, is that if the same principle, by which High 

 Rochester has been recognized as Bremenium, on account of BREMEN and 

 BREM in inscriptions on altars found there, be applied in this case, we must 

 identify Aballava with Papcastle. If this be adopted, the views as to Brampton 

 and Watchcross must be abandoned, and great latitude must be given to the 

 terms per lineain valli in the Notitia. For the present it must suffice to have 

 noticed the difficulty. At some future time I hope to examine the general 

 question relative to the stations after Amboglanna, and to offer some suggestions 

 that may, perhaps, be useful, even though in some cases expressed doubtfully, 

 as I have not the advantage of personal knowledge of the localities." 



But the first clear statement of opinion on the subject is given by 

 Mr. W. Thompson Watkin, in his article " on the tenth iter of the 

 British portion of the Itinerary of Antoninus," in the Journal of the 

 Archaeological Institute, XXVIII, 1871, p. 131 :— 



" The successive order of the Notitia garrisons, broken off at Lanercost, seems 

 renewed at Papcastle, Moresby, and EUenborough," 



In a note on this page, Mr. Watkin refers to the similarity of Dr. 

 McCaul's views as expressed in this Journal, in Part XIII. The 

 next notice that we have seen of this question is in a note to p. 212 

 of the Lapidarium Septentrionale, published in the close of 1872 or 

 the beginning of 1873 : 



" Dr. McCaul thinks that the compiler of the Notitia ceases after Amboglanna 

 to give the stations of the Wall in regular order. 



