126 i)X ROMAN REMAINS AT r>OUTH SHIELDS, 



YII. — On the Discovery and JExplovation of Roman Bema ins at South 

 Shields in the Years 1875-6. By the Eev. R. E. HoorPELL, 

 M.A., LL.D., F.R.A.S. 



Towards the end of the year 1874 the Ecclesiastical Commission- 

 ers laid out for building purposes a considerable piece of ground 

 in the Borough of South Shields, which, with the houses and 

 streets already erected on its fringes, may be described as bounded 

 on the south by Ocean Road, on the west by Mile-End lioad, on 

 the north by the Tyne, and on the east by the German Ocean. 

 It contained what had for many years been known as the Heugh 

 Farm, witliin which was situated the well known '* Lawe." 



The Ecclesiastical Commissioners ha^ing deteiinined to dis- 

 pose of the freehold of this land for building sites, made several 

 broad streets tlirough it : one, Baring Street, running north from 

 Ocean Eoad ; another, Fort Street, crossing Baring Street at 

 riglit angles, and extending fi-oin Mile-End lload to the sea. 

 The ground was thus divided into four large (and approximately 

 speaking) quadrangular di-vdsions. Sites were speetlily sold, one 

 of the first being on the western side of the north-eastern quad- 

 rangular di^-ision, which contained within it the northern face 

 and slope of the " Lawe." (Near n, on the General Plan. Plate 



V.) 



It had always been known that tlie " Lawe" at Soutli Shields 

 was the site of a Roman Station. Leland repeatedly mentions it. 

 In his Collectanea, Vol. II., p. 290, he says: — " Tlie monks of 

 the Tyne say that there was a city (civitas) on the further bank 

 of the mouth of the River Tyne, Caer Ui-fe by name, where king 

 Oflwy had been bom." And in Vol. III., p. 43, of the same: — 

 " In the neighbourhood of Tynemouth was a city (urbs) devas- 

 tated by the Danes, Uria by name, where king Oswin had been 

 bom." In his Itinerary he says, that '"tlie foundations of tlie 

 city still remained." He also says that one of the great Roman 

 roads from the west of the Island had its terminus at the mouth 

 of the Tyne. And again : — "They say, indeed, that St. Oswin 

 the king was bom in a certain fortress anciently called Burgh, 

 the founrlations of which still reninin in part on the southern 



