WALL. 



eleven feet wide at tlie top, but fomewhat narrower at the 

 bottom. Such was the rampart or defence erefted by com- 

 mand of the emperor Adrian, A.D. 120, for guarding the 

 Roman territories to the fouth of it from the incurfions of 

 the Britons on the north. This work was defended by a 

 competent number of Roman foldiers and auxiliary troops, 

 who garrifoned the forts and ilations, which were fituated at 

 proper diltances along the line of it. Moll, if not all, of 

 thefe forts and ftations had been fixed and conftrufted before 

 by Agricola and others. Adrian's rampart, however, did 

 not long continue to be the extreme boundary of the Roman 

 territories to the north in Britain ; for Antoninus Pius, 

 having brought the Moeats again under the yoke, com- 

 manded another rampart to be erefted much farther north, 

 between the firths of Forth and Clyde, in the traft where 

 Agricola had formerly built his chain of forts. From an 

 infcription on the fragment of a Roman pillar, it is inferred 

 that this work was executed in the third confullhip of An- 

 toninus, A.D. 140. This wall or rampart, as fome 

 imagine, reached from Caer-ridden on the firth of Forth to 

 Old-Kirkpatrick on the Clyde ; or, as others think, from 

 Kinniel on the E. to Dunglafs on the W. Its length ap- 

 pears to have been about 37 Englilh or 40 Roman miles. 

 Capitolinus fays, that it was conftrufted of turf; but from 

 remaining veftigea it is concluded with certainty that the 

 foundation was ftone. Camden fays, that the principal 

 rampart was faced with fquare ftone, to prevent the earth 

 from falling into the ditch. Its chief parts were as follow : 

 — A broad and deep ditch, faid to be twelve feet wide ; the 

 principal wall or rampart, about twelve feet thick at the 

 foundation, fituated on the S. brink of the ditch ; a mihtary 

 way on the S. fide of the principal wall, well paved, and 

 raifed a little above the level of the ground. This work, as 

 well as that of Adrian, was defended by garrifons placed in 

 forts and ftations along its hne. The number of thefe was 

 eighteen, at the diftance of two miles from each other. In 

 the intervals between the forts, there were turrets or watch- 

 towers. After the lapfe of more than 1600 years, we are 

 enabled to afcertain by what particular bodies of Roman 

 troops almoft every part of it was executed. This dif- 

 covery is made by means of infcriptions upon ftones, 

 originally fixed in the face of the wall, and found near its 

 ruins. The number of ftones with inlcriptions now extant 

 is eleven ; and from thefe it appears in general, that this 

 great work was executed by the fecond legion, the vexilla- 

 tions of the fixth legion and of the twentieth legion, and one 

 cohort of auxiliaries. If thefe corps were all complete, 

 they would compofe a body of 7800 men. This wall was 

 not long the boundary of the Roman territories in Britain ; 

 for we are told, by an author of undoubted credit (Dio), 

 that, in the reign of Commodus, A.D. 180, he had wars 

 with feveral foreign nations, but none fo dangerous as that 

 of Britain ; for the people of that ifland, having pafted the 

 wall which divided them from the Romans, attacked them 

 and cut them to pieces. We alfo know, that the country 

 between the walls of Adrian and Antoninus continued to 

 be a fcene of perpetual war and fubjeft of contention, 

 between the Romans and Britons, from the beginning of the 

 reign of Commodus to the arrival of the emperor Septimius 

 Severus in Britain, A.D. 206. This laft emperor, having 

 fubdued the Moeatse, and repulfed the Caledonians, deter- 

 mined to ereft a ftronger and more impenetrable barrier than 

 any of the former, againft their future incurfions. This 

 laft wall, the greateft of all the Roman works in Britain, 

 was begun A.D. 209, and finifhed A.D. 210. 



It was built nearly on the fame tradl with that of the 

 rampart of Adrian, at the diftance only of a few paces 



north. Its length, from Coufins-houfe near die mgutfi of 

 the river Tine on the eaft to Boulnefs on the Solway firth 

 on the weft, was a little more than 68 Englilh miles, and a 

 little lefs than 74 Roman miles. To the north of the wall 

 was a broad and deep ditch, fuppofed to have been larger 

 than that of Adrian. The wall itfclf, ftandingon the brink 

 of the ditch, was built of fohd ftone, ftrongly cemented 

 with the beft' mortar ; the ftones which formed both the 

 faces being fquare aftilers, and the filling ilones large flags, 

 fet a little llanting. The height of this wall was twelve 

 feet befides the parapet, and its breadth eight feet, accord- 

 ing to Bede, who lived near the W. end of it, and in whofe 

 time it was almoft entire in many places. Confidering the 

 length, breadth, height, and folidity of this wall of Severus, 

 it was without doubt a work of prodigious labour and ex- 

 traordinary magnificence. But the wall itfelf was only a 

 part, and not the moft diftingiiiftiing part of this work. 

 The great number and diff^erent kinds of fortrefles which 

 were built along the line of it for its defence, and the 

 military ways that pertained to it, are much more worthy of 

 admiration ; for an account of which fee Stations. The 

 caftella, or caftles, were the fecond kind of fortifications, 

 which were built along the line of this wall for its defence. 

 They were neither fo large nor fo ftrong as the ftations, but 

 much more numerous, being no fewer than eighty-one. 

 They were exaft fquares of fixty-fix feet every way; fortified 

 on every fide with thick and lofty walls, but without any 

 ditch, except on the N. fide, on which the wall itfelf, raifed 

 much above its ufual height, with the ditch attending it, 

 formed the fortification. The caftles were fituated in the 

 intervals between the ftations, at the diftance of about feven 

 furlongs from each other. In thefe caftles, guards were 

 conftantly kept by a competent number of men detached 

 from the neareft ftations. The towers, or turrets, were much 

 fmaller than the caftles, forming a fquare of about twelve 

 feet, and ftanding out of the wall on its S. fide. (See 

 Turrets.) The ufual complement of troops allotted to 

 the defence of this, confifted of twelve cohorts of foot, each 

 cohort including 600 men, one cohort of mariners in the 

 ftation at Boulnefs, one detachment of Moors, probably 

 equal to a cohort, and four alx or wings of horfe, confifting 

 at the loweft computation of 400 each ; the whole number 

 being 10,000. For the convenience of their march from 

 one part of the wall to another, to the wall were annexed 

 two mihtary ways, paved with fquare ftones, in the moft 

 folid and beautiful manner, one larger, and one fmaller : the 

 latter ran clofe along the S. fide of the wall, from turret to 

 turret, and caftle to caftle, for the ufe of the foldiers in re- 

 lieving their guards and fentinels, and fuch fervices ; the 

 larger way was not fo near the wall, nor did it touch at the 

 turrets or caftles, but purfued the moft direft courfe from 

 one ftation to another, and was defigned for the convenience 

 of marching large bodies of troops. This wall of Severus 

 proved an impenetrable barrier to the Roman territories for 

 near 200 years. But about the beginning of the fifth cen- 

 tury, the Moeatae and Caledonians, now called Scots and 

 Pifts, took advantage of the withdrawment of many of the 

 Roman forces from Britain, and broke through the waU, 

 while others failed round the ends, carrying their ravages 

 into the very heart of Provincial Britain. Thefe invaders 

 were often repulfed by Roman legions fent to the relief of 

 the Britons ; and the laft of thefe legions, under the com- 

 mand of Gallio of Ravenna, aftifted by the Britons, regained 

 the walls and its fortrefles, and then took their laft farewell 

 of Britain. The Scots and PiAs found little refiftance in 

 breaking through the wall, whofe towers and caftles were 

 tamely abandoned to their deftruftive rage. In many places 



they 



