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REV. PREBENDARY H. E. FOX, M.A., ON 



Roman soldier by the spear of a Briton whom he had ridden 

 down. Across the North Tyne was the important camp of 

 Cikirnum, which retains the old term- in the modern name of 

 Chesters. Here may be seen the remains of officers' quarters, 

 and the present bridge over the river rests on Roman foundations 

 of remarkable strength. 



The late Mr. John Clayton, oTOer of the land, was an enthu- 

 siastic archaeologist, and has preserved a large number of most 

 interesting remains, which have been found both at Cilurnum, 

 and other stations on the Wall. These have been admirably 

 arranged in a museum adjoining his house. Before referring to 

 some of these, it may be well to explain the structure of the 

 military work and take a brief survey of its course westwards. 

 Strictly described, it is more than a w^all. It has three or four 

 ramparts and a fosse, which are all earthw^orks, besides a trench, 

 which is sometimes found north of the Wall. The southern fosse 

 is usually about 24 feet from the Wall, but further west, where 

 the country becomes more hilly, the road keeps to the level 

 ground, carrying mth it the earthworks, while the stone Wall 

 goes straight over the moors, regardless of hill or valley, till it 

 reaches the Solw^ay, near Bowness. Along the Wall, at regular 

 intervals, w^ere built military stations, mile castles and turrets. 

 The former provided quarters for troops, but were constructed 

 chiefly for security, and show no traces of the luxury or display 

 which may be seen in Roman remains elsewhere. Very little of 

 these buildings can now be seen above ground, for generations 

 of British and Anglo-Saxon have found the well-cut materials 

 too valuable for building their own dwellings to be left for the 

 curiosity of their descendants. But as we tramp across the 

 moorland in the line of the Wall, still visible, our feet may some- 

 times strike a stone that plainly was once cut by human hands, 

 sometimes lying by itself, sometimes as part of a building or 

 pavement. In one case at least which was pointed out to the 

 writer, there was plain evidence that the stones formed part of 

 a castle gateway ; and between the bases of the upright posts 

 the flat stones were lined with ruts, which had evidently been 

 made by the frequent passing of heavy wheels. It is an interest- 

 ing fact that the gauge of these vehicles corresponds with that 

 of the chariots which have left similar marks in the streets of 

 Pompeii. 



But it is among the antiquarian treasures collected in the 

 Chesters Museum that we shall learn most about the builders of 



