NOTES AND QUERIES. 
arc said to liavc met hereto celebrate their great qua! enial sacrifice; and ag 
Aldiioroiigh, anotiicr place nearly a mile from Boroiighbridge, was the capital 
Isiirian of the Brigantes, it is not at all imi)rol)able to suppose that the largest 
mark of an holy edilicc would be established here for the large quatcrnal 
religious gathering. 
Tlieir name, as the Devil's Arrows, seems to liave originated from the follow- 
ing story, which we had related to us by an hoary headed individual living in 
Eorouglibridge, when soliciting information as to their history : 
" There lived a very pioiis old man [a Druid should we imagine] who was 
reckoned an cxeelleut cultivator of the soil. However, during each season at 
the time his crops had come to maturity they were woefully pillaged by his sur- 
rounding neighbours ; so that at this, he being provokingly grieved, the Devil 
appeared, telling the old man if he would only recant and tlu-ow away his 
holiness he should never more be disturbed in his mind, or have whatever he 
grew stolen or demolished. The old man, like Eve in the garden, yielded to' 
temptation, and at once obeyed the impulse of Satan for the benefit of worldly 
gain. So when the old man's crops were again being pillaged, the Devil threw 
from the infernal regions some ponderous arrows, which so frightened the 
plunderers by shaking the earth that never more was he harrassed in that way. 
Hence the name of the " Devil's Arrows." 
Another individual told mc it was believed by some that the stones sprung 
up one night in the very places they now occupy. These opinions seem to be 
somewhat firmly fixed in the minds of the narrators. A superstition once im- 
bibed is in many instances difiicult to eradicate. However, we neither believe 
nor wish others to believe that they either sprung up in a single night, or were 
shot from a bow of Satan. Having examined and procured all information we 
possibly could respecting the monoliths at Boroughbridge, we next proceeded 
to Aldborough, a most pleasing walk of nearly a mUe. We were kindly eon- 
ducted and shown through the gardens of A. S. Lawson, Esq. In these 
gardens are many antiquities of different descriptions, both of the Brigantes 
and Romans, but especially of the latter. The late Mr. Lawson excavated and 
laid open for several yards the wall which surrounded the capital of the Romans. 
Whilst laying bare this portion of wall — which may be seen through the hos- 
pitality of Mr. Lawson — coins, &c., wei-e found, all of which are carefully 
deposited in this gentleman's museum. Several tessellated pavements are- 
most beautifully exposed and preserved in different parts of the village, and 
which may be seen for a trifling fee. There lies two splendid pavements be- 
neath the floor of Mr. Lawson's Museum. Within the gardens a hot bath 
and a cold bath of Roman workmanship are to be seen. 
The wall, built by the Romans, measures two and a-half yards in thickness ; 
the material is red sandstone. A splendid section of this red sandstone may 
be seen in a pit behind the southern part of the gardens. 
As the Romans had their capital here after the Brigantes were routed, it 
might be conjectured that the monoliths at Boroughbridge are erections of the 
Romans. However, from the researches of the Messrs. Lawson, no doubt but 
the question may be fairly settled as to their origin. 
Now taking leave of the quaint old city, with many a curious thought 
treasured up in my memory, I took train via Pillmoor to Easingwold, not with 
the expectation of seeing such wonders as I had just left, but rather as a flying 
visit to see an old acquaintance. However, being of an inquisitive turn of 
mind, I began asking if there were any things wonderful in Easingwold or its 
vicinity, and I soon found that a Mr. Nicholson, in the spring of 1S58 or 18.59 
had bored to a considerable depth in the hope of finding coal, but, alas, all his 
labour ended in "smoke ;" none could be found. On making further inquiries, 
and on examination of the district, there appeared great judgment on Jlr. 
