407 
The most powerful of these tribes, the Brigantes, inhabited 
nearly the whole of the territory now forming the counties of 
York, Lancaster, Westmoreland, Cumberland, Durham, and 
Northumberland. The neighbours of the Brigantes on the 
south and east — namely, the Coritani, or Coritavi — were also a 
large and powerful tribe, inhabiting, among other districts, 
what now constitutes the counties of Derby, Nottingham, 
and Lincoln. The great natural boundary in one part, 
between these two tribes, is, by all antiquaries, admitted to 
have been the Humber; and, in my opinion, the Don in 
another part, and the Pennine Mountains in another. That 
the present artificial boundaries now dividing Yorkshire from 
the counties of Derby, Nottingham, and Lincoln, could not 
be the line of demarcation between those tribes, appears 
evident; for — in addition to the reasons hereafter adduced 
regarding the boundaries of the above-mentioned Roman 
provinces — it must be remembered that the British tribes 
carriedr on a continual war with each other; were, like the 
Red Indians, exceedingly jealous of encroachments on their 
hunting-grounds, and, in fact, of the smallest invasion of 
their territory by neighbouring tribes. 
We have historical evidence that, to secure these objects, 
the British tribes were separated from each other by estuaries, 
great rivers, lakes, and high mountains. What, then, more 
probable than that the Don constituted one of the great 
natural boundaries between the Coritani and the Brigantes? 
Unlike the Britons of the southern parts of the island, the 
tribes above-mentioned were purely a pastoral and hunting 
people. They neither sowed nor reaped, and were altogether 
a more primitive and rude race, who apparently had been 
thrown back by the successive waves of continental emigra- 
tion. 
In the days of these ancient inhabitants of this district, 
vast forests covered the whole face of the country with an 
