button to main menu  Camden's Britannia, edn 1789

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Page 224:-
quarries, now grown over with grass. But I scarce think they are old enough for the Romans to have got their stones from them.
  Peel
  Steel Rigg
  Haltwhistle Burn

"From House-steeds Severus's wall runs immediatley upon the precipices, and the military way attending it is very conspicuous, particularly near the Peel and Steel-rigg, and so they continue almost all the way to Haltwhistle-burn, not far from Great chesters. But as for Hadrian's vallum, as it keeps the low ground upon the skirt of the hill, and is at a good distance from Severus's wall; so for about a mile west of House-steeds all belonging to it is very obscure as far as Bradley, from whence to High-sheel the vallum is in the second or third degree, and all the rest in the first or second.
  Milecastle 37-38
"The distance between House-steeds and Little Chesters is about a mile and three quarters. And the distance between House-steeds amd (sic) that part of the wall which is directly opposite to Little Chesters, is about a mile and three furlongs. And in this space there are two visible castella, the interval between which seems to be just about six furlongs. This is the least interval between any two castella upon the whole track of the wall. The reason of which may be the distance of the station at Little Chesters from the wall.
  9. VINDOLANA.
  Vindolanda
  Chesterholme
  roman bath
  hypocaust

"LITTLE CHESTERS is south from both the walls, but stands just by the military way, which I have already described, tha passes directly from Walwick chesters to Carrvoran, which is very visible for a considerable space from this station. So that this station must be reckoned among those which belong to the wall, it being in this rout, and the only military way which belongs to it, coming from the wall and returning to it. There are two or three forts more, as Carrvoran and Cambeck fort detached to the south of the wall though none so far as this; yet this is not above half a mile from Hadrian's vallum. The people there call this station Chesters or the Bowers; but by others it is called Little Chesters, to distinguish it from the next station, that goes by the name of Great Chesters; and it is in reality not only less than Great Chesters, but than most of the other forts on the wall. It is only seven chains long from north to south, and four broad from east to west, and so does not contain three acres of ground. The ramparts are visible quite round and very large, being in the third degree; but the ditch only in the first. The town or out-buildings here have been chiefly to the west and south-west of the fort; there being a small brook to the south-east, and a descent from the station to it. The praetorium may be distinguished; and there seems to have been some towers at the corners of the fort, and perhaps too in the sides of the ramparts. The ruins of one of these towers are still very visible. What Dr. Hunter has told us in the Philosophical Transactions [c] deserves notice. In the last edition of Camden's Britannia, this passage is quoted from him, but through mistake referred to House-steeds instead of Little Chesters. The doctor's words are as follow: "Some years ago, on the west side of this place, about 50 yards from the walls thereof, there was discovered under a heap of rubbish a square room strongly vaulted above, and paved with large square stones set in lime; and under this a lower room, whose roof was supported by rows of square pillars of about half a yard high. The upper room had two nitches (and perhaps in the nature of) chimneys on each side of every corner or square, which in all made the number sixteen: the pavement of this room, as also its roof, were tinged with smoke. The stones used in vaulting the upper room have been marked as joiners do the deals for chambers; those I saw were numbered thus, x. xi. xiii." This I take to be the place which they shewed me, but it was then filled up. It looks very like a balneum, with the hypocaustum below it. And somewhat of this nature I saw at Lanchester and Risingham; at this latter place it was not far from the praetorium.
"Severus's wall, which keeps upon the precipices all the way, is almost at a mile's distance from this station. And if this station was prior to both the walls, there is an obvious reason why neither of the walls could come near it. For Severus's could not reach it without quitting the precipices entirely; and Hadrian's could not come up to it without crossing some hills, which it always avoids, and quitting the plain low ground and the streight way, which it always endeavours to keep.
"From that part which is over-against Little Chesters, all the way to Haltwhistle-burn, Hadrian's vallum, ditch, and all its appurtenances, are pretty conspicuous, especially the ditch and north agger. And it is remarkable, that the vallum, to avoid a morass or peet-moss, keeps the high ground south of the moss, so as that the flat mossy ground lies between the two hills, on the brow or edge of which stands the walls. But from Haltwhistle-burn to Great Chesters it goes through some softer ground, tilled and enclosed, and is not quite so large as before. Between the Steel-rigg and the Peel there is a very remarkable turn in the military way attending Severus's wall, which seems to have been designed to carry it upon a slope, from one castellum to another. The way forms nearly a right angle pointing from the wall.
  Haltwhistle Burn
"Severus's wall descends at Haltwhistle-burn from the precipices for a small space, or rather the precipices fail here, and for above half a mile are not considerable.
  Great Chesters
"From this place to Great Chesters Severus's ditch is very large in the third degreee, and near the station there are four of five courses of stones in the wall. One thing which here desrves to be remarked, is the considerable turn made by the wall, as it crosses the rivulet, which has been manifestly formed with a design to bring up the wall to the fort of Great Chesters, so as to fall in with the north rampart. For if the intent had only been to gain some advantage of the ground, or to bring it up again to the precipices beyond Great Chesters, it would not have needed to turn either so sharp or so soon.
  Four Lawes
"There are several lawes, barrows, or tumuli, near the military way, or the branches of it, which goes from Walwick chesters to Carrvoran, particularly near House-steeds and the two Chesters. There are four of these near the branch of the military way that goes off to Great Chesters, and within sight of the station, which they call the four lawes.
"The distance between Little Chesters and Great Chesters is about three miles and three quarters, and here again all the castella are visible, being four in number, besides one more, which seems to have fallen in with the station at Great Chesters. The interval
[c] No 278.
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