Old Cumbria Gazetteer |
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| roman fort, Caer Mote | ||
| Caer Mote | ||
| civil parish:- | Bewaldeth and Snittlegarth (formerly Cumberland) | |
| county:- | Cumbria | |
| locality type:- | roman fort | |
| coordinates:- | NY202368 | |
| 1Km square:- | NY2036 | |
| 10Km square:- | NY23 | |
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| evidence:- | descriptive text:- West 1778 (11th edn 1821) placename:- Caer Mot |
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| source data:- | Guide book, A Guide to the Lakes, by Thomas West, published by
William Pennington, Kendal, Cumbria once Westmorland, and in
London, 1778 to 1821. goto sourcePage 124:- "ANTIQUITIES. Caer-mot is about two miles further to the north, on the great road to old Carlisle and Wigton. It is a green high-crowned hill, and on its skirt, just by the road side, are the manifest vestiges of a square encampment, inclosed with a double foss, extending from east to west, 120 paces, and from south to north, 100 paces. It is subdivided into several cantonments, and the road from Keswick to old Carlisle has crossed it at right angles. Part of the agger is visible where it issues from the north side of the camp, till where it falls in with the line of the present road. It is distant about ten miles from Keswick, and as much from old Carlisle, and is about two miles west of Ireby." "Camden proposes Ireby for the Arbeia of the Romans, where the Bercarii Tigrinensis were garrisoned, but advances nothing in favour of his opinion. The situation is such as the Romans never made choice of for a camp or garrison, and there remains no vestiges of either. By its being in a deep glen, among surrounding hills, where there is no pass to guard, or country to protect, a body of men would be of no use. On the northern extremity of the said hill of Caer-mot, are the remains of a beacon, and near it the vestiges of a square encampment, inclosed with a foss and rampart of 60 feet by 70. This camp is" goto sourcePage 125:- "in full view of Blatumbulgii (Bowness) and Olenacum (old Carlisle); and commanding the whole extent of the Solway firth, would receive the first notice from any frontier station, were (sic) the Caledonians might make an attempt to cross the Firth, or had actually broken in upon the province; and notice of this might be communicated by the beacon on Caer-mot to the garrison at Keswick, by the watch on Castle-crag, in Borrowdale. The garrison at Keswick, would have the care of the beacon on the top of Skiddaw, the mountain being of the easiest access on that side. By this means, the alarm would soon become general, and the invaders be either terrified into flight, or else the whole country quickly in arms to oppose them." "Whether these camps are the Arbeia, I pretend not to say, but that they were of use to the Romans is evident; and what the Britons thought of them, is recorded in the name they have conferred on the hill where they are situated." "The larger camp has no advantage of site, and is but ill supplied with water. The ground is of a spongy nature, and retains wet long, and therefore could only be occupied in the summer months. They seem to have the same relation to old Carlisle and Keswick," goto sourcePage 126:- "as the camp at Whitbarrow has to old Penrith and Keswick." |
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