Obrázky na stránke
PDF
ePub

1554. John Walton, Robert Hoddy, Gilbert Heath, and John White was hanged drawn and quartered for coining money in Bristoll, and their Quarters sett upon the Gates.

1578. This year a Ship called the Golden Lyon, of the burthen of five hundred and forty tonns, belonging to the City of Bristol, sunk under water as she rode in Hungroad at Anchor; and she sunk a Hulk of the burthen of 400 Tons, but the Hulk brake into pieces. And that night was seen in Hungroad a great fire, that the Trowemen thought they should be burnt in their Trowes..

1582. This year dyed Mr. Halton, the Chamberlaine of the City of Bristol, and Mr. Nicholas Thorne was chosen Chamberlaine in his roome. Also this year deceased, and lay unburied in one week, three Aldermen vizt. Thos. Chester, Tho. Kelke, & Wm. Tucker.

..1665. This year the Plague was in Bristol. Also severall Houses in this City took fire this year viz1. the Tolzey, the Pelican Stables in St. Thomas Street, at Barber's Shop in Tucker Street, a Wash house in Castle Street, but did little damage or hurt; but Cutler's Mill was burnt down to the ground, upon a Saturday night, between 11, 12, & 1 o'Clock.

1668. This year, in September, a Woman was Executed on St. Michael's Hill for the Murther of her own Child. Also on the 28th. September, Sr. Henry, Cres+ wick deceased, who was Mayor and one of the Aldermen of this city, and was buried the 6th. of October following; in St. Werburgh's Church, Six Knights going by his side, as namely, S. Hugh Smith, Sr. John Newton, S'. Humphry Hook, S. Thomas Langton, Sr. George Norton, and St. Robert Cann.

1

[ocr errors]

ON THE ROMAN STATIONS NEAR BRISTOL. MR. EDITOR,'

1

THE Public, and particularly the Citizens of Bristol, may justly congratulate themselves upon the very elaborate Memoirs of that City and its Neighbourhood, now publishing by the Rev. Mr. Seyer. It will doubtless become a standard work in the department of Topography. None but those who are employed in such researches can make a proper estimate of the immense pains he has taken, and, if in every point his readers cannot exactly agree with him, their discrepancies will be few, and will meet with his cordial forbearance.

For many years I was of opinion that the Station of Antoninus, called Abone, was on the spot where Blaize Castle stands; but by reading what Mr. Seyer has said upon the subject, I am now convinced that it was at Sea Mills. I cannot, however, agree with him in altering all the numerals of Antoninus and Richard of Cirencester, with the exception of one only. One Iter might be altered as well as another, and the whole would become a scene of confusion. Neither do commentators find this to be generally necessary in the other Itinera. At the same time we must not expect the miles to be laid down with the accuracy of a perambulator: sometimes they may be more, and sometimes less, but not often varying much from the truth.

Intending to combat Mr. Seyer's Hypothesis, I shall first set down the distances found in Antoninus and Richard, with his proposed amendments.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Here we see all the numerals (one excepted) set at defiance. I do not find it necessary to alter a single one, or the order in which the stations are placed, as some have done: a correction of some sort must be made, as neither the distance assigned by Antoninus or Richard, from Bath, will reach Caerwent by several miles. I therefore conjecture that in each Iter something has been omitted: and this seems to have arisen from an unwillingness in the original compilers, or posterior transcribers, of the Itinerary to admit that there might be two or more places of the same name in the course of the route laid down. This supposition precludes any necessity of altering the order of the stations, or the number of miles between them.

Let us compare the two Itinera by placing them side by side, in their exact order.⠀⠀·

[blocks in formation]

To begin with Antoninus; we find the distance from Venta Silurum to Abona set down to be nine miles, but in truth it is twelve. According to my scheme, Antoninus, having placed his Trajectus six miles from Bath, has omitted that of Richard, viz. Sudbrook, three miles from Venta. Here then, without these, are three miles across the Severn, and six to Sea Mills, making his nine miles to Abona, for so I call it, agreeing with Mr. Seyer, that Abone is a more modern way of writing Abona, in the oblique cases.

Nine miles farther we come to Trajectus, to which

Bitton appears to me to have an undoubted claim, being at the proper distance both from Sea Mills and Bath. Here, Mr. Seyer observes, there is a very handsome barrow still remaining. He objects to its being called Trajectus, from its being a quarter of a mile or more from the Avon, but this makes the distance still more exact, the village not being quite six miles from Bath, and therefore the diverticulum from the road to the ferry serves to supply what is wanting. But here is a passage also over the Boyd, flowing down from the encampment at Wick, and Bitton is supposed to be derived from Boyd Town. Here then is a double Trajectus, both over the Avon and Boyd. I hardly dare venture a supposition that Boyd may be derived from the British word bad, a boat; and so Bitton may mean Boat Town. If this were admitted it still farther serves to prove the identity of the place, and there might be a harbour for boats between the Roman road and the Avon. I have nothing to add to Mr. Seyer's observations upon the road hither from Sea Mills, except that Joseph Whittuck, Esq. of King Square, Bristol, is in possession of a small Roman coin on which is the figure of Romulus and Remus sucking the wolf, which was found near Hanham Causey, as that ancient road has been termed.

[ocr errors]

We now proceed six miles farther to Aqua Solis, or Bath, our terminus, but I have nothing to remark, except that I entirely agree with Mr. Seyer in rejecting Mr. Coxe's scheme of the roads having passed through Weston and North Stoke.

Let us now return with Richard of Cirencesterto Venta. His first station is Abona, six miles from Bath, agreeing exactly with the Trajectus of Antonine, but so denominated from the Avon, making the distance more exact (as observed above) than merely along the road to the

village. Here Richard, (who, perhaps, was never in these parts) evidently seems to confound his Abona with that of Antoninus, and thus omits nine miles, which are absolutely necessary on any plan whatever. On this ground, his six miles, from Abona to the Severn, are to be measured from Sea Mills, instead of Bitton; and they will fall in with it about a mile short of the New Passage, and directly west, perhaps, of Redwick. Here the passage is direct across the river to Sudbrook (Statio Trajectus) or Caldecot Pill. Here again arises a difficulty; for he makes it eight miles to Venta, whereas it is only three. "From the camp at Sudbrook (says Mr. Harris, Archæologia, vol. II. p. 3.) to Caerwent are three measured miles." To remove this obstacle, I propose a third Trajectus at Aust. Richard informs us that across the Severn you pass three miles into Britannia Secunda and to the station Trajectus, or Sudbrook. The same term as properly applies to Aust, that being the landing place on the eastern banks of the Severn. Antoninus, therefore, having omitted the Severn Trajectus entirely, his nine miles to Abona may be either three across the Severn to Richard's Ad Sabrinam, or from Aust to the same Ad Sabrinam and six more to Abona. Richard, on the other hand, allowing only one Trajectus and that on the Welsh side, blunders by making three miles into eight. I doubt not but that he had seen some Itinerary in which he found eight miles set down from Trajectus to Venta; but these must be reckoned from Aust to Sudbrook, or Caldecot Pill, five miles, and thence to Caerwent, three miles, and then all comes right. It is observable that in Antoninus the total amount of miles exceeds the particulars by five. I think they may be thus accounted for. Not allowing of any Trajectus but that near Bath, he has

QQ

« PredošláPokračovať »