The Roman Stations in the County of York.

We learn from the Notitia Imperii, a record probably as late as the time of the Romans quitting Britain, that the Roman Empire in Britain consisted of five provinces, Britannia Prima, Britannia Secunda, Flavia Cæsariensis, Maxima Cæsariensis and Valentia or Valentiana. According to Richard of Cirencester, Maxima C. was the country from the Mersey and the Humber to the Wall of Severus. The principal Roman Stations were at Eboracum, Catarracton or Cataractonium, Cambodunum, Isurium, Legeolium, Danum, Olicana, Calcaria, Derventio, and Delgovitia. A few other stations are marked on the map of Ancient Britain, published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. One of the municipia or towns whose inhabitants enjoyed most of the privileges of Roman citizens was Eboracum, now York, the quarters of the 6th legion, and apparently the residence of the Roman emperors when in Britain. The other was Verulamium near St. Albans.

Phillips says Eboracum is the Latinized Ebor-ach (confluence by the bank or mount), or Evr-ach, the mound by the Eur. The name is rather the Latinized form Euer-ric, the dwelling on the (river) Eur or Eure. It may be said there is no evidence that the Ouse at York was ever called the Eure. The reply is that Eure and Ouse are etymologically the same word, being derived from a Greek word for "water." Isurium stood on the site of the modern Aldbrough, near Boroughbridge, and was the capital of the Brigantes. Lambarde says "the Latins call it Isurium, because it standeth neare the confluence of Isis and Urus." The original British name was Iseur, which the Romans Latinized to Isurium. Baxter* gives no derivation. It stood on the southern bank of the Ure or Eure; hence, with a prefixed sibilant Iseur. Compare the European river names Isar, Styr, Ster, Stour, all derived indirectly from the same Greek word for water.

The station Cambodunum has been confounded with Camulodunum. According to Baxter, Camulodunum (in Ravenna, Camulodonum or Camoludunum) was near the river Derventio, in the confines of the Brigantes, and is now Old Walton. Allen quoting Watson (Halifax) says "Cambodunum was within the parish of Huddersfield, on the confines of Staniland, and in the township of Longwood." The late Dr. Whitaker tells us, that the whole of what Camden says respecting Almondbury is so hypothetical as scarcely to merit a confutation; 1st, Almondbury is not Cambodunum, which has been directly fixed at Slack, near Stainland. 2nd, it is not Roman at all, wanting every symptom which belongs either to the site or the structure of a Roman encampment. 3rd, It is unquestionably Saxon, &c. In Bede, the name of Cambodunum is corruptly written Campodunum; Baxter derives Cambodunum from British cam iiog dun, a city at the bend of the wave; say, the ford on the winding water. Gibson says, "it is in *Gloss. Antiq. Brit. Lond. 1719. 8.

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King Alfred's Paraphrase rendered Donafelda." A manuscript copy of Bede has "Attamen in campo dono; and so it is in the Louvain edition; whence probably came that mistake of Stapleton in translating it Champain, called Down."

The station Cataractonium (whence the modern name Catterick) is called by Antoninus Catarracton; by Bede, Catarracta; and in one place "the village near Catarracta." Dr. Salmon places it in the neighbourhood of Moreton Tower, and thinks it was named from the cataract in the Tees. Camden also considers it was named from a cataract," seeing here is a great fall of water hard by, though nearer Richmond, where the Swale rather rushes than runs, its waters being dashed and broken by the rocks in its way." Baxter says "Catarractonium Ptolemæi, Bedæ dicitui Vicus ad Catarractam. Nam juxta Catarractam est fluminis Vahalis sive Suael vii., quod Britannis Humilem undam sonat. Atque hujus situs est in illâ Deirorum parte quæ Ogmundi Dynastia (sive Richmond) appellatur. Nam, prodente eruditissimo Britanniæ Enarratore Gibsone, juxta viculum de memoratâ Catarractà dictum hodie Cateric, villa quædam est nomine Thornburgh, sive Diospolis, ubi ingentia sunt veteris Catarractonii rudera. Ptolomæus Parallelum xxiv per Catarractonium describit. Antoninus Catarractonem appelat, atque etiam Saxo Beda; Ptolomæus autem diminutiva formâ Katarractonion Prodigiose scribitur in Vaticano scripto Codice Cactabactonion." Phillips derives the name Catterick from the Keltic cathair rigd, fortified city.

Camden (Gibson) thinks it probable that Calcaria stood on the site of Tadcaster " both from the distance, the name, and the nature of the soil; and the limestone which is hardly to be found all about, but plentifully here; from whence it is conveyed to York, and all the country round, for building. This limestone was called by the Britons, the Saxons, and the Northern English, after the manner of the Latins, calc; and Calcarienses in the Theodosian Code, is used to denote those who burnt this limestone; whence it is probable that the place had the name of Calcaria from limestone; like Chalcis from Chalkos, brass; Ammon from ammo, sand; Pteleon from the Greek elms; and perhaps the city Calcaria in Clive, especially as Bede calls it Calca-ceaster." And he further says "there is near the town a hill called Kelcha (Gough, Kelc-bar), which still retains something of the old name.' Others place Calcaria at Newton Kyme, in the water-fields, near St. Helen's ford; because many Roman coins, particularly of Constantine, have been ploughed up there.

Camden says "Delgovitia formerly stood not far from the banks of the little river Foulnesse (where Wighton now stands), as is probable from the likeness and the signification of the name." He says further the British delgwe (or rather ddelw) signifies the statues or images of the heathen gods; and in a little village not far off there stood an idol temple, which was in very great honour even in Saxon times, and from the heathen gods in it it was then called Godmundingham, and now in the same sense Godmanham." He thinks also

there may have been a celebrated oracle here even in the British times. Gibson adds, a late learned author thinks it was a temple of the Druids, such as Weightelberg in Germany; and that in the wood Deirwald, which he derives from derwen an oak, were their groves. Antoninus writes the name Delgovicia; and Baxter says 66 the British may have used uic or uych for "sacred," like the Goths, Saxons, and Franks; whence in British Delgue or Deliie ii icon, simulacra sacra, from delgii or delii, image "; and he renders Godmundham "Divini oris villa! The modern Welsh has still delw for a statue, image, idol. Another derivation of the name might be from dol-gwydd, the woody, overgrown, wild, or uncultivated dale. The Derventio of Antoninus, where, according to the Notitia, the Præfectus Numeri Derventiensis under the Dux Britanniarum was stationed, was, according to some at Stamford Bridge. According to others, it is now represented by Aldby, near York. In Saxon times it seems to have been a royal vil, which Bede makes to be situate near the Doroventio, &c., &c., from which river it had its name, like Derventio in Devon and Kent, from a river Darent, from Anc. Brit. dur gwent, the fair or white river. Camden says "at Auldby (in Saxon, old dwelling,) there are still several evidences of antiquity, and the ruins of a castle on higher ground by the river, so that it must indisputably be Derventio." Gibson adds Gale makes it also the Petuaria of Ptolemy, which he supposes to have been added by him and by the Notitia (when speaking of Peturiense Derventione), to distinguish it from the other Derventios"; "and," says Gibson, "as it appears that neither Ptolemy nor Ravennas, who mention Petuaria, say anything of Derventio, it is certain that in Ravennas this Petuaria stands in the very place that Derventio does in Antoninus, i.e. between Eboracum and Delgovitia, and that as the termination varia always implies a ford or pass, there is no doubt that there was anciently a ford near Auldby"; but this attempt to account for the last part of the name Petuaria would seem to be unnecessary, if it be true that Petuaria is a corruption of Prætorium.

Camden, speaking of Holderness, says, "Somewhat further on the same promontory stands an ancient town called Prætorium by Antoninus, but by us Patrington; as the Italians call Petrovina from the town Prætorium.” He says further "that I am not mistaken, the distance from Delgovitia and the name still remaining do both shew; which also seems to imply that this is the Petuaria (Auldby) that is corruptly so called in the copies of Ptolemy, for Prætorium. But whether it took the name from the Prætorium which was their court of justice, or from some large and stately edifice (for such also the Romans called Prætoria), does not appear.'

Gale (Itin. p. 26) "still believes it most probable that it was a place where justice was done between merchant and merchant." Gibson says "besides these two acceptations of Prætorium, there is a third which seems to give the most probable reason why Antoninus did call our Patrington, Prætorium; I mean the generals' tent in their

ordinary encampments, in which sense Lipsius De Milit. Rom. lib. v., p. 40, 41), has shewn it to be used. And this may seem to some more agreeable to the Roman affairs in Britain than either of the two other significations." There would appear however to be some error here, inasmuch as Patrington stands on a creek of the Humber, whereas Derventio was on the Derwent; and the error may have arisen from the fact that there was perhaps formerly a place called Aldby, near Patrington.*

Leland and Drake are inclined to place Legeolium at Pontefract, and Camden (Gibson) says "the older name of Castleford is that in Antoninus, where it is called Legeolium and Lagetium ; which among other plain and remarkable remains of antiquity is confirmed by the great number of coins (called by the common people Saracens heads) dug up here in Beanfield, a place near the church; and so called from the beans growing there"; and Camden (Gough) remarks "Legeolium in Antoninus's 5th Iter, called Logecium in the 8th Iter, suits the distance of 12 computed miles from Doncaster to Castleford, which therefore no doubt was Legeolium; and perhaps part of the ancient name is retained in Allerton, just on the north side of the river." Forbiger writes the name Legeolium and Lagecium. Baxter says in Ravenna it is written Lagentium, and that both the spellings in Antoninus, viz. Lagecium and Legeolium, are incorrect. He further says "this station was at the confluence of the Are (Aire) and Calder, and is the modern Castleford; in Marianus, Casterford; or Castra vel Urbs ad Trajectum." The name is derived from the British lai gant (or gent) üion, signifying at the hand of the curve of the waters, from its situation at a confluence; and he says in the Vatican MS. it is incorrectly written Laguentium for Langentium; and he thinks the old town of Lewis (Lewes ?) may have been called Lauisca as though at the hand of the Isca or river. But in deriving the last part of the name from üion, too much is accounted for; as it is evident that Laugentium is simply the Latinized form of the original Keltic name. Assuming that the proper spelling is Laugentium, I would derive the name from British lhe gen(t) üi, the place at the mouth or opening of the water.

Olicana or Alicana is said to be represented by the modern Ilkley. Baxter says "the Olicana of Ptolemy was on the Verbeia, now Wherf, which fact, and that it was the Propositum of the 2nd Cohort of the Lingones, appears by an old inscription in Camden. Verbeiae Sacrvm Clodios Fronto Praef. Coh. 11 Lingonum."

The Praef. in Camden is probably a mistake for Praep., as it is found in the Notitia; and indeed Gibson shows that it must have been the 1st Cohort of the Lingones, the last line not being "II Lingones," but "P. Lingones." Baxter derives the name Olicana from British ol i cand av, which he renders, "behind the principal *In Camden's map of Yorkshire I find Peturaria placed a little north of Beverley, and Prætoritum now Patrington, in Holderness.