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summit. The motte rose some 16 feet above the ditch which encircled it, and part of the counterscarp bank of which still remains on the north and south sides. The motte measures some 210 feet in diameter at its base in the bottom of the ditch. There was no bailey. The accommodation afforded by this timber castle would probably be rude and primitive in the extreme, possibly consisting merely of a shed within the timber palisade. There are faint indications that the entrance to the motte was on the north side, towards the west.

THE ROMAN STATION OF LAVATRE BOWES.

BY EDWARD WOOLER, F.S.A.

Raised by that legion long renowned,
Whose votive shrine asserts their claim
Of pious faithful conquering fame.
Stern sons of war,

Behold the boast of Roman pride!

What now of all your toils are known ?

A grassy trench, a broken stone.---Scott.

Bowes, though now an inconsiderable place, has a history which dates back to far distant times, being the site of a Roman station. It is, however, unnoticed in Saxon records or in the Domesday Book.

The name Bowes is suggestive, and when we read its early forms-Boghes, Boges, and Bous-we are at once transported by the two former to late Norman times, the latter being the way in which Leland spells the name in 1538.

Camden informs us that the place was destroyed by fire. and that it was in consequence called Boeth, which in the ancient British language signified "that which is burnt."

The remains of this Roman station bear eloquent testimony to the antiquity of the place. The name given to this fort by the Notitia Imperii is Lavatræ, a fact which is amply proved by the second and fifth Antonine Itineraries, and by existing remains.

Vestiges of the name yet remain in that of the adjacent stream called the Laver. This was probably the British appellation.

The station was a large one, measuring 143 yards by 133, and enclosed an area of nearly four acres, and was of the usual rectangular shape. Lavatræ continued to be garrisoned down to the time of Theodosius (379-95).

Its situation as a Roman fort resembles no other to be found in Britain. It is located neither on one of the highest and steepest fells, nor on the warm and sheltered bank of a river at its junction with a similar stream; but is placed on a bleak and exposed summit 975 feet above sea level, ill watered and wholly unsheltered, but commanding extensive views the south, east, and west.

The fort, as is frequently the case, has served as one vast quarry for the construction of the castle, the church, and the vicarage, which are included in its area.

The position has been admirably chosen from a strategic point of view. To the south the ground falls sharply to the Greta. The ditches are very distinguishable, especially on the west. The stone core of the walls is clearly visible at the southwest corner, and there are traces of two of the gates, the north and south. The north gate no doubt entered the station at the vicarage lane. The surface of the ground has undergone many and great changes. Besides this camp there was one at Greta Bridge, six miles to the east, and another six miles to the west, which is known as Reycross. That this camp was of great importance is obvious when we consider the extent of its communications. There was direct communication with the western portion of the Roman Wall at Luguvallium (Carlisle) by way of the famous pass over Stainmore, with Londinium (London) by way of Cataractonium (Catterick), Isurium (Aldborough), and Eboracum (York). This road was of course the great military road known as the second itinerary of Antonine.

There was in all probability also direct communication with Olicana (Ilkley) by way of the Stang and Arkengarthdale, and so with Mancunium (Manchester) and Deva (Chester) by way of Blackstone Edge. There was also communication with the eastern end of the Roman Wall to Pons Aelii (Newcastle-on-Tyne) by way of Barnard Castle, Vinovium (Binchester), and Chesterle-Street.

That a Roman road ran through Barnard Castle cannot be questioned for a portion of the Roman road, which came from Bowes to Piercebridge (Magis) and Binchester, and crossed the Tees at Barnard Castle a little above the site of the present town bridge, was uncovered on the north side of the river in the course of digging out the foundations of a new gasometer to the west of the old castle, and on the banks of the River Tees (43, Archæological Journal, p. 132 (1887)).

The strategic position of the camp at Bowes was greatly strengthened from the fact that it holds exactly the same position on the eastern side of Stainmore that Brough (Verteræ) does on the western side, thirteen miles distant.

As the home of a comparatively large number of troops, the camp was evidently not devoid of those comforts so dear to the Roman soldiers.

VOL XXII.

Y

That these would be required on the confines of this inhospitable region will be generally allowed. That they were actually existent the spade of the antiquary has abundantly proved. First and foremost a bath was unearthed, the usual accompaniment of a Roman station, floored with large tiles, grooved to prevent the bathers from slipping. Considerable traces of this structure have been laid bare, and can be examined. It lies to the south of the church, and in close proximity to the south-east boundary of the cemetery. It is outside the limits of the camp itself, and is indeed a short distance down the steep descent towards the Greta. It is 27 ft. x 18 ft.

The Romans had baths so splendid that they put our boastfulness about modern sanitation to silence. The most famous of these are the baths of Caracalla and Diocletian. In connection with these great baths, 4,000 yards of vast galleries were used by the slaves for marvellous heating and ventilating systems. While excavating near these baths, Profs. Valle and Gaetano Ferri have come upon excellent drains for carrying off the water. In spite of the many hundred years that have elapsed since they were built, these drains are almost as good as they ever were. In these galleries, besides the ordinary baths, there were halls with niches where baths were taken for sacrificial rites. This is proved by the inscriptions found on the walls. Many of these inscriptions are in Greek, and are prayers to the gods. The workmen have just finished carrying away about

While excavating these drains

200,000 cubic metres of earth. they have found two treasures. One is Venus, with arms upraised. Only the head and some small fragments remain, but they are enough to show that it was a great masterpiece, and the bath probably was dedicated to Venus. Near by a library has been found, with thousands of rare volumes, showing that the bathers had access to good books.

On the enclosure of some common land at Bowes, several years ago, an aqueduct of Roman construction was discovered. It brought the water required for the station from Laverpool, two miles distant, in a north-western direction. A portion of lead piping was also dug up in the churchyard.

The appearance of the bath would lead us to suppose that it had at some time or other been burnt, and afterwards rebuilt. That this was actually the case seems to be abundantly proved by the discovery of a Roman altar, which I shall presently describe.

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