The Vallum at Down Hill. Drawn by H. Burdon Richardson; lithographed by John Storey. 4 3/8 x 6 3/4 inches. Source: Bruce, facing p. 132. Scanned image and text by George P. Landow from a copy in Rockefeller Library, Brown University. [This image may be used without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose.]
On the top of the next summit, Carr Hill, the facing stones of the Wall are seen in the road. The angle which the Wall makes at this point is worthy of notice. The upper part of the hill has been extensively quarried, and, probably, by the Romans for the Wall. Immediately after passing the farm-house an appearance of great interest presents itself. The works of the Vallum are coming boldly forward in company with the Wall, when suddenly, and at a decided angle, they change their course, evidently to avoid mounting a small barrow-like elevation called Down Hill. The Wall pursues its course straightforward. The view, exhibited on the . . . plate, taken from the edge of the hill, looking eastward, shows this arrangement. The road, with the ditch on its north side, is the representative of the Wall. The Vallum and Wall again converge as they approach HUNNUM. These appearances strongly corroborate the opinion that all the lines of the barrier are but parts of one great engineering scheme. If the Vallum had been constructed as an independent defence against a northern foe, and nearly a century before the Wall, we cannot conceive that an elevation, which so entirely commands the Vallum, would have been left open to the enemy; especially as it would have been just as easy to take the, Vallum along the north flank of the hill as along the south. — John Collingwood Bruce, p. 132
Sources
Bruce, John Collingwood. The Roman Wall: A Description of the Mural Barrier of the North of England. 3rd ed. London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, 1867.
Last modified 8 August 2006