4. That they should settle the boundaries of all the hundreds joining upon Arvon. 5. If any variance happened between two of the nine manors of Arvon, that the remaining seven, without the interference of any others, should end the strife. 6. That there should be no beadle or bailiff in their hundred. 7. That the men of Arvon should have the right of fishing in the three principal rivers which are in it. 8. That they should not be tied to the hand mill,* 9. That in their proceedings at law there should be no delay. 10. That they should not be obliged to pay for the horses of strangers, or of the minstrels on their annual circuits. 11. That when they come to the palace of the prince, they ought not to go out for their lodging. 12. That whoever settled in Arvon, and lived within it for a year and a day, even though he were an alien, should have all the liberties of an inborn or denizen.” CAERNARVON, Is a place early distinguished in the annals of history. The Segontium of the Itinerary was the only station the Romans possessed in this part of Cambria; and a few detached out-posts, the communications between which are visible in fragments of their roads, still mark the progress and extent of the imperial eagle. The site of the ancient city a short distance from the present town, and intersected by the turnpike road, affords a high treat to the antiquary. The shape is an oblong square, or parallelogram; comprising a space of about seven acres, on the summit of a small elevation. Some vestiges of walls are still remaining, and in one part was lately discovered the remnant of a building The meaning of this is, that they should not be compelled, as slaves, to grind corn at the hand-mills of the princes, or great men, a building, constructed with tiles covered with smooth plaistering, supposed to have been an hypocaust. Near the declivous bank of the Seiont was a strong fort, to secure a landing place from the river, at the time of high water. This was also of an oblong shape, including an area of about one acre. Two sides have the walls nearly intire. One is in length seventy four yards, the other sixty four; the height from eleven to twelve feet; and the thickness six. A considerable portion of the stone facing having been removed, for the purposes of building, the peculiarity of Roman masonry becomes very appparent. The Romans constructed their buildings after a different method from the one in use at present. First they placed the stones upon each other according to plastic order, generally in alternate courses; the one regular, or horizontal, and the other zigzag, or herring-bone fashion. Boiling mortar, that is, niortar made with new slacked lime, was then poured upon the stones, which by the fluidity insinuated itself into all the interstices of the work; and thus by its tenacious contactive adherence bound the irregular pieces of stone into one compact solid mass; inseparable, but by a force adequate to demolish the whole the cement becoming equally hard and durable as the stone. Along the walls, passing through the intire thickness, in parallel lines, run three rows of circular holes, about three inches in diameter. Similar holes are discoverable at the ends of the walls extending lengthwise. Much conjectural learning has been displayed in endeavouring, to ascertain the original design and use of these apertures. According to the opinion of some antiquaries, they were made for the purpose of discharging arrows, or other missile weapons, at an enemy. But the length and contractedness are silencing objections against such an opinion. Whitaker observes*, that by chance he met with a hole of this kind, that was accidentally laid open from end to end, on a Roman wall, which he thought disclosed the design of the rest. He supposes, that, as the Romans carried upwards their ramparts, parts, they by making holes, and forming small arches in their walls, took off from the pressure on the parts below; and thus gave strength and durability to the whole. This could not be the case at Segontium: the openings are too narrow, and too far distant to afford any bearing relief. Others have supposed, the purpose was for fixing the horizontal poles, on which were erected the scaffolds for the accommodation of the masons; and left unfilled up, by accident, or design. It is however an allowable conjecture, that they were formed for the admission of air into the interior of the work, to harden the liquid cement, poured in; and thus giving it greater stability. Near the corner of one of these walls, is a heap of stones, which once formed a circular bastion tower; and from foundations discovered in digging, there appears to have originally been one at each angle. This place was manifestly connected with Constantine; and from a stone found in a subterraneous vault, inscribed S. V. C*. is supposed to have been once his residence. In Welsh it is called Caer Custeint, or the city of Constantius+; Rowland's remarks, in his scheme of succession for the regal government of Wales, that Constantius, to secure himself on the British throne, endeavoured to form a family alliance mith Coel Godhebog, in whom at that time, by virtue of the pendragonate, centred the united rights of the most powerful monarchs in the island. With this view he requested and obtained in marriage Tiboen, the daughter of the British king: and that she, in Latin called Helena, was the mother of the son and successor of Constantius, A gold coin, equivalent to seventeen shillings was found amid the ruins, inscribed T. DIVI AUG. FIL. AUGUSTUS. In the fields south east of the camp, Sir Richard Colt Hoare discovered several pieces of fine red glazed Roman pottery. Mona Antiqua, Vol. p. 162. Mr. Gibbon observes, "Notwithstanding the recent tradition, which assigns for her father a British king, we are obliged to confess, that Helena was the daughter of an innkeeper. On which he thus animadverts in a note. This tradition unknown to the cotemporaries of Con. stantine Constantius, Constantine the great. The author" of Flores Historiarum" informs us, that the father of that emperor was interred here; and in the reign of Edward the first, A. D. 1283, the body was found in digging, and honourably re-interred in the adjacent church*: although in another part of the same work, it is stated, that Constantius died at York. A chapel is also said to have been founded here by Helen, the daughter of Octavius, duke of Cornwall; and wife of Maximus, first cousin of Constantine, who was born at Segontium. This was standing within the last century, and a well, by the fort still retains the name of that princess, near which are strewed considerable ruins. Segontium was for a long time the residence of the British princes. Cadwallo, the son of Cadfan appears to have first fixed the court at this place. The security and plenty of provisions it afforded, induced the sovereign, involved in almost perpetual warfare, to place their families in safety here; while they pursued their military career for the annoyance of the enemy and the defence of their own territories. About the period in question, the Irish and Pictish rovers were extremely troublesome to the western coasts of Britain; particularly Anglesea, which was much less defensible, than the sea-front of Caernarvonshire. But these causes having been subsequently removed, the royal seat was again fixed at Aberfraw where it had originally been placed by Caswallon Law-hir in the fourth century. The present Caernarvon, which derives its appellation from Caer, a fortress, yn, in, and Arfon, the district opposite Môn, or Anglesea, that is the strong hold in Arfon; has generally been supposed to have originated in the time of Edward the first. But stantine was invented in the darkness of monasteries, was embellished by Jeffrey of Monmouth, and the writers of the XIIth century, has been defended by our antiquarians of the last age, and is seriously related in the ponderous History of England, compiled by Mr. Carte," Decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Vol. II. p. 165. Mona Antiqua, p. 165. |