| 4 | L O N | |
arguments to prove that it was a Roman
station erected in St. George's Fields, to
secure their conquests on that side the
river, before they reduced the Trinoban-
tines; particularly from the great quan-
tities of Roman antiquities found in St.
George's Fields; from the name of Cy-
ningston, or Kennington, which Dr. Gale
supposes was an ancient town and castle
belonging to the Kings of England, and
therefore probably a Roman station, be-
cause the Saxons generally used to settle
in such places;and from the authority of
Ptolemy, who has placed London on the
south side of the Thames. In answer to
these arguments, it has been very justly
observed by Mr. Maitland, that the Ro-
mans were too wise to make use of so
noisome and unhealthful a place for a sta-
tion, as St. George's Fields then was,
from their being overflowed by every
spring tide; as they must have been be-
fore the river was confined by artificial
banks, and before the building of Lon-
don bridge, where, upon an ordinary
spring tide, the water rises upwards of
nineteen inches higher on the east side
than on the west: that, if the antiqui-
ties discovered are any proof, above twen-
ty times the quantity of Roman antiqui-
ties have been found on the north side of
|
| | the |
|
| L O N | 5 |
the river. With respect to the argument
produced from the name of Kennington,
the learned Mr. Woodward observes, that
the Kings of England were, from our old-
est notices of things, intitled to all such
lands as were gained from the sea, or from
such rivers as ebbed and flowed; and that
with respect to the authority of Ptolemy,
he had not only misplaced several other
towns in Britain, but in countries much
nearer to him.
The time when the city wall was first
erected, is very uncertain, some authors
ascribing this work to Constantine the
Great, and others to his mother Helena;
but Mr Maitland brings several arguments
to prove, that it was erected by Valen-
tinian, about the year 368, and that it
entirely surrounded the city, to secure it
from being invaded by water as well as
by land.
This wall was composed alternately
of layers of flat Roman brick, and rag
stones, and had many lofty towers. Those
on the land side were fifteen in number.
The remains of one of these is still to
be seen in Shoemaker row, fronting the
passage into Duke's Place; and there is
another a little nearer Aldgate, twenty-
one feet high. From the remains of the
Roman work in the city wall, Mr. Mait-
|
| B 3 | land |
|
HomeVolume IVPage Group 1 - 19
