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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 January 2012
Whilst the progress of Cæsar from the shores of Gaul to the place of his landing in Britain, and his subsequent advance into the interior of the country, are regarded as subjects worthy of the attention of men of the highest eminence in antiquarian and classical science, it may seem somewhat strange that their researches should have stopped there, and that comparatively little consideration has been bestowed on the progress of those military expeditions which ultimately led to the subjugation of the whole of Britain, and its incorporation with the great Roman Empire.
page 388 note a Sueton. de T. Fl. Vesp. cap. iv.
page 388 note b Eutrop. lib. vii. cap. xix. edit. Virheyk, 1762.
page 389 note a Not far from the Eastern shore of the Isle of Purbeck, where the disembarcation of the Roman armyis considered to have been effected, is an old manor house known as White Cliff, adjoining which are some low rectangular embankments of very remote origin, as they are intruded upon by the house, gardens, and other inclosures; these embankments are sufficiently characteristic to favour the conclusion that they are as likely to be the vestiges of a Roman expeditionary camp, as remains of agricultural inclosures of an age anterior to that of the house, as has already been shown. The house is reputed to have been a hunting, lodge of King John, the Isle of Purbeck being known by historical evidence to have abounded with deer down to the seventeenth century. This tradition is very probable as regards that King, whose restless character is sufficiently well known by, his progresses, but its application to the building must be referred to one: which doubtless preceded the present manor house. Another tradition, however, and more to our purpose, still lingers in, and is attached to, this place, to the effect that White Cliff was the scene of a terrible fight, in which nine kings were slain, all of whom were buried in a group of tumuli on Nine Barrow Down, a portion of the ridgeway between White Cliff and Corfe Castle. Without for a moment placing implicit faith in tradition, which we all know is more or less a perversion of acts and facts whose origin is obscured in the mist of time; still, in the present instance, this well merits our attention from its allusion to a great battle, which may be reasonably applied to that which must have taken place on the landing of the Eomans. On such an event the whole “posse comitatus” of the native tribes under the conduct of their several chieftains (or kings, as says the tradition) would be assembled to oppose the invaders, when many of the native leaders fell; and this is rendered more probable from the significant (we would almost say fact) traditionary interment of the nine chieftains or kings under tumuli.
page 390 note a Cross dykes are mentioned by Cæsar, De Bello Gallico, ii. 8. He says, “Ubi nostros non esse inferiores intellexit, loco pro castris ad aciem instruendam naturâ opportuno atque idoneo (quod is collis, ubi castra posita erant, paululum ex planitie editus, tantum adversus in latitudinem patebat, quantum loci acies instructa occupare poterat, atque ex utrâque parte lateris dejectus habebat, et in frontem leniter fastigatus, paulatim ad planitiem redibat,) ab utroque latere ejus collis transversam fossam obduxit circiter passuutn cd; et ad extremas fossas castella constituit, ibique tormenta collocavit, ne, quum aciem instruxisset, hostes (quod tantum multitudine poterant) ab lateribus pugnantes suos circumvenire possent.”
page 394 note a Conig's Castle, a British camp, and occupied by Egbert, a.d. 833, then in the West, to resist a landing of the Danes at Charmouth ; hence the name it bears.