e is the monument, and of this lawless
life it was long the capital. Berwick-upon-Tweed alone could venture to
share its glory or dispute its supremacy; but Berwick was scarcely a
town; it was rather a military outpost, changing hands from time to time
between the combatants; it was neither Scottish nor English, more than a
castle, but less than a town, an accidental growth of circumstances,
scarcely to be classed as an element of popular life. Carlisle, on the
other hand, traces its origin to times of venerable antiquity, and can
claim through all its changes to have carried on in unbroken succession
the traditions of an historic life. It was the necessary centre of a
large tract of country, and whether its inhabitants were British or
English its importance remained the same. It was not merely a military
position, but a place of habitation, the habitation of a people who had
to trust much to themselves, and who amidst all vicissitudes retained a
sturdy spirit of independence. This is the distinguishing feature of
Carlisle; it is 'the Border city.' But though this is its leading
characteristic which runs through all its history, it has two other
marks of distinction, when compared with other English towns. It is the
only town on British soil which bears a purely British name; and it is
the only town which has been added to England since the Norman
Conquest."

PLATE 11

VIEW OF CARLISLE

FROM A WATER-COLOUR SKETCH

PAINTED BY

JAMES ORROCK, R.I.

(_See pp. 44, and 60 to 70_)

[Illustration]

Briefly, the headlines of Carlisle's history are these. Founded
originally by the Britons, it was held by the Romans for close on four
centuries. Many Roman remains (coins, medals, altars, etc.) have been
unearthed, and Hadrian's big Wall (murus and vallum) is still traceable
in several quarters. A sad spoliation by Pict and Scot followed the
Roman withdrawal. They scarcely left one stone on another. Then came the
Saxon supremacy under the good King Egfrith, with the spiritual
oversight under Saint Cuthbert, to whom and his successors at
Lindisfarne were bestowed in perpetuity the city with fifteen miles
around it. But for Egfrith's death fighting the Picts on the far-off
moorland of Nechtansmere (Dunnichen in Forfarshire) Carlisle might have
risen early and rapidly to a sure place as one of the leading cities in
the land. From 685, however, to the Conquest (1066) the place was
virtually extinct. It was only t