07-15-2010, 02:00 PM
Quote:I still wait for the day when Archaeologists will pay just a little more attention to the pre-Hadrianic one that was discovered by the late Raymond Selkirk. This is the one that crosses Hadrians' Wall at an oblique angle and links Maryport in Cumbria on the west coast with Whitley Bay on the east coast some 5 miles north of Segedunum. It was given the name of the 255 degree line by Raymond Selkirk when he discovered that it appears to have forts every Roman mile along it's length from coast to coast. The name 255 degrees is the compass heading it takes across the country, and if anyone were to take up more study of it we may just have a better understanding about the withdrawal from Scotland at the end of the first century, indeed it may even re-write the Roman history of northern Britain and explain just why Hadrian had to come along and simply swing it around on it's pivot point to create his frontier that we have today.You have mentioned this a few times over the years, Brian (e.g. here, here, here, here, here, here, ...). I once tried to obtain a copy of Selkirk's original article, published in CBA North News Bulletin for January 1989, but Cumbria County Council wanted £10 to compensate them for the inconvenience of sending a copy. Silly me -- I thought they were public servants. Consequently, I have never read his theory. I would hazard a guess that few outside of Cumbria have. But it seems an odd heading for a frontier to take. Maybe it's a road?
