I. SUGGESTIONS RESPECTING THE SITE OF BEDE'S ANCIENT CITY, GIUD1 PETEY B . R MILLER, P.S.A. SOOT.

Various opinions have been held by learned antiquaries respecting identite th f thyo e sit f Bede'eo s ancient city Giudi, mentioned m hyhi iu his Ecclesiastical History of England.1 Those of them who support e opinioth n that this s situatee citislanth wa y f Inchkeitn o do d h o appeasd o o chieflt r y becaus f thao e t island answerin n somi g e measur o Bede't e s notice cit s th beinya f eo g situate e midsth f n di o t the eastern inlet of the sea, which runs in far and broad into the land of Britain. But this argument is equally applicable to other three islandFirte th f Forth o hn si , namely, Inchcolm, Cramond Islandd an , Inchgarvie, so that little or no importance can be given to it unless supported by some other and more specific evidence. Before entering upo e evidencnth eI a m abou submio t t supporn i t anothef o t r site that awarem a I ,s a bee s r nevernfa ha suggestedo s , wels a t o i wil,t e l b l give Bede's accoun citye d als e onlth otheo an o,th f ytw o t r incidental noticesame th ef o otheso placetw ry b ancien, t writers. e Bedeth n i , passage quoted, is speaking of the inroads made by the savage foreign nations upon the Eomanised Briton se Komasoutth f o hn wall con- structed betwee e Fort th nd Clyde an h , abou e yeath tr A.D. 140y b , Lollius ITrbicus, in the reign of Antoninus Pius. " We call these 1 Maupherso Skend nan e both expres e opiniosth n that this havy cityema been on Inchkeith, while Camden supposes it to have been on the Roman Wall at Kirkin- tilloch. Roy, in his Military Antiquities, places it at Camelon. Gordon, in his Itiiicrarium Sejilentrionalc, and Stuart, in his Caledonia Romana, also place it there. THE SIT F BEDE'O E S ANCIENT CITY5 5 , GIUDI.

foreign nations, e says "accounh n o , t "f theino o t r being f seateo t dou Britain, but because they were remote from that part of. it which was possesse lyina e Britonsse th g e y inlet o b dth betwix tw ,f so t theme on , of which runs in far and broad into the land of Britain, from the eastern ocean, and the other from the western, though they do not touch one another; the eastern has in the midst of it the City Giudi, e righth n t , o thait han s e i western t dth o s thereofha n e Citth ,y Alcluith, which, in their language signifies the Rock Cluith, for it is e rive th f clostha o ry b te name. e incidentaTh " l notic s i froe m Nennius. " He (Oswy) slew Penda, in the field of Gai Campi, and the e Britonskingth f weno so t witwh ,ou t h e expeditioPendth n o a s a n far as the City ludeu, were slain."—" Then Oswy restored all the e wealtth cite o Pendath yt h distributen o i whic wits wh m , hi wa h d it among the kings of the Britons, that is, Atbret ludeu." The second referenc ninte d tracth fros ol ei f h o t n m a century , ascribe Aenguo t d s e Culdeeth d renderean , d thu Dy sb r f GindaSkene:—o a Se n ni e "Th e Firtth f Forthho o calles , d fro e Citm th f Giudiyo , which Bede says was in the middle of it, and which may be identified with Inch Keith." s veri t yI obvious tha l thesal t e three eth noticed an e s refeon o t r same city, whatever may have been its actual site. The identification of that site is unquestionably surrounded with difficulties, but it is only by taking into account all the circumstances of the very limited informa- tion which these old writers have supplied us with, that the question can be determined, if ever it can be determined. It is not very apparent, whethe rs purel Bedit cit e name s giveth n yi th ey ha f s eo nu Britis Welsr ho Latinisea h formn i r o , d form t seemI . s certain, from Bede' so cities referenctw e , th Alcluit o e westert eth n ho ne inleth f o t sea and the City Giudi on the eastern inlet, that he was describing two well-known landmark e regione s Firthtimeth th hi n f f f i o o ,o s s e westerth Clyd n d o Forthn an e d tha e on charactean , th t e th f o r inleequalls wa t y applicabl e east th thao et n . o t Bede doe t alwaysno s use the same Latin word for city. In the passage quoted, however, he uses the Latin word iirbs with reference to both Alcluith and Giudi, whic s translatei h d cit Englishn yi beyons i t I d. question, from what is known respecting Alcluith, Dumbarton Castle, that it was not a city 6 5 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , JANUAR , 188512 Y .

or town in onr sense of the English word, but was only a strength or stronghol militara n i d ye are f senseth Dumbartoo a r fo , n Castlf o s ei very limited extent, and is quite inaccessible except on one side, and incapabl f accommodatineo largy gan e numbe f peopleo r . This remark s i equally applicabl t onl e threno o eInchkeitht th y eo t othe t bu r, islandFirte th Forth—Inchcolmf ho n s i , Cramond Inchgarvied an , t I . so happens, however, that Bed doubo n e leaven i t whateves u s o t s a r the actual sense he meant to convey by the word urls as applied to Alcluith; for n anothei , r chaptes Historyhi f o r e describeh , s Alcluith as a " civitas munitissima," a fortified city, "ubi est civitas Britonum munitissima usque hodie, quse vocatur Alcluith."J This descrip- tion of it by himself establishes the fact that Alcluith was a fortified stronghold idee obviousle th ah d an , y mean conveo t mentioninn yi e gth City Griudi on the eastern inlet was, that it also was a stronghold or fortified place, like Alcluith on the west, and like the latter had a certain relation to the Eoman wall. The expression used by Bede with reference to Giudi as being situate medioe n easterdi th f o n inle susceptibls i t f varioueo s renderings, and here, I apprehend, has arisen one of the difficulties in determining with certainty its actual site. Some of the authorities on the subject seem to hold that it could only be on an island in the very middle of Firte th f Forthd thaho Ha t .bee casee nth , woul t Beddno e have iised a different expressio n mediaI eithey n1 ma r middle meae th th n ni f e o inlet of the sea, as between the two opposite shores, or it may mean in the middle lengthways, as between its. two extreme ends. The one expressio meay juss i n s ma s ncorrece othera t i th wa tha r s t o i a ,tt situated on the extreme end of a long peninsula that projected itself far in towards the middle of the sea, and appeared to be so situated, whether as seen from the high land on the shore, on either side of the Firth, or sees a n fro see math n islane itselfidea Th n ao d .tha e cits th tywa situated in the middle of the Firth receives no support whatever from e referencth e e Citmadth y o t ludee y Nenniusb u . That writern i , 1 Est autem sinus maris permaximiis, qui antiqtiitus gentem Brittunura a Piclis secernebat, qui ab occidcnte in terras longo spatio eruinpit, ubi est civitas Brittonum munitissima usque hodie, qua; vocatur Alcluith.—. 1 . c Bede. i . B , THE SITE OF BEDE'S ANCIENT CITY, GIUDI. 57

referring to the City ludeu, is narrating the events that took place between the cruel Penda, king of the Mercians, and Oswy, king of the Northumbrians, about the year 655, when Oswy slew Penda in the field of Gai, along with the kings of the Britons who went out with thin o s e cit f m th ludeuexpeditioyo hi s a r . fa s Previouna o thist s , Osw sais y i hav o t d e wealte Pendo givet th p l u nhaal thas witwa th him in the city, who distributed it among the kings of the Britons. Bede's narrative of the same event corresponds very much with Nennius. e sayH s that Penda s himselarm hi slains yd wa thafan , t invadee th d kingdom of Northumbria was completely vanquished in the battle of e thirtVinwedth d y an prince, wero wh es witwerm hi he slaine th , r beinwa g conclude e countr th e ide th n ai f dLoidis o yw tha No t . ludeu (Giudi) was situated on an island such as Inchkoith, is altogether inadmissible f i Bede', r Nenniusso ' descriptio f thoso n e b event o t s i s taken as correct, the idea of going as far as Inchkeith would not be applicable. If we further consider the modes of warfare, either for defence or offence, that were used in these early times a fortified strength on Inchkeith for either of these purposes appears to be altogether useless. If this city was situated on an island, Inchgarvie is a much more likely place. Before and during the Eoman occupation, and long after the Romans had left this country, this small island must have formed a very important military position, from its commanding the narrow e Firtstraith f Fortf o ho t h projectino betweetw e th ng head- lands at Queensferry. If the City Giudi was situated on an island, this one was far more likely to be the site than any of the others, because of its commanding the strait, on either side of which dwelt hostile peoples. Five miles above Queonsferry, on the Firth of Forth, stands the grim-looking Castle of Blackness. Nothing is known of its very early othed an history ry writerRo .Scottis n so h military antiquities specially placa s a e t refei tha o t rt must, durin e Romagth n period, have played a most importan e earlt th par yn i thistor f Scotlando y s wela ,s a l durin e Saxogth n r historyperioou f do . Althoug a deserte w no hd dan desolate-lookin e mosth f t go importan placee r on centurie fo s , twa t i s sea-ports of Scotland. There are ample details of the revenues derived from it as a port of entry, in the Chamberlain's Rolls for Scotland, 8 5 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , JANUAR , 188512 Y .

as well as in the Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, where it figures as a royal castle and naval station. Unti a comparativell y recent period there wer o harbourn e r fo s vessels between South Queensferry and the mouth of the Avon, a distanc f 1e1o miles, except thi t Blacknesssa . Durin Komae gth n period, before and after the building of the Eoman wall, the natural harbour at Blackness must have bee f essentiano l importance throughou e Komath t n occupation withiy mile3 la r o t i s n 2 s fro a ,e easter mth n terminatiof no that e militarwallTh y tha. wa yt stretched 'from Alcluith alone th g south side of the Koman wall all the way to Cramond must have come, within a mile of Blackness Castle, where the military and other stores only could be landed for the garrisons manning the wall. Bede says that the wall commenced at a place called Peanfahel, about 2 miles west from the Monastery of Abercurnig (Abercorn), but there is a mistake as distancee t oth s noi t wI .establishe d almost beyond questioe th y nb recent e memoriafindinth f e Nationao gth l n i tablet w l Museumno , , n 1868i t Bridgenessa , , hal weso a milfs f Carrider o teo n Parish Kirk, that that was the eastern commencement of the wall. The distance between Abercorn Church and the point where the stone was found, measure Ordnance th n do e Survey Map nearls i , miley 5 straigh a n si t line. Blackness, like Alcluith, formed a strong outpost, or in military phraseology, a " point d'appui," to the eastern termination, besides coverin e onlgth y harbour thad immediatha t e connection wit wale hth l e oFirtnth f Fortho h , e sammucthay th ewa n thi Dumbarton Castle did on the western end on the Clyde. That this was so, is quite apparent from Bede's narrative e descriptioth r e physicafo ,th f no l con- figuratio e districth f no t give s onli ny m bpreliminaryhi s whao i yt e h t about to relate respecting the means that were adopted—the building of the wall as a defence, in order to prevent the incursions of the hostile savage peoples, the Scots and Picts. This being so, is it not something very decisive agains idee th t a that this s situatecit islandn wa a y n o d, some 15 miles away from the wall, and 4 miles from the land on either side of the inlet. Blackness Castle1 is situated on the extreme north end of Besides the Castle there are extensive mound ruins situated on an elevotcd posi- 1 tion inland, about which there is no tradition, but the mound, is called the Castlehill. THE SITE OF BEDE'S ANCIENT CITY, GIUDI. 59

ridgw lo f rocke exten eo a th o sf one-fiftt o tjuttina se t f int e o hgou o th a mile, and at high water is all but surrounded by it. The area on which the castle stands is only connected with the mainland by a narrow ledge of rock, the width of the causeway. As seen during high water, either fro e heighte lanmth th dn o ssid r fro o ee sea mth , unquestionabls i t i inlete midse th th f .n o yti Bed situatedes saywa t si in media of the inlet. In his concise and brief mode of expression, it s difficuli conceivo coule t th dw haveho e more graphicall r correctlyo y described its situation without going more into detail. Any intelligent person describing Blackness Castle, as seen from the land or sea, could not do so more correctly than Bede has done in using the words in media. Bede, so far as known, never saw it; he only described it probably from information furnishe e Monkth y f Abercurnigb dso . When the place was first called Blackness it is impossible now to say, e namth t s unmistakablei bu y Saxon o thas , t there hesitao neen e db - tio assuminn ni g tha n earli t y know s time wa somy t b nsi e other desig- nation e earliesTh . ts containei notic t i f chartea eo n di f Williao r m the First's time, where it is spelt Blackenis. In the Chamberlain's Rolls the spelling varies—Blackynes, &c. There smala s i l rivulet that e easfall th a close ts se y th sidint b e e f o eth Castle, calle e Bacth dr Blackburno k e OrdnancTh . e Survey Maps give both names. Blacknes situates i s extrem e th n do e north-east corner e paristh o ff Carrideno h ; while Bridgeness e placth , e where th e memorial stone tablet was found in 1868, is at the extreme west end of parishe th n Bede'I . s time there were certainl o parochiayn l divisions districte oth f e simplh ; y says thawale th t l bega placa t na e calledn i , Pictise th h language, Peanfahel, abou mile2 t s west fro e Monastermth y of Abercurnig. Neither he nor Nennius makes any reference to a fort ther d e wallth Ha e f .existe o commencemen e d th en t d a oe r th cit t ya t of the wall a very ancient city—such as Caer Eden, as some allege—the probabilit thas yi t Bede woul havt dno edescriptios usehi n di name nth f eo suc insignificann a h t plac Peanfahel—whics ea h simply mean heae sth d or end of the wall. The earliest and most reliable mention of Carriden is e Holyrooth f containeo e d on charter time n di th f Davi eo y n b i s . dI Robert, Bishop of St Andrews, say 1140, in which the name is spelt .60 PEOCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , JANUAR , 188512 Y .

Karedyn and Karreden. Some writers quote, from an addition to Gildas' history, to prove that Carriden was known so early as Gildas' a mostim s a et ancient city, unde e namth rf Kaio e r Eden. This, however a grea s i , t mistake e statementh s a , n questioi t n coult no d have been written for about five centuries after Gildas' death in 570. The phraseology used by the scribe who wrote the sentence betrays the exact time, before which it could not have been written. This' extract says "that the wall extended from the Scottish sea (mare Scotice) unto the Irish sea; that is from Kair Eden, a most ancient city about 2 miles from the Monastery of Abercurnig, now called Abercorn." It is a well established fact that the Firth of Forth was not known in history as the Mare Scotic.um or Scottes Water until about the com- mencemen e eleventth f o t h century extrace Th .s take i t n from whas i t called the Capitula of Gildas, and, according to Stevenson, is only found Gildasf o . MS ' Histora thirteente n i th f yo h century assigne h d 4 an ;56 s as the date of the history, so that we are justified in assuming that the date of the Holyrood charter is the earliest record that we have of Carriden as the name of the district. What the origin or derivation of that name may be is not a mere matter of conjecture. I am disposed to assert that the Garedyn and Caireden of the Holyrood charter of the twelfth century is simply the rendering into English of Nennius' ludcu of the ninth century, as the latter is the equivalent of Bede's Giudi of the eighth century e followinth r fo ; g reasons :—Nennius e word' forth f mo , with the consonant J as the initial letter, must be Latin, as neither the Welsh, Irish, nor Gaelic languages have the consonant J in their alphabets. Irise th he b for I tako f t Bede'm o t ei s Giudi. The initiae nth l letters of many Welsh word subjece sar o great t t mutations e initias i Th .G l sometimes dropped e rivee altogethernamth th e cas f rf th o e o e n i s a , Gippen near Ipswich, from whic e namh th f thao e t tow s derivedni — rivee name th th f re o bein g spelt Ippe wels na Gippen s a l . Considering diversite th f spellinyo f mango y words, especiall namee yth f placeso d san of men in those early historic documents, and further, that the scribes who wrote and transcribed them did not all belong to one people,—always using same th e language usine Welshe on , gth , anothe Irishe th r , whil thirea d used the Gaelic, and ultimately the English in the twelfth century, jumb- THE SIT F BEDE'O E S ANCIENT CITY, GIUDI. ()1

ling two of the forms together and coining a new word altogether, as their form,—therd equivalenol e th r fo t e wonde o n neel abou al e e b dt a th rt diversity that exists. We have thus the ludeu of Nennius changed into Edy e r Edetwelftno th n ni h centuryprefie th xd Caran , r Caio r r used instead of the Latin urbs of Bede and Penning. In the passage already quoted from Nennius it says, that Oswy slew Penda in the field of Gai Campi. The identification of Gai Gampi has never been made out by any e commentatoroth f f thaso t writer. Ther , accordineis Stevensono gt n i , three of the MSS. of Ne.miius' History of the twelfth century, a different wor i Campid Ga use r dfo , which f i adopte, e correcth s da t one t onca , e clears up the mystery as to the whereabouts of this undiscovered Campus, and confirms in a remarkable manner my theory respecting the actual site of Bede's Giudi. The word used in these MSS. is Giti Canipi—all identicae th t bu l word Giudi—'-the harder consonan t beint g used instead o ff thi I d.s readin s adoptegi e mysterdth s veryi y much diminished, because all the other evidence as to the locality in which Bede's battle of Vinwed and Nennius' destruction of Penda and his army by Oswy, pointe districth o st f countr o t y withi milew fe sna of- Blackness. This reading Giti Camp t onca i e localise battlefielde sth implied an , s thae th t field derived its distinctive appellation from the neighbouring Cair or stronghold Giti within the district, and not from a Cair on the island of Inchkeith, some 15 miles away, totally disconnected with that locality. Nennius, in the early part of his History, says that the island of Britain contains twenty-eigh t f thecitieso me names i on , d Cair Maunguid.n I e additionth on f eo Nenniuso st ' history, referenc s madi edistrica o et t of country called Manau Guotodin, which D rthrows Skeneha o n wh ,muc h new light on the early history of Scotland during the sixth and seventh centuries, identifies, in a very circumstantial manner, with the district of country lying alon e Avoe Firtth gth n o i f nt Fortho k hEs froe mth Liiilithgowshire. This cit f TsTenniuso y , Cair Maunguid s obviousli , y only another for f Bede'mo s Giudi, wite e districnamth th h f o en i t which it is situated used as the prefix to the name of the city itself. The phonetic argument meany mosan e y sth b I , admitt t satisfactorno s i , y mod f determinineo g such question e identitth s sa f namesyo f placeso , 2 6 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 188512 Y .

but in this particular case it requires only the transposition of two letters in the prefix—the vowel u with n, to make it harmonise with Bede. In the Gododin, a poem of the seventh century, by Aneurin, a Welsh bard, descriptiv conflica f eo t betwee e BritonSaxonse e th nth th d n si an district then known as Manau Guotodin, Caer Eiddyn is mentioned several times. Dr SkoneGododis e notehi th o n st i , n poem, published s Fourhi n i Ancient Books f a Wales,noto s e ha explanator e th f o y localities mentioned in the poem. He says: " At Caredin the Roman wall terminated, and here there was a headland and a promontory jutting out int Firthe oth whicroyan a o ,s lhwa castle called Blackness, where, ' Ynyprobably e th s s Eiddiwa , n y Gogledny ' mentione Benedde th n di y Saint." The common assumption is that the district took its name from a castle near Bridgeness, where the Koman wall terminated. Dr Skene's idea is by far the more probable, and it would follow that the district derive nams dit e fro "e mYnyth s Eidde , castle it th n eno d "an rather than from a castle at the end of the wall. This view of the matter supporn wouli theore lona y th o gf dwa g o t y that Blackness swa the site of Bede's Giudi and Nennius' ludeu—the two names being merely different e samformth f eo s word.