loO TllK MAIDEX WAY,

House oarLlen. I furnislied Dr. Bruce with a sketch of it which has been enoraved for his second edition of " The Roman Wall." - Horsley mentions a stone with the word Temphon upon it, but says that it was then broken and destroyed ; this is probably the same stone. In the churchyard the Monolithic Obelisk, or shaft of an ancient cross, is still standino-, but remains unexplained. I have recently cleared the inscribed parts from the moss with which they were tliickly coated, but have not been able 10 decypher the characters in a satisfactory manner. The letters appear to be Anglo-Saxon Runes, and much the same as those on the Ruthwell monument in Dumfriesshire. On a fillet on the north side the fol- ^% lowing letters are very legible. In the year 1GS5 these characters were somewhat differently read by Bishop Nicholson, and expounded by him to mean, " Rynburn, the burial of the Runa3," or "Ryeburn, Cemeterium, or Cadaverum Sepul- chrum." In the year 1742, an article appeared in tlie Gentleman's Magazine communicated by Mr. Smith, who read it " Kuniburuk, Sepulchrum Regis." As however these interpretations a|)pear to be based on an incorrect copying of the letters, I would suggest another reading. I su|)pose the second letter to be a Runic Y ; and the penultimate letter to be a comj)ound of OU ; and I would propose to read Kyneburoug. The word Cyne or Kin of the Saxons was synonymous with nation or people ; and the Anglo-Saxon byrig, byrg, burh, burg, buroug, &c., was the generic term for any j)lace, large or small, which was fortified by walls or mounds. The fortifications of the continental Saxons, before tluii- iiii'oads on the Roman Emi)irc, were mere earthworks, fur in their half-nomadic state they had neither means nor motive for constructing any other. But their conquest and colonisation of (lio greater part of Roman Britain put them in possession ol a nioi'e solid chiss of fortifications, such jis tliis at Bewcastle. I would suggest, tlicrefore, that these Runes may signify the burgh or fortified town of the nation or p(;oj)l(' who o(;cupied this district, it is [»robablc that this was in early times a pla<re of some im])ortance. In the reign • *' Rorn.-iii Willi, |i. ■'1711. Wo arc Tin- lowrr |iiirl of an I, it .■-lioiiM In- inili.-liUMl t'> ill'- kiiuini'HM 1)1 1)1'. MniiM' for oIimitvimI, inny In- iIImci rncil .'iruT tlio tlio U»« of ihi; woo'lcllt i;ivcM aWiiVf. lirtliTM 1. (J. M.