Volume 1

A topographical history of Surrey / By Edward Wedlake Brayley, assisted by John Britton, and E. W. Brayley, jun. The geological section by Gideon Mantell. The illustrative department under the superintendence of Thomas Allom.

  • Brayley, E. W. (Edward William), 1802-1870.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A topographical history of Surrey / By Edward Wedlake Brayley, assisted by John Britton, and E. W. Brayley, jun. The geological section by Gideon Mantell. The illustrative department under the superintendence of Thomas Allom. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    inhabitants of Britain, could speak from personal knowledge of none but the tribes that dwelt near the mouth of the Thames. These, he informs us, were of Belgic descent. Their ancestors had, at no very distant period, invaded the island, expelled the original inhabitants from the coast, and in their new settlements still retained the names of the parent states. Beyond them dwelt other tribes, less familiarised with the habits of civilised life. When he inquired after their origin, he was told that their ancestors were the spontaneous production of the soil; later discoveries showed that they were Celtse, the descendants of the first colonists of Britain.”6 Such was the population which the Romans found occupying the southern part of this island.7 On the 26th of August, 55 b.c. Caesar embarked with an army of from 8,000 to 10,000 men at the Portus Itius, (said to be Witsand, between Calais and Boulogne,) and arrived in Britain on the open flat shore, on the eastern coast of Cantium, the modem Kent.8 Plis landing was resisted by the natives, who were soon over- powered by his superior discipline and arms. The Britons attacked him, and were again repulsed: still, Caesar made no advances into the country, but returned to Gaul; and, upon the whole, the result of this enterprise seems to have been little beyond the discovery of the most convenient spot for landing, in order to his making a more con- 6 Lingard’s History of England, 4th edit. vol. i. p. 7. 7 Notwithstanding the inhabitants of the inland portion of South Britain, at the time of the Roman invasion, were of much earlier origin than those who peopled the maritime parts of the island; yet, both the tribes of the coast and those of the interior were of the same Celtic descent, and all spoke dialects of the same Celtic tongue. Strabo describes the three great nations of Gaul, namely, the Celtse, the Belgse, and the Aquitani, as differing only slightly from each other in language.—(Geography, b. iv.) Tacitus recognises the identity of the religious rites of the Gauls and Britons ; adding, that their languages were nearly the same: although he appears to refer only to those parts of Britain which are nearest to France. Etymology and resemblance of names are, according to Camden, useful aids in establishing the situation of ancient places; and a strong confirmation of the above inference lies in the Celtic character of our topographical nomenclature : for, “ although the names of the towns and villages are almost universally of Anglo-Saxon derivation, yet the hills, forests, rivers, &c. have generally retained their old Celtic names.”—(Bishop Percy’s Preface to Translation of Maileds Northern Antiquities, vol. i. p. xxix.) “ The appellations of these vast and permanent parts of nature are commonly observed to continue as unchanged as themselves. It is, therefore, reasonable to believe, that a people of Celtic race were the earliest inhabitants of these islands. As the Gaelic language explains many more of these names than the other branch, the same inference seems to show that those who used that language were the prior colonists.”—Mackintosh’s History of England, vol. i. p. 11. 8 Near the reputed place of Caesar’s landing, subsequently rose a station of importance, known as the Portus Rutupensis, Richborough, (Kent.) A fragment of its massive wall remains, and is instanced as a fine specimen of Roman skill and industry. Horsley observes: “ the particular spot on which Caesar landed and encamped may now be washed away by the sea.” B 2