Page:A tour through the northern counties of England, and the borders of Scotland - Volume I.djvu/294

 mound near the church-yard; supposed to be part of the Roman works connected with the station Caturactonium, which was situated in the neighbourhood of Catterick-Bridge, thrown across the river Swayle, a mile beyond the village.

Upon the military way made about sixteen hundred years ago, and still hard as adamant, we continued for some miles, and at length passed into the county of Durham at Croft-Bridge, an handsome modern structure over the Dar, with seven elliptical arches, whose ribbed roofs offer a singularity in pontic architecture. On our entrance into this palatinate we were presented with a natural phenomenon, called Hell-Kettles, three pits or holes in the ground filled with water, and said to be bottomless. Tradition informs us, they had their origin in a dreadful volcanic eruption which happened here A.D.1179, when, after a vast swelling in the ground, and a discharge of fire and smoke, on the dissipation of the darkness, the earth was found to have fallen to its former level, and the only alteration in its surface was the three abysses we have just mentioned. The error with respect to their depth was, however, detected two or three years ago, in consequence of a search made for the body of a gentleman, who had drowned himself in one of these cauldrons. The