03-28-2008, 09:24 PM
I also found it difficult however when I did get hold of things, I discovered a couple of details that may need to be cleared up. There is mention of a bridge the name of which is incorrect, this bridge it is refering to should be the Ponti Sansebastiano that crosses the Tiber river to the Castel St Angelo which is the tomb of the emperor Hadrian. The other point is that the name Newcastle was not in use at the time of the Norman conquest, it only comes in with William Rufus the son of William the 1st. Rufus came north at a later date, infact Northumberland is the county that does not feature in the Doomsday book and only came under Norman rule after Rufus. Indeed the name after Pons Aelius through out medieval times was Villa Castri Novae as can be found on many ancient coins.
Brian Stobbs
