HI BOOKBINDER, HAVE YOU READ THE COMP, HARD TO EXPLAIN IF YOU HAVE NOT.
THE SUBURB OF A CITY IS MENTIONED IN FIRST PARA OF CLUES, BUT THE SAME CITY IS DESCRIBED IN 2ND PARA, SO WHY IS QUESTION WORDED 'NAME THE FIRST CITY, IF IN FACT THERE IS ONLY ONE DESCRIBED. AM I MISSING SOMETHING OR IS THE QUESTION BADLY WORDED, I.E SHOULD IT ASK 'WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE CITY'.
Thanks for the explanation. No, I haven't seen the competition. It looks as if the setter hasn't put things very clearly. I would go for the city whose suburb is mentioned in the 1st paragraph of clues. Best of luck with the competition!
I looked at Carlisle History and found this extract--What is known of the ancient history of Carlisle is derived mainly from archaeological evidence and the works of the Roman historian Tacitus. The earliest recorded inhabitants were the Carvetii tribe of Britons who made up the main population of ancient Cumbria and North Lancashire. According to Boethius and John of Fordun, Carlisle existed before the arrival of the Romans in Britain and was one of the strongest British towns at the time. In the time of the emperor Nero, it was said to have burned down] The Roman settlement was named Luguvalium, based on a native name that has been reconstructed as Brittonic *Luguwaljon, "[city] of Luguwalos", a masculine Celtic given name meaning "strength of Lugus".
Are we looking at LUGUWALJON as 1st City