words of a recent commentary on that work, enlarged, in one particular, by the learned contributor of that portion of the com mentary.c

"The WATLING STREET, or Irish road, consisted of two branches, northern and southern.

"The south-eastern branch of the Watling Street, proceeded from Richborough, on the coast of Kent, to Canterbury; and from thence, nearly in the line of the present turnpike, towards Rochester. It left that city to the right, passed the Medway by a ford, and ran almost straight, through Lord Darnley's park, to Southfleet. It bent to the left to avoid the marshes near London, continued along a road, now lost, to Holwood Hill, the capital of the Rhemi, and then followed the course of the present road to London.-Having crossed the Thames, it ran by Edgeware to Verulam; and from thence, with the present great Irish road, through Dunstable and Towcester to Weedon. Hence, instead of bending to the left, with the present turnpike, it proceeded straight by Dovebridge, High Cross, Fazeley, Wall, and Wellington, to Wroxeter. It then passed the Severn, and continued by Rowton, Pen y Pont, and Bala, to Tommen y Mawr, where it divided into two branches. One ran by Bath-Kellert to Caernarvon and Anglesea; the other by Dolwyddelan, through the mountains to the banks of the Menai, where it joined the north-eastern branch (which will be presently described,) and ended at Holy Head, the great port of the Irish.

"The north-eastern branch of the Watling Street, coming from the interior of Scotland, by Cramond and Jedburgh, enters England at Chew Green, and continues by Riechester to Corbridge. There, crossing the Tyne, it ran through Ebchester, Lanchester, and Binchester, and passed the Tees by a ford, near Pierce Bridge. Hence it went by Catterick, Newton, Masham, and Kirby Malside to Ilkley, and near Halifax to Manchester. Over the moors, between these two last places, it is called the Devil's Causeway. From Manchester, where it passed the Mersey, it proceeded by Street, Northwich, Chester,

Caerhun,

Caerhun, and over the mountains to Aber, where it fell into the south-western brauch, in its course to Holy Head.

"The ICKNIELD STREET, or road of the Iceni, proceeds from the coast near Great Yarmouth, Passing through Taesborough, it runs by Icklingham and Newmarket, and, skirting the chain of hills which stretches through Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire, continues by Bournbridge to Icoldon and Royston, (where it intersects the Ermyn Street.) Thence it proceeds by Baldock, over Wilbury Hill, to Dunstable (where it crosses the Watling Street,) Tring, Wendover, Elsborough, near Richborough, Chinnor, Watlington, Woodcote, and Goring; and, passing the Thames at Streatly, throws off a collateral branch, which will be noticed under the name of the Ridgeway. From hence it proceeded, as Stukeley imagined, by Aldworth, Newbury Street, Ashmansworth, Tangley, and Tidworth, to Old Sarum. Thence by the two Stratfords, across Vernditch Chase, Woodyates Inn, the Gussages, Badbury, Shapwick, Woodhay Castle, Maiden Castle, Eggardon, Axminster, Honiton, Exeter, Totness, &c. to the Land's End.

"The collateral branch called the RIDGEWAY, ran from Streatly along the hills, by Cuckhamsley Hill, Whitehorse Hill, and Ashbury, towards Abury; from whence its course is unknown. Possibly it ran towards Glastonbury. From Elworthy barrows, above Taunton, it passes south-westerly into Devonshire; and from Stretton into Cornwall, it kept along the ridge of hills to Redruth and the Land's End.

"RYKNIELD STREET, or street of the Upper Iceni, said to begin at the mouth of the Tyne, ran by Chester le Street to Binchester, where it joined the Watling Street, and continued with it to Catterick. Then, bearing more easterly, it ran with the present great northern road to within two miles of Borough Bridge, where it left the turnpike to the right, and crossed the Eure to Aldborough. From thence it went by Coptgrave, Ribston, Spofforth, through Stokeld Park, to Thorner, Medley, Foleby, Bolton, Graesborough, Holme, Great Brook near Tre

town,

town, Chesterfield, Alfreton, Little Chester, Egginton, to Burton, and Wall, (where it crossed the Watling Street.) Thence through Sutton Colfield, to Birmingham, King's Norton, Alchester, Bitford, Sedgebarrow, Tewkesbury, Glocester, Berry Hill, Herefordshire; and probably by Abergavenny, Brecon, Landilo, and Caermarthen to St. David's.

"The ERMYN STREET came from the eastern side of Scotland, and, crossing the Tweed, west of Berwick, ran near Wooler, Hedgely, Brumpton, Brinkburn, Netherwitten, Hartburn, and Rial, to Corbridge, where it joined the North Watling Street. Passing with that way the two great rivers, the Tyne and the Tees, it continued to Catterick, where it divided into two branches.

"The western branch went with the Ryknield Street, as far as Aldborough, and then, leaving that way to the right, proceeded by Little Ousebourn, to Helensford, over Bramham Heath, to Aberford, Castleford, Houghton, Stapleton, Adwick, Doncaster, Bawtry, and probably by Tuxford, Southwell, and over the Trent to Thorp, (where it passed the Foss) Staunton, and Stainby, where it joined the eastern branch.

"This latter branch ran from Catterick by North Allerton, Thirsk, Easingwold, Stanford Bridge, Market Weighton and South Cave, and, crossing the Humber, continued by Wintringham, Lincoln, and Ancaster, to near Witham, when it was reunited with the western branch above mentioned. Both continued to Brig Casterton, near Stamford, Chesterton, Stilton, Godmanchester, Royston (where it crossed the Icknield Street,) Buntingford, Puckeridge, Ware Park, west of Broxbourn, Cheshunt, Enfield, Wood Green, and London. Here it again divided into two branches. The more westerly went by Darking, Coldharbour, Stone Street, and Pulborough to Chichester; while the easterly was continued by Bromley, Holwood Hill, Tunbridge Wells, Wadhurst, Mayfield, and Eastbourn to Pevensey.

"IKEMAN STREET, appears to have passed from the eastern side of the island, probably by Bedford, Newport Pagnel, Stony

Stratford,

Stratford, and Buckingham (or, as others think, by Fenny Stratford and Winsborough,) to Alcester. It then ran by Kirklington, Woodstock, Stonefield, Astall, and Coln St. Alwin's to Cirencester, Rodmarton, Cherrington, Bagspath and Symonds' Hall. From thence it is said to be continued by Cromehall to Aust, where, passing the Severn, it probably ran through Caerwent, Caerleon, and along the coast by Caerdiff, Neath, and Lwghor, to Caermarthen, and the Irish port at St. David's."

The Foss WAY, although adopted through the whole of its course by the Romans, was first, probably, a British road, as it forms a connection between so many of the British towns. It took its rise on the north eastern coast of Lincolnshire, and ran through Lindum, Lincoln; Rata, Leicester; Benonis, Claychester; Corinium, Cirencester; Aquæ Sulis, Bath; and Ischalis, Ilchester; to the great British port of Seaton, in Devonshire.*

The UPPER SALT-WAY, which appears to have been the communication between the sea coast of Lincolnshire, and the salt-mines at Droitwich, is first known as leading from the neighbourhood of Stainsfield, towards Paunton and Denton; and then running not far from Saltby and Croxton, is continued straight by Warmby and Grimston, to Sedgehill on the Foss. Here it appears to bear towards Barrow, on the Soar; and crossing Charnwood Forest, is again seen at Stretton, on the borders of Warwickshire, from whence it is easily traced to Birmingham, and over the Lickey to Droitwich.

"The LOWER SALT-WAY is little known, although the parts here described have been actually traced. It came from Droitwich, crossed Worcestershire, under the name of the Salt-way, appears to have passed the Avon, somewhere below Evesham, tended towards the chain of hills above Sudeley Castle, where it is still visible, attended by tumuli as it runs by Hawling. Thence it proceeds to Northleach, where it crossed the Foss, in

its

MS. communication of the Rev. T. Leman.

its way to Coln St. Aldwin's, on the Ikeman Street, and led to the sea coast of Hampshire.

the

"In many places are vestiges of a continued road skirting western side of the island, in the same manner as the Ermyn Street did the eastern, of which parts were never adopted by the Romans. There is great reason to suppose it British, because it connects many of the British towns. It appears to have commenced on the coast of Devon, perhaps not far from the mouth of the Ex, and to have gone by Exeter, Taunton, Bridgewater, Bristol, Gloucester, Kidderminster, Claverley, Weston, High Offley, Betley, Middlewich, Northwich, Warrington, Preston, and Lancaster. Here probably dividing into two branches, one ran by Kendal, Penrith, and Carlisle, to the extreme parts of the island, while the other passed, by Kirby Lonsdale and Orton, to Kirby Thure, from whence it continued, under the name of the Maiden-way, by the wall and Bewcastle, into the interior parts of Scotland.

"Besides these, and the separate communications between the different towns, there is reason to imagine that a general road rau round the whole coast of the island, parts of which have been observed near the southern coast of Dorsetshire, particularly from Abbotsbury to the isle of Purbeck; likewise in Hampshire, along Portsdown Hill; and from Old Winchester through Sussex, on the tops of the hills between Midhurst and Chichester, to Arundel and Brighthelmstone. Also in Essex, from Maldon to Colchester; and in Suffolk by Stretford, Ipswich, Stretford, and Blythburg, to the banks of the Yar. In Lincolnshire are two branches, one running clearly from Tattersal, by Horncastle, Ludford, Stainton, Caistor, and Somerby; and a second, nearer the coast, from Lowth towards Brocklesby, and both tending to the passage of the Humber, not far from Barton. Also along the principal part of the coast through Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland. On the western side of the island, it appears to have passed on the hills which skirt the

northern