Early British trackways, moats, mounds, camps, and sitesWatkins, Alfred
History
Early British trackways, moats, mounds, camps, and sites
Watkins, Alfred
Great Britain -- Antiquities; Leys -- Great Britain; Megalithic monuments -- Great Britain; Mounds -- Great Britain
There is an ancient well in Goodrich Churchyard, with a trackway
obviously passing over it, but not through the church.
PREVIOUS DATA.
A number of observers have recorded confirmatory facts.
Mr. G. H. Piper (“Woolhope Club Transactions, 1882,” p. 176) says: “A
line drawn from the Skerrid-fawr (mountain) northwards to Arthur’s
Stone would pass over the camp and the southernmost point of the
Hatterill Hill, Old Castle, Longtown Castle, and Urishay and Snodhill
Castles.”
Mr. Thos. Codrington (“Roman Roads in Britain,” 1903) says: “Between
the extreme points there are many straight pieces not quite in the same
line, generally pointing to some landmark. There are several instances
where a barrow or tumulus was the landmark, the road passing round it
on nearing it. Silbury affords one example, and Brinklow, on the Foss,
another.”
Mr. James G. Wood (“Woolhope Club Transactions, 1910,” p. 146) says:
“The origin and purposes of these tumps associated with Roman roads
will well repay investigation. I have traced a line of such works
across South Monmouthshire and West Gloucestershire from Caerleon
through Caerwent into the Forest. All of these are so placed that each
is in sight of the next in either direction. Again, we find that such
roads were in many cases ranged or laid out in line with small camps or
such tumuli--being, in fact, surveying stations.”
The Rev. S. Baring-Gould (“Book of Dartmoor,” 1900) says: “The stone
row is almost invariably associated with cairns and kistvaens. They
do not always run parallel; they start from a cairn and end with a
blocking stone set across the line.”
The Rev. S. Bentley (“History of Bosbury,” 1891) says: “Under the cross
in the churchyard, at its removal to its present site in 1796, a huge
shapeless mass of rock weighing upwards of two tons was found. This
stone now lies in the churchyard close to the tower on the south side.”
Another writer refers to it as “this large unhewn mass of Silurian
rock.”
Mr. Hillaire Belloc (“The Old Road,” 1904), writing of the Pilgrim’s
Way, says: “Now on its way from Winchester to Canterbury the Old Road
passes, not in the mere proximity of, but right up against, thirteen
ruined or existing churches.”
Mr. Belloc also says: “The sacredness of wells is commingled all
through Christendom with that of altars”; and giving Continental
instances, also refers to the one under the altar at Winchester.
ROMAN ROADS.
The exact relation of Roman roads to the earlier leys is a matter for
future investigation, but our co-member Mr. Jack is on the right lines
when investigating the surface construction to find whether a road can
be called Roman. It is not easy to realise that many British roads were
as ancient to the Roman invaders as the Roman remains are to us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account