Itinerarium curiosum (centuria I) : $b or, an account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great BritainStukeley, William
History
Itinerarium curiosum (centuria I) : $b or, an account of the antiquities, and remarkable curiosities in nature or art, observed in travels through Great Britain
Stukeley, William
Great Britain -- Antiquities -- Early works to 1800; Great Britain -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
The city of Hereford probably sprung up from the ruin of the Roman
_Ariconium_, now Kenchester, three miles off, higher up the river
Wye, but not very near it; which may be a reason for its decay.
Ariconium stands upon a little brook called the Ine, which thence
encompassing the walls of Hereford falls into the Wye. Two great
Roman ways here cross each other: one called the Port-way comes from
_Bullæum_, now Buelt, in Radnorshire; passing eastward by Kenchester,
through Stretton, over the river Lug, to Stretton Grantham upon the
Frome, it goes to Worcester: the other road comes from the south, and
Abergavenny, _Gobannium_, by Old town formerly _Blescium_; so by Dowre
a-cross the Golden vale and Archenfield to the river Wye, which it
passes at Eaton, where is a Roman camp for security, and a bridge for
convenience of the passage: thence it goes to Kenchester, so northwards
by Stretford: this Archenfield seems to retain the name of Ariconium.
Nothing remaining of its splendour, but a piece of a temple probably,
with a niche which is five foot high and three broad within, built of
Roman brick, stone, and indissoluble mortar: the figure of it is in
the fore-mentioned plate. There are many large foundations near it.
A very fine Mosaic floor a few years ago was found intire, soon torn
to pieces by the ignorant vulgar. I took up some remaining stones of
different colours, and several bits of fine potters ware of red earth.
Mr. Aubury in his manuscript notes says, anno 1670, old Roman buildings
of brick were discovered under-ground, on which oaks grew: the bricks
are of two sorts; some equilaterally square, seven or eight inches, and
one inch thick; some two foot square, and three inches thick. A bath
was here found by Sir John Hoskyns about seven foot square: the pipes
of lead intire; those of brick were a foot long, three inches square,
let artificially one into another: over these I suppose was a pavement.
This is an excellent invention for heating a room, and might well be
introduced among us in winter time. In another place is a hollow, where
burnt wheat has been taken up: some time since colonel Dantsey sent a
little box full of it to the Antiquarian Society. All around the city
you may easily trace the walls, some stones being left every where,
though overgrown by hedges and timber trees. The ground of the city is
higher than the level of the circumjacent country. There appears no
sign of a foss or ditch around it. The site of the place is a gentle
eminence of a squarish form; the earth black and rich, overgrown with
brambles, oak trees, full of stones, foundations, and cavities where
they have been digging. Many coins and the like have been found. Mr.
Ja. Hill, J. C. has many coins found here, some of which he gave to the
said society. Colonel Dantsey has paved a cellar with square bricks
dug up here: my lord Coningsby has judiciously adorned the floor of
his evidence-room with them. This city is overlooked and sheltered
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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