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 | Roman Roads in Warwickshire |
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Warwickshire's central location meant the Romans marched through the area many times en route to other destinations. At one time the county even served as the frontier to Roman occupied southern England. They have left us with a number of important Roman Roads that cut across the county.
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The Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road linking Exeter (Isca Dumnoniorum) in South West England, to Lincoln (Lindum) in the East Midlands, via Bath (Aquae Sulis), Cirencester (Corinium) and Leicester (Ratae Coritanorum).
It formed a junction with a number of other Roman roads and linked with Akeman Street and Ermine Way at Cirencester, Watling Street at Venonis (High Cross) in Warwickshire, and Ermine Street again at Lincoln.
Most experts have decided although the Fosse Way is in effect a Roman road it was probably here long before they invaded the British Isles. The Romans with their advanced engineering techniques simply made the road more sophisticated and serviceable. The Fosse way is a pleasant road and goes through some particularly beautiful Warwickshire countryside. |
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© Mick Aston |
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For the first few decades after the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, the Fosse Way marked the western frontier of Roman rule in Britain. The word 'Fosse' is derived from the Latin Fossa meaning 'ditch'. The road may have began as a defensive ditch which was later filled in and converted into a road. Or possibly a defensive ditch ran alongside it for at least some of its length.
The Fosse Way is the only Roman road in Britain to retain its original Latin name, most others were named by the Saxons centuries after the Romans left Britain.
There are many tales of ghosts along the Fosse way. One stretch is said to be haunted by a Roman Legion marching along it. They have been seen on a number of occasions but appear to walk on their knees! It was then realised that the original surface of the road must have been a foot or so lower than it is as present. So the legion marches on with the bottom half of their legs invisible! |
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Watling Street
Watling Street runs a distance of more than 100 miles from London to Wroxeter (Viroconium) near Shrewsbury. It crosses the Fosse Way in Warwickshire at High Cross (Venosis) by Stretton-on-Dunsmore between Rugby and Coventry.
The principal town through which it passed was Saint Albans (ancient Verulamium). Its later importance arose from its use as a thoroughfare throughout the Middle Ages and into modern times. In places the ancient Roman road is still in daily use, and in others it has been used as a base for modern thoroughfares. The original Roman road actually continued to Chester and into north Wales, with another branch going into central Wales, although little trace remains of these now. |
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© Mick Aston |
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It was also the site for the Roman victory in 61 AD between the Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus and the Briton leader Boudicca, leader of the Iceni tribe.
It was named Wæcelinga Stræt by the Anglo-Saxons, literally "the street of the people of Wæcel". Wæcel could possibly be a variation of the Anglo-Saxon word for 'foreigner' which was applied to the Celtic people inhabiting what is now Wales. This source also gave us the name for Wæclingacaester (the Anglo-Saxon name for Verulamium) and it seems likely that the road-name was originally applied first to the section between that town and London before being applied to the entire road.
In the 9th century, Watling Street was used as the demarcation line between the Anglo-Saxon and Danish-ruled parts of England. The Treaty of Wedmore required the defeated Danes to withdraw to an area north and east of Watling Street, thus establishing the Danelaw.
Like most of the Roman road network, the Roman paving fell into disrepair when the Romans left Britain, although the route continued to be used for centuries afterwards. It is likely that Chaucer's pilgrims used Watling Street to travel from Southwark to Canterbury in his Canterbury Tales.
The road was finally re-paved in the early 19th century by Thomas Telford who brought it back into use as a tollpike road for use by mail coaches bringing mail to and from Ireland, his road being extended to the port of Holyhead in Wales. |
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Icknield St (Ryknield St)
Icknield Street, or Ryknild/Rycknield Street as it's also known, is a Roman road in Britain that runs from Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire where it connected to the Fosse Way, to Templeborough in South Yorkshire.
It passes across the far west of warwickshire through Alcester (where it crosses the Salt Road) and Studley. The road then runs through Redditch, Birmingham (where a large fort was located), Lichfield, and what is now Derby. |
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It acquired the name Icknield Way during the 12th century but it is now called Icknield Street (or Ryknild Street) to distinguish it from the older Icknield Way, an Iron Age trackway running from Norfolk to Dorset.
Much of the route of the Icknield Street is still used by modern roads, most notably the A38 from Lichfield to Derby. A preserved section of the original Roman road can be seen at Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. |
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