A HISTORY OF HEREFORDSHIRE the island ; but there are signs that its towns were destroyed by violence and fire, and as there is no evidence of remains dating later than the begin- ning of the 5th century we may assume that their fate was synchronous with that of Viroconium, and that the English invaders swept the whole of the country from Severn to Wye about the time of the Roman departure from Britain. The Roman remains in the county occur for the most part (i) along the one certain Roman road, (2) in the vicinity of Ross.^^ Of the course of that road, a part of Watling Street, we shall speak presently in detail ; it may suffice now to say that it ran from Viroconium (Wroxeter) to Isca Silurum (Caerleon), crossing the county from north to south, and passing the two stations of Bravinium (Leintwardine) and Magna (Kenchester). At Leintwardine, close to the Shropshire border, the researches of two local antiquaries have estabhshed the existence of a regular entrenchment, 14 acres in extent, within the area of which Roman tiles, pottery, coins, &c. have been dug up. The mileage of the Antonine Itinerary shows that a station named Bravinium was situated in the neighbourhood of this place, and though for a long time its site was sought in the neighbouring camp of Brandon, then thought to be Roman, the arguments for identifying it with Leintwar- dine, first advanced by Reynolds and Pointer, seem to be fully justified. It was in any case a small and unimportant place. ^' Kenchester, near the Wye, has yielded more extensive evidence of Roman occupation. It was a small town of some 17 acres in extent, with suburbs beyond, of which the villa at Bishopstone appears to furnish some testimony. It is usually identified with the Itinerary station of Magna or Magnae, as corresponding to the distances given from Bravinium and Gobannium (Aberga- venny) respectively. In the south-west of the county, at Weston under Pen- yard near Ross, there are remains of a town or village which was connected with the iron mines of the neighbouring Forest of Dean. Here there seems to be good reason for placing the Itinerary station of Ariconium.^* There are besides these a few detached Roman sites. At Blackwardine near Stoke Prior, skeletons, pottery, coins, and possible remains of kilns were found in making the railway, and some traces of a Roman road have been observed. Another site is Stretton Grandison, also apparently on a Roman road, where some interesting objects have been found ; '° but the attempt to identify it with the supposed Cicutio or Circutio cannot be supported. A villa has been noted, but not explored, at Putley near Ledbury, and another villa is at Walterstone where Watling Street passes into Monmouthshire." Attention may also be called here to the not infrequent occurrence of ' Wall ' and ' Street ' place-names in the county, as Walford, Stretford, Stretton Sug- was, the last two being, as well as Stretton Grandison mentioned above, on the line of known roads. The sum of Roman remains in Herefordshire amounts therefore to two small towns and one insignificant camp or station, three or four villas or inhabited spots, one certain road, and a few isolated relics," which in all form only a small total, and throw little light on the people whom they " Arch. Surv. 4. " Ibid. ; and see below, p. 186. " Jrch. Sun. 5 ; and see below, p. 187. ■' See Topog. Index. ■« Ibid. ^^ Arch. Surv. 5, and Topog. Index. ^^ Arch. Surv. 6. 170
