ROMANO-BRITISH HEREFORDSHIRE here known as Watling Street, turns more to the south-east to Paytoe, whence it forms an almost obhterated track to about a mile beyond Wigmore, where it coalesces with the main road from Knighton to Leominster, and runs due south through Aymestrey and Mortimer's Cross." Here it leaves the modern main road and continues as a by-road, forming a parish boundary, for about a mile and a half, still preserving the same direction ; but at Brook Bridge, where it crosses the Kington branch railway, it again becomes a mere track, forming for some distance a parish boundary. At Stretford it again joins a main road, with which it coincides as far as Canon Pyon. Here it again diverges, and passing Tillington Court, slopes to the westward round Credenhill Camp, and so reaches the Romano-British town at Kenchester. Here two branches diverge, one leading westward to the villa at Bishop- stone, the other eastward by Stretton Sugwas and Holmer to Stretton Grandison (sec below). The main road continues in a south-west direction over the Wye,' which it probably crossed at Old Weir by a ford or causeway (see below, p. 1 80). From the Wye it can be traced under the name of Stoney Street,* past Eaton Bishop and over Worm Hill and Brampton Hill to Abbey Dore, where a section was opened at the railway station in 1893, 18 in. below the surface.^ It is described as being 1 3 ft. wide, pitched with pieces of local limestone larger than a man's head, and showing two distinct wheel tracks 4 ft. apart. Dr. H. C. Moore notes the absence of coping as a border which is seen in the Roman roads in the Forest of Dean. Its further course is obscure, but it probably ran past Ewyas Harold, Llancillo, and Walterstone, where there is a villa, and where it leaves the county, running due south to Abergavenny.* Professor Haverfield says : ^ I have had no means of ascertaining whether the name Watling Street in Herefordshire is a genuine old one, or one bestowed by antiquaries. Besides the two chief Watling Streets, the one which connects London with Wroxeter, and the one in Northumberland, there are in England several lesser ones, in Lancashire, Cheshire, etc.,' and the antiquity of the names, as applied to all these lesser examples, requires investigation. The name has perhaps a fair claim to be considered genuine in Herefordshire, for Horsley ' seems to say that it was known to the 'country people' in his day, about 1720—30 ; but his statement is rather vague.^" 2. The thirteenth Iter, from Isca to Calleva (Silchester), gives the following route : — M.P.M. M.P.M. Burrio (Usk) Ariconio (Weston) xi Blestio (Monmouth) xi Glevo (Gloucester) xv, &c. Accepting the generally-received identification of Ariconium with Weston under Penyard near Ross, we see that this road must have passed ' From Wroxeter up to this point, says Codrington, it differs much in character from the Watling Street proper, having no long pieces of straight road ; but its course is now mainly indicated by parish boundaries (Roman Roads in Britain, 80). ' Its course, according to Codrington, is indicated by a footpath and a lane due south by Old Weir House (op. cit. 81) ; see also O.S. 6-in. xxxiii, SW. ' Some of the pavement remained recently near Woodyatts Cross (Codrington, loc. cit.). ' Woolhope Club Trans. 1 801, p. 190 ; 1903, p. 165 ; Arch. Surv. 14.
- On the course of the road in general see Jrci. Surv. 14 ; Arch. Cambr. (Ser. 5), v, 194; Arch.
Joum.xxxW, 369; Woolhope Club Trans. 1903, pp. 163, 188 ; Codrington, Roman Roads in Britain, 80 ; Hmmmh, Hist, of Herefs. i, 26 (with map); Brayley and Britton, Beauties of Engl, and Wales, vi, 406; Murray's Guide to Herefs. (1884), p. xxxiii. ' Arch. Surv. 14. ' Watkin, Roman Lanes. 70 ; Roman Ches. 42. ^ Brit. Rom. 388. ■" See also Woolhpe Club Trans. 1903, pp. 160, 186. 173
