A HISTORY OF LEICESTERSHIRE Street which borders the county on the south-west for a distance of twenty- one miles might have afforded access from the lower Thames, while to the north-west it passed through territory that remained in British hands at least till the seventh century, and was therefore not available for Teutonic immigration. Right through the heart of the county runs the Fosse Way, from its junction with Watling at High Cross through the county town to its exit on the high ground on the north side of the Wreak valley, forming the county boundary there for nearly three miles. A third road, evidently of Roman origin, can be traced from Leicester south-east to the Welland,nearMedbourne; after passing through Rockingham Forest to Titchmarsh it turns eastward and joins the Ermine Street north of Godmanchester. Another link was thus formed with London, but even with these facilities progress into the interior does not seem to have been at all rapid. The splendid directness of these highways is a standing testimony to the skill of the Roman surveyor and the energy he could command, but it must not blind us to the real difficulties of travel and trans- port off the beaten track at that early period. A discovery of interest in this connexion may here be noticed. In 1824 the Watling Street was under repair between Bensford (Bransford or Beres- ford) Bridge and the turnpike road leading from Rugby to Lutterworth ; and at a point about one mile from Cesters- over the labourers excavated a number of human skeletons which lay buried in the centre and on both sides of the high- way, at a distance of 18 in. or 2 ft. below the surface. 1 * With them were found weapons, shield-bosses, and spear-heads varying from 6 in. to 1 5 in. in length and retaining traces of the wooden shaft in the socket ; also knives and iron buckles, clasps, rings, tweezers, and feminine ornaments, but above all in interest a series of brooches well illustrated in colours by Akerman. 8 They comprise two ' long ' specimens which are charac- teristic of this country in having had at least the side-knobs not cast in '" V.C.H. Warwickshire, i, 253. ' Pag. Sax. pi. xviii. BRONZE BROOCHES, FOUND NEAR BENSFORD BRIDGE 222
