![Newport Arch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Newport_Arch.jpg)
Ermine Street is a major
Roman road
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
in England that ran from
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
(''
Londinium
Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50. It sat at a key cross ...
'') to
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
(''
Lindum Colonia
Lindum Colonia was the Latin name for the settlement which is now the City of Lincoln in Lincolnshire. It was founded as a Roman Legionary Fortress during the reign of the Emperor Nero (58–68 AD) or possibly later. Evidence from Roman tomb ...
'') and
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
(''
Eboracum
Eboracum () was a fort and later a city in the Roman province of Britannia. In its prime it was the largest town in northern Britain and a provincial capital. The site remained occupied after the decline of the Western Roman Empire and ultimat ...
''). The
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earningas'', who inhabited a district later known as ''Armingford Hundred'', around
Arrington, Cambridgeshire
Arrington is a small village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, with a population of 415 at the time of 2011 census. , and
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Hertfordshire, District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.
It is situated on the Prime meridian (Greenwich), Greenwich Meridian, which brush ...
. "Armingford", and "Arrington" share the same Old English origin. The original
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
and
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
names for the route remain unknown. It is also known as the Old North Road from London to where it joins the
A1 Great North Road near
Godmanchester
Godmanchester ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman road network, the town has a lo ...
.
Course
Ermine Street begins at
Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate gave its name to the Bishopsgate Ward of the City of London. The ward is traditionally divided into ''Bishopsgate Within'', inside the line wall, and ''Bishop ...
, where one of the seven gates in the wall surrounding
Roman London
Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50. It sat at a key cross ...
was located. From here it runs north up
Norton Folgate
Norton Folgate is a short length of street in London, connecting Bishopsgate with Shoreditch High Street, on the northern edge of the City of London.
It constitutes a short section of the A10 road (England), A10 road, the former Roman Empire, ...
,
Shoreditch High Street
Shoreditch High Street is the old main street of Shoreditch, London. It is part of the A10 road and connects Norton Folgate to the south with Kingsland Road to the north. It constitutes a segment of the Roman Ermine Street, which ran directly ...
and
Kingsland Road
Kingsland Road is the name given to an East London stretch of the A10 road within the London Borough of Hackney in England. The A10 was originally a Roman Road better known as Ermine Street or sometimes the Old North Road.
The name ''Kingsland ...
through
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish.
The ...
(forming Stoke Newington Road and Stoke Newington High Street),
Tottenham
Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...
,
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
and eastern
Enfield
Enfield may refer to:
Places Australia
* Enfield, New South Wales
* Enfield, South Australia
** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb
** Enfield High School (South Australia)
...
(Ponders End, Enfield Highway, Enfield Wash and Freezywater) to
Royston. This section of Ermine Street from
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
to Royston is now largely part of the
A10. At this point it crosses the
Icknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern and eastern England that runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.
Background
It is generally said to be, wi ...
. From Royston, it was formerly the
A14 to the
A1 but now it is the
A1198 to
Godmanchester
Godmanchester ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman road network, the town has a lo ...
(''Durovigutum''). Ignoring bypasses and modern diversions, the road through
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...
to the Alconbury junction on the A1 gives the line. The section from
Alconbury
Alconbury is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Alconbury is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being an historic county of England.
Alconbury lies approximately ...
to
Water Newton
Water Newton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Water Newton lies approximately west of Peterborough. Water Newton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being ...
, ignoring modern bypasses such as that at
Stilton
Stilton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about north of Huntingdon in Huntingdonshire, which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as a historic county of England.
History
There is evidence of Neo ...
, follows the A1. Ermine street used to pass through ''
Durobrivae'', the slight remains of which can be seen to the east, alongside the A1 at Peterborough. The modern road returns to Ermine Street north-west of
Stamford, near
Great Casterton
Great Casterton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located at the crossing of the Roman Ermine Street and the River Gwash.
Geography
The village is approximately three miles to the nor ...
, through which Ermine Street ran.
The post-Roman road wandered off for through
Colsterworth
Colsterworth is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, less than half a mile (0.8 km) west of the A1, about south of Grantham, and north-west of Stamford. The village with the hamlet of Woolsthorp ...
, but Ermine Street continues as the B6403, through
Ancaster to the
A17. It then continues as a public
right of way
Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another.
A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...
, easily walked, until
Waddington airfield blocks it at . The route from Colsterworth, through Ancaster, to Bracebridge Heath is known as
High Dike. It runs roughly parallel with and to the east of the A607 between
Carlton Scroop
Carlton Scroop is a small village and civil parish in the South Kesteven Non-metropolitan district, district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish (including Normanton) at the 2011 census was 304. It is situated north-e ...
and
Harmston
Harmston is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated just west off the A607, and south from the city and county town of Lincoln. It sits on the Lincoln Cliff overlooking the River ...
. High Dike takes to the level, open, dry country of the
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
Heath while the A607 wanders through the villages on the
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season)
Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
line below. From the
Antonine Itinerary there is known to have been a Roman Settlement on the road in South Lincolnshire, called ''
Causennae'' which has been variously identified with
Ancaster Roman Town
Ancaster was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. It is sited on the Roman road known as the Ermine Street and is situated in the county of Lincolnshire. Its name in Latin is unknown, although it has traditionally been identified with ...
or
Saltersford, south of Grantham.
Another long section remains, now the
A15, running north out of Lincoln, past
RAF Scampton
Royal Air Force Scampton or RAF Scampton is a Royal Air Force station located adjacent to the A15 road near to the village of Scampton, Lincolnshire, and north-west of the city of Lincoln, England.
RAF Scampton stands on the site of a First ...
and
Caenby
Caenby is a hamlet and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated north from the city and county town of Lincoln. The population is included in the civil parish of Glentham.
The place name, Caenby, seem ...
Corner, past
Kirton in Lindsey
Kirton in Lindsey, also abbreviated to Kirton Lindsey, is a market town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. It is south-east from Scunthorpe.
History
Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII lived at Kirton-in-Lindsey afte ...
at grid reference , and continuing almost to the
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...
at
Winteringham
Winteringham is a village in North Lincolnshire, England, on the south bank of the Humber Estuary.
History Roman Britain
The Romans founded a settlement probably called ''Ad Abum'' in this area. It was where Ermine Street, the major Roman roa ...
. Before the diversion was made round the extended runway at Scampton, with a very slight diversion at
Broughton, it was possible to travel about , from the
Newport Arch
Newport Arch is a 3rd-century Roman gate in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. It is a Scheduled monument and Grade I listed building and is reputedly the oldest arch in the United Kingdom still used by traffic.
History
The arch was remodelled ...
, the Roman north gate at Lincoln, to the
Parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Winteringham along a road so slightly curved as to be regarded as straight.
Roman Winteringham was the terminal for the ferry to ''
Petuaria
Petuaria (or Petuaria Parisorum) was originally a Roman fort situated where the town of Brough in the East Riding of Yorkshire now stands. Petuaria means something like 'quarter' or 'fourth part', incorporating the archaic Brythonic *''petuar'', ...
'' (
Brough) on the north shore of the Humber. From there, the road curved westwards to York.
This landing place on the south shore of the Humber is significant because Winteringham translates as "the homestead of Winta's people". Apart from
Woden
Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...
, the god, the first leader on
Lindsey's list of kings is Winta. Clearly, the end of the
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
ridge at the Humber was significant in the English settlement of Lincolnshire.
Winterton is a little further inland. Ermine Street and the
River Trent
The Trent is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midland ...
together were evidently an important early route of entry into early post-Roman Britain.
Alternative courses
The author Thomas Codrington proposed a more westerly route for "Erming" Street north of London, going via what is now
Theobalds Park
Theobalds House (also known as Theobalds Palace) in the parish of Cheshunt in the English county of Hertfordshire, was a significant stately home and (later) royal palace of the 16th and early 17th centuries. Set in extensive parkland, it was a ...
.
This route is marked on many maps.
The
Roman Map of Britain above shows a sector of Ermine Street for which there was an alternative route. As Ermine Street extended north out of Lincoln and past
Scampton
Scampton is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish including Brampton and Broadholme at the 2011 census was 1,358. It is situated north of Lincoln, south-east of Ga ...
an alternative course of Ermine Street curved left and formed a semicircle on a wide heading west of the
Humber Estuary. The straight northerly route, traced in red on the map, between
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
and
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
was the shorter, but was not passable over the Humber Estuary during adverse weather conditions. Thus an alternative route was established (see also
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads in Britannia were initially designed for military use, created by the Roman Army during the nearly four centuries (AD 43–410) that Britannia was a province of the Roman Empire.
It is estimated that about of paved trunk ro ...
). This 'alternative' route is detailed in the
Antonine Itinerary and linked York (Eboracum),
Castleford
Castleford is a town within the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 45,106 at a 2021 population estimate. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, to the north of the town centre the River Calder joins the ...
(Lagecium),
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
(Danum),
Littleborough (Agelocum) and Lincoln (Lindum). Beginning at the modern Lincolnshire Showground the portion of this route in Lincolnshire is known as
Till Bridge Lane, the modern A1500.
The route in the Doncaster area, and again north of Castleford, is known as the
Roman Ridge
Roman Ridge is a bridleway that was part of the Roman road of Ermine Street, between Scawsby and Redhouse to the north of Doncaster, England.
This footpath departs from the A638 road at The Sun junction with the A635 (or Barnsley Road). Its ...
or
Roman Rigg.
A large section of this road formed for many later centuries the
Great North Road between
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
and
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
.
See also
*
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...
*
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads in Britannia were initially designed for military use, created by the Roman Army during the nearly four centuries (AD 43–410) that Britannia was a province of the Roman Empire.
It is estimated that about of paved trunk ro ...
Notes
References
*I. D. Margary, ''Roman Roads in Britain'' (3rd ed. 1973)
*Ordnance Survey 1:50 000 maps. (1972 to 2001)
*Ordnance Survey, ''Map of Roman Britain'' (3rd edn. 1956)
*Soil Survey of England And Wales, ''Soils of England and Wales , Sheet 4'' (1983)
*XTC song ''Chalkhills and Children, from Oranges and Lemons'' (1989)
External links
* - very large map
'Ermine Street - A Journey through Roman Britain'web page by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
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