Roman Roads
Roman Roads in Lancashire
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Possible Routes
Ribchester to Wigan(?) (20.5 miles)
A few pieces of evidence point to the existence of this road. As already mentioned the Antonine Itinerary gives a distance of 20 miles, which fits a direct route (assuming Coccium is Wigan, which is more likely now with the discovery of the remains of a substantial building with hypocaust, in the town centre 2005 redevelopment). On the direct route are 4 occurences of street or causeway names - map. The first at Rivington was regarded by Birtill, the Chorley historian, as a Roman road continuing further north along Heapey Fold Lane. The next is at Causeway House Farm at Heapey. Finally at Causeway Farm near Riley Green an old raised road is reported decending to cross the River Darwen below Lodge Farm. It is lost across the golf course but appears further on across Long Lane at Cabin Hill/Woodcock Hill (Ref: Dixon - Journeys through Brigantia - Book 11). Another Causeway Farm is located at Osbaldeston. The direction of all these fits a Wigan - Ribchester route.
Wyre to Lancaster(?)
Over Wyre has produced many Roman finds and coins. Mary Higham has suggested that High Gate Lane, west of Stalmine, could well be Roman on the basis of medeival references she found to a regiam viam and magnum stratum regiam called Alsergate. This is now called High Gate Lane - another clue. This would imply that it was a King's Highway of some status and therefore perhaps derived from a Roman road. High Gate Lane is much wider than other roads in the area and it has prominent ditches on both sides - it is also reasonably straight.
Note the built-up agger with ditches both sides.
The Roman connection is further supported by coin hoards found at Preesall and Hackensall plus field names of Street Field, Street Meadow, Street Croft near the latter. This would imply that the road came from perhaps near Wardleys (old ford?) and headed towards Knott End. This may seem strange but if a route from a site on the Wyre to Lancaster was the aim then then this makes sense as a direct line across Pilling Moss was impracticable before it was drained. Over-sands routes have been advocated again by Higham and the over-sands route from Knott End along Pilling Sands to Cockerham was still in use around 1700. From Cockerham an overland route via Conder Green broadly along the current A588 looks logical.
Garstang to the Wyre
The discovery of a major highway through Nateby by a team from Over-Wyre Historical Society has resulted in what looks increasingly likely to be a Roman road. The road they found ran in a South-West to North-East direction behind Nateby school. Excavations revealed a cambered cobbled road of 6 metres width with side ditches - classical Roman type construction. Further work to extend the route traced the road across Rawcliffe (via Crook Gate Lane) towards Hambleton and probably the Wyre. In the other direction the route they determined went via Croston Barn Roand and Green Lane to join up with the north-south road near Cabus.
Elslack to North
The route was proposed by the Pendle Heritage Archaeology Group following work by them in 1989 north of Barnoldswick. The road they found went from Horton (Lancashire) towards Swinden near Stoops Hill. That would indicate that the route left the Ribchester to Elslack road somewhere around Barnoldswick rather than directly from the fort at Elslack. It was possibly heading towards Long Preston where a Roman fort/camp(?) was located (Ref: Dixon - Journeys through Brigantia - Book 2).
Conclusion
In addition to the roads described here there must inevitably have been more. For example Shotter has recorded many coins finds in the East Lancashire area around Accrington but no roads are (yet) known here - could the Kings Highway (Accrington to Haslingden) be Roman? Higham has postulated that Liverpool-Ormskirk-Hutton (A59) could be based on a Roman route.
Secondary roads must also have existed bringing produce, whether from farms, industrial sites and mines, to the major centres. Lancaster to the Quernmore kilns is one suggestion. Even some of the main routes are very poorly known. The Westerly North-South route is still poorly located. Has its continued use after the Romans simply worn it away leaving little or no trace today? What is the precise route of the Ribchester-Lancaster road - did it pass East or West of Beacon fell? Do the milestones found at Stodday Hall indicate a Roman road from Lancaster to the Fylde? There are many instances of Street names away from known roads - are any of these pointers to lost roads? However, the "Ancient Road" over Read/Padiham Heights is probably not a road at all. Thanks to John Dixon for drawing our attention to the geological map which shows it as old clay workings. Are there more milestones out there waiting to be discovered? They were generally large stone pillars and removing them would take some serious effort. There are still many puzzles and trying to solve them is the probably greatest attraction of Lancashire's Roman Roads.
Selected References
A History of Communication In Lancashire, J M Whiteley BSc(Eng), C.Eng, MICE, FIHT former Deputy County Surveyor, Published 1984 in departmental magazine (Diversion).
Ordnance Survey of Roman Britain
Ordnance Sheets of various scales and dates - extracts are from 6inch First Edition of c.1845.
Roman Lancashire, W.T.Watkin 1883 (reprinted 1969)
Roman Roads in Britain, Codrington, 1903/1918. (Bill Thayer's excellent online version - Chapter III covers Lancashire)
A Roman Road North-West from Overborough, Villy in CWAAS, 1937
Roman Roads in Britain, I.D. Margary, 1957.
A Lancashire Lion, J.L. Maxim, 1965 (the Blackstone Edge “Roman” road)
Romans in Lancashire, D.C.A.Shotter, Dalesman Paperback 1973.
Roman Manchester, G.D.B.Jones/S.Grealey, Manchester Excavation Committee, 1973.
Saddleworth 712 D. Haigh, Paperback 1982.
Roads and Tracks of Britain, C.Taylor, Dent & Son, 1982.
The Surviving Past, John Hallam (road excavation at Red Scar)
Roman Fort and Town of Lancaster, Shotter and White, 1990, CNWRS
Walking Roman Roads in Bowland, Philip Graystone, 1992, CNWRS
The Romans in Lunesdale, Shotter and White, 1995, CNWRS
Walking Roman Roads in the Fylde and Ribble Valley, Philip Graystone, 1996, CNWRS
Over-Wyre Historical Journal VII, Thompson (N), Lawrenson, Salisbury, Parkinson, Thompson (D), 1997
Romans and Britons in North-West England, David Shotter, 1997 and 2004, CNWRS
Higham and Edwards in "Leading the Way" - Ed. Alan Crosby, County Books, 1998
Roman Forts on the Fylde, Howard-Davis and Buxton, 2000, CNWRS
The Romans at Ribchester, Ben Edwards, 2000, CNWRS
Walking Roman Roads in Lonsdale and the Eden Valley, Philip Graystone, 2002, CNWRS
Journeys through Brigantia Volumes 2 and 11 , John and Phillip Dixon, Aussteiger
The Roman Fort at Burrow in Lonsdale, Tony Burnett, Antonine Publications
The Roman A65, Tony Burnett, Antonine Publications
The Ancient History of Wyre, Harris and Hughes, 2006
CNWRS = Centre for North-West Regional Studies.
Local Societies active in Roman Road research:
Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society.
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Copyright, Developments and Contacts
Copyright
All text, maps and images are copyright Lancashire County Council. Aerial images
are:-
"Cities Revealed®
aerial photography copyright Lancashire County Council 2000".
Developments affecting Roman Roads
For queries on Roman Roads in Lancashire, or developments that might affect them, please email :
Peter Iles of Environment's Archaeology Section.
Contact
If we've missed anything or if you have any suggestions for improving these pages, please email :
archaeology@lancashire.gov.uk
Last update: March 2008.