Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/323

 SILCHESTKR. 237 >cars, passes Ilanniiigtoii about a mile on the north, and •rosses the fiekl-way leading to Plantation Farm, near Wool-
 * erton, about 240 yards north of the eross road ; thence it

oUows the fence nearly, ^vllich is a very thick one, for somo listance, and then falls obliquely into the valley where the ■jirnier still points out the mark of it in his corn at particular jeasons ; but it is exceedingly obscure, except where it passes ho road and has caused a slight bend in its line ; thence it jasses the cross road about liO yards on the south of it ; it crosses the lane called Pit Lane, about 2(j'0 yards east of the
 * ross road above mentioned, and is fairly visible as it ascends
 * hc hill to cross the road from Woolverton to Ewhurst.

Beyond this there is not the least vestige, in an easterly hrection, to be depended on ; and even what has been de- scribed above could not have been traced but from a projection .>f the straight line. Still the slight bend in the old Heading Itoad seems to mark where the ancient way passed, and the line carried forward foils on the old cottage called Foss Cot, svhich derived its name probably from being situated in the fosse, or on the dyke of the Roman way. The farm buildings u"e more recent in appearance than the cottage, hence the lanie of Foscot Farm has probably been derived from the Cot. A little on the west of these buildings, on the side of the old road, is a farm wdiich was once a public house, Dalled the " Brazen Head." As this line was straight, there 30uld have been no choice of ground between Old iSarum and Silchester ; but no present road descends the chalk range ot lills with less sudden declivity than tliis old line called the Portwm/. No attempts we made to carry the line forward to the Eastward were successful ; and though there can be no doubt .hat it ran a little on the south of Tadley Place, the resident jarmer has never heard of it, though he lias resided there jbr many years.' i The next road we can only suppose to have existed, for [here are no remains to be seen of it. As there is a west pte, there must have been a road branching from it, and [he present county boundary between Hampshire and Berk- hire, as a general line, seems probably to have been the course f it towards Newbury (Spinie). The general line of this ' Some ancient painted glass exists in one of the windows at Tadley Place, wl.dch not undeserving uf notice.