Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/213

 186 HISTORY OP BISHOP AUCKLAOT). It continues along it with very little deviation, first on one side and then on the other, to Legs Cross. About ten furlongs beyond the Qross we come to "Royal Oak," where for about 150 yards the public way ceases to coincide with the Watling Street, though the traces are very evident and the straight line continuous. On reaching the high ground at Brusselton, we there find the road runs about 200 yards on the east of the Tower, and thence down the hill, where there are still distinct traces of its existence. It crosses the Gaunless at Fyland's Bridge, about 130 yards on the east of the present bridge, and continues nearly in a straight line to Bishop Auckland, where it enters the town by Newgate Street. In the short lane between Fyland's Bridge and its junction with the West Auckland lane, we still find traces of the road remaining at the present day. In the town of Auckland all traces (at least on the surface) are entirely lost, but a few years ago the Board of Health, in laying down the sewers at Newgate End, came upon a portion of it a few feet below the surface. It apparently branches off" from the present line of the street and runs in a north-westerly direction. More recently, when digging for the same purpose at the lower end of Fenkle Street, evident remains of the road were found about six feet below the surface, the rudus* which consists of small stones broken to pieces and mixed with lime, being in a most perfect state. Leaving the town and following in the same direction, we find a portion of the top pavement of the road exposed in the fields on the foot road to the village of Hunwick. These vestiges seem to infer pretty clearly that the main road crossed the river Wear in the vicinity of the present bridge at Newton Cap, and, in all likelihood, the old bridge pulled down by Bishop Skirlaw in the year 1388 was a Roman structure, and that the road passed over it.t It seems probable that a branch road to the camp at Binchester turned off" the main road at the south end of the town, and, taking the line of Newgate Street, crossed the present site of the Market Place in the vicinity of the Town Hall, and thence, descending the hill in an angular direction behind Silver Street (indications of which were to be seen some few years ago), entered the camp ground through the narrow neck of land which at that time existed, and which is now occupied by the bed of the Gaunless, between the stone bridge in the Park and liiat of Jock's Eow. The course of the Gaunless in former days was undoubtedly more circuitous, the river winding itself round the camp, and forming a line of defence on the south-east side, similar to that formed by the Wear on the north-west, and then running down the valley between the camp and the present site of the Lodge Farm, joined the Belbum brook, and so continued its course with that stream until it emptied itself into the Wear at the upper end of Newfield Cragg. The branch road from Binchester seems to have left the camp ground at the north-east comer, and descending the hiU, crossed the river near the Hind's house. It again becomes distinctly visible at the opposite side of the river, and runs up past Old Birtley, where, at a distance of about 1,000 yards, it enters a blind lane, and in all probability joined the main road again, about 200 yards below the Church at Hunwick. A little further on, we find the main road in the lane leading to Helmington Hall, and the cottage and garden situate a little tx) the west of the Hall are upon it, its traces being clearly seen as it descends to the brook. At the Hall, the line is somewhat on the west edge of the road as it descends from the bridge, and it may again be are laid npon the anoient Roman foundation. They began, it appears, by mwng two parallel forrows, the intended width of the road, and then removed all the loose earth between them till they came to the hard, sohd sronnd, and they filled up this excavation with fine earth hard beaten in. This first layer was called the pavimmtum. Upon it was Uid the first bed of the road, consisting of ■mall squared stones, nicely ranged on the ground, which was sometimes left dry, but often a larse quantity of fresh mortar was poured mto it This lajrer was termed tiatumen. The next was called rudtu or ruderatio^ and consisted of a maas of small stones broken to pieces, and mixed with lime in the proportion of one part of broken stones to two of lime. The third layer or bed, which was termed nueleua, was formed of a mixture of lime, chalk, pounded or broken tiles, or earth, beaten tosetber, or of gravel or sand and lime mixed with day. Upon this was laid the surface or pavement of the road, which was called technically mmmam dorsum or tumma cruHa. It was composed sometimes of stones set like pavine stones in our streets, and sometimes of flagstones cut square or polygonally, and also, probably oftener, of a firm bed of gravel and lime. The roads were thus raised higher than the surrounding grounds, and on this aooount uie mass was termed apffer, t In thus giving the route of the Roman road, the author is well aware that he is running counter to the pre-oonceived notions of many of his readers, who assert that it went direct to the camp at Binchester. Existing evidenoe^ however, seems very strong in support of his own theory, which he submito with all dae deference. Digitized by Google
 * Wright savs, « The Roman roads were constmoted with rach extraordina^ akil], that even now many of the beet roads in England