Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/127

 9* THE HISTORY" Bbokl. lktle valley beyond and its little rivulet the Bollen, and have once more fallen iota the prefent road near New-Bridge. This a (ingle (ignificative <:ircuraftance fiifficieatiy indicates of frfef£ The whole length' of the prefent toad front New-Bridge to Buck-* ley-Hill is denominated Street* The Roman . road therefore ftretches away from the angle immediately beyond New* Bridge along the courfe of the prefent road, and leaves Roftherne- Mere about a bow-fhot from it on the left. Thus does it pro- ceed to Buckley-Hill, being all the way popularly known by the expreffive appellation of Street. FVom Bockley-Hill it paffes to Mere-town, proceeding in the fame line and retaining the fame name; And about two miles beyond the latter, paffing the narrow hollow channel of a brook, it aftumes the name of Hoi* ford-ftreet, and preferves it for half a mile together. • A Kttle beyond the conclusion of this half-mile, the prefent' road beginning to tend too much towards Northwich, the Ro- man road infenfibly fteais away to the left. But about a mile beyond the point, and in the direction of the line, we recover the road again. This new part of the road is a well -gravelled lane, denominated Street, and extending in a right line for four or five miles together. The Roman road ftealing over the in- clofures, or paffing along the bye-lanes, muft have ftretched Si* reftly acrofs Penny-lane, and have inftantly entered the ample opening of the ftreet. The appellation of this road is written Kind-ftreet by the only antiquarians that have named it, Mr. Horfeley and Mr. Percival ; but is invariably fpoken King- ftreet by the people. The former however is pretty certainly the name, and the latter is merely a corruption. And the al- teration has refulted entirely from the natural humour among all nations of affimilating ftrange to familiar names in popular pronunciation, as the road muft have led to the antient Con- date, and as it now. leads to the prefent Kinderton At its commencement, leaving the town of Northwich about half a • mile to the right, the Kind-ftreet goes on about twelve or four- teen yards in breadth, a great public road, and now wanting confiderable repair. In its continuance, leaving the fandy wafte. 4 of