Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/185

 ,56 THE HIST OR Y Book holes. And the Roman road from Coccium to Condate, .paffitig along the narrow ifthmus and approaching the weftprn ram* part, muft have gently curved on the right by the fouth-weftern angle of the latter, and have edged along the fouthern fide of the flation and juft beneath the fouthern vallum. The paffage of the river could never have been attempted but during the ab- fence of the tide ; and during that abfence this road muft have been fafely travelled, extending along the lower bank of the river, and leading over the ford to the high grounds of ; Latetit- ford. ., . . Such was the fite on which the antient Caftrum.of the Ro- mans and the more antient town of the Britons were conftru&ed* But fo it is not now. The greateft ftrength of the ifthmus,. and the point moft dirc&ly oppofed to the current, * was about thirty yards in breadth. So broad it was, after it had been, for ages filently corroded and violently plundered by the wafting waters* And about thirty-five years ago the river bringing down an exr traordinary body of waters from its native hills, and difcharging the fury of it dire&ly againft the oppofing ifthmus, the whole ftrohg fiibftance of the mound began to< fhake,. fooi* opened, and- inftandy difappeareck The Merfey, having now obtained a, di* reft way, immediately deferted the rounding courfe of its cur* rent, and transferred the fite of the fortrefs from the northern to the fouthern bank ; leaving its old important ford to become merely a fludgy way into a- pafture^ and giving up its old im- portant channel to be partitioned by an, hedge and. to be grazed: upon by cattle; This ftation is undoubtedly the fame which Ravennas fixes- fomewhetre near Chefter, and to -which, he gives the name, of Ve* ratinum Vara-tin or the.- Ford-town -V The. certainty o£ *: folio* at Warrrington v and the. great fimilarity. in the hame of Vera* tinum to it,, form together afufficient evidence that the former is meant by the latter. And in the popular pronunciation of the former name the fimilarity is ftill greater, Warrington being popularly pronounced Warratin to the prefent memfenK. And thwgh in die reconfc of Domefday it is written Walimtvp* k