Page:Roman Manchester (1900) by Charles Roeder.djvu/168

 We notice that he leaves Littleborough on the east and makes the road pass near Pikehouse; while Thompson Watkin, to make it chime in with his imaginary "trough" road, lets it proceed viâ Lydgate (half a mile south of Pikehouse) up to Captain Rosworm's entrenchment at Blackstone Edge.

We see that in reality, according to Watson, the road took a quite different direction from Littleborough; when we reach Blackstone Edge we have close to it on the left side Cold Laughton and on the right Black Castle and Black Castle Clough, on the highroad to Ripponden. Neither Watson, Whitaker, or writers previous to Thompson Watkin, or the local farmers and shepherds have ever so much as mentioned it; nor have we a road so constructed—fancied by him to be Roman—either in Britain or abroad. Why, therefore, of all places—and the Romans had elsewhere to deal with similar gradients and ground—Blackstone Edge alone should have been singled out for the construction of such a road has to be explained yet by his followers; meanwhile, it is safer to follow Watson and discard Watkin's altogether questionable road.

As to the width of the Roman road viâ Blackstone Edge, in the "New Map of the County of York, laid down by an actual survey, published for and sold by Rob. Sayer and Tho. Bowles, mapseller, London, 1728," where it is very distinctly indicated. It says: "The Roman way extends from Manchester in Lancashire unto Aldborough near Boroughbridge, is all paved with stone, and near 8 yards broad."