Page:The History of Essex.djvu/12

 Ansam was, I believe, nothing more than a mansio on the borders of the JJjJJm? at Ad " * Stour. In giving a slight detail of the Roman roads, I shall shew how these Roman roads, .several stations were connected together: — " The first" running from London ^ r ^,^ n t don by Sboreditch and Bethnal Green, crossed the Lee at Old Ford, and joining, the present turnpike near Stratford, between the third and fourth mile-stone from Whitechapel-church, continued with it all the way quite to Colchester, passing through the stations of Durolitum, Ceesaromagus, and Canonium. "A second" coming from Verolam and entering the county from Hockeril, ran equally straight with the present road, through Duumow, Braintree, and Coggeshall, and joined the former road near the 46 mile stone from London. " A third" From coiciies- went out of the west gate of Colchester, and running up the valley of the Colne, bridge, Sec. probably not far from Ford-street, Colu, Hals tead, and Sible Hedingham, (and al- though all traces of it, for some part of the way, are at this time nearly lost, yet) is distinctly visible afterwards as it passes from Great Yeld ham, south of Ridge- well, till it enters the station of Sturmere, which stands at the confluence of the small stream which comes from Steeple Rumstead with the Stour; — From Stur- mere it runs through Haverhill, beyond which it is easily traced all the way to Cambridge, and across the whole of the Island to Chester. Near Haverhill this road is intersected by " a fourth " coming from Chesterford, and evidently bearing j^^^J" - towards Ixworth or Icklingham in Suffolk. " A fifth" is said to go from the J** 0 ** 1 ' ° JU 0 FromSturmere station at Sturmere over the Stour towards Clare, and probably to the station towards, Lawshall. on the Bret near Lawshall. " A sixth" ran from Colchester with the present coicnes- r ter toThetford. turnpike towards Thetford, connecting it with the Venta Icenorum at Castor near Norwich. "A seventh" runs visibly from Ceesaromagus near Chelmsford From near • ii* T*» t> i "■ •• 11 • i Chelmsford to in a straight line to Braintree and Gosfield, pointing also to the station on the Braintree, &c. Bret in Suffolk, which was continued to Branodunum or Brancaster on the coast of Norfolk. " An eighth " separates from the last at its first outset, and, bearing a chXsford to- little more westerly, runs between Great Chicknell and Broom field, visibly jr^ds Chester, through theinclosures, toPleshey, and, if continued, would have passed through Dunmow in a direct line for Cheslerford. u A ninth" appears to have gone from he^St^ards the Cefn-y-Coed (vulgarly called King Coel's Kitchen) towards the island of Mency ' Mersey, and we may presume that there was " a tenth " connecting Colchester te^rUrwichi with Harwich, while " others" joined, no doubt, the stations of Durolitum and ^RomforT Ccesaromagus with Othona on one side, and with Cheshunt and Verolam on the Stratford to other, as well as Colchester with the station near Lawshall SeXntTlnd To prove how much the whole of this county was possessed by this great 2Swm&.* and enlightened people, Remains of their occupancy are found in every part of Digitized by Google