Sawston Village History Society

Roman Roads of England, by Aureole Wragg

The speaker at our January meeting was Aureole Wragg, who spoke on the Roman Roads of England.

People have always travelled and across England there is evidence, usually on higher ground, of many ancient pre-Roman trackways. They travelled for food, safety and for trade for example along the Icknield Way, Peddars Way and the Ridgeway [South Downs Way]. Some of these trackways became incorporate in later Roman routes, e.g. A11 towards Newmarket. The Romans brought a more radial system linking main towns and forts, particularly to London once it became the capital of Roman Britain.

“All roads lead to Rome”, to the Milliarium Aureum ('Golden Milestone') erected in the Roman Forum by Augustus when he was superintendent of the road system. There are 486,713 known Roman roads.

It is estimated that about 250,000 Roman miles of roads were constructed and maintained throughout the Roman Empire, 10,000 miles in Britain between CE43 and CE150. The primary function of the network was to allow rapid movement of troops and military supplies. They also provided a vital infrastructure for commerce, trade and the transportation of goods. 50,000 miles were thought to have been stone paved

They were crucial for both defence and expansion; they demonstrated the power and permanence of Roman Empire. Once the military had secured a new territory, civil administrations were instigated so taxes could be levied. Taxes supported the central authority in Rome, the army and local administrations. Local populations would also have used the roads. Local settlements grew up near them.

When Julius Caesar invaded in 55 and 54 BCE his troops used local tracks or cut across open land. It was nearly 100 years later in CE43 when an invasion force led by General Aulus Plautius on the instructions of the Emperor Claudius that the first roads were built. Most of the 40,000-strong Roman invasion force in CE43 landed at Richborough, on the east Kent coast. The invaders marched inland along the line of the A2 - Watling Street

Most of the main Roman roads are still our main national thoroughfares today, those radiating from London now have letters and numbers rather than names. Eg A1 – the Great [Old] North Road and A2 - the Dover Road, Watling Street.

The roads were designed to be as straight as possible, with slight deviations for terrain. They have lasted so long because they were so well built with good deep foundation layers and a cambered hard surface which allowed water to run into side ditches.

The roads were built mostly by the Roman soldiers and were wide enough for 2 carts to pass. There are still examples of Roman roads as they would have been built, in out of the way places but many have been built over as they are still main routes today. Crossing rivers would have been by ferry or fords where the water was shallow but the Roman army had excellent surveyors and engineers who constructed bridges, usually of wood on stone piers.

Cambridgeshire has several main Roman roads including Ermine Street which linked London to Lincoln and York. They kept to the higher drier land to the west, except for the Fen Causeway which linked Durobivae [Peterborough] to Downham Market built on raised banks, between the drier ‘islands’.

Akeman Street linked Cambridge to Ermine Street at Arrington while Wort’s Causeway went east [The Roman Road by Wandlebury]. The road from Great Chesterford south to Braughing can still be traced, for much of its length, as footpaths.

The Roman Road system has shown extraordinary longevity. It remained the prime means of overland travel through Saxon and medieval times until turnpikes were constructed from 17th century and many of these followed the Roman routes.

Mary Dicken