No CrossRef data available.
Article contents
XI. Mr. Willis on the Roman Portway
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 July 2012
Extract
The Roman Causeway which runs from the N. E. to the S. W. of the kingdom through Hants and Wilts, is known through those counties by the name of the Portway. If I may be allowed to give this name to those ways in Antoninus's Itinera which run in a North Easterly direction from this road in Hants, and South Westerly from its Wiltshire limit, the Portway is as long as either of the two great ways in longitudinem ; and if it is a Roman way from the Eastern sea coast to Hampshire, and from Wilts to the sea coast West-ward, it would exceed them. That it does so, seems to be referred to in the charter granted by queen Elizabeth to the Borough of Andover, which is on the Portway between London and the Land's-end.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1787
References
page 101 note [a] From hence Dr. Stukeley traces it, under the name of the Ikenild Street, over the Nadre and Willey near Bemerton, where the stony ford is visible, to Nether Hampton, over the race-course, lord Pembroke's hare-warren, the brook at Stony Stratford, along the great downs to Cranborn Chace, through the woods to Vernditch Lodge, a mile and half East from Woodyates, and just before its coming to this place it crosses the vallum and ditch that divides Wilts from Dorset. After this Mr. Hutchins traces it through that county into Devonshire.
page 102 note [b] The town of Andover itself was part of, or had a strong relation to, this royal forest in queen Elizabeth's time. In the charter granted by that queen, the directs the corporation to devise a common seal to be affixed to their writings, &c. They accordingly chose it to be a lion standing under an oaken tree, which denotes a royal forest, and is now their arms or common seal. I have been favoured with the sight of a writing in the possession of an honourable gentleman, in his collection of some curious papers of lord Burleigh's, which corroborates this, and shews the extent of Chute forest, Hants. It is intituled “A survey of the forest of Chute Wiltshire and Chute Hampshire, by Mr. John Tavernor, hir majesties surveyor general, &c. Jan, 9, 1589-90, relating to firewood allowed out of the forest to Winchester College.” It says, “The warden and scholars of the College of St. Mary Winton have yerely by your honours warrant xxvi loades of woode to be taken of deede trees, dottardes, and thornes in Wakeswood and Finckley, for the firewood of Nicholas Venables, gent. farmer of the parsonage of Andover, over and besydes xl loades yerely lykewise allowed them, of the underwoodes of Finckly now in lease,” &c. As Finckly and Wakeswood the two extreme ends of Chute forest Hants, are hereby ascertained, another passage in Camden seems to shew that the intermediate space to the North of Andover was in those times also a part of the same; it says, “the river which we now call Test, rising out of Chute forest, runs first to Andover.” The springs which by uniting form the Andover river are from the bottom of Wayhill, or Clanvill, to Eastanton, including the intermediate springs of the two Pentons, Foscot, Charlton and Inham, all which I suppose were in Mr. Camden's time in Chute forest Hants; for in Chute forest Wilts no spring supplying a river ever existed.
page 104 note [c] So said about twenty years ago.
page 104 note [d] Vol. I. plate 66.
page 105 note [e] Vol. I. plate 65.
page 105 note [f] Pax regis multiplex est—alia quam habent quatuor chemini, Watling strete, Fosse, Hikenild-strete, et Erming-strete, quorum duo in longitudinem regni, alii duo in latitudinem distenduntur. Horsley, Brit. Rom. p. 387.