Iter XIV. PORT-WAY FROM KENCHESTER, THE THROUGH CRADLEY, ACROSS THE NORTH END OF GREAT MALVERN HILL TO BRANOGENA (WORCESTER), AND THENCE THROUGH OMBERSLEY, HARTLEBURY, AND WOLVERLEY, TO OVER ARLEY. DUNCUMB, in his "History of Herefordshire," says, "a third Roman road enters this county [Herefordshire] from Worcester, and passing Frome Hill, Stretton Gransham (Grandison), Luggbridge, Holmer, and Stretton Lugwas, reaches Kenchester. This road is wholly unnoticed in the Itineraries before quoted; but Dr. Stukeley treats it as Roman, and its own internal evidence confirms it. Two Strettons are named in its course, and it invariably preserves that particular uniformity of direction. which distinguishes the roads constructed by that people. Several writers mention an entrenchment on this line, at Stretton Grandison,-it was probably Roman; but in that, and other instances where the site has been appropriated to the more useful labours of the plough, the traces have been gradually obliterated." It is also stated, in the "Beauties of England and Wales"§, that there is a paved way from Kenchester, leading to a passage See p. 1, as to the opinion of some antiquaries that Ariconium was the ancient name of Kenchester. + Vol. i., p. 29. See also "Topographical and Historical Description of Herefordshire," by Brayley and Britton, p. 406. The name Stretton is derived from "Via Strata," or the street. § Vol. 15, Part 2, p. 6. over the river Lug, and thence towards Ledbury, pointing to Worcester, supposed to be Roman. 64 This road is also thus noticed in Gough's "Camden"* :— Ariconium [querie Magna] stands on a little brook called the Ince, which thence encompassing the walls of Hereford, falls into the Wye. Two great Roman ways here cross each other; one, called the Port-way, comes from Bullæum, now Buelt, in Brecknockshire, and passing eastward by Kenchester through Stretton, to which it gives name, and over the river Lug to Stretton Grantham, upon the Frome, goes to Worcester." The line of this road, from Frome Hill to Worcester, most probably was by Cradley Court, Ridgeway Cross, and over the brook at Stifford's Bridge (all in Cradley §, Herefordshire), thence through Cowley Park, Upper Howsell, in the parish of Leigh ||, Newland, and Powick, across the Teme, and through Upper Wick, in the parish of St. John, to Worcester. In the parish of NEWLAND (formerly a hamlet of Great Malvern) there are places called Little Ridgeway, Campson, Long Dole, Limburrow, and Jack's Close. Pins Green lies on the border. In POWICK, or Powycke, are Pykesham or Pixam; Moan Land, in Pixham's Ham; Big Stampall Ground, Oldneys, Old Hills, Callow-end, Stoney Lake; Rudgeway, or Ridgeway Ham, or Common Field; Ridgeway, Great and Little Ridgeway, Puckcroft, Astridge, Soar Oak Field, Bear-croft, or Ashridge Hill, The Vineyard, and Cinders Perry. The name of this parish is spelled Poincgwic in the "Codex Dip.," No. 570, and Poiwic in "Domesday Book T." The pieces of land named Ridgeway belong to the Ridgeway • Vol. iii., p. 73. ✦ The prevailing opinion now is, that Ariconium stood at Penyard, near Ross, and that Magna means Kenchester. With respect to the derivation of this name, see "Bewdley." There is a hill called Bual, or Bewill, in Alfrick (see p. 247), on the line of road from Walls Hill Camp and Malvern Hills, to Woodbury Hill.-See p. 238. § See p. 256, 257. || See p. 240. See p. 73, relative to Roman antiquities found in this parish; and also see the "Folk-Lore." Farm, situated on the east side of the road from Malvern to Worcester, and about a mile from the Old Hills. Ridgeway Ham, or Common Field (now enclosed) lies by the west end of the farm, near the messuage and premises called the Daw's Nest, where Black Hawthorn Lane joins the above-mentioned road. The line of the Portway from Newland, through Powick, was most probably across this Common Field, through Ridgeway Farm, thence to Ham Hill, and across Powick Ham, to the Teme, which it probably crossed near to the present Wear†, and thence led to Upper Wick, in the parish of St. John, and so on to Worcester. I am sorry that I can offer little or nothing in elucidation of the peculiar name "Black Hawthorn Lane." I am informed that there formerly was, at the entrance of this lane, a large hawthorn tree of the common kind, which was destroyed about twenty years ago through the continual placing of the stones for repairing the road against its trunk, and that it has since been replaced by a younger tree. There is a coppice near Dorking, in Surrey called "Black-hawes," where Aubrey says there was a castle‡. In the parish of ST. JOHN, in Bedwardines, there is Ridgeway Meadow, which lies in Upper Wick, by the Wear, on the Teme, a little above Powick Bridge; and there is no doubt that this was part of the line of road in question, and that it went on through Upper Wick, along the Port Street, on the boundaries of Lawern, to Worcester. It may be here remarked that a portion of the Roman antiquities previously mentioned, were discovered on the west side of Powick village, exactly opposite Ridgeway Meadow ¶. Dr. Nash, in his "History of Worcestershire," speaks of an ancient road in Over Arley, in Staffordshire, on the * There is an ancient branch road from Ridgeway Farm to the Old Hills, running from thence to Pixam Ferry on the Severn, nearly opposite to Kempsey village, where ancient relics have been found, as stated in pp. 54 to 60. +"Wær," Saxon. See "Archæologia," Vol. xi., pp. 102, 107. § See p. 261, as to various names of places in this parish. || See p. 262. ¶See p. 73. 66 border of this county, called the Portway, and states that it probably led from Worcester, through Over Arley, to Shrewsbury. It is observable here, that Portstræt, mentioned in the AngloSaxon boundaries of Salwarp*, " Portway Plat," in Croces, in Sychampton, in Ombersley, and " Portway Piece," in Wolverley, also lie in the direct line from Worcester to Over Arley; and a considerable quantity of Roman relics was found at Knight's Grove, in Ombersley, as before stated. This part of the Portway was probably a deviation road, running parallel with the western side of that part of the Western Trackway, which went from Worcester, through Droitwich, to Over Arley, &c., as hereafter described. The term Port, or Military way, occurs in other parts ✓ in the county; but it is not improbable that the one in question was, from its length and importance, emphatically called by the Romans, "The Portway." It appears to have run along the eastern bank of the Severn, between Worcester and Over Arley, where forts of Ostorius were most probably placed. As the name Ridgeway occurs so frequently in that part of this Portway which lies between Frome Hill, Cos. Hereford and Worcester, it seems very probable that this part of it was a branch of the Rycknield Street, or Ridgeway, passing from Wall Hills Camp, near Ledbury, to Frome Hill, and thence to Worcester; and that the Romans adopted it, from Frome Hill to Worcester, as part of the main Portway. Iter XV. WESTERN TRACKWAY, FROM TEWKESBURY, THROUGH UPTON AND WORCESTER, TO THE TRENCH LANE, DROITWICH, AND SALWARP; THENCE TO HADLEY HEATH CAMP, IN OMBERSLEY; AND THROUGH WASSAL HILL CAMP, IN THE PARISH OF KIDDERMINSTER, TO OVER ARLEY, &c.* THIS line of road forms a part of what is called the Western Trackway, which is said to have gone from Isca Damnoniorum, or Uxella (Exeter), Taunton, Bridgewater, Bristol, Glevum (Gloucester), Branogenium or Bravinium § (Worcester), Salinæ (Droitwich), and Kidderminster, in Worcestershire; Claverley, in Shropshire; Weston-under-Lizard, Etocetum (Wall), High Offley, Mediolanum (Chesterton), and Betley, in Staffordshire; Condate (Congleton or Kinderton), Middlewich, and Northwich, in Cheshire; Warrington, Mancunium (Manchester), Preston, Coccium (Blackrode ¶), and Lancaster, to Luguballium (Carlisle), &c. In Mr. Hatcher's edition of "Richard of Cirencester," See glimpses of this road in the account of Worcester, p. 23; Upton, 61; Ombersley, 108; Salwarp, 109, 110; Perry Wood, 222, 223; Elbury Hill, 224. + Some think that Uxella lay near Bridgewater, or at Barton-on-the-Foss; others, that Isca and Uxella were the same. Some say this road went from Bridgewater through Ad-Aquas (probably Wells), Aqua Solis (Bath), and Corinium (Cirencester), to Gloucester. If so, the road through Bristol was probably a Roman deviation or short line. § See p. 1. || According to some authorities, this road ran from Droitwich, through Birmingham, to Wall. Stukeley says Burton, by Lancaster. |