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Abbots, and Linton, to Upton Bishop; and by Yatton and Kempley, to Much Marcle and Little Marcle; and by Wall Hills Camp and Ledbury, to Tewkesbury. The later Romans, for military and other purposes, probably made two deviation lines, one from Isca to Venta (Chepstow), and across the Severn, at or about Aust Passage, or Oldbury Passage, into the Western Trackway; and the other from Berry Hill, near Ross, across the Severn, to Gloucester, into the same Trackway (which ran from Exeter, the Caer-Isk of the Britons, and the Isca Danmoniorum of the Romans, to Bristol, Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Worcester, &c.). The Rycknield Street, having run along this Trackway from Aust Passage to Tewkesbury, appears there to have branched off to Evesham, Bidford, Edgbaston, &c.; while the Trackway went on to Worcester, Droitwich, Over Arley, &c. The Rev. Thomas Leman's two maps, relative to the ancient British and Roman roads, strongly favour this opinion, since, in the one map the ancient British line of the Rycknield Street is made to run from St. David's to Berry Hill, and from thence through Herefordshire, much to the west of Gloucester, to Alauna, Alcester; and, in the other map, the Roman deviation line runs through Gloucester, from the pass of the Severn, by Aust or Oldbury Passage, and also from the pass of the Severn, near Gloucester §. Now, supposing, as is most natural, that the ancient British line of the Rycknield Street ran from Berry Hill, near Ross, through Herefordshire, to Ledbury, instead of crossing the river to Gloucester, its course from Ledbury to Tewkesbury was most probably the line of road detailed in p. 277, &c., in which is the before-mentioned road, called the Ridgeway, running between Eastnor and the Herefordshire Beacon Camp, on Malvern Hill; and where also are met with the

* See p. 289, as to a probable branch road of the Rycknield Street having gone from Wall Hills Camp to Frome Hill, and on to Worcester.

+ See p. 290, &c.

See Brewer's "Beauties of England and Wales," Introduction, pp. 13 and 133, edition 1818.

§ The lines to these two passes are, however, given in dots, or doubtfully. See pp. 348, 349, in further proof of this.

remarkable ancient British, Roman, and Saxon names of Wain Street, Keysend Street, the Pendock Portway, in the Berrow; Gadbury Banks, in Eldersfield; Crookberrow, in Pendock and the Berrow; Sarn Hill, and Wood Street, in Bushley; and The Mythe Tute, and Oldbury Gardens, near Tewkesbury.

The following are in the line from Ross to Ledbury :—

In LINTON, Herefordshire, near Upton Bishop, there is a place called Lower Oldbury.

In Brockhampton*, Herefordshire, there are places called The Top of Walboro', Caplow Wood, Castle Hill, and The Yells. A little to the north of the village, the remains of what is said to be a Roman encampment, with a double trench, are met with †.

In MUCH MARCLE, Herefordshire, there are Puckmoor's Orchard, Street's-end, Camp Field, Little Woburg, Upper and Lower Woburg, Camp Wood, Puerdon Field, Boyarden, Hasarden, Harold's Croft, Oldbury, Worrall's Meadow, Harwell Orchard, Harwell Field, and Wiggen Ash.

In DYMOCK, Gloucestershire, there are Dorlow, Coldridge, Coldridge Hill, Old Hill, Berrow's and Little Berrow's Orchard, Berrow Meadow, Berrow Rough, Berrow Homestead, Berrow's Bank, Castle Meadow, Crewsfield, Round Hill, Puckmore, Puckmore's Hitch, Yesler's, Quabb's, Quabb Ground, Upper and Lower Quabb's, Portway Top, Shaice Field, Castle Tump, Middle and Near Castle Field, Hell Piece, Hell Bridge Meadow, Dotchley, Stanberrow, Stich, Sitchell's, Lao Croft, Ambersley, Far Am. bersley, Cob's Hole, Bow Field, Harding's, Pink's Field, Pink's Meadow, Harcomb, Harcomb Coppice, Knap Head, and Bromsberrow Heath. This place is supposed to derive its name from the Saxon, "dim," (dark), and "ac" (oak), and was formerly a place of some importance. There is a mount in this parish called Castle Tump, the site of the old castle which stood there.

In PAUNTLEY, adjoining Dymock, there are Paveford Coppice, Paveford, Harwich Coppice, Harwich Field, Harwich Quabs, Great Harwich Coppice, and Harwich.

* There also is "Brockhampton," near Bromyard. + Bróc, in Anglo-Saxon, signifies a brook.

An agricultural custom prevails at this place on Twelfth-dayeve, thus described in Hone's "Every-day Book," Vol. ii., p. 28, as follows:

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"In the parish of Pauntley, a village on the border of the county of Gloucester, next Worcestershire, and in the neighbourhood, a custom, intended to prevent the smut in wheat, in some respects resembling the Scotch beltein*, prevails.' 'On the eve of Twelfth-day, all the servants of every farmer assemble together in one of the fields that has been sown with wheat. At the end of twelve lands, they make twelve fires in a row with straw; around one of which, made larger than the rest, they drink a cheerful glass of cider to their master's health, and success to the future harvest; then, returning home, they feast on cakes. made of carraways, &c., soaked in cider, which they claim as a reward for their past labours in sowing the grain f.'

In LEDBURY, in Herefordshire, there are places as stated in p. 275.

The preceding notices appear to warrant the inference that the Rycknield Street, or Ridgeway, consisted of a single line, from St. David's, for several miles eastward, and afterwards formed three great links before it reached Edgbaston, near Birmingham; that the first link commenced at Isca (Caerleon), and terminated at Tewkesbury; the second, at Tewkesbury, and terminated at Alcester; and the third, at Alcester, and terminated at Edgbaston. This agrees with the principles laid down in p. 237, respecting ancient British roads; and explains the reason of such parallel lines, namely, that the one was ancient British, and the other Roman.

* See Chaddesley Corbett, p. 124, and Old Storage, pp. 191, 192.

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The line from Berry Hill, near Ross, to Gloucester, was merely a cut across the first link.

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Ster XX.

FOSS WAY.

As the Foss Way passes through Blockley, Shipston-on-Stour, and Tredington, which are detached portions of Worcestershire, I have collected the following names which occur in those places and their vicinity.

CODESTON, Cotesdon, or Cutsdean, is a hamlet of the parish of Bredon, Co. Worcester. In the Anglo-Saxon times there were places called the Greystone, and Radborough, on the boundaries of Codeston*.

The parish of BLOCKEY was anciently called Blockelet and Blockel. In "Domesday Book," it is written Blockelei. It is said that urns and other Roman remains have been found on Moor Hill. In the "Companion to Greenwood's Map of Worcestershire," published in 1822, it is stated that the palace of the bishop formerly stood in Blockley, and that "from the many relics of antiquity found in the vicinity, it is supposed to have been a Roman station."

In the hamlet of Blockley there are places called Old Oven, Round Hill, and Dove Dale.

In the hamlet of Aston or Eston, in Blockley, there are Beawells, Hob's Hole, Hobb's Hole Coppice, Tokenham, Elim Hale, Big and Little Hale, and Foss Way. In "Domesday Book," the place is called Aston.

* See Nash, Vol. ii., App., p. 45, and Heming's " Cartulary," p. 348. Also see Chap. IV., relative to "Hoar Stones," and the above-mentioned "Grey Stone;" likewise p. 86, as to the neighbouring camps at Bourton-on-the-Hill, Co. Gloucester.

In Dorne, a hamlet in Blockley, there is a piece called the Foss Way Ground. British and Roman relics have been found here, as stated in P. 87.

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In NORTHWICK there is a place called Ridegway. name is spelled Norwyke in " Domesday Book." In Dr. Thomas's "Survey of Worcester Cathedral," &c., the Foss Way is thus incidentally mentioned:-Ethelbald "by the style of the King of the South Angles, gave to Bishop Wilfrithe eight cassates of land at Bæcces horan*, now called Battesford, bounded by Bourton Hill to the south, by the Fosse, or King's Highway, to the east, and by rivulets to the north."-A. p. 12.

ICOMBE, otherwise Iccancumb, Ikecumbe, or Ickham, was a detached parish of Worcestershire, but has been annexed to Gloucestershire by the Reform Bill. There is a camp there f.

DAYLESFORD, Dalesford, or Dailsford, is a detached parish of Worcestershire. It was anciently called Deiglesford; and in "Domesday Book" it is written Eilesford.

In EVENLOAD, Emload, or Emlade, a detached parish of Worcestershire, there is a place called Dark's Folly. The name of this parish, in King Edgar's Charter, is written Eowenland, but sometimes, and more correctly, it is written Eunilade and Eumlade. In "Domesday Book," it it is spelled Eunilade, and is therein described as appertaining to the Church of Worcester. In Heming's "Cartulary" there is a Charter of King Offa, dated 784, granting lands in Eowengelade. The Four Shire Stone. stands partly in this parish. Antiquities have been found near here, and in the Barrow Ground. See pp. 85, 86.

In the parish of CHASTLETON or Chastledon, Co. Oxford (in which the Four Shire Stone also partly stands), there are places called Stup Hill, Harcomb, Barrow Ground, and Wyton's Harcomb. "The parish is memorable as the scene of a sanguinary conflict in 1016, between Edmund Ironside and Canute, when the latter was defeated with great slaughter."

* Heming's" Cartulary," pp. 34, 376.

+ Vide P. 85.

Lewis's "Topographical Dictionary."

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