ISO PREBENDAL HOUSES AT LITTLE CHESTER. 



Streets lined with tombs close up to Rome.* We have not, how- 

 ever, sufificient data to warrant us in affirming that this cellar is of 

 Roman origin. There seems, at any rate, no reason to doubt 

 that it is one of the vaults spoken of by Dr. Stukeley, but its 

 purpose remains a mystery. 



We may mention here that the best living Roman authorities 

 have been consulted, and they conclude, judging only from the 

 sketch, that the cellar is a post Roman work. Here we are con- 

 tent to leave it, in the hope that it may be eventually examined 

 by some more competent judges, and a definite conclusion arrived 

 at. Our intention has been to recover some small fragments of 

 the remains of these prebendal houses, and these traces of Roman 

 occupation have come in our way in the course of the necessary 

 investigations, and we shall only be too glad if they preserve some, 

 until now, forgotten fragments of local history. 



We have tried to verify some of the houses now remaining at 

 Little Chester with Dr. Stukeley's plan. We find those of wliich 

 we have written here, but they have been a good deal altered 

 since his plan was made — mostly by additions to them — showing 

 that the prebendal houses consisted of the oldest existing parts, 

 and that the newer parts are of the latter end of George I.'s reign, 

 or about i6o years ago. Stukeley's plan of Chester is of the 

 highest interest now, showing, as it does, how much has been 

 obliterated that was traceable in his time. In fact it is 

 now the only existing record of what has now entirely passed 

 away, except the small portions we have been able to trace 

 in the cellars of these two old houses, and doubtless these 

 in a few more years will be cleared out to make room for 

 somebody to make some " almighty " money. Nobody cares 

 now-a-days for aught else. " Will it fetch any money ? " said 

 a man to us, respecting one of these old stones ; he could 

 see nothing in it any further. That is the rule ; he was no 

 exception to it. Stukeley says the castrum was 500 ft. by 

 600 ft., or about seven acres. Who could say that now ? But 



* " Hand-book of Archaeology, " by H. M. Westiopp, p. 114. 



