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These British trackways were of great importance, and show a mor« 

 civilised condition of the aboriginal Britons than has been generally assigned to 

 them. It is true that theii- towns or stations generally occupied the summits of 

 low hills, were fortified by earth embankments or loose walls, and their dwellings 

 little more than circular huts ; yet, they seem to have established communica- 

 tions from one town to another, and, in the absence of more du-ect evidence, 

 such was, in all probability, the original trackway traced by Mr. Edmunds from 

 the Dinas, at Ludlow, to the very interesting British station at Kisbury. 



To draw a practical conclusion, it may be remarked that it is not impro- 

 bable that there was a cross road, or vicinal way, branching off from the greater 

 portway, the Via Orientalis, near Wigmore, which led from Bravinium to 

 Circutio as supposed by ]^Ir. Cherry ; and that the British trackway from 

 Ashton to Bodenham was a portion of that road, which had been adopted by the 

 Romans and Romanised Britons when they extended their communications 

 upon thq more complete subjugation and civilisation of the country. 



Like many of our old Roman roads the effects of agriculture and local 

 alterations have destroyed its identity during the whole course, but a reference 

 to the ordnance map will enable us to form a very good idea of the district 

 thi-ough which it ran. 



There is nothing in the local nomenclature that will afiect the present 

 question, and therefore to some extent we must rest upon the deductions to bo 

 fairly drawn from inference and probability, where traditional and physical 

 evidence are absent. And here it may not be out of place to hint that much 

 good may be done if residents in this county would take notice of circumstances 

 in their localities— such as the nomenclature of villages, houses, cross roads, or 

 even fields, with a view to a more certain development of the geography of early 

 ages. It would be acting upon the principle of an eminent geologist when he 

 identified nature's ancient changes with the district of an ancient people under 

 the name of " Siluria." A well-known classic author informed us in our school 

 days — 



" Ingenuit notitias parvas rerum maximarum natura." 



Mr. Edmunds observed that the only point of difference between his friend- 



and himself appeared to be as to that part of the road which leads southward 

 from Bodenham Moor to Shelwick bridge. Very possibly that part ims British ; 

 in fact, he was inclined to concede very much more, as his belief had long been 

 that most of the Roman roads were constructed on the basis of British tracks. 

 In many instances, indeed, natui'e had pointed out the line of communication 

 between different points, and uncivilised man had literally no choice but that 

 of the celebrated "Hobson," "this or none." The comparatively civilised 

 Roman came hither, and taught the people how to fill up hollows, cut down 

 elevations, smooth down roughnesses, bmld bridges, and thus make roads where 

 there had been only trackways leading to fords ; but in many cases the line taken 



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