84 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COTTESWOLD CLUB 



map of Cheltenham and the vicinity a century ago, in the 

 possession of our colleague Mr Vassar-Smith, notes two 

 roads to London which even then had ceased to he so 

 used. One was over Hewlett's Hill, past the Hewlett's 

 Hill camp ; the other was up Sandy-lane, on the eastern 

 brow of Leckhampton Hill. Ogilby's " Book of the 

 Roads of England and Wales," published in 1698, in 

 describing the road from Gloucester to Coventry, tells the 

 traveller, when he gets to Prestbury, to avoid the turning 

 on the left to Southam, and to go " thro' an irregular 

 "Way over a Hill of IM. by a Beacon on the Left, and 

 " by Postlip on the Right " — to Winchcomb. Therefore 

 two hundred years ago there was a regularly-used road 

 over Cleeve Hill direct from Prestbury, instead of from 

 Southam, and which crossed the common on the south 

 side of the beacon or camp. These three roads, it is 

 important to note, have for a considerable distance l)een 

 worn into deep hollows. 



(5) There are certain bye-roads which from construc- 

 tion or name or connection with ancient camps require to 

 be connected with arterial highways. In addition to the 

 roads from camps already mentioned, is a road running 

 from Whittington past Cleeve Hill camp to Nottingham 

 Hill camp, and another from Seven Springs past Norbury 

 camp to Colesborne. There are also two short pieces of 

 road which are somewhat remarkable. From Upper 

 Dowdeswell to the village of Withington, there is a road 

 nearly two miles long, which from its straightness and 

 breadth is almost certain to be of Roman construction. 

 A similar road, nearly three miles long, joins Eubury 

 camp with the Cheltenham and Stow road two miles west 

 of Stow-on-the-Wold. 



If these camps and bye-roads are marked upon a map of 

 the Middle Cotteswolds, it will readily be seen that three 

 additional lengths of highway are required to bring them 

 into common communication. 



