- 
BETWEEN MANCHESTER AND RIBCHESTER. ( 
passage: “The Roman vicinal road from Man- 
chester to Ribchester passes through this parish, 
(Radcliffe), a portion of which yet retains the 
name of Blackburn-street.” To call the remains 
of the Roman road from Manchester to Ribchester 
those of a vicinal road argues, I presume, a total 
ignorance of the distinction of Roman roads. 
Vicinal roads were so called ‘‘qguia ad vicos ducunt”’ 
because they led to villages. The width of such 
roads averaged only about eight feet, and so far 
from being straight, they usually had turns pur- 
posely made for wagons to pass each other. The 
definition of the term, then, and the character of 
the remains of the Roman road from Manchester to 
Ribchester, are quite at variance. Besides, Black- 
burn-street does not pass through the parish of 
Radcliffe, but forms a part of the boundary between 
it and the parish of Bury. Again, “the Roman 
road from Overborough, after passing through 
Ribchester advances to Manchester, by way of 
Edgeworth, Bradshaw, and Cockey Moor, and 
appears at this day near the eastern boundary of 
Breightmet as a broad paved way of irregular 
surface.” Ibid. vol. III. p. 80. “ And farther, the 
Roman road passes through this township (Turton) 
and presents the appearance already described in 
the township of Breightmet.” Ibid. vol. IIL. p. 91. 
