Prehistoric ArcJiaeologt/ of Cambridgeshire 243 



near Royston) found near this road, evidence of earlier and 

 British associations, in the form of hut-circles containing ashes 

 and fragments of bronze similar to those found at Barrington 1 , 

 bear testimony to the great antiquity of this route. 



But beyond all this, the Icknield Way is conspicuous as 

 being crossed in Cambridgeshire by no less than three great 

 earthworks or ramparts, viz. the Worsted Street already 

 described, the Fleam Dyke, and the Devil's Ditch, of which 

 mention will be made in the succeeding paragraph. 



The Ermine Street. This, the great line of communication 

 between London and York, the "Old North Road" of modern 

 times, crosses the western end of Cambridgeshire on its way 

 from Royston to Huntingdon ; at the former town it crosses 

 the Icknield Way, and at the latter it crosses the Ouse in 

 company with the Via Devana. Its significance in the early 

 history of Cambridgeshire is as yet unknown. 



The Pedder Way is another road along the line of which 

 numerous discoveries of archaeological interest have been 

 made. Starting at Stratford-le-bow near London 2 , and pass- 

 ing Woodford, Epping, Harlow, Bishop's Stortford, and New- 

 port, it reached Great Chesterford, at about a mile beyond 

 which it joined the Icknield Way, and they proceeded to- 

 gether at least as far as Worsted Lodge (on the Via Devana, 

 i.e. the Worsted Street), and perhaps to Mutlow Hill Gap on 

 the Balsham Dyke. Then passing towards the Beacon tumuli 

 on Newmarket Heath (an extensive Anglo-Saxon burial ground 

 was excavated by Lord Braybrooke near this portion of the 

 Way), it seems to have cut through the Devil's Ditch at the 

 " Running Gap " on its course to Exning, and here also many 

 Saxon and Roman remains have been brought to light. From 

 Exning it passed to Mildenhall, thence to Brandon, Ickborough, 

 Swaffham and Castle Acre to Brancaster. As has just been 

 mentioned, Roman and Saxon antiquities are numerous along 

 this line. Thus at Great Chesterford an extensive Roman 



1 Of. Conybeare, op. cit. p. 15. 



2 Babington, Ancient Cambridgeshire, p. 64. 



162 



