4 A HISTORY OF LONGRIDGE. ||Chap. 1. 



feet in width. Tliey liaj also cross roads leading to less frequented 

 places than tlie ordinary roads. Many of our high roads, public roads, 

 and bye cross roads were on the lines laid out by the Eouians."* 



The "Itinera^' of Antoninus is the chief authority of Eoman times 

 that we have. It is variously ascribed to Julius Ctosar, Antouius 

 Augustus, and Antoninus Augustus. 



The best modern authority is the late lamented W. Thompson "Watkin, 

 from whose Roman Lancashire we obtain the following interesting in- 

 formation about the Roman roads in the neighbourhood of Longridge : 

 Ribcbester appears to have been connected by a direct Roman road with Lancaster. 

 Leaving the castrum it runs north-west, a modern road being formed upon it, past 

 a place called Dale Hey, another called Pinfold, and so on to a place called Preston 

 Wives, where it crosses at riglit angles a road leading east-north-east from the 

 village of Longridge. ^ About this spot there can be little doubt it was formerly 

 crossed by the road from Overljorough, which, where last traceable on Longridge, 

 is aiming in a direct line for Walton-le-Dale. The Lancaster road keeps on past 

 "Written Stone," where, as a still-used road, it terminates; but passed on near 

 Stony Croft, and by various fragments now used as lanes, is traceable by " Stony 

 Lane farm," "Windy Arbour," near Liokhurst, Broadgate, Stangato "Street 

 farm," near Stonehead, about a mile and a h.alf north-east from Shireshead, and 

 appears to have fallen into the road from Walton to Lancaster, somewhere near 

 Galgate. The Ordnance Surveyors have marked a Roman road only as far as 

 " Preston Wives." 



The road from Manchester to Ribcbester is generally considered to have been 

 continued forward up to Longridge, communicating with the station by a short 

 road from the point where it forded the river, but. as usual, near the station the 

 traces of it are lost until we come to Cherry Gate (or Yate), where a road called 

 Stoney Gate Lane ascends the hill. This, though a zig-zag road, is occasionally 

 upon the track of the Roman road, though in most places the latter is to the left 

 of the former, being plainly visible. It continues thus to the summit of the hill, 

 where, near a point called " Jeffrey Hill," it falls at almost right angles on the road 

 which I have before named as pointing for Walton. 



Traces of this road are clearly visible now. 



Dr. Stukely, accompanied by Eoger Gale, visited Eibchester in 1775, 

 and in his "Iter Boreale" gives a graphic description of the place. 



J Rev. Mr. Just, of Bury— "ianca- 'A glance at the map which accom- 



shire and Cheshire Historical Societtj," panius this work shows Ijetter than any 



vol. L, p. 69. description the course of these roads. 



