A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



thence (after a short break, through that village) past South and North 

 Wheatley, Clayworth, and Everton, to Bawtry, which, except for an occasional 

 turning or break, appears to show the line of the Roman road." At Wiseton 

 in Clayworth parish, at Everton, and at Scaftworth between Everton and 

 Bawtry, are traces of Roman occupation." From Bawtry to Doncaster the 

 road may be assumed to follow more or less closely the line of the present 

 Great North Road, but this lies almost wholly in Yorkshire, after forming 

 the county boundary for two miles. 



A Roman road is also said to have been noted in the parish of Gringley- 

 on-the-Hill, to the north of Clayworth,^^ but this is probably without 

 authority. 



(3) OTHER ROADS 



The two roads already described are the only Roman roads in Notting- 

 hamshire which are attested by sound evidence. Numerous other roads have 

 been suggested, but for the most part only in order to fit in with preconceived 

 theories. With one or two exceptions, they may be briefly dismissed as 

 devoid of authority. 



(i) Perhaps the most likely to be of Roman origin is that from OUerton 

 along the east side of Clumber Park, and past Ranby to Blyth. This runs 

 practically in a straight line until it approaches Blyth, and forms the boundary 

 of parishes through almost all of its course. But no Roman remains have 

 been found along the line except a hoard of coins at Morton Hall in Babworth 

 parish, and coins at Blyth, ^* and these hardly supply evidence. Watkin con- 

 siders that the road may be traced from the ' camp ' at Arnold, just north of 

 Nottingham,*" along what is now known as Hollinwood Lane ; " but there is 

 practically no evidence to prove his view. There is indeed from Oxton to 

 OUerton a ' fairly ' straight road (the Old Rufford Road) running in a line 

 with the road from OUerton to Blyth, through the parishes of Farnsfield and 

 RufFord, and it is possible that there is a southern continuation of the latter. 

 But whence it came and whither it went requires further investigation which 

 may or may not establish its Roman origin. The Oxton and Farnsfield camps, 

 formerly adduced in its favour, are now known to be British.*^ 



(ii) The Ordnance Survey*^ maps trace the course of a road marked 

 as ' Leeming Lane, Roman Road,' from Mansfield northwards to Warsop. 

 This road would pass quite close to the villa at Mansfield Woodhouse,"* and, 

 if continued, traverse Worksop, Blyth, and Bawtry, to join the Ermine Street, 

 but except between Worksop and Blyth there is no modern track in this 

 direction. Mr. William Stevenson, who calls it ' undoubtedly Roman,' traces 

 it on the other side of Mansfield from ' that remarkable ridge known as Robin 

 Hood's Hills ' at Annesley,*^ and quotes Brewster as connecting that place by 



« Stukeley, Itin. Cur. 93 ; Family Mem. of S. (Surtees Soc), ii, 315 ; Codrington, Rom. Roads in Brit. 

 153 ; Arch. Joum. xxxvi, 283, xliii, 43 ; Stevenson, Bygone Notts. 4. 



" See Index. " See Index. 



'» See Index. «> See Index. 



" JrcL Joum. xliii, 43 ; he appears to continue the course of this road as far north as Bawtry. The 

 old Ordnance Survey (sheet 82) marks a 'Roman Road' between Blyth and that town. 



<" See Index. « O.S. 6-in. xxiii, SW., xxiii, NW., xviii. SW. 



" See p. 28. « Bygone Notts. 14. 



10 



