A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



Stukeley, who came here in 1722, saw near a spring in Burrow Field 

 called Oldwork. 



The Roman foundations of walls and floors of houses composed of stones set edgewise in 

 clay, and liquid mortar run upon them : there are likewise short oaken posts or piles at pro- 

 per intervals . . . Houses stood all along the Foss ; whole foundations have been dug up 

 and carried to the neighbouring villages. They told us too of a most famous pavement near 

 the Foss Way : close by in a pasture, Castle Hill Close has been a great building which 

 they say was carried all to Newark. John Green of Bridgeford, aged 80, told me that he 

 has taken up large foundations there, much ancient coin, small earthen pipes for water : his 

 father, aged near 100, took up many pipes fourscore yards off the castle and much fine free- 

 stone ; some well cut or carved : there have been found many urns, pots, and Roman 

 bricks.'"' 



He also ' heard of Roman pavements dug up there,' and in a footnote to the 

 same edition he mentions the discovery on the Fosse Way of a fine brass con- 

 torniate of M. Aurelius, with heads of that emperor and Commodus, found 

 in an urn with one or two others. His description of the site is illustrated 

 by a drawing showing the relative position of the village and station. 



Horsley corrected Stukeley's identification of the site from Ad Pontem 

 to Margidunum.^"* Another account speaks of the lordship in Car Colston 

 parish ' called in old writings " Aldwerck," and at this time " Oldwarke " 

 . . . where foundations of solid wrought stone are found, the Grounds there- 

 about bearing the Signs and Memory of old Fortifications, viz. one Close 

 still having the name of " Castle-Hill," and two other of " Castleton-closes," 

 as also a Spring called Oldwark spring, and the adjacent Ground on the other 

 side the Foss-way in Bridgford parish — called the Burrough-Field, where 

 ancient Coins have been found.' "° Gibson speaks of a 'fair silver coin of 

 Vespasian ' found here."* 



Apart from these no other details seem to be forthcoming to support or 

 supplement Stukeley's account until the middle of the 19th century. In 1857 

 Mrs. Miles, wife of the rector of Bingham, began to explore the Burrow 

 Fields, on the surface of which she had for a long time noticed fragments of 

 pottery. Afterwards she described the results of her excavations to Mr. Wat- 

 kin for his article on the Roman remains of this county.'"^ 



The circumvallation of the camp was still clearly marked, especially at 

 the north-east angle, and the cemetery seems to have lain outside its south- 

 east angle. Several fields on each side of the Fosse were full of remains, 

 especially a ploughed field on the west side through which runs the bridle- 

 path known as ' Newton Street.' "* ' Here,' says Mrs. Miles, ' we gather 

 every year numbers of specimens of pottery lying on the surface, besides deer- 

 horns, bones, balls, or "runnings " of lead, flue-tiles,"' stone tiles, tesserae, and 

 thousands of pieces of pottery of different colours, qualities, and materials. 

 Many of these are worked in patterns, and the pieces of Samian ware have hunt- 

 ing subjects, leaves, &c. on the ground, and we have a considerable number of 



'»' Itin. Cur. 105, with pi. 90. 



'" See above, p. 6. The doctor was misled by the similarity of the ancient and modem names. Brit. 

 Rom. 438 ; see also Gibson's Camden, i, 435 ; Salmon, New Surv. i, 294. 



"' Mag. Brit, iv, 41 ; see als3 Pointer, Brit. Rom. 53 ; Thoroton, Hist, of Not.'s. (ed. Throsby), i, 148 ; 

 Notts, and Derb. N. and Q. iv, 183 (Dec. 1896). 



'»« Camden, loc. cit.; Mag. Brit, iv, 40. 



""■ Nott. Daily Guardian, 5 Feb. 1877 ; Jrch. Joum. xliii, 19. "s See below. 



"" See Index s.v. Bingham for a possible instance. 



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