456 The Roman Potteries at Durobrivcc. 



they could not have possessed without external aid, a necessity- 

 has been created for them to extend their gesture language ; 

 and we can only expect to find such a language highly de- 

 veloped under circumstances that favour an amount of intel- 

 lectual development considerably above that of the lowest 

 races of mankind, and which also render spoken language 

 impossible, as iu the case of deaf-mutes ; or inapplicable, as 

 where American Indians are in the habit of meeting with 

 tribes whose language they do not know, and have no facilities 

 for acquiring. 



Thus, though gesture language may stand in order of 

 development before articulate speech, it could only reach. its 

 point of culmination long after articulate spoken language had 

 made considerable advances. 



THE ROMAN POTTERIES AT DUROBRIV^]. 



BY THOMAS WEIGHT, F.S.A. 



(With a Coloured Plate.) 



In the flat low district, where the river Nen forms the bound- 

 ary line between the counties of Huntingdon and Northampton, 

 are found two adjacent parishes and villages, one on the North- 

 amptonshire side of the river, called Castor, the other, on the 

 Huntingdon side, known by the name of Chesterton. Castor 

 is distant about four miles and a-half west from Peterborough. 

 Both these names furnish, combined with its position on 

 one of the most imposing of the Roman lines of road, the 

 Ermyn Street, undeniable evidence that this locality has 

 been the site of a Roman settlement of some importance ; and 

 accordingly, accidental discoveries first, and afterwards exca- 

 vations carefully planned and executed, brought to light the 

 remains of a town of some extent, which, to judge by the foun- 

 dations, and by the occurrence of tesselated pavements, must 

 have consisted of large and handsome houses. But that which 

 gave still greater interest to this place was, that it was found 

 to have been once a great establishment of potteries — a sort of 

 Staffordshire of Roman Britain ; and not only was abundance 

 of the pottery made here found scattered about, but the kilns 

 themselves in which it was baked. It was the first well- 

 ascertained discovery of manufactories of Roman pottery in 

 this island. A comparison of the local circumstances with the 

 ancient itineraries has enabled us to identify this place with 

 the town which stands, in the itinerary of Antoninus, between 



