34 



The Roman Cemetery of Uriconium. 



well as sanitary motives. This rule was strictly adhered to in 

 all the Roman towns in Britain which have been to any degree 

 explored. It was followed in Uriconium, where the principal 

 cemetery lay outside the eastern gateway, bordering the road 

 which led towards Londinium (London), and which is now 

 called the Wathng Street. In most of the Roman towns in 

 this island, we find that the principal cemetery lay, like this, on 

 the road leading to the chief town in the island ; but we can 

 point out another motive for selecting this locality at Uriconium, 

 in the circumstance that it was the highest ground round the 

 city, and the least exposed to be overflowed by the floods 



SITE OF THE CEMETEKY OF URICONIUM. 



from the Severn. In our cut, the letter I marks the site of the 

 eastern gate of the city of Uriconium, the dark line represent- 

 ing the line of the town wall. The Watling Street, as will be 

 seen, runs from it in nearly an easterly direction. To the 

 south the ground rises from the road in a gentle bank, the 

 brow of which, in the field where the excavations have been 

 chiefly carried on, is marked by the shading from D to E. 

 Attention had been called to this locality by the accidental dis- 

 covery, it is supposed not far from the spot marked E, of seven 

 slabs of stone bearing interesting sepulchral inscriptions, which 

 are still preserved in the Library of Shrewsbury School. This 

 discovery furnished at least a very strong presumption that this 



