| Fosse Way | |
|---|---|
| Roman Road | |
 The route of the Fosse Way | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 230 mi (370 km) |
| Time period | Roman Britain |
| Margary number | 5 |
| Major junctions | |
| From | Isca Dumnoniorum |
| Major intersections | Lindinis,Aquae Sulis,Corinium,Venonis,Ratae Corieltauvorum |
| To | Lindum Colonia |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Road network | |
TheFosse Way was aRoman road built inBritain during the first and second centuries AD that linkedIsca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) in the southwest andLindum Colonia (Lincoln) to the northeast, viaLindinis (Ilchester),Aquae Sulis (Bath),Corinium (Cirencester), andRatae Corieltauvorum (Leicester).
The word Fosse is derived from theLatinfossa, meaning 'ditch'.[1] For the first few decades after theRoman invasion of Britain in 43 AD, the Fosse Way marked the western frontier of Roman rule inIron Age Britain. It is possible that the road began as a defensive ditch that was later filled in and converted into a road, or possibly a defensive ditch ran alongside the road for at least some of its length.[2][3]
The road joinedAkeman Street andErmin Way at Cirencester, crossedWatling Street atVenonis (High Cross) south of Leicester, and joinedErmine Street at Lincoln.
TheAntonine Itinerary (a 2nd-century Roman register of roads) includes the section between High Cross and Lincoln, and lists intermediate points atVerometo (Willoughby on the Wolds),Margiduno (Castle Hill nearBingham),Ad Pontem (East Stoke) andCrocolana (Brough).[4]
FromLincoln toIlchester inSomerset, a distance of 182 miles (293 km), the route is never more than 6 miles (10 km) from a straight line.[5][6]
Many sections of the Fosse Way form parts of modern roads and lanes, andparish, district orcounty boundaries, but some parts are now only accessible on foot.[7]
Several place names on the route have the suffix-cester or-chester, which is derived fromOld Englishceaster /cæster (ultimately from Latincastra meaning 'military camp'). Some settlements are named after the road itself, such asFosse-, or-on-Fosse, while others have a more generic form, such asStreet,Strete,-le-Street,Stratton,Stretton,Stratford, andStretford, derived from Old Englishstrǣt /strēt (ultimately from Latinstrata, meaning 'paved road'). The route runs from50°44′N3°29′W / 50.73°N 3.48°W /50.73; -3.48 in Exeter to53°14′N0°32′W / 53.23°N 0.54°W /53.23; -0.54 in Lincoln.
Between Lincoln andLeicester theA46 follows the route of the Fosse Way.[8] The A46 deviates from Fosse Way atEast Goscote, to follow theLeicester Western Bypass. The original alignment, which is still visible as an unclassified road calledFosse Way, passes throughSyston, continuing as the minor roadMelton Road throughThurmaston, before merging with the A607 (the old A46), continuing into the city centre on the old alignment, first as Melton Road then Belgrave Road and Belgrave Gate.[9]
The alignment terminates at theClock Tower, and picks up again atNarborough Road (the A5460), on the other side of theRiver Soar.[10] A 19 miles (31 km) stretch of the road between Widmerpool &Newark-on-Trent has been upgraded to adual carriageway which was completed in 2012. The new route deviates in several sections from the historic road line.
South ofLeicester, the B4114 (originally the A46 but renumbered when theM69 was opened) follows the route. This is apart from a short deviation nearNarborough, where the original course is no longer visible. A short distance north of theA5, the B4114 diverges from the line of the Fosse Way to pass through the village ofSharnford.[11]
For 2 miles (3.2 km) the route of the Fosse Way is followed by a minor road, named Roman Road which, although single track, runs along a much wider and slightly domed strip of land with deep ditches either side (theagger).[12] The modern road ends at a picnic site car park, and a further 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwards can be explored on foot.
The junction of Fosse Way withWatling Street, now theA5, is at High Cross (Roman nameVenonis).[13] Watling Street is the county boundary betweenLeicestershire andWarwickshire.
The Fosse Way follows the B4455 across Warwickshire, through Street Ashton,Stretton-under-Fosse,Brinklow,Bretford,Stretton-on-Dunsmore,Princethorpe and the site of a Roman town nearChesterton,[14] until it joins theA429 near the boundary withGloucestershire. The route then follows theA429 through Stretton-on-Fosse,Moreton-in-Marsh,Stow-on-the-Wold,Northleach and Fossebridge, toCirencester, where it crossesAkeman Street andErmin Way.[15][16]
South of Cirencester the Fosse Way follows a short section of theA433, then goes cross country. The Fosse Way crosses theRiver Thames and under the first South Wales railwayGolden Valley Line which was constructed viaGloucester. The road continues and later forming the county boundary between Gloucestershire andWiltshire, across the old airfield atRAF Kemble, then becomes fragmented sections of country lanes; two sections on this stretch arebyways rather than maintained roads, and at points on these routes it widens to as much as 60 feet (20 m).[17]
It passes near theIron Agehill fort ofBury Camp and becomes another section of the county boundary, crossing second the South Wales railway which is theSouth Wales Main Line, next the site of an old chapel and spring at Fosse Lodge in Dunley, and then the M4. Thereafter it passes throughThe Shoe and Nettleton Shrub where remains of a posting-station have been found, and arrives atBatheaston. Thereupon it turns due west to follow theRiver Avon intoBath.[18]
Between Bath andShepton Mallet the line of the Fosse Way follows parts of the A367, throughClandown,Radstock,Westfield andStratton-on-the-Fosse. It runs across open country and farm tracks parallel to theA37 north of Shepton Mallet, near theIron Agehill fort ofMaesbury. At Beacon Hill south ofOakhill, it crossed the Roman road along theMendip ridgeway fromOld Sarum to the lead and silver mines atCharterhouse. The Fosse Way passes through the eastern suburbs ofShepton Mallet on a short stretch of the A361 to Cannard's Grave, where it picks up the A37.[19]
The Fosse Way follows the A37 through Street-on-the-Fosse andLydford-on-Fosse on a direct route toIlchester. The route leaves the A37 north of theA303 junction just north of Ilchester, and follows a small track (previously part of the A37 from before the by-pass opened and broken by the present-day A372 and A303), before picking up the B3151 through the town. It leaves the B3151 onto Ilchester's High Street, then follows West Street and Roman Road, a minor road that was formerly part of the A303, towards the present-day A303 west of town.
The Roman road from Ilchester toDorchester, Dorset continues on the line of A37 throughYeovil to the south east. Other minor Roman roads lead from Ilchester and Lydford-on-Fosse towardsStreet and theA39 route along thePolden Hills, leading to Roman salt works on theSomerset Levels, and ports atCombwich, Crandon Bridge andHighbridge.[20]
After Ilchester the Fosse Way is followed by a section of theA303 under the ramparts of theIron Agehill fort ofHam Hill, occupied by theSecond Legion after the conquest of theDurotriges in Dorset.[21]
The alignment leaves major roads after Petherton Bridge[22] over theRiver Parrett, and follows country lanes toOver Stratton andDinnington, where in 2002 members of theChannel 4 television programmeTime Team uncovered amosaic next to the road.[23][24][25]
The route crosses a stream called Stretford Water, climbs the ridge, and follows a short section of theA30 at Windwhistle Hill. Then it turns on to the B3167 through the hamlets of Street and Perry Street, joins theA358, crosses theRiver Axe at what used to be called Stratford (now calledWeycroft), and on toAxminster.[26]
The location of the end of the Fosse Way is uncertain. There are further alignments on the A358 at Ball's Farm andMusbury south of Axminster, which imply a Roman road did continue along the River Axe towardAxmouth andSeaton. These sections are labelledFosse Way onOrdnance Survey maps.
The crossroads in Axminster was controlled by a Roman fort atWoodbury Farm, now on the southern edge of the town. The route to the west crosses the RiversAxe and Yarty toKilmington, continuing on segments of theA35 and minor local lanes to Honiton.[27] From Honiton the route leads south-west along the old A30, to Strete Ralegh, where there is a short break, then a clear alignment along the former A30, now a minor road, towards Exeter.
