Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for WATLING-STREET

WATLING-STREET, a quondam Roman road from the E coast of Kent, through the SE and centre of England, into North Wales; and thence, through the N of England, into Scotland. It was formed by the Romans, partly by reconstruction of the ancient British Guathelin way; took the name of Via Vatelliana, either by corruption of the ancient British name or in compliment to the Emperor Vatellius; and was known to the Saxons as Waetlinga-strat, afterwards corrupted into Watling-street. It began at the Roman station Rutupiæ, afterwards Richborough, 1½ mile N by W of Sandwich; goes, by Canterbury, Rochester, and Southfleet, to London; is commemorated there by a street still bearing its name; went, by Brockley and St. Albans, to Dunstable; crossed Icknield-street there; proceeded, by Fenny-Stratford, Towcester, and Borough Hills, to High Cross; was met there by the Fosse way; went on, by Mancetter, to Wall; was met there by Ryknield-street, and sent off thence a branch to Chesterton; proceeded, by Oakengate and Wellington, to Wroxeter; forked there into lines toward respectively Leintwardine, Bangor, and Chester; proceeded from Chester, by Northwich, Stretford, Manchester, Ilkley, Masham, Catterick, Pierce-Bridge, Binchester, Lanchester, Ebchester, Corbridge, and Rochester, to Chew-Green; and there went into Scotland, to pass on to the Moray frith at Burgh-Head. Very much of it has been converted into good common highway; but considerable reaches retain all the features of its original construction, and are either little used or entirely deserted and grass-grown.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a quondam Roman road"   (ADL Feature Type: "roadways")
Administrative units: Kent AncC
Place names: WAETLINGA STRAT     |     WATLING STREET

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