The
Fosse Way was a
Roman roadThe Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
in England that linked
ExeterExeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
(
Isca DumnoniorumIsca Dumnoniorum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia and the capital of Dumnonia in the sub-Roman period. Today it is known as Exeter, located in the English county of Devon.-Fortress:...
) in
South West EnglandSouth West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
to
LincolnLincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
(
Lindum ColoniaLindum Colonia was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is called Lincoln, in the English county of Lincolnshire.-Fort and name:...
) in
LincolnshireLincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, via
IlchesterIlchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021...
(
LindinisLindinis was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Ilchester, located in the English county of Somerset....
), Bath (
Aquae SulisAquae Sulis was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Bath, located in the English county of Somerset.-Baths and temple complex:...
),
CirencesterCirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
(
CoriniumCorinium Dobunnorum was the second largest town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Cirencester, located in the English county of Gloucestershire.-Fortress:...
) and
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
(
Ratae CorieltauvorumRatae Corieltauvorum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Leicester, located in the English county of Leicestershire.-Name:...
).
It joined
Akeman StreetAkeman Street was a major Roman road in England that linked Watling Street with the Fosse Way. Its junction with Watling Steet was just north of Verulamium and that with the Fosse Way was at Corinium Dobunnorum...
and
Ermin WayErmin Street or Ermin Way is one of the great Roman roads of Britain. It runs from Gloucester via Cirencester to Silchester . Much of it is now covered by the modern A417, A419 and B4000 roads....
at Cirencester, crossed
Watling StreetWatling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
at
Venonis (
High CrossHigh Cross is the name given to the former crossroads of the Roman roads of Watling Street and Fosse Way in Leicestershire, England. It is located about a mile west of the village of Claybrooke Magna and was located in the hundred of Guthlaxton...
) south of Leicester, and joined
Ermine StreetErmine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
at Lincoln.
The word
Fosse is derived from the
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
fossa, meaning
ditch. For the first few decades after the Roman invasion of Britain in AD
43Year 43 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Vitellius...
, the Fosse Way marked the western frontier of Roman rule in
Iron Age BritainThe British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
. 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.
It is remarkable for its extremely direct route: from Lincoln to Ilchester in
SomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, a distance of 182 miles (292.9 km), it is never more than 6 miles (9.7 km) from a straight line.
Today's route
Many sections of the Fosse Way form parts of modern roads and lanes, and
parishA parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, district or
countyA county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
boundaries.
Several place names on the route have the suffix
-cester or
-chester, which is from the Latin
castraThe Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
meaning
military camp. Some settlements are named after the road itself, such as
Fosse-, or
-on-Fosse, while others have a more generic form, such as
Street,
Strete,
-le-Street,
Stratton,
Stretton,
Stratford, and
Stretford, from the Latin
strata, meaning
paved road. The route runs from 50.73°N 3.48°W in Exeter to 53.23°N 0.54°W in Lincoln.
Lincoln to Leicester
Between Lincoln and
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
the
A46The A46 is an A road in England. It starts east of Bath, Somerset and ends in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, but it does not form a continuous route. Large portions of the old road have been lost, bypassed, or replaced by motorway development...
follows the route of the Fosse Way. The A46 deviates from Fosse Way at
East GoscoteEast Goscote is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England, just north of Syston. It is a medium sized village with a population of approximately 3,000. The village is twinned with Fleury-sur-Andelle, France....
, to follow the Leicester Western Bypass. The original alignment, which is still visible as an unclassified road called
Fosse Way, passes through
SystonSyston is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. The population is 11,508 as of the 2001 Census.-Overview:...
, continuing as the minor road
Melton Road through
ThurmastonThurmaston is a village and civil parish within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. As of the 2001 census its population was 8,945...
, 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. The alignment terminates at the
Clock TowerThe Haymarket Memorial Clock Tower is a major landmark and popular meeting point in Leicester, United Kingdom. It is located roughly in the middle of the area inside the ring-road, and is at the point where five major streets meet, and also close by to the junction with Cheapside.The Clock Tower...
, and picks up again at Narborough Road (the A5460), on the other side of the
River SoarThe River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
. A 19 miles (30.6 km) stretch of the road between Widmerpool &
Newark-on-TrentNewark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...
is currently subject to a major upgrade to Dual-carriageway and will be completed in 2012. The new route deviates in several sections off the historic road line.
Leicester to Cirencester
south of
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, apart from a short deviation near Narborough where the original course is no longer visible, the B4114 (originally the A46 but renumbered when the
M69The M69 is a lightly used dual three lane dual carriageway motorway in Leicestershire and Warwickshire, England connecting Leicester and Coventry. It opened in 1977.-History:...
was opened) follows the route. A short distance north of the A5, the B4114 diverges from the line of the Fosse Way to pass through the village of
SharnfordSharnford is a village and civil parish in Blaby of Leicestershire. The parish has a population of about 1,000. The village is about four miles east of Hinckley, and is near to Aston Flamville, Wigston Parva and Sapcote....
. For 2 miles (3.2 km) the route of the Fosse Way is followed by a minor road which, although single track, runs along a much wider and slightly domed strip of land with deep ditches either side (the
agger).
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 with
Watling StreetWatling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
, now the A5, is at High Cross (Roman name
Venonis).
Watling StreetWatling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
is the county boundary between
LeicestershireLeicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and
WarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
The Fosse Way follows the B4455 across
WarwickshireWarwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, through Street Ashton,
Stretton-under-FosseStretton-under-Fosse is a village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire. In 2001 its population was recorded as 185.The village contains a number of old cottages along its main street. Just outside Stretton is an old manor house Newbold Revel, which is now used as a training...
, Brinklow, Bretford,
Stretton-on-DunsmoreStretton-on-Dunsmore is a village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire. Its population in the 2001 census was recorded as 1,143 - in the 19th century the population was 634. It is situated just south of the A45 trunk road, roughly half way between Rugby and Coventry...
, Princethorpe and the site of a Roman town near
ChestertonChesterton is a small village in Warwickshire, England. It is about five miles south of Leamington Spa, near the villages of Harbury and Lighthorne.-Parish:...
, until it joins the
A429The A429 is a main road in England that runs in a north-northeasterly direction from junction 17 of the M4 motorway to Coventry in the West Midlands, by way of Malmesbury, Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh, east of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, and Kenilworth.For much of its length...
near the boundary with
GloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. The route then follows the
A429The A429 is a main road in England that runs in a north-northeasterly direction from junction 17 of the M4 motorway to Coventry in the West Midlands, by way of Malmesbury, Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh, east of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, and Kenilworth.For much of its length...
through Stretton-on-Fosse,
Moreton-in-MarshMoreton-in-Marsh is a town and civil parish in northeastern Gloucestershire, England. The town is at the crossroads of the Fosse Way Roman road and the A44. The parish and environs are relatively flat and low-lying compared with the surrounding Cotswold Hills...
,
Stow-on-the-WoldStow-on-the-Wold is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on top of an 800 ft hill, at the convergence of a number of major roads through the Cotswolds, including the Fosse Way . The town was founded as a planned market place by Norman lords to take...
,
NorthleachNorthleach is a small Cotswold market town in Gloucestershire, England. It constitutes the major part of the civil parish of Northleach with Eastington.The nearest railway stations are Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham and Shipton on the Cotswold Line....
and Fossebridge, to
CirencesterCirencester is a market town in east Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles west northwest of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswold District. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural College, the oldest agricultural...
, where it crosses
Akeman StreetAkeman Street was a major Roman road in England that linked Watling Street with the Fosse Way. Its junction with Watling Steet was just north of Verulamium and that with the Fosse Way was at Corinium Dobunnorum...
and
Ermin WayErmin Street or Ermin Way is one of the great Roman roads of Britain. It runs from Gloucester via Cirencester to Silchester . Much of it is now covered by the modern A417, A419 and B4000 roads....
.
Cirencester to Bath
South of Cirencester the Fosse Way follows a short section of the A433, then goes cross country, forming the county boundary between Gloucestershire and
WiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, across the old airfield at
RAF KembleRAF Kemble was a Royal Air Force airfield that was linked from 1966 with the Red Arrows, the RAF Aerobatic display team; which operated Gnat and laterly Hawk trainers from there...
, then becomes fragmented sections of country lanes; two sections on this stretch are
bywayA byway is a less-traveled side road, as in:*Byway , a minor secondary or tertiary road in the UK*National Scenic Byway, a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its historical qualities...
s rather than maintained roads, and at points on these routes it widens to as much as 60 feet (18.3 m).
It passes near the
Iron AgeThe Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fortA hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
of Bury Camp and becomes another section of the county boundary, crossing first the South Wales railway, next the site of an old chapel and spring at Fosse Lodge in Dunley, and then the M4. Thereafter it passes through
The ShoeThe Shoe is a hamlet in the parish of North Wraxall, in the north-west of Wiltshire in England. It is situated a few miles north of Bath, at the junction of the Fosse Way and the A420 .-Facilities:There is a natural spring, which could suggest a historical settlement of some sort...
and Netteton Shrub where remains of a posting-station have been found, and arrives at
BatheastonBatheaston is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England , on the north bank of the River Avon. The parish has a population of 2,625...
. Thereupon it turns due west to follow the river Avon into Bath.
Bath to Ilchester
Between Bath and
Shepton MalletShepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset in South West England. Situated approximately south of Bristol and east of Wells, the town is estimated to have a population of 9,700. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council...
the line of the Fosse Way follows parts of the A367, through
RadstockRadstock is a town in Somerset, England, south west of Bath, and north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and had a population of 5,275 according to the 2001 Census...
,
WestfieldWestfield is a settlement lying on the Fosse Way between Radstock and Midsomer Norton in Somerset, England. In 2011 it was raised to the status of a civil parish....
and
Stratton-on-the-FosseStratton-on-the-Fosse is a village and civil parish located on the edge of the Mendip Hills, south-west of Westfield, north-east of Shepton Mallet, and from Frome, in Somerset, England. It has a population 1,045, and has a rural agricultural landscape, although it was part of the once-thriving...
. It runs across open country and farm tracks parallel to the
A37The A37 is a major road in southern England. It runs north from the A35 at Dorchester in Dorset into Somerset through Yeovil and Shepton Mallet before terminating at the Three Lamps junction with the A4 in central Bristol...
north of Shepton Mallet, near the
Iron AgeThe Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fortA hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
of
MaesburyMaesbury Castle is an Iron Age hill fort within the parish of Croscombe on the Mendip Hills, just north of Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. It has been listed as Scheduled Ancient Monument....
. At Beacon Hill south of
OakhillOakhill, Somerset is a village located approximately north of Shepton Mallet between the A37 and the A367 . Oakhill is today is mainly a commuter village of in size, but it is more famous for its past activities which include its brewing....
, it crossed the Roman road along the
MendipThe Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
ridgeway from
Old SarumOld Sarum is the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury, in England. The site contains evidence of human habitation as early as 3000 BC. Old Sarum is mentioned in some of the earliest records in the country...
to the lead and silver mines at
CharterhouseCharterhouse, also known as Charterhouse-on-Mendip, is a hamlet in the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the English county of Somerset...
. The Fosse Way passes through the eastern suburbs of
Shepton MalletShepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset in South West England. Situated approximately south of Bristol and east of Wells, the town is estimated to have a population of 9,700. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council...
on a short stretch of the A361 to Cannard's Grave, where it picks up the A37.
The Fosse Way follows the A37 through Street-on-the-Fosse and
Lydford-on-FosseLydford-on-Fosse is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of East Lydford.-History:...
on a direct route to
IlchesterIlchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021...
. The route leaves the A37 at the
A303The A303 is a 92-mile long trunk road in England. It is the main road between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon. The M3, the A303 and the A30 together make up one of the main routes from London to South West England, running from London to Land's End in Cornwall...
junction just north of Ilchester, and follows a small track, before picking up the B3151 through the town.
The Roman road from Ilchester to Dorchester, Dorset continues on the line of A37 through
YeovilYeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
to the south east. Other minor Roman roads lead from Ilchester and Lydford-on-Fosse towards
StreetStreet is a small village and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It is situated on a dry spot in the Somerset Levels, at the end of the Polden Hills, south-west of Glastonbury. The 2001 census records the village as having a population of 11,066...
and the
A39The A39 is an A road in south west England. It runs south-west from Bath in Somerset through Wells, Glastonbury, Street and Bridgwater. It then follows the north coast of Somerset and Devon through Williton, Minehead, Porlock, Lynmouth, Barnstaple, Bideford, Stratton, Camelford, Wadebridge and St...
route along the
Polden HillsThe Polden Hills in Somerset, England are a long, low ridge, extending for , and separated from the Mendip Hills, to which they are nearly parallel, by a marshy tract, known as the Somerset Levels...
, leading to Roman salt works on the
Somerset LevelsThe Somerset Levels, or the Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known, is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, South West England, between the Quantock and Mendip Hills...
, and ports at
CombwichCombwich is a village in the parish of Otterhampton within the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, between Bridgwater and the Steart Peninsula.The village lies on Combwich Reach as the River Parrett flows to the sea and was the site of an ancient ferry crossing. In the Domesday book it was known as...
, Crandon Bridge and
HighbridgeHighbridge is a small market town situated on the edge of the Somerset Levels near the mouth of the River Brue. It is in the County of Somerset, and is approximately north west of Taunton, the county town of Somerset. Highbridge is in the District of Sedgemoor, being situated approximately north...
.
Ilchester to Exeter
After Ilchester the Fosse Way is followed by a section of the
A303The A303 is a 92-mile long trunk road in England. It is the main road between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon. The M3, the A303 and the A30 together make up one of the main routes from London to South West England, running from London to Land's End in Cornwall...
under the ramparts of the
Iron AgeThe Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fortA hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
of Ham Hill, occupied by the
Second LegionLegio secunda Augusta , was a Roman legion, levied by Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus in 43 BC, and still operative in Britannia in the 4th century...
after the conquest of the
DurotrigesThe Durotriges were one of the Celtic tribes living in Britain prior to the Roman invasion. The tribe lived in modern Dorset, south Wiltshire and south Somerset...
in Dorset.
The alignment leaves major roads after Petherton Bridge over the
River ParrettThe River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset...
, and follows country lanes to Over Stratton and
DinningtonDinnington is a village and civil parish in English county of Somerset, situated north of Crewkerne in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 65.-History:The name Dinnington means the settlement of Dynne's people....
, where in 2002 members of the
Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television programme
Time TeamTime Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
uncovered a
mosaicMosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
next to the road.
The route crosses a stream called Stretford Water, climbs the ridge, and follows a short section of the
A30The 284 miles A30 road from London to Land's End, historically known as the Great South West Road used to provide the most direct route from London to the south west; more recently the M3 motorway and A303 road performs this function for much of the route and only parts of A30 now retain trunk...
at Windwhistle Hill. Then it turns on to the B3167 through the hamlets of Street and Perry Street, joins the A358, crosses the River Axe at what used to be called Stratford (now called Weycroft), and on to
AxminsterAxminster is a market town and civil parish on the eastern border of Devon in England. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe which heads towards the English Channel at Axmouth, and is in the East Devon local government district. It has a population of 5,626. The market is still...
.
Now we come to the difficult question of where the Fosse Way ends. There are further alignments on the A358 at Ball's Farm and
MusburyMusbury is a village and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England. It lies approximately 2 miles away from Colyton and 2.5 miles away from Axminster, the nearest towns. Musbury is served by the A358 road and lies on the route of the East Devon Way, a 40-mile footpath following the...
south of Axminster, which imply a Roman road did continue along the River Axe toward
AxmouthAxmouth is a village and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England, near the mouth of the River Axe. The village itself is about 1 km inland, although the parish extends to the sea. The village is near Seaton and Beer...
and
SeatonSeaton is a seaside town in East Devon on the south coast of England. It faces onto Lyme Bay, to the west of the mouth of the River Axe with red cliffs to one side and white cliffs on the other. Axmouth and Beer are nearby...
. These sections are labelled
Fosse Way on
Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps.
However, the main route for
ExeterExeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
would have followed the Dorchester road west from Axminster to
HonitonHoniton is a town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. The town's name is pronounced in two ways, and , each pronunciation having its adherents...
. The crossroads in Axminster was controlled by a Roman fort at
Woodbury FarmMoridunum was a fort and small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Its remains are located at Woodbury Farm, immediately south of Axminster in the English county of Devon....
, now on the southern edge of the town. The route to the west crosses the Rivers Axe and Yarty to
KilmingtonKilmington is a village near Axminster in East Devon off the A35 road.It includes Coryton, a brick house with Portland stone dressings built in 1754-6 by Benedictus Marwood Tucker, sheriff of Devon in 1763. Some remains of the older mansion can also be seen at Old Coryton.The parish church of St...
, continuing on segments of the
A35The A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
and minor local lanes to Honiton.
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 a minor road towards Exeter.
It is also likely that one or more side roads split from the Fosse Way at Lopen Head or
DinningtonDinnington is a village and civil parish in English county of Somerset, situated north of Crewkerne in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 65.-History:The name Dinnington means the settlement of Dynne's people....
, passing around
IlminsterIlminster is a country town and civil parish in the countryside of south west Somerset, England, with a population of 4,781. Bypassed a few years ago, the town now lies just east of the intersection of the A303 and the A358...
, then following the line of the current A303/A30 from
HortonHorton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north of Chard in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 788.-History:...
to Honiton. For example, there are villages called Crock Street and Street Ash on or near these routes. So in the later years of Roman occupation, there would probably have been a choice of routes from Ilchester to Honiton.
External links
- Roman Roads of Britain: Chapter 7: The Foss Way , Thomas Codrington (1903)
- 'The Fosse Way - A Journey through Roman Britain' web page by the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...