Ermine Street
Encyclopedia
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road
in England that ran from London
(Londinium
) to Lincoln
(Lindum Colonia
) and York
(Eboracum
). The Old English
name was 'Earninga Straete' (1012), named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington
, Cambridgeshire
and Royston, Hertfordshire
. 'Armingford', 'Arrington' and 'Ermine Street' are names that share the same Old English origin. The original Roman name for the route is unknown. It is also known as the Old North Road from London to where it joins the A1 Great North Road near Godmanchester
.
, where one of the seven gates in the wall surrounding Roman London was located. From here it runs north up Norton Folgate
, Shoreditch High Street
and Kingsland Road
through Stoke Newington
(forming Stoke Newington High Street), Tottenham
and Enfield
to Royston
. This section of Ermine Street from London
to Royston, Hertfordshire
is now largely part of the A10. At this point it crosses the Icknield Way
. From Royston, it was formerly the A14 to the A1 but now it is the A1198
to Godmanchester
(Durovigutum). Ignoring bypasses and modern diversions, the road through Huntingdon
to the Alconbury junction on the A1 gives the line. The section from Alconbury
to Water Newton
, ignoring modern bypasses such as that at Stilton
, follows the A1. Ermine street used to pass through Durobrivae, the slight remains of which can be seen to the east, alongside the A1 at Peterborough. The modern road returns to Ermine Street north-west of Stamford
, near Great Casterton
, through which Ermine Street ran.
The post-Roman road wandered off for four kilometres through Colsterworth
, but Ermine Street continues as the B6403, through Ancaster
(Causennae) to the A17. It then continues as a public right of way, easily walked, until Waddington airfield
blocks it at . The section north of Ancaster, particularly this quieter part, is known as High Dike. It runs roughly parallel with and to the east of the A607 between Carlton Scroop
and Harmston
. High Dike takes to the level, open, dry country of the Lincolnshire
Heath while the A607 wanders through the villages on the spring
line below.
Another long section remains, now the A15, running north out of Lincoln, past RAF Scampton
and Caenby
Corner, as far as Kirton in Lindsey
at grid reference SE9698. It then continues almost to the Humber
at Winteringham
. Before the diversion was made round the extended runway at Scampton, with a very slight diversion at Broughton
, it was possible to travel about 53 kilometres, from the Newport Arch, the Roman north gate at Lincoln, to the Parish
of Winteringham along a road so slightly curved as to be regarded as straight. This may possibly have been the longest single section of straight road in England.
Roman Winteringham was the terminal for the ferry to Petuaria
(Brough
) on the north shore of the Humber. From there, the road curved westwards to York.
above it is important to note a sector of Ermine Street in which there was an alternative route. As Ermine Street extended north out of Lincoln and past RAF Scampton
the map attached clearly shows an alternative course of Ermine Street curving left and forming a semicircle on a wide heading west of the Humber Estuary. Whilst the straight northerly route, traced in red on the map, between Lincoln
and York
was the shortest, this route was not always passable over the Humber Estuary during adverse weather conditions.
Thus a significantly important alternative route was established (see also Roman roads in Britain
).
This 'alternative' route is detailed in the Antonine Itinerary
and linked York
(Eboracum), Castleford
(Lagecium), Doncaster
(Danum ), Littleborough
(Agelocum) and Lincoln
(Lindum).
Part of this route in the Doncaster area is known as the Roman Ridge
or Roman Rigg
.
A large section of this road formed what for many later centuries became the Great North Road between Nottinghamshire
and West Yorkshire
.
, the god, the first leader on Lindsey's list of kings
is Winta. Clearly, the end of the Jurassic
limestone
ridge at the Humber was significant in the English settlement of Lincolnshire. Winterton
is a little further inland. Ermine Street and the River Trent
together were evidently an important early route of entry into early post-Roman Britain.
Roman road
The 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 ran from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(Londinium
Londinium
The city of London was established by the Romans around AD 43. It served as a major imperial commercial centre until its abandonment during the 5th century.-Origins and language:...
) to Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln 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 Colonia
Lindum Colonia
Lindum Colonia was a town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is called Lincoln, in the English county of Lincolnshire.-Fort and name:...
) and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
(Eboracum
Eboracum
Eboracum was a fort and city in Roman Britain. The settlement evolved into York, located in North Yorkshire, England.-Etymology:The first known recorded mention of Eboracum by name is dated circa 95-104 AD and is an address containing the Latin form of the settlement's name, "Eburaci", on a wooden...
). The Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
name was 'Earninga Straete' (1012), named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington
Arrington
Arrington is a village and civil parish in the South Cambridgeshire district of Cambridgeshire, England, with a population of 389 at the time of 2001 census. The village is north of Royston, Hertfordshire, and south-west of the county town of Cambridge....
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
and Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the towns western boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the county on the same latitude of towns such as Milton Keynes and...
. 'Armingford', 'Arrington' and 'Ermine Street' are names that share the same Old English origin. The original Roman name for the route is unknown. It is also known as the Old North Road from London to where it joins the A1 Great North Road near Godmanchester
Godmanchester
Godmanchester is a small town and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, in England. It lies on the south bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the larger town of Huntingdon, and on the A14 road....
.
The course of Ermine Street
Ermine Street begins at BishopsgateBishopsgate
Bishopsgate is a road and ward in the northeast part of the City of London, extending north from Gracechurch Street to Norton Folgate. It is named after one of the original seven gates in London Wall...
, where one of the seven gates in the wall surrounding Roman London was located. From here it runs north up Norton Folgate
Norton Folgate
Norton Folgate is a short length of street in London, connecting Bishopsgate with Shoreditch High Street on the northern edge of its financial district, the City of London. It constitutes a very small section of the A10, the former Roman Ermine Street...
, Shoreditch High Street
Shoreditch High Street
Shoreditch High Street is the old main street of Shoreditch, London. It is part of the A10 road and connects Norton Folgate to the south with Kingsland Road to the north. It constitutes a segment of the Roman Ermine Street, which ran directly north from London to Lincoln and York...
and Kingsland Road
Kingsland Road
Kingsland Road is the name of a road, part of the A10, in the London Borough of Hackney in England. It runs from the junction with Old Street and Hackney Road north to the junction with Balls Pond Road and Dalston Lane, where it changes its name to Kingsland High Street...
through Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
(forming Stoke Newington High Street), Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
and Enfield
Enfield Town
Enfield Town is the historic town centre of Enfield, formerly in the county of Middlesex and now in the London Borough of Enfield. It is north north-east of Charing Cross...
to Royston
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the towns western boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the county on the same latitude of towns such as Milton Keynes and...
. This section of Ermine Street from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston, Hertfordshire
Royston is a town and civil parish in the District of North Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England.It is situated on the Greenwich Meridian, which brushes the towns western boundary, and at the northernmost apex of the county on the same latitude of towns such as Milton Keynes and...
is now largely part of the A10. At this point it crosses the Icknield Way
Icknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern England. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.-Background:...
. From Royston, it was formerly the A14 to the A1 but now it is the A1198
A1198 road
The A1198 is a road in Cambridgeshire, England, following the route of Ermine Street between the A505 at Royston, Hertfordshire and Godmanchester, near Huntingdon....
to Godmanchester
Godmanchester
Godmanchester is a small town and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, in England. It lies on the south bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the larger town of Huntingdon, and on the A14 road....
(Durovigutum). Ignoring bypasses and modern diversions, the road through Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
to the Alconbury junction on the A1 gives the line. The section from Alconbury
Alconbury
Alconbury is a village in the English county of Cambridgeshire.-Geography:It is in the district of Huntingdonshire and gives its name to RAF Alconbury. It is near to the point where a major north/south road, the A1, crosses the only major east/west road: the A14...
to Water Newton
Water Newton
Water Newton is a village on the northern border of the English county of Cambridgeshire.It is in the district of Huntingdonshire between the River Nene and the A1 trunk road...
, ignoring modern bypasses such as that at Stilton
Stilton
Stilton is a village in Cambridgeshire, England, and within the historic county boundary of Huntingdonshire.-Geography:Stilton lies south of the city of Peterborough. It lies on the old Great North Road, from London and was an important coaching stop in the days before motorised transport. It...
, follows the A1. Ermine street used to pass through Durobrivae, the slight remains of which can be seen to the east, alongside the A1 at Peterborough. The modern road returns to Ermine Street north-west of Stamford
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
, near Great Casterton
Great Casterton
Great Casterton is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. It is located at the crossing of the Roman Ermine Street and the River Gwash.-Geography:...
, through which Ermine Street ran.
The post-Roman road wandered off for four kilometres through Colsterworth
Colsterworth
Colsterworth is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The village, together with the hamlet of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, had a population of 1,508 according to the 2001 census. It lies half a mile to the west of the A1, seven miles south of Grantham...
, but Ermine Street continues as the B6403, through Ancaster
Ancaster, Lincolnshire
Ancaster is a village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, on the site of the Roman town of "Causennae"Ancaster Hall at The University of Nottingham is named after the parish and the, now extinct, title of the Earl of Ancaster....
(Causennae) to the A17. It then continues as a public right of way, easily walked, until Waddington airfield
RAF Waddington
RAF Waddington is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England.-Formation:Waddington opened as a Royal Flying Corps flying training station in 1916 until 1920, when the station went into care and maintenance....
blocks it at . The section north of Ancaster, particularly this quieter part, is known as High Dike. It runs roughly parallel with and to the east of the A607 between Carlton Scroop
Carlton Scroop
Carlton Scroop is a small village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies 6 miles north-east of Grantham, 4 miles east of Hougham, 2 miles east of Ancaster and 1 mile south of Normanton...
and Harmston
Harmston
Harmston is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies just east off the A607. south of Lincoln...
. High Dike takes to the level, open, dry country of the Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire 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...
Heath while the A607 wanders through the villages on the spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
line below.
Another long section remains, now the A15, running north out of Lincoln, past RAF Scampton
RAF Scampton
Royal Air Force Station Scampton is a Royal Air Force station situated north of Lincoln in England, near the village of Scampton, on the site of an old First World War landing field.-First World War:...
and Caenby
Caenby
Caenby is a hamlet and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.Caenby Grade II listed Anglican church is dedicated to St Nicholas. A moated manor house, now the Grade II listed Hall Farm House, was a seat of the Tournay family from the days of Edward I to George II. In...
Corner, as far as Kirton in Lindsey
Kirton in Lindsey
Kirton-in-Lindsey, also abbreviated to Kirton Lindsey, is a small town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:It is south of Scunthorpe, near the A15 road, and has a total resident population of 2,694....
at grid reference SE9698. It then continues almost to the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
at Winteringham
Winteringham
Winteringham is a village in North Lincolnshire and on the south bank of the Humber Estuary, population 989 .The Romans had a settlement here probably called Ad Abum . The Roman road Ermine Street from London and Lincoln to the south crossed the Humber here by way of a ferry or ford to Brough, and...
. Before the diversion was made round the extended runway at Scampton, with a very slight diversion at Broughton
Broughton, Lincolnshire
Broughton is a small town and civil parish situated on the Roman Ermine Street, in the North Lincolnshire district of Lincolnshire. England. The hamlet of Wressle is part of the parish....
, it was possible to travel about 53 kilometres, from the Newport Arch, the Roman north gate at Lincoln, to the Parish
Parish
A 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...
of Winteringham along a road so slightly curved as to be regarded as straight. This may possibly have been the longest single section of straight road in England.
Roman Winteringham was the terminal for the ferry to Petuaria
Petuaria
Petuaria was originally a Roman fort situated where the town of Brough-on-Humber in the East Riding of Yorkshire now stands. Petuaria means something like 'quarter' or 'fourth part', incorporating the archaic Brythonic *petuar, 'four' .It was founded in 70 AD and abandoned in about 125...
(Brough
Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire
Brough , or Brough-on-Humber, is a small town in the civil parish of Elloughton-cum-Brough in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town has a population of around 7,000.-Location:...
) on the north shore of the Humber. From there, the road curved westwards to York.
The alternative course of Ermine Street
As depicted in the Roman Map of BritainRoman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
above it is important to note a sector of Ermine Street in which there was an alternative route. As Ermine Street extended north out of Lincoln and past RAF Scampton
RAF Scampton
Royal Air Force Station Scampton is a Royal Air Force station situated north of Lincoln in England, near the village of Scampton, on the site of an old First World War landing field.-First World War:...
the map attached clearly shows an alternative course of Ermine Street curving left and forming a semicircle on a wide heading west of the Humber Estuary. Whilst the straight northerly route, traced in red on the map, between Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln 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....
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
was the shortest, this route was not always passable over the Humber Estuary during adverse weather conditions.
Thus a significantly important alternative route was established (see also Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
).
This 'alternative' route is detailed in the Antonine Itinerary
Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another...
and linked York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
(Eboracum), Castleford
Castleford
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
(Lagecium), Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
(Danum ), Littleborough
Littleborough, Nottinghamshire
Littleborough is a hamlet in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located 8 miles east of Retford, and is in the civil parish of Sturton le Steeple. Littleborough is the site of the Roman town of Segelocum, situated on the west bank of the River Trent where the road from Lincoln to Doncaster bridged or...
(Agelocum) and Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln 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).
Part of this route in the Doncaster area is known as the Roman Ridge
Roman Ridge, South Yorkshire
The Roman Ridge is that part of the Roman road of Ermine Street located in the Doncaster area of South Yorkshire, England. Although in places, Ermine Street follows the modern Great North Road , there is a stretch between Sunnyfields and Red House which is known as the Roman Ridge.The Roman Ridge...
or Roman Rigg
Roman Ridge, South Yorkshire
The Roman Ridge is that part of the Roman road of Ermine Street located in the Doncaster area of South Yorkshire, England. Although in places, Ermine Street follows the modern Great North Road , there is a stretch between Sunnyfields and Red House which is known as the Roman Ridge.The Roman Ridge...
.
A large section of this road formed what for many later centuries became the Great North Road between Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
and West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.
English settlement
This landing place on the south shore is significant because Winteringham translates as "the homestead of Winta's people". Apart from WodenWoden
Woden or Wodan is a major deity of Anglo-Saxon and Continental Germanic polytheism. Together with his Norse counterpart Odin, Woden represents a development of the Proto-Germanic god *Wōdanaz....
, the god, the first leader on Lindsey's list of kings
Kingdom of Lindsey
Lindsey or Linnuis is the name of a petty Anglo-Saxon kingdom, absorbed into Northumbria in the 7th century.It lay between the Humber and the Wash, forming its inland boundaries from the course of the Witham and Trent rivers , and the Foss Dyke between...
is Winta. Clearly, the end of the Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
ridge at the Humber was significant in the English settlement of Lincolnshire. Winterton
Winterton, Lincolnshire
Winterton is a small town in North Lincolnshire, England, north-east of Scunthorpe. Taking into account the five years since the last UK census, the population currently stands at approximately 4,700 people. Major north-south/east-west streets of Winterton are Market Street and Northlands Road...
is a little further inland. Ermine Street and the River Trent
River Trent
The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. Its source is in Staffordshire on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through the Midlands until it joins the River Ouse at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea below Hull and Immingham.The Trent...
together were evidently an important early route of entry into early post-Roman Britain.
External links
- very large map- 'Ermine Street - A Journey through Roman Britain' web page by the BBCBBCThe 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...