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Summary

Roman road, Salter's Way and possible minor canal in Horbling

Full description

C.W. Phillips also suggested that Salter's Way (a pre-Roman track from Saltersford, on the Witham above Grantham, and eventually from the Soar valley at Barrow and Charnwood Forest beyond) crossed Mareham Lane at Threckingham and continued by Bridge End causeway eastward to Donington. This needs modification. Instead of bending northward in Threckingham the east-south-east line into Threckingham is continued by a footpath into Horbling, and from there east the photographs show a straight track across Horbling Fen about half a mile south of the Bridge End causeway, for part of its length on the south bank of a minor canal or drain, with another track on the north bank. I have not examined this section on the ground, and do not know whether it was metalled. It would run off into Shoff Drove, Donington, changing alignment at the fen bank.{1}
TF132353-TF150352. In Horbling parish there is a footpath that continues the line of Sandy Gate east alongside first a modern ditch, then the peaty line of an old channel; the line is lost across the southern edge of TF13NE but is picked up on TF13SE running towards Shoff Drove, Donington. This may be a minor canal or a possible causeway (not the medieval Bridge End causeway just to the north) or may be the Roman continuation of the Saltersford-Threckingham road. {1}
Road? stone seen in re-cutting of ditch at TF147350. Approximately 1m below the present ground level a band of stone was seen in section (see colour slide) at about 306m south of the northern field boundary in the west side of the field ditch. At this depth wooden stakes were visible. The stone is more or less in line with the road showing on the aerial photograph in ‘The Fenland in Roman Times’. {4}

<1> HALLAM, S.J., 1970, ‘Settlement around the Wash’ in The Fenland in Roman Times, pp.29 and 269 (Article in Monograph). SLI63.

<2> C.W. Phillips, 1935, 'The Present State of Archaeology in Lincolnshire: Part 2' in the Archaeological Journal, VOL 91 P 111-12 (Article in Serial). SLI323.

<3> Margary, I.D., 1973, Roman Roads in Britain (3rd edition), No.58b, p.223 (Bibliographic Reference). SLI1094.

<4> Parish card index of the former South Lincolnshire Archaeology Unit, -,1977, - (Index). SLI2160.

Monument Types

• CANAL (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ROAD (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Sources and further reading

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