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Summary

The Fosse Way is a major cross country Roman highway running from Devon to Lincoln. The exact starting point of the road in Devon is uncertain but it is thought to have begun near Axmouth and that the modern roads to Abbey Gate to the south of Axminster largely follow its course. From Abbey Gate it is now considered to have cut across to the site of the Roman fort and settlement at Woodbury before continuing north to what is now Stony Lane and thence is is followed by the A358 towards South Chard. It is crossed by two east-west Roman roads running between Dorchester and Exeter. See associated monuments for details on specific sections of the road.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1011921: Roman fort and later Romano-British settlement at Woodbury Farm
• Listed Building (II) 1305823: CROSSWAYS
• Listed Building (II) 1333486: WEYCROFT BRIDGE
• Listed Building (II) 1333488: AXE FARMHOUSE
• Listed Building (II) 1333501: TERRACE LODGE
• Listed Building (II) 1169404: 36 AND 37, CHURCH STREET

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

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

Full description

Margary, I. D., 1967, Roman Roads in Britain, 123 (Monograph). SDV24025.

The exact starting point of the Fosse Way is uncertain but Margary considers it likely that it began near Axmouth and that the modern road to within a mile of Axminster approximately represents it course. From Musbury to Abbey Gate the road is nearly straight but for a deviation around a small hill. From Abbey Gate past Woodbury Cross to Axminster the exact course is unknown but it is continued along Stony Lane to Millbrook. At some point near Woodbury Cross it must have crossed the northern route between Charmouth and Exeter.
The main road on to Tytherleigh towards South Chard also represents it approximately. However, the road is winding and no traces of the Roman road can be recognised in the bends, so the appearance of an alignment here is absent.

Maxfield, V. A., 1986, Devon and the End of the Fosse Frontier, 1-8 (Article in Serial). SDV118209.

The purpose and extent of the Fosse Way is discussed. The Fosse Way is seen as being heading towards Axminster, but the link to Axmouth remains hypothetical.

Weddell, P. J. + Holbrook, N., 1987, A35 Axminster By-pass Report on Trial Archaeological Excavations and Documentary Research 1987, 3, 13 (Report - Assessment). SDV99942.

Axminster is on or near the junction of two Roman roads; the Fosse Way, a major cross country route which ran from Lincoln to Devon, and the road from Dorchester to Exeter. Both roads are followed for much of their courses by modern roads.
The alignment of the Fosse Way to the south of Axminster may be indicated by the A358 Musbury road, but this is not certain. The boundary between Wyke Manor and Haccombfee appears to have curved north-east from Abbey Gate towards Woodbury Cross, and this might be assumed to be an indicator of the course of the road.

Weddell, P. J., 1989, A35 Axminster bypass proposals for archaeological recording, 3 (Report - Watching Brief). SDV124135.

The course of the Fosse Way to the north of Axminster has been adequately described. However, its route south of of town has not been established although it is presumed that the A358 follows its course.

Henderson, C. G. + Simpson, S. J., 1990, Archaeological Investigations at Woodbury Great Close, Axminster, Devon (Report - Watching Brief). SDV118210.

The course of the Fosse Way appears to have deviated to a fort site at Woodbury where a probable junction with the Dorchester to Exeter road was located during a watching brief in 1990.

Weddell, P. J., 1991, Archaeological Appraisal of Potential Development Areas in Axminster and its Environs, 2 (Report - Assessment). SDV99927.

A major cross country highway known as the Fosse Way was constructed in the mid first century AD from Lincoln to Devon. It entered Devon at Tytherleigh and passed to the east of Axminster, continuing the alignment of Stony Lane for c500m south of Lyme Road and then changing alignment towards the site of the northern gate of the Roman fort at Woodbury.
It probably extended to the coast by the Axe estuary, near Axmouth. It formed a junction with another Roman road between Dorchester and Exeter just to the south-east of Axminster.

Weddell, P. J. + Reed, S. J. + Simpson, S. J., 1993, Excavation of the Exeter-Dorchester Roman Road at the River Yarty and the Roman Fort Ditch and Settlement Site at Woodbury, Near Axminster., 80-86 (Article in Serial). SDV99887.

The course of the Fosse Way to the north of Axminster appears to be followed by the A358 in Devon, which is not aligned on the town of Axminster, but towards the Roman fort at Woodbury. The southern section of the A358 terminates at Lyme Road to the east of Axminster, but the alignment clearly continues southwards in the form of field boundaries and footpaths.
The course of any extension of the Fosse Way to the south of Woodbury remains unproven at present, but the most convincing evidence is the boundary aligned south-west to north-east running from the south-west corner of the fort perimeter. The boundary appears to be cut by Wyke Lane and is aligned towards the A358 at Abbey Gate.

Ordnance Survey, 2026, Mastermap 2026 (Cartographic). SDV366713.

The A358 is marked as the course of the Fosse Way Roman Road.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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