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Summary

The course of the Fosse Way to the south of Woodbury is unproven at present but the most convincing evidence is the boundary running south-west towards Abbey Gate from the south-west corner of the Roman fort.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1011921: Roman fort and later Romano-British settlement at Woodbury Farm

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.

From Abbey Gate past Woodbury Cross to Axminster the exact course of the Fosse Way is unknown but it is then continued along Stney Lane to Millbrook. At some point though, near Woodbury Cross, it must have cross the northern route between Charmouth and Exeter.

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, 13 (Report - Assessment). SDV99942.

The alignment of the Fosse Way to the south of Axminster may be indicated by the A358 Musbury road, but it is not certain that it extended south of the town. The medieval manorial boundaries between the Wyke Manor and Haccombfee appear to have curved north-east from Abbey Gate towards Woodbury Cross, and this could be an indicator of the course of the road.

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. + 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., 86 (Article in Serial). SDV99887.

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.

Field boundary depicted running south-west from the south-west corner of the fort, broadly aligned on Abbey Gate.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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