The Lost Roman Roads of Great Britain

I'm always worried that the waffle in my head won't make sense when I try and put it into a video. I felt a bit like that this time round. So forgive the way this might come across, and worst case, maybe watch it twice! ;-)
Welcome to this weeks video in which we attempt to find a Roman B-Road. You are more than likely aware of the Roman Road network, certainly if you have watched any of our previous videos, but this week we ask the question of what a Roman B-Road looked like.
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[@chasbodaniels1744]

Paul, you’re doing the work of researcher, producer, script writer, historical consultant, continuity supervisor, audio guy, director of photography and camera operator PLUS on-air presenter ffs! No need to add the burden of perfect flow, logic and evidence. Always impressed how well you manage all this!

[@pwhitewick]

Haha... thank you. The flow of the story is the one thing I struggle with!

[@dazzlingdaz187]

You can never spend too much time looking at old maps!

[@Dormices]

I agree! It is impossible to waste time on maps.

[@marshallluddite]

My wife would not agree, but i disagree with her on many delightful things, i currently want a side of our kitchen wallpapered in one but she is not convinced.

[@GAZ-TRX]

I think the right way to say it is: There is not enough time to look at old maps for too long

[@michaelbartle7354]

Maps maps maps 😁love them

[@Dormices]

@@marshallluddite You could beg her to give it a chance saying you would paint over it if she hates it but the sight of your happiness should win her over with luck. I moved into a place with a large old local map glued to the wall, it was wonderful!

[@derekambler]

I remember many years ago taking a book out of Hitchin Library written by a group calling themselves 'The Viatores' who traced Roman tracks all over Hertfordshire; it was a fascinating record of tracks and how you recognised them.

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

Beautiful weather for long walks in the countryside -- hopefully not as hot as it has been!!!! I find it amazing that so much history is under your feet just about anywhere that you step in Britain! And that circular community of Roman villas -- wow! That makes sense.

[@jandraelune1]

Romans loved geometry in their engineering, lots of uniformity. Likely if you just map a circle with the found stones, and measure the avg distance between, you'll find about where the missing stone should be. I would look where the A303 and the railroad cross next to Sarson.

[@TheOriginal_BigMac]

Growing up in Andover I probably spent days poring over the same maps 😄

[@stephaniefarwell3210]

Lovley presented ..thank you ..x

[@rileyuktv6426]

“B” Class Road - “A” Class Content👍

[@bigdaddysandcastle1614]

I too spend hours looking at maps. I am told that it was because I was a map maker in several other lifetimes in Europe.

[@robertdonaldson6584]

Salut from one hatched in Fort Gary, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1952

[@steadynumber1]

Fascinating piece of research Paul. It's when I reflect on the overlay of history in this beautiful island of ours that I realise I can never emigrate. I'm just too rooted to our land, our history & culture. Thank you.

[@teej008]

Living in Warminster I know those tracks up to Great Ridge very well. I knew the track through that woodland was Roman, but the route you took is one of my favourite walks. It’s a little out of the way nowadays, so I’m often the only person up at Great Ridge. I’ve hammock camped there a few times and often imagined the people who have used the road over the millennia. You can definitely feel the history up there.

[@jeffjordan8182]

You were at your best on this one, Paul.

[@RichardAKJ]

It's a great video Paul and your enthusiasm really comes through. Very enjoyable watch.

[@radiosnail]

Another interesting video. The music is always excellent as well. I have far too man OS maps here and it still doesn't feel like enough. Sometimes it is nice to curl up with a map. I always regarded them as a souvenir to wherever I had visited.

[@malcolmdalrymple1779]

I also had a pile of OS maps, but now I pay annually to have it on my iPad/iPhone? I now have a shelf free for my other clutter.

[@hwood9783]

Sorry, but paper maps/charts are still in a league of their own.

[@johnmurray8428]

Simple thank you! Well put together and interesting.

[@williamlloyd3769]

Corn aka maize originated in the New World (Central America). When Europeans say “corn”, it’s a general term for any grain or cereal crop, including wheat, barley, millet, sorghum, oats and rye. These are native to the Old World, and the Romans would have cultivated or at least known about them.

[@markiangooley]

Yeah. Here in the USA “corn” almost invariably means maize. A very few brewing enthusiasts might think barley too, nobody will think wheat or another grain or seed used as grain.

[@raytheron]

For most of us outside the USA "corn" invariably means "wheat". The word comes from the Old English "corn" "single seed of a cereal plant; seeds of cereal plants generally; plants which produce corn when growing in the field," from Proto-Germanic *kurnam "small seed" (source also of Old Frisian and Old Saxon 'korn' (grain), Middle Dutch 'coren', German 'Korn', Afrikaans 'koring', Old Norse 'korn', Gothic 'kaurn'), from PIE root *gre-no- "grain." The American 'corn' for maize comes from the early settlers calling maize 'Indian corn' and the adjective was later dropped.

[@lulabellegnostic8402]

No. We don’t use corn as a ‘generic’ term. People in the UK are more likely to refer to a field of standing cereal as a WHEAT field.

[@therighthonsirdoug]

The "corn" you are referring to is known as sweetcorn (or maze if its not the type thats boiled up and covered in butter) in the UK.

[@Mark_Harwood]

@@lulabellegnostic8402 No, most people in the UK are hard pressed to tell the difference between wheat, barley and oats or even name them. It's always a "cornfield". You must live in the countryside.

[@mdog111]

I really enjoyed watching this video which was a random YT recommendation. As a small feedback note, I would have appreciated seeing a graphic superimposed onto an OS map, showing the approximate route of your speculative Roman B road which presumably, runs through the circle of villas that you plotted. Your explanation of why you think the road is there makes perfect sense, but apart from drone shots of countryside, you don't show exactly where you think that road ran from and to! But thanks nevertheless for a very interesting video.

[@paulinehedges5088]

Fascinating. Really Enjoy your videos . They are always full.of interest and facts. Happy Sunday evening

[@StormwatchDruid]

Very interesting, Thanks Paul and Rebecca.

[@jaycrandell147]

Another great edition. Thank you. And feel free to keep waffling, it works for me.

[@robindeer-park5755]

Brilliant Entertanment Paul and Karen

[@rickkearn7100]

Fascinating content! I've just discovered this channel and liked it very much, enough to subscribe with notifications. Cheers.

[@watchthis7620]

Love your rambles around such beautiful countryside Paul. Especially good use this week of really beautiful piano music in the background too. Can you tell us what it is?

[@paulketchupwitheverything767]

I can't tell you what music was used in this video, but it did remind me of Poppy Ackroyd's wonderful work: pieces such as 'Suspended', 'Murmurations' and 'Stillness'. There is a KZbin library of licence free music that content creators typically use, which is why the same songs sometimes appear on different channels.

[@BrianJ001]

Always interesting stuff from Paul and Rebecca! Thanks🙂

[@alexandergreen9453]

Happened to come across this video, and was amazed to see the circle of villas surround the house I'm moving into next week! Looking forward to some walks!

[@aengusmacnaughton1375]

Condolences on the loss of the Queen -- someone who weathered so many changes in her lifetime, and reign, and was a symbol of the strength and history of your country -- and will be sorely missed not only in the UK, but around the world. Long Live The King.

[@williamwoods8022]

Oh Dear! The Queen/Royal Family are the MAFIA along with these other MAFIAS being exposed in this video here who are carrying out this agenda being exposed in this video and everything that is going on in this world including the DELIBERATE destroying of our countries and worlds economy is being done by these MAFIAS as part of this agenda kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2nUp2ywqdCKlbc

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

Something that really intrigued me on seeing a few pics of Charlie in the local rags lately. When did they start Supa Gluing his ears back?! Doesn't look at all like the old description of him. "Reminds me of a Volkswagon with the doors open!" 🤔😉🙃😁

[@TheCelts01]

What for a Research to the local area. Wow I am impressed . Great Video thanks mate and all our love to Rebecca from your Nr1 Fans from Hamburg Germany .

[@GazzaJAnimal]

Thank you both for going on walks that I'm not able to do anymore. I'll make do by looking at maps to follow where you have been!

[@geoffpursey1483]

Tiptop content . Your journeys of exploration are superbly presented. I look forward to the next. Railways and Canals are my favourites.

[@robinwatling6538]

excellent thank you

[@shaunlaverick5793]

Fabulous video..thank you for sharing.😀👍

[@LLACEM]

WELL DONE THAT WAS A GREAT VIDEO 5 STARS I COULD WATCH YOUR CONTENT ALL DAY

[@Lichfeldian--Suttonian]

Fascinating, Paul. Many thanks again.

[@dianespears6057]

Love the Roman road exploring. Thank you.

[@RichardFelstead1949]

Paul roman around the countryside. Great video. Greetings from Australia.

[@69waveydavey]

If you ever have a bit of time on your hands like me (LOL). There's an alleged Roman road that goes to a lost port at Fleetwood. There's Roman occupation at Kirkham and Poulton and various pieces of evidence around Thornton but the trail runs dry after that, there have been a few local historians look for it but nobody official.

[@garybrindle6715]

On some maps you will see a trackway named Kates Pad heading North East from Preston and seems to vanish after Poulton, I wonder if the alleged port used Skippol Creek ?

[@69waveydavey]

@@garybrindle6715 I read a small pamphlet in Bispham library a few years back done by a local historical society called "The Dane's pad, a Roman road to..." or something like that, made interesting reading. They reckoned the trail goes cold after Poulton golf course into what what was new housing in Thornton at the time. Wish I had time on my hands to do a bit myself.

[@briancjohnson]

Well, it wasn't a Nandos. :D Lovely detective work here Paul, some of your best so far!

[@tobyrosoman7438]

A fantastic video in my opinion, I'd like to think you're actually doing your bit for the future history of our country. Weren't all the great historians amateurs? Work on a theory for a map of Roman 'B' roads?? Maybe even discover new Roman villas/settlements? Please keep yp your video's

[@dilwyn1]

Great vid Paul ... I'ts so interesting the way you analyse so much of our Roman past. Back in the day , school said regarding Roman history,,, "A" "B" "C" !! You come along and say.. Hang on a min, maybe it is "X" "Y" "Z". Now the enquiringly mind is stimulated, and of I go via Google and reference books to see it I can find out more. 🤔🤔

[@markhayman9189]

Been watching your channel for a while now and really appreciate the time and effort you put into your video's. The channel is informative and fun. Love the way you interact with each other. Keep doing this and by the way keep doing it the way you are its so enjoyable to watch and listen too.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Good work. You can't beat the feeling of identifying a likely Roman road. Looks like that track wanders off the Roman line after a while: that's what fascinates me - why did some bits remain in use and others not? The ultimate sign of how far this nation fell after the Romans left, is how many of their fantastically well-built roads just disappeared into the landscape over the following centuries.

[@joshweinstein5345]

Fascinating to see the puzzle pieces come together in this one! 👍

[@chrisg1234fly]

I always find your 'waffle' educating and entertaining and appreciate the effort you put in to your videos. 100k is getting closer!!!

[@hwood9783]

Waffle? Conjecture at the very least?

[@bobsrailrelics]

Fascinating to see so many Roman remains which can be identified. Interesting deductions. Thanks

[@peetsnort]

I walked on the remnants of a roman road just above the village of Bibury in the cotswold. The sense of history was awesome

[@IanDDalton]

I am in Warminster, this is a lovely area to explore :)

[@pwhitewick]

I can fully appreciate that

[@frankparsons1629]

Thats a lot of Villas in a relatively tight area. Makes me think we must be "missing" some 80% of Roman villas, they were after all just farms (unless its Fishbourne of course), and some much grander than the other lesser smaller Villas. I'm in to your video at 6mins 30 sec and I've cracked it, they had bikes! OR maybe the Roman equivalent of bikes, a mule and cart. On with the video! Yes, one bath house served the community, only the larger villas would have their own! Back to the mule and cart - before the Romans arrived the ridgeways and other well worked trackways were trudged by Iron Age folk and their mule and quite possibly in the Bronze Age also, after all not everyone moved by raft or boat using the water courses. As the population increased with farming so more trackways were needed. When the Romans arrived they added to those older trackways by building the equivalent of the motorway. Then new trackways were made, where required to link the villas more conveniently with those new "motorways" - tho remember, soldiers always had priority over mules! Then theres the story where a trudging Roman Legion stopped modern traffic, well back in the 1950's it did, more of that anon. And certainly not forgetting the weary trudging Roman soldiers on the road out of Eboracum - in the cellar of the Treasurers House next to York Minster. "You've seen the Romans" !!! You can find that video and the story on KZbin. Thanks Paul - great video, brings back memories (of Roman days).

[@YannaTarassi]

Lovely detective work!

[@simonf8370]

Your best investigation yet. Juts had to watch it this morning and be late for work, but well worth it. Your research is amazing as well as your inquisitive mind. Thank you so much for sharing this

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you Simon

[@williamk9490]

Interesting film, reminded me of when I went looking for a Roman road near a R villa shown on an OS map between Farnham and Alton, near Bentley, looks similar scenery

[@micksalisbury758]

Yes, good stuff, very enjoyable .

[@bdkg99]

With a circle road going around, a bath replaces the pool and golf course that you would find in our time in a planned subdivision in a gated community. Personally, I would not be surprised if the first villas resembled Roman McVillas.

[@PhilipInCoventry]

Brilliant as always.

[@cutupaboutit1]

Brilliant, absolutely fascinating stuff.

[@andyrichardsvideovlogs8835]

Absolutely fascinating. It's a question I had never thought of but now you have raised the question it will add something else to be aware of and look for on exploring 👍

[@dhughes6710]

Another great video. Really informative..

[@PaulTimlett]

Close to where you were at the site of the Roman settlement on the hill south of Tytherington, a Celtic stater coin was found. It is believed to have come from the Romano-British Durotriges people. This settlement would have been at the extreme edge of their Kingdom. There is of course a whole network of Roman roads in this part of Wiltshire. We talked about this in our podcast number 13 entitled Sutton Veney and Tytherington.

[@jonescrusher1]

Superb work.

[@retsubanires]

I freakin' love this channel! If only time travel was possible, eh?

[@miketherefurbisher8000]

Always a pleasure watching your videos!!. Thanks 👍

[@leelundgren600]

Great video! Thanks

[@sausagefingers2885]

Thanks for sharing this with us. Such ancient things in your own backyard! Greetings from Virginia USA

[@colcester]

You want a Roman "B" Road? - go to Warden Street in Bedfordshire near Shefford. Even has an alignment change preserved.

[@eggy77]

I went for a drive at the weekend, ended up at Littleborough, Nottinghamshire, found an old slipway that was used to cross the River Trent. Got home, was looking at the old maps, found out it used to be a Roman ford. All I could see was a concrete slipway, but love the history of it all. Old maps are ace. I'd love to be able to discover where the old roman roads were close to me. Definitely feeling the urge to buy a book!

[@JohnNorrisMetalSculpture]

As always, loving the historical blend of fact / hypothesis and general feel good aspect of your channel.

[@pauldickinson1434]

Very interesting and fabulous detective work Paul....!!!!

[@desegershon9631]

Nicely researched.

[@stormx2827]

Your best video yet! I liked you diving straight into the material too rather than doing a "silly" intro - I might be a curmugeon but personally they do nothing for me. Thanks :-)

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks. We like to mix it up

[@marccarter1350]

Pre Roman cattle roads. With have the Ox road in Salisbury to Shaftesbury. Wonderful ride or walk. Just look out for the across motorbikes when there are also on it

[@mgutkowski]

Lovely video Paul. Beautifully shot, and and interesting story elegantly told. Really enjoyed the music too, great choice. Very zen. Put me in mind of the end scene of Shawshank.

[@tinkertime7165]

Really enjoyed this one Paul. Amazing to think we have so many examples of ancient history right on our doorstep.

[@ADJ_83]

Fantastic video

[@MrGreatplum]

Fascinating stuff, it must have taken quite a lot of research! I wonder if the romans would have also repurposed older tracks as well…

[@davidpalin1790]

Well done 👏 Great video

[@ReubenAshwell]

Brilliant video and interesting learning about these lost roman roads. :)

[@JohnSmall314]

We have an old Roman B road, just off Watling Street in between Faversham and Goodnestone. Up until recently it marked an administrative boundary from Anglo-Saxon times. Old aerial photos show it was used until the mid 1990's by a farmer as a farm track leading to what appears to be a very old wharf. It crossed a railway, and had gates and breaks in the power rails for the farmer to drive tractors across. Then a new farmer took over part of the land and erased the track, but you can still see evidence of it in aerial photos when it's dry. The other indicator of the road remains as a break in the power rails at the point where the crossing used to be.

[@cerealport2726]

As a small child I thought I'd find ancient roman ruins if I dug around in my back garden. No such luck. Of course, when I got older, I learned that the chances of finding ancient roman ruins, or indeed, any archaeological artefacts at all, were slim, given that I lived in Australia. (Obviously Aboriginal artefacts and burial sites exist, but they aren't that common in the scheme of things)

[@stegra5960]

I thought that as a child as well. However, my back garden was one of the ditches that surround the outer walls of Lincoln Castle, formerly a Roman fort, so my chances were probably somewhat higher, though still vanishingly small. We moved away before I had the opportunity to put it to the test.

[@cerealport2726]

@@stegra5960 Go back with a shovel over your shoulder and say you're from Time Team... What could possibly go wrong?!!

[@davidtomsett]

The British countryside is gorgeous

[@taffythegreat1986]

I love this history of Britain. It’s so fascinating and you both makes it fascinating 👍👍

[@andyhill242]

Fascinating as always, Paul. I seem to have so many mundane life things on my mind these days; I never get to wonder about things like maps and old roads. [SIGH]

[@jelkel25]

I'm a Canadian living in the UK and no, you don't have thousands of miles of forests and lake's but you do have a lot of history and I love bumping into it when out walking/hiking. It's nice to see others that do too, maybe some Brits take it for granted just like some Canadians take their forests and lake's for granted.

[@tomlee812]

Another great video. I think they get better each time. Thank you.

[@angeloargentieri5605]

Il più grande e glorioso impero della storia, la grandezza, la potenza, la magnificenza e la gloria di ROMA È AETERNA, ROMA INVICTA ET LUX MUNDI 💪💪💯

[@andrewdaley5480]

We actually went on to rule more of the world than any other country ever has. 🇬🇧👍😁

[@52memor]

Love your vids .

[@Rail_Focus]

A Roman B road, not something I've ever given much thought to. But they must have had smaller roads connecting to the main routes.

[@dave_h_8742]

If you want some b rds go to the website of Wigan archaeological society as the be been surveying the Roman red around the area to Ribchester, Manchester etc.

[@chrisanderson5317]

I don't know what Roman B-Roads look like, but I've seen some Roman mosaics, and some of the Roman BRoads looked pretty good.

[@MsLancer99]

The Roman should have put a sign up saying, we were here

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

Kilius Royus wuz here? 🤣🤣

[@flyingtrucker4512]

Take a trip to Sowerby Bridge near Halifax there's an old railway to Ripponden.

[@djburland]

I agree with Totoro

[@daveglover6115]

Another great and informative video timely guys! I would be interested out of interest to know how far you walk on an average each week via your GPS obviously! Thanks again!

[@TheDalaiLamaCon]

Darn it, tricked into watching interesting stuff again.

[@pwhitewick]

Apologies. ;-)

[@ManicXD]

So do you think all those villas would have individual roads in a star/spoke pattern to the central bathhouse, or would it be more of a ring-like set of roads linking all the villas with just a couple of roads inwards to the bathhouse? Either way it's fascinating stuff to ponder!

[@nickryan3417]

Humans are inherently lazy and we put an enormous amount of effort into being lazy... therefore there will almost certainly have been mostly direct paths to the central bath house. Maybe one or more of these were shared paths along some of their length, but I wouldn't expect too much.

[@barneykennett9282]

Nice...👍.

[@taffythegreat1986]

When the romans left Britain. I would’ve thought some stayed to make their homes here. I wonder why the Roman way of building, didn’t continue?

[@MrYabbie]

I am curious to see what additional archaeological sites and roadways show themselves from the extended dry weather you are experiencing.

[@smudd71]

Love your channel Can u do something on quarley hill area x

[@malcolmsmith6615]

Many of today’s roads, trackways and rights of way follow ancient routes, and so in all probability the ordinary Roman roads are beneath today’s seemingly uninteresting (and often bendy) roads and tracks. In most cases the ordinary Roman roads had little in the way of engineering and so they would have appeared much like a farm track does today.

[@johnmartin6178]

Just goes to show, you only have to scratch the surface of Britain and you find history. Just wondering what video equipment you are using?