Monument record 2870/1 - Major Romano-British Road Route (Margary Route 571: Ailsworth to Kings Cliffe)

Roman road running from Ailsworth to King's Cliffe.

{1} Route 571: Ailsworth to Kings Cliffe. This length of road branched off the Ermine Street, north of Durobrivae, and its line is followed by the present A47 Peterborough to Leicester road as far as Wansford. Entering the area north-east of Wansford as an existing road to Kings Cliffe, the Roman road runs almost straight for 5.5km. Immediately north-east of Kings Cliffe it runs down the steep eastern side of a small valley where it ends abruptly at TL001289781. No trace of its continuation westwards has been found, but it probably ran down into the valley of Willow Brook at Kings Cliffe, continuing south-west to meet the 57a road south-west of Corby. TL01289781 to TL06819943.

{3} Almost certainly a walled part of the wide drove through the park parallel to the modern road.

{4} The Kings Cliffe to Wansford road forms the northern boundary of the survey area and preserves the line of a Roman road running from modern day Ailsworth to Kings Cliffe.

{5} Lidar survey has refined the projected course of the road. To the west of the A43, the road passes through the grounds of Laxton Hall. It is lost to landscaping further to the west but reappears following a modern trackway in Laxton/Town Woods until c SP 9444 9696 when there is a possible slight northerly alignment change. The road can be traced to around SP 9410 9700, but is thereafter lost to later quarrying, airfield etc.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1975, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.117+fig.127 (checked) (Series). SNN77379.

<2> Margary I.D., 1955, Roman Roads in Britain, (unchecked) (Extract). SNN75175.

<3> Hall D.N., 1960-1999, Rockingham Forest Project: Archaeological Sites Recorded by David Hall, King's Cliffe/Site 3 (unchecked) (Database). SNN102279.

<4> Holmes M., 1994, An Archaeological Evaluation at KSR International Works, Nassington, Northants, 1994, p.3 (checked) (Report). SNN76731.

<5> 2024, Roman Roads in 2023- recent research and fieldwork on Roman roads in Britain (Article). SNN116690.

Record last edited

Jan 9 2025 9:47AM