Hunwick's Roman Roads and Ridge Roads, a Discussion Document

Hunwick's Roman Roads

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Hunwick’s Roman and Ridge Roads- A Discussion Document
A Call for Information
I would like to gather as much information as possible about the Roman Road, or perhaps Roads, that
passed through Hunwick.
As a starting point, I’ve put together the attached discussion document. I would be very grateful if
you could read it and let me know if I’ve made any mistakes, flaws in theories etc, or, if you can, add
any additional information.
I’m particularly interested in any stories or reports of artefacts that may have been discovered during
building work, ploughing, or other activities.

Hunwick, on the Route of a Roman Road
A Roman fort was first established at Binchester, known as Vinovium (or Vinovia), around AD 75.
Situated less than two miles from Hunwick, on the opposite side of the River Wear, the fort occupied
an elevated position overlooking the river and commanded the strategic crossing of the Roman road
over the Wear. Vinovium was among the largest forts in northern Britain, capable of housing over
2,000 soldiers.
By AD 100, the garrison had been reduced in size, and the site was repurposed as a supply depot
serving forts further north. Around AD 158, a new, smaller fort was constructed on the same site.
Later, in AD 360, Vinovium was refitted to accommodate cavalry units, allowing for a faster response
to threats from the north.
The 1856 Ordnance Survey map
shows a section of Roman road
running from the fort at Binchester,
crossing the River Wear near the site
of the present sewage works at the
Flatts, Bishop Auckland.
Although the map labels this route
as Watling Street, the section that
passes through County Durham and
Northumberland is more accurately
known as Dere Street. This was the
principal Roman road linking York,
Lincoln, and southern England with
the military frontier along Hadrian’s
Wall, extending further north to the Firth of Forth. Dere Street passes through the fort as one of its
main streets.
Watling Street 1896 OS Map

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The road crosses Hunwick Gill, follows the hedgerow along the bottom of the cemetery, and then
joins Hunwick Lane. It continues along the line of the present-day road past the Wheatsheaf (Quarry
Tea Room) before crossing Helmington Beck. From there, it proceeds north through Willington,
continuing onwards to Lanchester, Corbridge, and eventually to Edinburgh.
In 1858, MacLauchlan surveyed and mapped the route of the Roman road, producing a plan that
closely matched the alignment shown on the 1856 Ordnance Survey map. The excerpts below
illustrate and describe the section of the road that passes through Hunwick.



A survey of the Roman Road between Bishop Auckland and Lanchester was undertaken by the Royal
Commission on Historical Monuments (England) in 1959. As part of this survey, D. P. Dymond
suggested that the rusticated and squared stones found in the river bed of the River Wear below
Binchester Fort, (NZ 204318), were likely the remains of a Roman bridge. He noted that, together
with traces of a raised trackway on the west side of the River Wear and metalling uncovered on the
east during the 1911–12 sewage works, there was strong archaeological evidence that a Roman road
once crossed the river at this point. Dymond suggested that the bridge consisted of stone piers
supporting a timber superstructure and that, to span the river, there were would need to be three or
four piers (Dymond, 1961).
Around the same time, George Gowland, a site manager with the Wear and Tees River Board (now
Northumbrian Water), also contributed to the understanding of the site. A member of Durham
MacLauchlan Map, 1858
‘The Roman Way continues visible
as it ascends from the River Wear,
and at the distance of about 1000
yards from it enters a blind lane,
which it follows very obscurely for
a short distance, and passes
about 200 yards below the church
at Hunwick. A little farther, it
appears to enter the lane leading
to Helmington Hall, and continues
along it as far as the spot where it
turns off to the westward. The
cottage and garden on the west
side are on it, and the traces are
clearly to be seen down to the
brook at Helmington Hall, both at
the cottage and in the field at the
back of it. At the Hall the line is
somewhat on the western edge of
the road, as it ascends from the
bridge, and continues along the
course of the road to Willington’
(MacLauchlan, 1858)

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University’s Archaeology Group, Gowland possessed extensive local knowledge and regular access to
the river. He discovered numerous Roman artefacts along the riverbanks and riverbed near this
crossing (Gowland, 13 November 1980).

After crossing the River Wear, the Roman
road ascends the valley side toward
Hunwick. For a short distance, it shared
its route with Birtley Lane, the old
connection between Newton Cap and
Hunwick village, passing through the
area now occupied by the Centurian
Equestrian Centre.

Archaeological finds along Birtley Lane,
including Neolithic, Bronze Age, and
Anglo-Saxon stone axe heads, suggest
that this route followed the line of a
much older prehistoric trackway,
predating the Roman period.



Further evidence confirming that a Roman road followed the route shown on the 1856 Ordnance
Survey map was discovered in 2009 by William Trow. He photographed a trench cut across the line of
the road, clearly revealing the agger, the raised mound or camber typical of Roman road
construction. The photographs were taken just south of the disused railway line, at the point where
the Roman road, as marked on the Ordnance Survey map, crosses the railway and begins to rise
toward Hunwick village


Birtley Lane and the Roman Road

2009 Cross section
By Kind permission of William Trow
By Kind permission of William Trow

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Although neither the 1768 nor the 1801 map is highly detailed, Jefferys’ map shows Birtley Lane
following the course of the Roman road, which would have required a crossing over Hunwick Gill.
Cary’s 1801 map, however, implies a slightly different alignment, suggesting that Birtley Lane may
have followed the line of what is now Station Road as it enters Hunwick Village.




Hunwick Gill is a stream that flows past Hunwick Church before joining the River Wear. It gathers
runoff from the fields behind the school, extending as far as Blakeley Hill Farm. A second stream,
which once ran openly across the Village Green and down North View but is now culverted, merges
with Hunwick Gill.
The Roman Road appears to have descended into the steep-sided valley near the present-day
cemetery, following the hedge line along its lower edge. Birtley Lane, by however, follows the
southern bank of the Gill and crosses the tributary that flows down from the Village Green at a
gentler point, the same location now occupied by the Station Road bridge
The 1959 survey identified that the road,
between the bridge over the Wear and
Hunwick village, in addition to negotiating the
steep-sides of Hunwick Gill, it also would need
to cross another small stream that ran in a six-
to-eight-feet wide gulley.

The Survey explained that Hunwick Gill:
“This gill, 50 ft. wide from lip to lip and 20-25
ft. deep, is sharply riven in the surface of a
plateau. It is therefore too steep and narrow
to have been negotiated by a zig-zag. In
addition, the road on each side leads to the very lip of the gill.”
John Carry, 1801.

Thomas Jeffreys, 1768.

Roman river crossings

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The survey further suggested that, to cross the smaller gully (Birtley Stream?), the Romans likely
constructed a solid causeway, incorporating a pipe or culvert to allow the stream to flow beneath.
The artist’s impression, originally
published in the Archaeological Journal,
shows what the bridge, that carried Dere
Street across Hunwick Gill might have
looked like.





The Roman Road, through the ‘Lane Ends’ and on to Willington
After following the hedgerow at the lower edge of the cemetery, the Roman Road runs beneath the
modern road from Dyson’s junction toward the Quarry Tea Room. From there, it descends to
Helmington Beck, crosses the stream, and climbs the opposite bank, passing to the west of
Helmington Hall before continuing parallel to the present road toward Willington.
A Roman well is marked at Lane Ends on the
1856 Ordnance Survey map. Donald White
later narrowed down its location, noting:
“There was a well approximately in the back
yard of Mrs. Sleath’s shop, behind the yard of
the Helmington Inn, about 10 or 20 yards west
of the Roman road, at the top of Oxford
Street—locally reputed to be a Roman well.”
John Cunningham reported that, following a
land collapse in the 1970s or 1980s, Wear
Valley Council excavated the site and
confirmed the presence of a well. Its position
was recorded as being on, or close to, the site
of the former Helmington Inn. Unfortunately,
reports and photographs from this excavation
have not been located.
Roman Bridge over Hunwick Gill (artists impression)
Image 0005 - (Dymond, 1961) - J E Williams Illustrator

Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of
Scotland

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In 2024, members of East Durham Detectors uncovered several Roman artefacts, including coins, a
buckle, a stylus, and the top of a perfume bottle believed to have belonged to a high-status woman,
in the field to the north of Helmington Beck, along the line of the Roman road.
Analysis of the Route
We can therefore be confident that a Roman road did indeed follow the route shown on the
Ordnance Survey maps. However, the precise course it took through Hunwick village warrants closer
examination.
From the bridge over Hunwick Gill, the road appears
to veer westward, passing the Quarry Tea Room
before crossing Helmington Beck to the west of
Helmington Hall. This alignment is intriguing, as a
more direct and practical route would have passed
to the east of Helmington Hall. Why, then, did the
road deviate from the seemingly easier line?
Although not specifically focused on the Hunwick
section, further research revealed that other
scholars have examined the alignment of Dere Street
between Piercebridge and Lanchester and have
noted other irregularities.

Discussing the course of Dere Street between
Binchester and Lanchester, Dymond observes:
“Between the forts of Vinovium (Binchester)
and Longovicium (Lanchester), Dere Street pursued a Z-shaped course, remarkably less
straight and direct than anywhere else in its whole length. The reason for this double bend
over more than twelve miles is not obvious.”

D P Dymond, Route between Binchester
and Lanchester

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In 1871, Matthew Richley attempted to
trace and describe the route of the Roman
road through Bishop Auckland. He recorded
that the road “enters the town by Newgate
Street,” though he noted that all visible
traces within the town itself had been lost.
During sewerage excavations at the
Newgate end of Newgate Street, however, a
road surface was uncovered. According to
Richley, one branch appeared to continue
along the same line as Newgate Street,
while another diverged in a north-westerly
direction.
He also referred to later discoveries of a
paved surface at the lower end of Fenkle
(Finkle) Street and concluded that a Roman
road probably crossed the River Wear near
Newton Cap Bridge. Richley then described
leaving the town “following in the same
direction,” which suggests he continued along the north-westerly branch crossing the river at
Newton Cap.
Further along this route, Richley recorded evidence of the Roman road on the “foot road to
Hunwick,” noting that “a portion of the top pavement of the road [was] exposed in the fields on the
foot road to Hunwick.”
The “foot road to Hunwick” mentioned by
Richley may correspond to Birtley Lane,
Church Path, or possibly the riverside path
shown on the 1856 Ordnance Survey map and
MacLauchlan’s 1858 map. The latter path runs
from Newton Cap Bridge along the riverbank
to Birtley Cottages. (Ref: Matthew Richley,
History of Bishop Auckland, 1872.)
If Richley was indeed referring to this riverside
path to Birtley, and given that he did not
specify how far along it he observed the
exposed pavement, it is possible that the
location corresponds to the point where this
path intersects the Roman road depicted on
the 1856 Ordnance Survey map,
approximately where William Trow later
photographed the road’s cross-section.



MacLauchlan’s 1958 map

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Of the two other possible
routes for the “foot road
to Hunwick” mentioned by
Richley, both follow the
north-westerly branch
revealed by sewerage
excavations at the
Newgate end of Newgate
Street. These are Birtley
Lane and Church Path.
Each crosses the River
Wear at Newton Cap.
Birtley Lane then meets
the recognised line of the
Roman road near the
present-day Equestrian
Centre, between Hunwick
and Hunwick Station,
while Church Path climbs
the hillside past Toronto
before entering Hunwick
close to Hunwick Hall.

A possible second Roman Road through Hunwick
Discussions on Roman road planning and development
generally acknowledge that when an existing path or
trackway aligned with a desired long-distance route, the
Romans often incorporated it into their own road
network—building directly upon it. Likewise, if a pre-
existing route offered access to valuable local resources or
linked efficiently with established communication lines, it
was typically adopted and improved rather than replaced.
One such route is illustrated on the map reproduced here,
originally shared by the Northern Archaeology Group and
attributed to Raymond Selkirk (2000). It shows a line
referred to as “Proto Dere Street,” which may have
preceded the recorded alignment of Dere Street between
Bishop Auckland and Hunwick. This proposed route
crosses the River Wear at Newton Cap and continues
along an otherwise unrecorded course toward Hunwick,
where it appears to merge with the known Roman road
running from Binchester Fort through Hunwick.
Proto Dere Street map, Selkirk 2000

Possible Routes between Newton Cap and Hunwick

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Unless there was a specific reason to detour via the Binchester Loop, perhaps for the garrison to stop
at the fort, the Proto Dere Street would have provided a shorter and more practical route for Roman
soldiers.
William Trow highlights a period when Binchester Fort was not in use and argues that Roman troops
are unlikely to have followed the Binchester Loop during this time. He notes:
“According to Pevsner, Binchester was an early fort, built around AD 79 and occupied until AD
122. At that date, Lanchester Fort was constructed, and Binchester appears to have been
abandoned. Lanchester was later destroyed in AD 197, prompting the reoccupation of
Binchester. Lanchester was subsequently restored in AD 240 and remained in use until the
end of the 4th century.
Thus, Lanchester and Binchester were occupied simultaneously only from AD 240 onwards. It
therefore seems improbable that the Roman military would have diverted through Binchester
during the 75-year interval (AD 122–197) when the fort was inactive. It may have been
during this period that a stone bridge, possibly on the site later occupied by the medieval
Newton Cap Bridge, was constructed. This structure may have collapsed or been dismantled
by Bishop Skirlaw in the 14th century.”
This reasoning lends further support to the Proto Dere Street hypothesis.
To date, no definitive archaeological evidence has been found along either proposed alignment that
directly confirms the Roman road’s course, aside from earlier discoveries of Neolithic, Bronze Age,
and Anglo-Saxon stone axe heads. Nevertheless, William Trow and Robert Walton have undertaken
extensive investigations in an effort to trace the Proto Dere Street. Working independently, both
examined the hillside north of Toronto village and identified what may be the remains of an ancient
roadway beneath Church Path.
This path, predating the construction of St Paul’s Church in Hunwick, was historically used by
Hunwick residents travelling to their parish church at South Church, and it remains a public footpath
today. Investigating the section beginning just south of the A689, near the footbridge, and continuing
up the hillside in a north-westerly direction, Trow recorded the following observations:
“There is a ditch to the west of the path, on the far side of the hedge, and traces of a ditch on
its eastern side. Stones can be seen beneath the grass, appearing to be laid like paving.
A few tens of yards further north, the path changes direction slightly to the north-west as it
ascends the hill. More paving-type stones are visible beside the stile here.
The path then returns to its original alignment, and from the next field boundary, ditches
appear on either side, with large stones frequently visible.”
Trow notes that the footpath continues toward Hunwick, where its alignment near Hunwick Hall
shifts slightly westward, consistent with the projected course of the Proto Dere Street. From this
point, the suggested route would run directly past Hunwick Hall, cross the B6286, and continue
toward Willington, aligning with the recognised line of Dere Street extending from Binchester Fort.
The line from Hunwick Hall, past the Joiner’s Arms, and across the fields to the top of Helmington
Terrace survives today as a public footpath. Along this route, several hundred yards from Hunwick
Hall, large foundation stones of an old bridge are still visible in the banks of a stream crossed by the
path. The footpath continues on the same bearing before turning north-east. At the next field
boundary, the alignment appears to deviate slightly, diverting north-west along the field edge.

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Had this deviation not occurred, the path would have joined almost precisely with the footpath
across Quarry Burn Lane, continuing onward to intersect with Dere Street, the section mapped as
running from Binchester Fort and crossing Helmington Beck near Helmington Hall. It is possible that
both roads shared the same bridge across Helmington Beck.



The 1761 Enclosure Act provides valuable context by defining the lanes in and around Hunwick. It
describes Hunwick Lane as the route branching from Wolsingham Lane and passing Hunwick Hall.
This lane runs through the centre of Hunwick and corresponds today to the course of the B6286.
Roman Roads shown on the Public Rights of Way
Map

A possible route for Proto-Dere Street

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The Act also refers to two other lanes,
Cringle Dikes Lane and Holmedon Lane,
both joining Ancient Street Lane at its
northern end. Interestingly, this happens at
what is now Know as ‘Lane Ends’.
At some point, Hunwick Lane appears to
merge with, or become Ancient Street Lane,
before continuing past Helmington Hall
toward Willington.
The use of the term “Ancient” in 1761 may
indicate that the road, running from Wear
View to the Quarry Tea Room, was already
regarded as being of Roman origin.
Roman roads, constructed for military and
trade purposes, long pre-date the
development of most villages. Medieval
settlements often formed along or adjacent
to these durable routes, benefiting from
their accessibility. This appears to be the
case in Hunwick, where the village
developed alongside the old road rather than being traversed by it.
The Enclosure Act Map also records the Church Path, and shows a path, continuing on the same
alignment towards Quarry Burn and beyond. This would correspond with the route described by
Trow and supporting the interpretation of an ancient line underlying the modern path.
Hunwick’s Ridgeways and interconnecting paths
Alfred Watkins (1922) proposed that many of Britain’s earliest trackways were established by
primitive peoples who required essential materials, such as salt, flint, or later, metals, obtainable
only from distant sources. He observed that “the shortest way to such a distant point was a straight
line; the human way of attaining a straight line is by sighting, and accordingly all these early
trackways were straight, and laid out in much the same way that a marksman gets the back and fore
sights of his rifle in line with the target” (Early British Trackways, p.12).
These early routes likely predated nearby settlements. Over time, homesteads, hamlets, and
eventually towns developed alongside them. The same sighting points or natural landmarks first
used to establish the tracks would have continued to serve as navigational aids for later travellers.
On the 1761 Enclosure Map, produced when the Common land of Hunwick Edge Moor was divided,
Pixley Hill, Blakeley Hill, Rumby Hill, High Oaks Row, and Jobs Hill are all clearly marked. The map also
records the existing lanes and paths, many of which are notably straight and connect prominent high
points or natural landmarks. Where the roads deviate from a straight course, the deviation appears
to result from natural obstacles or the terrain itself.
Evidence of early use of these routes includes:

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• Pixley Hill (NZ 182 319) – Cropmarks in the form of small circular, ditched enclosures,
possibly indicating Iron Age settlements. Similar cropmarks have been identified halfway
down High Grange Bank (NZ 175 322). Although no visible features remain today, the
DCC Archaeology record (Ref: D410) suggests Iron Age activity in both locations.
• Watergate, Rumby Hill – Neolithic tranchet derivative arrowheads were discovered here
(Bowes Museum [Acc. 1961/40] R1 Rpm 9 12 76).
• Helmington Lane Ends (NZ13 SE20 / NZ 185 334) – Rectangular cropmarks have been
recorded, suggesting early enclosure or settlement.
• Holywell Lane (Ref: D1812 – Keys to the Past) – Possible medieval village site. Local
residents report remains of building foundations between Helmington Lodge and Rumby
Hill. The 1761 Enclosure Map also refers to “ancient roads” and a field called Castles in
this vicinity, near Constantine Farm.
• Birtley Lane – Archaeological finds from multiple periods, including Neolithic, Bronze
Age, and Anglo-Saxon stone axe heads.
• Portable Antiquities Scheme Database (Hunwick) – lists Bronze Age scraper (tool);
Mesolithic Burin (handheld steel tool used for engraving in metal or wood); Iron Age
Toggle; Bronze Age Blade and four Roman Coins
https://finds.org.uk/database/search/results/q/hunwick

Pixley Hill occupies a prominent elevated position. From its summit, a remarkably straight road runs
northwards along a ridge toward North Bitchburn. From there, another straight ridge road leads
toward Rumby Hill, which in turn connects via yet another ridge road to the highest point in the area,
Jobs Hill at Helmington Row. Collectively, these ridge routes roughly delineate the boundaries of the
former Hunwick Edge Common, which was apportioned by the 1761 Enclosure Act.
Notably, this main ridge road passes close to the probable Iron Age enclosures at Pixley Hill and High
Grange, and was later used by drovers as part of the historic Drovers’ Road network. Given its
straight alignment, elevated position, and close association with ancient sites, it is reasonable to
consider whether these ridge routes might have been in continuous use since Roman, or even pre-
Roman, times.
Might this ancient ridge road have given the moor or Common its name — “Hunwick Edge”?
Local historian William Trow suggested that there may have been an additional road running north–
northwest from Helmington Hall, passing Oaks Row and connecting with the ridge road at Jobs Hill.
He further noted that the descriptions of village lanes included in the 1761 Enclosure Act for
Hunwick Edge Moor appear to support this hypothesis.
Trow also noted that the ridge road continued down from Pixley Hill and, at Needless Hall, formed a
junction leading across the river to Escomb.
Taken together, these observations raise an intriguing possibility: could several Roman roads have
once converged at Hunwick?

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Why did the mapped Roman Road take the route that it did, through
Hunwick?
Further insight comes from the research of Björn Vernharðsson, who suggests that Hunwick may
have been of sufficient significance to justify a deliberate diversion of the Roman road. He argues
that the suffix -wick in Hunwick denotes more than a simple dairy farm; rather, it may signify a thing,
a meeting place or site of local importance. Moreover, he notes that the element Hun can refer to a
finial, capital, or dome atop a flagpole, symbolising prominence or authority. From this,
Vernharðsson infers that the name Hunwick may have described a place of distinction, supporting his
broader hypothesis that Hunwick functioned as a social or administrative centre in Anglo-Saxon
Northumbria.
Vernharðsson and Stefán Björnsson are so convinced of Hunwick’s historical importance as a central
hub that they have gone to remarkable lengths to substantiate their theory. While none of the many
factors they identify provides definitive proof, taken together they form a compelling argument. They
propose that the area now occupied by the football pitches and cricket field once served as a
regional centre in pre-Christian times, and was, in fact, the site of the Battle of Brunanburh in AD
937. They envisage an invading army moving south along the Roman roads and meeting the forces of
the King of England at Hunwick, where a particularly fierce and bloody battle took place.
Ridge Road and Connecting Road

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There is no doubt that a major battle occurred, but its precise location remains the subject of
debate. It is, therefore, interesting to consider how the Icelandic scholars reached their conclusion.
Much of their reasoning derives from the 13th-century Icelandic text Egil’s Saga, which is based on
poems believed to be contemporary with the events described. Egil fought in the battle alongside his
brother, Thorolf, who was killed. The saga draws on Egil’s own poetry, in which he says the battle
occurred “in a field on Vinheith by Vinewood,” and that he buried his brother “near Vinu.”
Their theory holds that Vinu (or Veanu Flumen) was an ancient name for the River Wear, dating back
to Roman times, hence the Roman fort at Binchester being called Vinovia, meaning “the road
crossing the Wear.” The poem also refers to the battlefield as Ymbe Brunnanburh. The word Ymbe is
akin to amphi- (as in amphitheatre), while Brunnan translates as “fountains” or “springs.” Thus, Ymbe
Brunnanburh may describe a “field or amphitheatre surrounded by springs or wells.”
Such a landscape would have provided an ideal site for gatherings, whether courts, markets, or
sporting contests, offering an open space with wide views, where sunrise and sunset could be
observed and measured at the solstices.

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Parked
I have attached a copy of a map I have put together of what may have happened. The ridge road is
typical and runs from between the highest points on the ridge. The long-distance line of that road
was from a road Selkirk described from near Rothbury, Great Tosson to Whitchester Farm near the
Roman Wall.
I decided to extend that line and it crossed the Tees at Piercebridge. I believed too much of a
coincidence and looked at the line with an excavation at Iveston which appeared to prove it's
existence.
Also near Lanchester at the crossing point of the Browney. Further walking appeared to prove it.

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The Aerial Photo is no longer available but the sketches that were made during the examination of the
photographs are held by DCC Archaeology. The sketches identify the A689, the B6286, High Grange and
the farms on the A689. The sketch would locate the enclosure as being on the site of what was High
Birtley Farm or, if the NZ182 319 coordinates that are recorded on the sketch are accurate, to the north in
a field belonging to Blakeley Hill Farm. (DCC Archaeology Reference number: D410)