ROMANO-BRITISH NORTHAMPTONSHIRE I. Introductory Sketch of Roman Britain. 2. Towns of Romano-British Northamptonshire: {a) Castor, {b) Irchester, (c) Towcester, {d) Whilton, Norton. 3. Villas and Rural Dwellings. 4. Roads. 5. Industries : The Castor Potteries of Native Art. 6. Military Remains : The alleged Ostorian Forts. 7. Alphabetical list of the chief places in Northamptonshire where Roman Remains have been discovered, with map. I. Introductory Sketch of Roman Britain AS he approaches the Roman occupation the student of North- amptonshire antiquities enters upon the historic period. He ceases to depend solely and simply on archaeological evidences ; the narratives or the allusions of ancient writers lend him their aid and he might perhaps be expected at this point to commence a regular history. In reality he cannot do that. Not only are his written records most unsatisfactory — inadequate in extent, inexact in detail ; other difficulties bar his path. Even if he possessed a whole library of Roman literature about Roman Britain, he could not in this section attempt to write history. Two facts which are often overlooked would limit him to a humbler though not an easier task. The first of these facts is the character of the Roman Empire, of which Britain formed a province. Alike in its vast area and in its complex organization that Empire was constituted on a scale which dwarfs detail into insignificance. Its history — that is, its true history, apart from court scandals and imperial crimes — is a record of great developments slowly advancing among the peoples of three continents. It contains none of that continuity of individual life, that rapid succession of momentous incidents, that quick growth of tendencies which charac- terize the cities of ancient Greece or the little nations of modern Europe. ' For the following article I have searched the literature for myself, and have visited all the chief sites and museums. I have had to thank various helpers : Mr. R. A. Smith of the British Museum, Mr. T. J. George of Northampton Museum, Mr. Ryland Adkins of Northampton, Mr. J. W. Bodger of Peterborough, and others named below ; Mr. Stevenson has of course helped me in his department. I have examined also the late Sir H. Dryden's papers, preserved in Northampton Museum, and the late Mr. Jas. T. Irvine's sketches in the Bodleian Library. I may add that I quote the three chief histories of the county by their authors' names, Morton, Bridges, and Baker — the latter not to be confused with the Rev. R. S. Baker, late rector of Hargrave ; all other references will, I believe, explain themselves. 157
