302
NOTES AND QUERIES. [9 th s. x. OCT. is, 1902.
THE ROMAN ROAD OVER BLACKSTONE
EDGE.
ON the western slope of Blackstone Edge there may be seen the remains of an ancient Roman road. This road is a full half mile in length, in some places bare as when originally constructed, in other places partially covered with heather and wild grass. There it lies, a conspicuous object on the high mountain moorland, much the same to all appearance as when in the early centuries of the Christian era the iron legions of the Caesars marched over it on their victorious course. It is as veritable a piece of material Roman civilization as can probably be found in Great Britain.
The road is 16 ft. wide, and in the middle there is a slightly hollowed trough ; the edges are protected by curbstones rising 3 in. above the pavement. The road is not entirely flat, for on each side of the central trough- stone it is very slightly depressed towards the outer edges, so as to compel the water to be drained off. With the trough running down the middle it becomes a double road. Skidding is supposed to have been resorted to when waggons were employed. The wheels were 4|ft. apart, according to the ruts which some antiquaries have noticed.
The road is at an altitude of nearly 1,500 ft. above the level of the sea. Considering its exposure to the wear and tear of the elements, to frost and other atmospheric agencies, to the hurricane-like storms, gathered on the far-off Atlantic, which from time immemorial have swept across the plain of Lancashire to beat in their arrested course against that exposed height, it is a marvel that the road is in such excellent preservation. Traces of age and decay are apparent, but those master builders of ancient times, here as elsewhere, have seemingly built for eternity, and if not tampered with it will stand for ages to come. This road, known locally as Dhoul's Pave- ment, ran between Aid borough and Man- chester, passing outside the town of Roch- dale. The portion that remains on Blackstone Edge is two miles from Littleborough and six from Rochdale, and about one from the summit of the hill, which is in the county ol York. It is at no great distance from the present highway, constructed a hundred anc fifty years ago, but is not visible to the pedestrian travelling up or down the ascent and is a spot somewhat difficult for the stranger to find. The blocks for the making of this road were dug from adjacent quarries rock being abundant on this craggy moun tain steep. It is to be hoped that the lord o
the manor, or whoever owns the moor, will
- ake care that vandal hands do not cart away
/he stones for prosaic mercenary purposes.
A few years ago Dr. March and Col. Fish- wick, of Rochdale, two of the ablest anti- quaries in the north of England, bared part of this military highway, and the former has aublished an excellent pamphlet, with a map,
- urnishing full particulars of the road.
These roads over Blackstone Edge have something of a classic reputation. The reader must be informed that a third road, known as the old road, and used up to the time of the making of the present one, formerly crossed over into Yorkshire. It was along bhis older road that Defoe passed when he journeyed from Liverpool to Halifax, and when he encountered such inclement weather that he and his friends were almost compelled to retrace their steps and seek safe shelter. In Halifax Defoe, according to tradition, resided in Gaol Lane, and there wrote some of his works. Over this same road, twenty- seven years previously, Celia Fiennes travelled. Both these writers appear to have been well - nigh daunted with the savageness of the country, and have left awful accounts of the dangers and difficulties they had to face. Horsley visited these re- mains, and has made mention of them in his 'Britannia Romana.' F.
" WEIGH." I have on a previous occasion
endeavoured to convert people from the error
of their " weighs " to use a witticism ad-
dressed to me by the first Lady Brassey, who
corrected the phrase "under weigh" at my
instance. Error dies hard, and probably this
absurd expression will survive to a far-
removed futurity. In connexion herewith
stupidity reaches its acme in the St. James's
Gazette of 29 September, where, describing
the collision of a steamer with London Bridge
"while endeavouring to pick up her moor-
ings," the reporter says : " Before weigh on
the steamer could be stopped, she was caught
under one of the arches," &c. This is down-
right nonsense. F. ADAMS.
[MR. ADAMS'S previous communication appeared 8 th S. i. 477.]
PRIME MINISTERS : IRISH AND SCOTCH. Mr. Balfour in his speech at Haddington, when the freedom of the borough was con- ferred upon him, did not omit to remind his Scotch audience that he was a native of Scotland, and he pointed out with pardon- able pride that in the event of any disaster befalling the present administration the next Prime Minister, whether Lord Rosebery or
