ROMANO-BRITISH HEREFORDSHIRE St. Weonards. — Roman coins, scoriae, &c. reported here [JrcL Camhr. (Ser.3), i, 168 ; Wright, Wandering! of an jintiq. 16 ; Arch. Surv., Index]. Wright also states that when the tumulus near the church was opened a piece of pottery, supposed to be Roman, was found, and that Roman coins found in the churchyard were in Mr. Mynors' possession [Jrch. Essays, i, 66 ; Uricontum, 40, 43]. Stoke Prior. — At Blackwardine in this parish tradition has asserted the existence of a ' fortified Roman town of considerable size,' but although Roman remains have been found, they hardly, as was once thought, ' point to the existence of some rather important Roman station.' No foundations of buildings have been discovered, but only numerous coins and fragments of pottery [Wright, Uricontum, 48 ; Arch. Journ. xxxiv, 372 ; Arch. Surv. Index ; Woolhope Club Trans. 1 882, p. 256.] Jonathan Williams mentions coins found here, including those of Augustus, Trajan, and Constantine the Great (one with wolf and twins), also pottery and bones, all in black soil [Leominster Guide (1808), p. 337]. He placed the site of Bravinium here {Hist, of Radnorshire, 49 ; see above, p. 184]. The principal discoveries were made in the construction of the Leominster and Brom- yard Railway in 1 88 1, when remains came to light at 3 ft. or 4 ft. below the surface. Among them are said to have been a gold bracelet and ring, and a large number of skeletons, ' all buried doubled up in sitting posture at different distances from the surface ' ; one grave was 13ft. be- low the ground, but the rest much less. The information however is not entirely trustworthy _Woolhope Club Trans. 1885, p. 341 ; see also ibid. 1882, p. 256]. A kiln (also described as a hypocaust) was also found, constructed of worked stones, which were afterwards utilized by the railway men. Among other finds were numerous oyster-shells, querns, fragments of coarse red, yellow, blue {sic), and black pottery, and twelve coins, mostly of the later Empire. Among the pottery was part of an amphora of coarse red ware with the stamp qicseg ; ^ the names given for the coins are Agrippina II (a.d. 49-59), Vespasian (a silver denarius), Tetricus (268- 73), Constans (291-306), Constantine the Great (306-37 ; coin with vrbs roma), Crispus (317-26), Constantine II (317-40 ; two coins), and Honorius (39S-433) ; others were too difficult to decipher. Coins of Augustus are also recorded JVoolhope Club Trans. 1885, p. 341 ; 1896, Appendix, p. i]. The quern is now in the Hereford Museum. The amphora above mentioned, being badly made, has been thought to be of local make (otherwise it would not have been imported), and this, in conjunction with the discovery of the supposed kiln (see above), which is said to have comprised thirty ovens, has been taken as evidence that pottery was manufactured here. For the supposed Roman road passing this site, see above, p. 174. Stretton Grandison. — The village of Stretton Grandison lies at the point where the Roman road which runs eastward from Kenchester comes to an apparent end, another road (not certainly Roman) running thence in a south-easterly direction (see p. 174). There is on a hill above the village an extensive camp, and it was therefore supposed that this place represents the station of Cicutio, mentioned by the anonymous geographer of Ravenna [Arch. Cambr. (Ser. 2), iv, 320 ; (Ser. 5), v, 198 ; Wright, Celt, Roman, and Saxon (6th ed.), 537]. But setting aside the fact that Cicutio is placed between Magna and Caerleon, and therefore in another direction, there does not seem to be sufficient evidence for the identification, and we must follow Professor Haverfield in rejecting it [Arch. Surv. 5 ; see also Arch. Journ. xxxiv, 368]. There have, however, been many Roman remains found from time to time. During excavations for an aqueduct to carry the Hereford and Ledbury Canal over the River Frome in 1842, black soil was met with containing bones of animals and other remains : a Roman steelyard with weight attached (fig. 1 6) ; a bronze spear-head ; two gold bracelets, one of coiled wire, the other a flat band with light scroll-work, and each fastening with simple hooks ; fragments of ornamented Gaulish pottery, and many pieces of coarser wares. Other objects were discovered in the course of excavating the canal [Woolhope Club Trans. 1882, p. 255 ; Romilly Allen in Arch. Camhr. (Ser. 5), v, 187 fF. with plate; also Arch. Cambr. (Ser. 2), ii, 46 ; Arch. Journ. xxxiv, 363]. The steelyard is described as imperfect, having the handle for suspension and the four chains for attachment of the scale-pan wanting. It is compared with one from Gloucester in the British Museum [Arch, x, pi. 13] ; another from Catterick in Journ. Brit. Arch. Assoc, xliii, 238 ; and one at Pompeii [Museo Borbonico, i, 55]. One piece of pottery is ornamented with the figure of a wild boar (see fig. i6e). A clay lamp was also discovered in a wood near the earthwork, to the east of the church ; it is of a common form, with a volute each side of the nozzle and no handle (fig. 1 7), and on the top is a relief representing Actaeon attacked by a hound ; stag's horns are seen sprouting from his head [Arch. Cambr. (Ser. 5), v, 198, with plate ; cf. B.M. lamps, nos. 158, 589, and ' There is said to be a similar one from Wroxeter in the Shrewsbury Museum ; but see F.C.H. Shrops. i, 2 5 1 . 195
