Proposed Routes for the Roman Saltway East from Blisworth Parish

From the 1729 Grafton maps it has been possible to connect the Saltway at Pattishall Rd. with Knock Lane. (See article).

It would be satisfactory to have a suggestion for its route to the east.  In the Northamptonshire Records Office 18th century
maps of Courteenhall, Quinton, Roade and Hartwell Parishes have been examined.  Various paths rather suggestively line up
- see the Google-based chart below (and use the horizontal scroll bar to work towards the east).
In the chart, BW means bridleway, FP footpath, OPB old parish boundary and showing a path in 18C (may still be in the
same position nowadays), DisR stands for dismantled railway.  The young farmer at Ashwood Fm seemed to know what I was
on about but failed (!) to show me the line of trees which, along with the crop-mark in his field, seemed to clinch how the path
heads towards Salcey Forest.  The broad but overgrown path leading through the forest was found first on foot by using one
of the clearly visible access paths.  Eye of faith from Google-view confirms its existence in accord with the paced out survey
that was made.  Beyond Salcey Forest it may be shown that the Saltway crosses the first of a few major rivers at Olney.

A visit was made to the area showing the crop or soil mark.  The field had been tilled, drilled and rolled.  The very mild hump in
level, near the bridge only, was noted after computer manipulation but there was no soil colour or stone distribution to be seen.

A bit of a problem for this proposal is that the portion of the track from Ashwood to the crossroads is not apparent on an 18C
map of Salcey Forest, but nor are any other subdividing tracks except for Grafton's track which ran from the crossroads into
the lawn area - continuing the line of the Hartwell road.  This may be only a medieval trackway.

The Viatores say that spur 172B peters out just to the east of the village of Ashton.  They remark that railway works etc. make it
impossible to take the line further but: "The left fork 172B makes a brave start towards Hartwell, beside a stretch of county
boundary to the north-west of Spinney Lodge. It is conspicuous along the boundaries of three more fields, and attains high ground
on merging into the modern road, where it makes a slight turn more west-north-west. The farmer at Park Farm indicated its
presence on the east side of his house, believing that the original road was taken up and relaid as a present track into the
Ashton road. There is just sufficient evidence to carry it across the ford to the east of the railway, but the village plan is so altered
by the passage of the enormous railway embankment that the search had to be terminated. On the line ahead is a group of
Romano-British sites around Blisworth, in which direction continuation might profitably be sought."  The group of sites around
Blisworth are displayed on a map of Roman Monumental Records on this website.

The large google-based layout below shows that 172B could be joined up with "our Saltway" given that the eastern part of Knock
Lane is taken as part of the Saltway.  Simply extending its line through Roade brings alignment within a short distance.  The Viatores
arrived at A in the layout from the east with 172B and a short length extending from that, following hedges etc. provides potential
for a joining.  The labels 'm' refer to lengths of track that have been metalled (use of compressed pebbles).  There is however a
logical problem with this route for the Saltway because it suggests that, having traced a line between due east and east-south-east
for many miles from Droitwich, an excursion from fork F on the 172 south-east to nearly rejoin the Watling Street simply doesn't
make much sense because the Saltway crossed the Watling Street at Fosters Booth.  In short The Viatores indicate no routes in the
area running substantially east-west other than from the area of Little Brickhill and so a path near Olney, crossing the river there and
heading for the Bedford area, is somewhat more favoured.  Perhaps there was a route from Olney to provide a north-easterly
extension for the road numbered 170b in the diagram above.  The Viatores say nothing about this possibility in their book.

Conclusion:
The tracks across Salcey, including the one suggested in the map above, existed as earthen balks.  Maps before about 1750 cannot be
found.  Continuation through or slightly to the north of Stoke Goldington can be plausibly suggested but no field work to try confirm this
has been done.  Once passed Olney further pure speculation is needed before linking up with the Viatores track 222 to Sandy.  Beyond
Sandy a division onto the south and north parts of track way 22 seem to spell the end of the speculation.  It is worth bearing in mind that
salt trading on a line persistently to the east must peter out as one approaches the influence of salt sources on the east coast. 

(concluding notes)   Tony Marsh  January 2011