The Makerfield Rambler
Ashton in Makerfield Tithe Map (extract) and Park Lane/Landgate locations
“The Roman road must cross the turnpike road near The Red Lion public-house in Park-lane, in Ashton in Makerfield: for a large patch of the Roman road in a very perfect state is found on the east side of the turnpike road in a corner of the field called the Outlet [TM 908], close to the gate.
Its course is marked with gravel in the field called Chapel Hey [TM 914], and it is easily traced across the next field, called Brook Hey [TM 915, immediately north-east of the Wigan Rd/Landgate Lane junction], near Land Gate.
The road is again found, perfectly formed of large stones and gravel, in an orchard at Land Gate about a foot below the surface. The road here appears to have been made into Garden Land [? TM 916 “Paddock”] by a covering of earth, and the broad round ridge of the road is very visible. The road is also found in the Little Cow Hey [TM 922, directly south-but-one from the farm], near Land Gate, about 4 inches below the surface and it is perhaps remarkable that, though the road here is very perfect, there is no indication of it on the surface of this field. The direction of the road having been previously ascertained, it was conjectured that the road would be found here and, on digging, it was discovered that the road here was formed of large stones and gravel and that it was 12 yards broad and 18 inches in thickness.
The road is again found in the Padroad Meadow [*] and in the Outlet [*] along which it rises to the top of Whithill. The line of the road is indicated by a hollow up the middle of those two fields, and by digging with a spade in this hollow the road is found about half a yard below the surface, 10 or 12 yards broad, and formed of large stones and yellow-coloured freestone... On the top of Whithill the road again changes its direction by inclining a little to the west, and it continues nearly in a straight line from the top of the hill to the White Pits at the top of the hill near the Old Hey Wood.
The road is again found in a very perfect state in a small field called the Croft [TM 946] adjoining to the Long Lane [Bryn Road], on the south side. The line of the road in this field is discovered by a round ridge, about thirty yards broad and a yard high, at the centre; for the road here has been converted into arable land by a covering of earth, about half a yard in thickness at the centre, which slopes gradually from the centre of the road to the level of the field.”
[From “Some Account of Three Roman Roads which meet at Wigan, in the County of Lancaster, by Edmund Sibson, Minister of Ashton in Makerfield in the Said County”, reproduced in Vol 3 of Edward Baines' “History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster”, 1836]
Rev Sibson's description of the route of the Roman road as it continues through Park Lane and Landgate towards Bryn Cross mentions several field names that may be unfamiliar to modern readers. Where possible I have highlighted these and other landmarks on the above extract from the Ashton-in-Makerfield “Tithe Map” of 1838, and inserted the relevant field numbers - “[TM 908]” etc- into the text. *“Padroad Meadow” and the southernmost “Outlet” (which, according to Rev Sibson, were near the top of the hill) are not mentioned by these names in the tithe documents. The OS maps of 1849 (sheet CI, surveyed 1845-6) and 1894 (sheet CI.NE, surveyed 1891-2) show the Roman route passing through plots 922 “Little Cow Hey”, 933 “Further Sparrow Lane Meadow”, 942 “Lath me Thorns”, (1849 map only from this point) 946 “Croft”and the intersection of plots 946 and 947 “Meadow At Back O'Th'House” before crossing present-day Bryn Rd. The OS VectorMap Local, 2018 version, has the Roman route crossing Bryn Rd at SJ 572 007.
The photographs show (left, from top) the former Red Lion on 5 May 2018, “The Bungalows” development at Landgate on 5 May 2018, Langdate Farm as seen from the west on 2 July 2013, (right, from top) a view of Landgate Farm from the top of Rose Hill on 3 November 2013, the south-side of Landgate Farm as seen from the Bryn Rd-Landgate Lane footpath on 19 July 2013
and a view towards the southern boundary of “Bryn Rec” on 19 July 2013.
The 1838 “Tithe map of Ashton within Mackerfield .... copied from a map in the possession of Sir John Gerard Bart with amendments” is preserved at National Archives ref. IR 30/18/18. The associated Apportionment Schedule -which lists the various field names, owners and occupiers in 1838- is at ref. IR 29/18/18.
Ashton in Makerfield Tithe Map (extract) and Park Lane/Landgate locations
“The Roman road must cross the turnpike road near The Red Lion public-house in Park-lane, in Ashton in Makerfield: for a large patch of the Roman road in a very perfect state is found on the east side of the turnpike road in a corner of the field called the Outlet [TM 908], close to the gate.
Its course is marked with gravel in the field called Chapel Hey [TM 914], and it is easily traced across the next field, called Brook Hey [TM 915, immediately north-east of the Wigan Rd/Landgate Lane junction], near Land Gate.
The road is again found, perfectly formed of large stones and gravel, in an orchard at Land Gate about a foot below the surface. The road here appears to have been made into Garden Land [? TM 916 “Paddock”] by a covering of earth, and the broad round ridge of the road is very visible. The road is also found in the Little Cow Hey [TM 922, directly south-but-one from the farm], near Land Gate, about 4 inches below the surface and it is perhaps remarkable that, though the road here is very perfect, there is no indication of it on the surface of this field. The direction of the road having been previously ascertained, it was conjectured that the road would be found here and, on digging, it was discovered that the road here was formed of large stones and gravel and that it was 12 yards broad and 18 inches in thickness.
The road is again found in the Padroad Meadow [*] and in the Outlet [*] along which it rises to the top of Whithill. The line of the road is indicated by a hollow up the middle of those two fields, and by digging with a spade in this hollow the road is found about half a yard below the surface, 10 or 12 yards broad, and formed of large stones and yellow-coloured freestone... On the top of Whithill the road again changes its direction by inclining a little to the west, and it continues nearly in a straight line from the top of the hill to the White Pits at the top of the hill near the Old Hey Wood.
The road is again found in a very perfect state in a small field called the Croft [TM 946] adjoining to the Long Lane [Bryn Road], on the south side. The line of the road in this field is discovered by a round ridge, about thirty yards broad and a yard high, at the centre; for the road here has been converted into arable land by a covering of earth, about half a yard in thickness at the centre, which slopes gradually from the centre of the road to the level of the field.”
[From “Some Account of Three Roman Roads which meet at Wigan, in the County of Lancaster, by Edmund Sibson, Minister of Ashton in Makerfield in the Said County”, reproduced in Vol 3 of Edward Baines' “History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster”, 1836]
Rev Sibson's description of the route of the Roman road as it continues through Park Lane and Landgate towards Bryn Cross mentions several field names that may be unfamiliar to modern readers. Where possible I have highlighted these and other landmarks on the above extract from the Ashton-in-Makerfield “Tithe Map” of 1838, and inserted the relevant field numbers - “[TM 908]” etc- into the text. *“Padroad Meadow” and the southernmost “Outlet” (which, according to Rev Sibson, were near the top of the hill) are not mentioned by these names in the tithe documents. The OS maps of 1849 (sheet CI, surveyed 1845-6) and 1894 (sheet CI.NE, surveyed 1891-2) show the Roman route passing through plots 922 “Little Cow Hey”, 933 “Further Sparrow Lane Meadow”, 942 “Lath me Thorns”, (1849 map only from this point) 946 “Croft”and the intersection of plots 946 and 947 “Meadow At Back O'Th'House” before crossing present-day Bryn Rd. The OS VectorMap Local, 2018 version, has the Roman route crossing Bryn Rd at SJ 572 007.
The photographs show (left, from top) the former Red Lion on 5 May 2018, “The Bungalows” development at Landgate on 5 May 2018, Langdate Farm as seen from the west on 2 July 2013, (right, from top) a view of Landgate Farm from the top of Rose Hill on 3 November 2013, the south-side of Landgate Farm as seen from the Bryn Rd-Landgate Lane footpath on 19 July 2013
and a view towards the southern boundary of “Bryn Rec” on 19 July 2013.
The 1838 “Tithe map of Ashton within Mackerfield .... copied from a map in the possession of Sir John Gerard Bart with amendments” is preserved at National Archives ref. IR 30/18/18. The associated Apportionment Schedule -which lists the various field names, owners and occupiers in 1838- is at ref. IR 29/18/18.