Northfield Villa

'ECONOMIC' ROADS

The minor roads were called economic roads to link economic centres. It is considered there were between 8000-10,000 miles of roads constructed by the Roman Army during the first hundred years of Roman occupation.
There was a third level of roads at the local level, connecting villas, temples, farms, and villages to larger roads and market towns. The full extent of this road building is apparent when you consider that according estimates by historians, no village or farm was more than 7 miles from a purpose-built road!
It is incorrect to believe that Roman roads were always straight, if there was a natural obstacle in the way, the Roman engineers deviated to go around it but generally where possible the rpads were pegged out in straight lines between sighting landmarks. Small hills were cut through, and wet ground covered by causeways, or timber embankments.
The roads were literally 'highways', raised up on a cambered bank of material dug from roadside ditches. They were usually in 3 layers with a bottom layer of large stones covered by a second layer of smaller stones, then a top layer of gravel or small stones.
The choice of material depended upon what was locally available. The edges were strengthened with upright stones or timber to provide stability.

	The exit track from the villa, which points north-east joins with Common Lane and to the cutting as described in Rooke's illustrations in 1786 and marked in my illustration below. The cutting was identified by Rooke as being of Roman period although it may have been Iron-Age. It seems highly likely that any early tooled-up Celtic farmers would have continually chipped away at the rock to gain easy access to the river and a north passage over the river Meden through Pleasley Park. The cutting would also gain access along the vale to the west, joining the ancient ridgeway that runs south from North Yorkshire at Ripon to Broxtowe, north of Nottingham.

The exit track from the villa, which points north-east joins with Common Lane and to the cutting as described in Rooke's illustrations in 1786 and marked in my illustration below. The cutting was identified by Rooke as being of Roman period although it may have been Iron-Age. It seems highly likely that any early tooled-up Celtic farmers would have continually chipped away at the rock to gain easy access to the river and a north passage over the river Meden through Pleasley Park. The cutting would also gain access along the vale to the west, joining the ancient ridgeway that runs south from North Yorkshire at Ripon to Broxtowe, north of Nottingham.

	The red dots trace the road (Outgang Lane) along the river Meden through the vale. The road then continued along Church Lane joining Newboundmill Lane to join Longhedge Lane, the ancient ridgeway. At this junction is Moorhaigh Farm where a Roman moasic floor has been found proving that there was another settlement maybe of equal status to Northfield. In 1976, Longhedge Lane was excavated and Roman tracks found along the Pleasley Colliery boundary. Longhedge follows the ridge to Hardwick where other ground evidence of Roman settlements have been found. It then routes to Skegby. The route to Skegby through Nottinghamshire is unproven but it is likely to have run through Annesley and Hucknall before ending at Broxtowe.

The red dots trace the road (Outgang Lane) along the river Meden through the vale. The road then continued along Church Lane joining Newboundmill Lane to join Longhedge Lane, the ancient ridgeway. At this junction is Moorhaigh Farm where a Roman moasic floor has been found proving that there was another settlement maybe of equal status to Northfield. In 1976, Longhedge Lane was excavated and Roman tracks found along the Pleasley Colliery boundary. Longhedge follows the ridge to Hardwick where other ground evidence of Roman settlements have been found. It then routes to Skegby. The route to Skegby through Nottinghamshire is unproven but it is likely to have run through Annesley and Hucknall before ending at Broxtowe.

	Here we have the location of Sookholme tile kiln in relation to Northfield Villa and the likely connection roads in red dots. The road west, ( top right) joins Leeming Lane, which would connect the kiln with its major market in the densely populated Trent Valley. However, Rooke's excavations only revealed a Roman trackway running north along the spring from Shirebrook, which unfortunately has been lost under the Shirebrook Colliery workings. The road connection by horse/ox drawn carriage from the villa to the kiln is south along Common Lane, east along Northfield Lane and north along Littlewood Lane over another cutting both sides of the Meden where the escarpments are less severe than at Northfield. Rooke identified a spring that emerged into a low walled enclosure and ran into a large adjoining pit. He drained the pit and found a second enclosure with steps down and concluded that this was the site of a Roman claypit and tile kiln. He also found a large spoil heap of broken bricks & tiles similar to ones he found at the Northfield Villa site, remarking that the kiln had been operating for a very long time. The earliest dating of the site was after 138AD.

Here we have the location of Sookholme tile kiln in relation to Northfield Villa and the likely connection roads in red dots. The road west, ( top right) joins Leeming Lane, which would connect the kiln with its major market in the densely populated Trent Valley. However, Rooke's excavations only revealed a Roman trackway running north along the spring from Shirebrook, which unfortunately has been lost under the Shirebrook Colliery workings. The road connection by horse/ox drawn carriage from the villa to the kiln is south along Common Lane, east along Northfield Lane and north along Littlewood Lane over another cutting both sides of the Meden where the escarpments are less severe than at Northfield.

Rooke identified a spring that emerged into a low walled enclosure and ran into a large adjoining pit. He drained the pit and found a second enclosure with steps down and concluded that this was the site of a Roman claypit and tile kiln. He also found a large spoil heap of broken bricks & tiles similar to ones he found at the Northfield Villa site, remarking that the kiln had been operating for a very long time. The earliest dating of the site was after 138AD.

	This is taken from my copy of Sanderson's 1835 map of Mansfield. It shows the original cutting down into the Vale. This map is revealing because it shows the area before Stuffynwood Hall was built. The bridge across the Meden to Stuffin Wood Farm was built 1812. I have traced an auction notice for the sale of Stuffin Wood Farm at the Swan Inn in Mansfield offering the sale on the terms that a road running south to Mansfield would be built crossing the Meden over a new carriage bridge. The map shows that the original Roman cutting was still the only access down to the vale. The Common Road route into the Vale is absent as is the road to St Chads church - cos it aint built yet! The route to Stuffin Wood Farm is by a road from Northfield Lane running parallel with Common Lane. Across the Meden, over the bridge where the lodge stands in Stuffynwood, is the site of old lime kilns and a quarry where the cutting was made to gain access south to Mansfield Woodhouse. On a 14th C map of Sherwood, the cutting, limekilns and the quarry do not exist. This fits with thinking that Stuffynwood was cleared and the lanes built in the 15th century plus the farmhouse timber cores are dated to 1470. So the road through Stuffynwood is not Roman.

This is taken from my copy of Sanderson's 1835 map of Mansfield. It shows the original cutting down into the Vale. This map is revealing because it shows the area before Stuffynwood Hall was built. The bridge across the Meden to Stuffin Wood Farm was built 1812. I have traced an auction notice for the sale of Stuffin Wood Farm at the Swan Inn in Mansfield offering the sale on the terms that a road running south to Mansfield would be built crossing the Meden over a new carriage bridge. The map shows that the original Roman cutting was still the only access down to the vale. The Common Road route into the Vale is absent as is the road to St Chads church - cos it aint built yet! The route to Stuffin Wood Farm is by a road from Northfield Lane running parallel with Common Lane. Across the Meden, over the bridge where the lodge stands in Stuffynwood, is the site of old lime kilns and a quarry where the cutting was made to gain access south to Mansfield Woodhouse. On a 14th C map of Sherwood, the cutting, limekilns and the quarry do not exist. This fits with thinking that Stuffynwood was cleared and the lanes built in the 15th century plus the farmhouse timber cores are dated to 1470. So the road through Stuffynwood is not Roman.