Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/114

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Chap, IV. O F M A..N CHESTER. 87 fioned it to be removed from the former fite, that lying too much to the fouth of the vifible Roman road, has equally occa- fioned it to be removed from the latter, that lying equally too much to the north of the road Thus uncertain does the fite of Cambodunum remain. And though the moors have been fearched with uncommon diligence by a couple of antiquarians s , and though the track of the road is oecafionally very vifible over them, not a ftation or the veftiges of a ftation have been hitherto difcovered, except a large one at Kirklees, about a mile to the fouth of the road's direction and about _ twenty-eight meafured miles from Manchefter, and a fmall one at Caftlefhaw, diredly upon the track, but only about twelve from Manchefter. Nei- ther of thefe can ftand for Cambodunum. The one is certainly too fmall, the other is too remote from the road, and neither about the fpecified diftance of Cambodunum from Mancunium. From the concurrent authority of Richard and of Antonine Cambodunum appears to be eighteen miles from Mancunium • And, as to Calcaria on the other fide, we may fix the former at any diftance from that ftation, becaufe of the difference in the numerals of the two Itineraries, Richard's placing Cambodu- numim at twenty-two miles from Calcaria, and Antonine's at twenty. But thefe eighteen Roman miles, by the neceflary de- duction of one fourteenth for the difference betwixt the Roman and the Englifh meafure, will be contracted to fixteen and three quarters £nglifh, and by the as neceflary addition of one fourth for the difference betwixt the road and the horizontal mile acrofs this broad and lofty chain of mountains 6 , will be aug- mented into twenty-two. About the twenty-fecond mile therefore from Caftle-fieid along the track of the Roman road muft. be the fite of the Roman Cambodunum. And juft about that diftance from it and from Manchefter- 1 find it. The ground upon which I fettle this long-loft town is vulgarly denominated Slack, and lies in the townfhip of Longwood and within the parifh of Huthersfield.

  • Here are four clofes which are called the Eald or old fields and

crofts and adjoin to the track of the Roman road from Man- cunium.