Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/131

ioi THE HISTORY . ' Book L muft we fubtratf: about a mile for the difference betwixt th* direct road of the Romans and the curving road of the prefent times from Broad-Heath to New-Bridge, and for the angle which the prefent road defcribes in going nearer to Northwich and then turning by Penny-lane to King-ftreet. Thus fettled, the real distance from the ft at ion at Manchefter to the camp at Kinderton muft be twenty-two Englifh miles, which are very nearly equi- valent to twenty-three and three quarters Roman miles, and are therefore fully correfpondent with the number in the tenth Iter of Richard. But here, as we tread the grafly circuit of theRoman Harborough or ft at ion, let us refledt a little on the antient hiftory of this pai$ of the country, which is So near to the confines of Manchefter, and with which Condate, the firft Stage from Manchefter to the Sbuth-weft, is fo nearly connefted. It is utterly unnoticed by others. It is curious in itfelf. And it will greatly illuftrate the antiquities of both. The Cornavii of Ptolemy, before the arrival of the Romans, poffefled that detached region of Flintshire which adjoins to the village of Banchor, all Cheshire, all Shropftiire, all Staffordshire, the greater part of Warwickshire, and the adjoining parts of Leicefterfhire. They owned the towns of Deva or CheSter, Uriconium or Wroxeter, Banchorrum or Banchor, and Etocetum or Wall near Litchfield *. And their dominions appear to have reached all acrofs the whole extent of Warwickshire to the Sbuth-eaftern verge of it, as they enjoyed Bennonae or Clayche£ ter in the neighbouring Skirts of Leicestershire, and as, Still lower to the fouth, a part of Warwickshire that lies betwixt Coventry and Southam and along the range of the foSfeway is denominated from them the Cornavy to the prefent period. Thefe with the Britons of Cornwall in the South- weftem regions of the ifland, and with the Britons of Cathnefs in the north-eaftern, are all equally denominated Carnabii by Richard. And all of them muft have been undoubtedly denominated from Some one ftriking circumftance of poSition or of origin which was common to them all. They were ail evidently denominated from the common