Site record MDR11325 - Probable Route of Roman Road between Ibstock (Leicestershire) and Ryknield Street (Staffordshire), Running Through South Derbyshire
Type and Period (1)
- ROAD (Roman - 43 AD? to 409 AD?)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
Probable route of Roman road between Ibstock (Leicestershire) and Ryknield Street (Staffordshire), running through South Derbyshire.
'The course of a possible Roman road has been identified running from Ibstock in Leicestershire to Ryknield Street in Staffordshire. The road presumably continues south-east to Leicester. A section of the road was first noted in the Moira area of Ashby Woulds parish, Leics, where a linear cropmark was visible on aerial photographs taken in 1969. The alignment was plotted onto the Leicestershire Sites and Monuments Record landscape maps and then extended in each direction. To the west-north-west a series of tracks, footpaths and parish boundaries were noted that followed the alignment of the cropmark for over 10km across Derbyshire and into Staffordshire, to meet Ryknield Street more or less at right-angles. At the point where the line crosses the Trent there is a rectangular cropmark with rounded corners that may be a Roman fort. Three specific observations were made in Derbyshire where features appear to follow the alignment: 1) the parish boundary between Drakelow and Walton-on-Trent (1200m); 2) the southern edge of Grove Wood and track, Drakelow (800m); 3) the track passing Ashleigh House and Hill Crest Farm, Cauldwell (1600m).' (1)
An evaluation of LiDAR survey data carried out in 2023 plotted the surviving physical evidence of the route of this Roman road, please see linked images. (2)
Please note that the GIS feature for this road was re-drawn in 2025 based on this information. (2)
Sources/Archives (2)
- <1> SDR20113 Article in serial: Liddle, P and Hartley, R F. 1994. 'A Roman road through north-west Leicestershire', Leics. Archaeological & Historical Society Transactions. Volume 68, pp 186-189.
- <2> SDR24963 Correspondence: Ratledge, D. 2023. Roman Road, Ryknield Street to Leicester, PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2739 1728 (11862m by 5528m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | CASTLE GRESLEY, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | CAULDWELL, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | DRAKELOW, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | OVERSEAL, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
| Civil Parish | LINTON, SOUTH DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR3487
- EDR5353
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Dec 9 2025 12:24PM