The 'Via Devana' - a 'lost road' found! (Pt2)
A 'lost road' lost again! In part one of the 'lost road' blog, I traced the route of the Via Devana from the south of Cambridge through to Ryknild Street in Staffordshire, by way of Leicester and a River Trent crossing on the Derbys/Staffs border. In part two, I consider some possible options for the route continuing to the west and/or northwest of Ryknild Street. After meeting Ryknild Street, it is unclear exactly which direction the Via Devana route may have taken. Turning to the southwest a traveller could have reached Watling Street at Wall (Letocetum), then proceeded via Water Eaton (Pennocrucium) and Whitchurch (Mediolanum) to Chester (Deva). The alternative would have been to turn northeast on Ryknild Street to reach Littlechester (Derventio) at Derby. From Littlechester, a road ran due west to Rocester, then on to Upper Teen where it turned to the northwest to Chesterton north of Newcastle under Lyme. Although the route from here is again unclear; it could