Roman
Britain
In
AD 43, the
Roman Emperor Claudius invaded ‘Britannia’. Between
AD
70 and 80, Coritani became a ‘civitas’ meaning that the tribe was allowed to
govern itself. The administrative centre for this local government area was in
Leicester, then known as 'Ratrae Coritanorium'.
In Cottingham, the Roman Road
'Via Devana'
from Leicester to Huntingdon runs along the route of
Corby Road,
School Lane,
Cottingham Road and Ashley Road. Part of this road was later known as
Gartree Way
The maps opposite show the route of the Via Devana,
which connected two major Roman Roads - Fosse Way and Ermine Street. Fosse Way
ran from the South West, through the Midlands and up to Lincoln. Ermine Street
ran down the east coast, linking London to the Scottish border. The major Roman
roads criss-crossing the country are shown on the map above.
Remains of a Roman building were discovered in Bury Close when the new bungalows
were built.
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