For some time I’ve been trying to work out the old transport routes/roads/ways through North East Leicestershire. The reason for this strangely enough has nothing to do with east Leicestershire but actually with west leicestershire – but that is another story.

I’m like a dog with a bone with these things – growling and gnawing at the problem whilst not being able to leave it alone. This morning was a case in point. Burton Lazars is the centre of the research, again for reason too obscure for this post. I started to look at the alignment of the village and it is north east south west which suggested that it was laid out along something north east/south west. I then became aware a footpath left the village on this alignment. To my surprise and consternation I noticed that this wasn’t an isolated foot path but one that ran in an almost straight line to Sproxton, the next village down from Saltby. When you examine the alignement of Freeby on the ‘road’ if is North East/South west. The ‘road’ crosses the River Eye at Wyfordby, again suggestion a fording place. Suddenly you have the makings of a new old road, whose alignment suggests it ran all the way to Leicester.

Now given its straightness Roman comes immediately to mind, which may be correct but many Roman roads were just older routes Romanised so they are Roman but equally they are pre Roman.

So what does this mean for my research – to an extent it throws a spanner in the works but it also builds a much more complicated picture – a picture that will take a lot more time to understand.

Before 8am this morning I thought I had a reasonable handle on what might be the picture in north east Leicestershire – now I’m not so sure. One step forward one back indeed.

Simon Marchini
Web: http://WWW.simonmarchini.co.uk