24 HISTORY OF discovered upon Morr~dge and Wever Hills, in that alpine region which forms the northern part of the county between Doveclale, and the towns of Leek and Cheadle, where the rocky summits, in many places, appear to the distant observer like ruined fortresses ; and no doubt some of them afforded shelter and defence to the Aborigines, after they had been driven from the more level and fertile parts of the country by those "lords of the universe," the Roman soldiers. RoMAN ANTIQUITIES. The Romans, like a conqueror of modern times, bestowed considerable attention on their public roads, and at the distance of fourteen ce~turies we can still trace in legible characters the labours of the " mistress of the world." The great RoMAN RoAns, called Watling-street and Icknield­ street, pass through Staffordshire. The fonner intersected the whole kingdom, from Rutupia, in Kent, to Northumber­ land ; and branching from it in various directions are traces of many Vicinal Ways. It enters this county from 'Varwickshire, near Fazcley, and pursuing a westward course toWecford, Wall,~ Muckley Corner, Calf Heath, Stretton, and Weston~under­ Lizard, it enters Shropshire, about a mile south of Sheriff Hales. The Icknield-street enters Staffordshire at Hockley Brook, near Birmingham, and, passing Handsworth, Little Aston, and Shen­ stone, it crosses 'Vatlin!!-street a little to the east of Wall; whence it pursues a course north by east to Streethay, "\Vichnor, Branstone, and Stretton, near Burton-upon-Trent, to the river Dove, where it enters Derbyshire. It is a convex and well formed road, and many long length& of it are perfectly rectilinear. Upon Sutton Cold-field it is visible in its original state, not having been much injured by carriages; and in Sutton Park, is Rowton Well, supposed to have been a Roman.bathing place. Another Roman way entered the county at Rudge Heath, and passed in a south-west direction to Kinfare and Stourbridge, where it entered 'Vorcestershire. These and all the other Roman roads are generally supposed to have been formed in the course of B1-itish tmck-ways, of which many crossed the country in various directions, and one is conjectured to have traversed the coast of the whole island. The principal RoMAN STATIONS in this county, that are known, are Etocetum; at Wall, near Lichfield, and Pennocrucium, at Stretton, near Penkridge. There are, however, many other entrenchments in this county, which undoubtedly belonged to the same people, as will be seen in the topographical part of this work, where all the Roman and other antiquities will be described with the parishes to which they belong· The SAXON ANTIQUITIES in this county are numerous, con­ sisting of tumuli, encampments, and vestiges of castles and reli­ gious houses, as will be ,.seen in the histories of Lichfield, Staf­ ford, Tutbury, Tamworth, Dudley Castle, Kinfare, Chesterton, and many other places, to which a reference will be found in the .