in feeding cattle, tillage, and all the menial offices of life; and their children were considered part of the property of the lord of the soil, like the cattle or other stock belonging to it. Thus commenced the system of villenage in England, which was not finally abolished until the reign of Henry VIIth, and on which some farther observations will be found in our extracts from Domesday, relative to Godmanchester. The Saxon princes of the seven kingdoms, into which they divided the country, soon became jealous and emulous of each others power; continual quarrels and aggressions arose between them; and upwards of 200 years were passed in all the turmoil of civil dissentions, devastating sieges, mutual invasions, and usurpations, when, about the year 828, Egbert, a descendant from the West Saxon kings, by the conquests of his ancestors and the success of his own arms, subdued the kingdoms of the Heptarchy, and was crowned the first sole monarch of England.

A second change was thus effected in the manners, language, and the laws of England, as well as in its very name. The patriarchal government of the Druids amongst the Briths was followed by the pretorial of the Roman invaders, and which now, in like manner, was supplanted by Saxon constitutions. The old name of Albion had been mutated into Britannia, and now was succeeded by Angle-land, or England. The language, formerly British, had, during the occupation of the

Romans, been Latinized, and by the Angles was changed into Saxon or English. The districts of the natives had been converted into Roman colonies, and were now divided into Saxon shires or counties. The ancient chiefs, or leaders, were succeeded by Roman Prætors or Governors, and then by Saxon Konings, or Kings of the territories they presided over or had subdued; the major part of which they reserved as sources of revenue for themselves, and the remainder they shared amongst their commanders and soldiers; the former, to whom the larger divisions were awarded, were styled Eorls or Barons, some of the latter Knights, and others Freemen; thus distinguishing each class from the Villeins who held nothing but at the will of the Lord. The tranquillity of the Saxons in the possession of this country was but of short duration, and the security of their dominion was threatened by frequent irruptions from the Danes, whose invasions were sometimes repelled by force of arms, and at others by the presentation of tributes, which occasioned great exactions from and discontent amongst the people, as they gave rise to the oppressive impost called Danegeld. These assailants were facilitated in their enterprizes on this country by the numerous Danes who had located throughout the realm, when Ethelred' digested a plan for the general massacre of the Danes in England. This perfidious and bloody deed was amply revenged by

y Sir William Temple.

their countrymen, at the instance of Sweyn, King of Denmark, by renewed and more formidable invasions, so that when Alfred ascended the throne, a period to which we shall have particularly to allude, we find them under Hunga, Hubba, Guthrum, Oseitel, and Amund, in the almost entire occupation of the kingdom.

It is unnecessary to enlarge farther on the general history of our country; but as the station of Godmanchester was most probably the site of a British settlement," doubtless of Roman occupation, subsequently a Danish encampment, and many of its

This suggestion is confirmed by the Rev. Thomas Leman, of Bath, in an interesting MS. Memoir relating to the Antiquities of Huntingdonshire, bearing date the 29th of August, 1822, and which also traces the British roads through the county, and Godmanchester in particular. "Huntingdonshire was inhabited by the Iceni-Magni, a powerful Celtic tribe; and the eastern part of the county (as it is evident from its present situation) being an extensive marsh, while the higher grounds in the west and in the centre were covered with woods, seems not to have had a British town within its limits, if we except Godmanchester, although Castor, on the banks of the Nen, was close to its northern borders. Many British roads, as well as Roman, passed through it in various directions, amongst which that called the Ermyn street was the most visible. This great British track-way entered the county with the present north road from Caxton, proceeded along the turnpike straight to Godmanchester, and passing the Ouse at Huntingdon, probably kept the high grounds near Stukeley, where many barrows seem to point out the line as far as Alconbury-Hill; where it left the turnpike on its right and diverged more to the west, on what is now called the Drove or Bullock-road: this it pursued for near fifteen miles without passing

customs are of Saxon origin, the following history of them would have been incomplete without tracing their foundation through the obscurity of past time, and which is the only apology that can be offered for this brief survey of the introduction of our Saxon ancestors, their language, and their laws, into our country.

through a single village, but leaving Upton, Washingley House, Haddon, and Sibson to the right, it reached Wansford, and then crossed the Nen into Northamptonshire, throwing off a branch to Durnomagus or Castor. Although now unknown, there must have been a second British way connecting the (antient British station and subsequent) Roman town Durnomagus (now Castor) with Camborsham or Cambridge, which ran probably in the line of the subsequent Roman road, except that it crossed the Ouse near Hartford and Hemingford on its way to Fenny Stanton. A third running easterly towards Ad Taum or Taesbro' (Ad Tuam or Tasburgh) in Norfolk, together with two others running westerly, the one proceeding to Ratis or Leicester, and the other to Benoms or Claychester."-(Bennones or Vennones, Claybrook in Leicestershire.)

17

CHAPTER II.

GODMANCHESTER-THE DUROLIPONS OF THE

ROMANS.

AVING seen in our introduc

tory Chapter the Romans in the occupation of this part of the country, we will now adduce those arguments found on record, or that reasonably occur, to

settle the question of si

tuation of the ancient Roman station-Durolipons. -A contention on this point of antiquity has long existed between the towns of Huntingdon and Godmanchester. The few advocates on the part of the former found their suppositions on assertions vaguely made by writers on general topography, and whose mistakes may be readily excused, when we consider the variety of information they have to collect, arrange, and reduce to system. Amongst the foremost of these was Robert Talbot, an eminent antiquarian, whose MS.

a He was a native of Thorp, in Northamptonshire, and died in 1538.

C