Ickleton and Chesterford.
A few miles further east than Royston are two villages, Ickleton on the Icknild way, and Great [p434] Chesterford a little to the south of it. That both these places are on Roman sites the foundations and coins which have been found attest.[645] There are remains of a camp at Chesterford, and coins of Cunobeline as well as numerous Roman coins have been dug up there.[646]
Hadstock.
At Hadstock, a village near, in a field called 'Sunken Church Field,' Roman foundations and coins have been found.[647]
Other instances of continuity in the sites of villages.
Proceeding further east the list of similar cases might be greatly increased. But keeping within the small district, in the following other cases the finding of Roman coins in the villages seems to be fair proof of continuity in their sites, viz.:—Sandy, Campton, Baldock, Willian, Cumberlow Green, Weston, Stevenage, Hexton, and Higham Gobion.
Ancient mounds and earth works.
Two remarkable instances of ancient mounds or fortifications close to churches occur at Meppershall and Pirton, of both of which plans are given. The Pirton mound is called in the village the 'toot hill.' These mounds in the neighbourhood of churches may be much older than the Saxon conquest. Open air courts were by no means confined to one race.[648] Roman remains have been found in the neighbourhood of both these places, but how near to the actual village sites I am unable to say.[649]
Leaving out these two and many more doubtful cases, and without pretending to be exhaustive, there have been mentioned nearly a score in which Roman [p435] remains or coins have already been found on the present sites of villages in this small district.
