166 THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTURE IN ESSEX.
Except for defensive and religious purposes, and then only
in the shape of earthworks and Druidical remains, there are no
buildings left to us of a date prior to the Roman invasion, and in
this county, with the exception of some few earthworks, which have
been claimed as belonging to this period, we have nothing to
illustrate it, unless, indeed, we can satisfy ourselves that the
deneholes in the neighbourhood of Grays, and which some of the
members of our Society have done so much to elucidate and
delineate, belong to a remote period. That they were formed by a
race who had some idea of design, cannot, I think, be doubted
after looking at the plan published in The Essex Naturalist, and
indeed, one may go so far as to say that not only had they an idea
of planning, but the construction of the arch must have been floating
in their brains, although maybe somewhat dimly.
The invasion of Julius Caesar, in 55 B.C., marked the commence-
ment of a new era in this country, pretty much in the same way as
our proceedings in Matabeleland at the present moment will be
regarded in that country some centuries hence. The Romans at
this period were almost at the zenith of their power, and possessed,
undoubtedly, architects of great celebrity and engineers of great
resources. As we do now, when we invade a country inhabited
by wild tribes, so they did then ; signalise their victories by the con-
struction of military roads, and the formation of stations at certain
distances along those roads, with the view of holding in check the
sudden attacks of the half-conquered tribes, by the facilities thus
obtained for concentrating a strong force upon the point attacked.
The construction of one of these roads through this county had un-
doubtedly great influence over its future history. Starting from
Londinium (London) it proceeded through Durolitum (Romford) to
Caesaromagus (Chelmsford) on to Canonium (Kelvedon) and Camu-
lodinum (Colchester), and so on to Suffolk.1 There were also
branch roads from Colchester, through Coppeshall, Braintree,
Dunmow to Bishops Stortford, and from Colchester through
Halstead, Hedingham, Yeldham, Ridgewell to Haverhill, and from
Chelmsford to Maldon and probably on to Bradwell-juxta-Mare, and
there were no doubt other roads of more or less importance through-
out the county.
1 Since this paper was written Mr. G. F. Beaumont has startled the antiquarians of Essex
by asserting that the 9th Iter of Antoninus did not pass through Romford. Chelmsford, and so
on to Colchester, hut by Cheshunt, Braughing, Royston, and Chesterford. Without stopping to
discuss this question, I think it cannot he doubted that a Roman road did pass through the first
named towns whether it was the 9th Iter or some other road not mentioned.