22
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
is a series of trackstones, all on the northern verge. This series
leads across a steep valley to Games Farm. Here we enter Hert-
fordshire, and the trail may be traced stone by stone across the
River Gade at Nash Mills, along a gravel ridge to Wells Farm,
constantly holding an easterly direction towards a moated mound
at Gorhambury, near St. Albans, named Lord Bacon's Mound.
Here there is a slight change of direction, and the track points
straight towards the ancient crossing of the River Ver, at St.
Michael's Ford, passing along the diagonal of the first Roman
City of Verulam, and through the site of the Roman Theatre. It
is significant that one, and only one, puddingstone boulder was
found in the ruins of the Theatre, on the site of the Triumphal Arch.
The track avoids the site of the Belgic City in Praa Wood [4],
yet converges upon the important ford which was used in Belgic
times, and we do not consider it merely a coincidence that the
track follows the diagonal of the first Roman City, nor that the
north-west corner of this city points to the mound a few hundred
yards away. It suggests that the track was a thoroughfare to the
west in Belgic times, but east of the ford the Belgic road diverged
from it, turning north-east to Wheathampstead. Our track climbed
the hill through the area now occupied by modern St. Albans, and
a surprising number of indications of its path may still be found.
At the top of Dagnall Street, and at the corner of the Market
Place, stood a great stone outside the Priest's Moot House. This
stone was removed some fifty years ago [5] and set up before the
Museum in Hatfield Road, yet the records clearly indicate that it
was the nucleus around which the Saxon city of St. Alban arose.
In earliest times the Moot was held beside it, later the Moot
House was built and the Market Place developed around it, and
later still the seat of local government was transferred to the nearby
Town Hall. The old Moot House still stands, the lower part being
used as a bookshop, but the Market Place is now lined with large
modern shops. Yet a remarkable confirmation of the original
track may still be found, in the form of a "right-of-way" (called
Coronation Walk) between the shops, leading eastward across the
Market. It then coincides with the parish boundary of St. Alban
for a few hundred yards, parallel with Victoria Street, crosses the
railway, and is traced down Grimston Road to the site of the
"Camp", a feature supposed to be of Neolithic origin.
The section from St. Albans to the River Lea is noteworthy for the
number of trackstones which have been traced in old records [6].
Three still stand—in Millwards Park, at Wildhill, and at Appleby
Street respectively. We have not been able to trace the course
through the town of Cheshunt, but there is little doubt that the
River Lea was forded at or near the site of the old "Water Turn-
pike", one of the most ancient locks in the country, shown in