A1-The Great North Road
The Road from London to Barwick
Preface
II. In Dimensuration, We might here Treat of the Several
Measures us'd by the Antients; as among the Persians and Egyptians, the Schoenos
containing two Parasangs or 60 Stadia; the Leuca or League among the Gauls,
containing 1500 Paces,and the Rasta of the Germans 3000. but suffice it, that We
say somewhat to the Roman Measure by which our Stations in Antonine are
Computed; applying That and the Modern European Ones to the English Standard.
The Romans accounted by Miles and Stadia, the Mile contain'd precisely 1000
Paces of 5 Foot, and the Stadium or Furlong 125 Paces, yet others Reckon the
Stadium but 120 Paces or 600 Foot, and some Account the Mile but 7 Stadia and an
half; now the Roman Foot exceeded Ours by 33 Parts of 1000; but the Itinerary
Miles seem rather a Computation than any strict Measure, since by Our
Dimensurated Intervals of the more certainly-known Stations, the Mile which
should answer the English one as 1033 to 1056 seems rather larger than Our own,
if the continual Inequality thereof admit a Censure: To which We may add, That
the antient Greek Foot is said to contain decimally 1'076 Parts; the Babylonian
1'211; the Alexandrian 1'240, and the Arabian 1'102 of the English Foot, and as
to Forein Measures in use, the Rhynland Foot being the same as the Roman 1'033;
the Foot of Amsterdam '934; Antwerp '939; Hafnia (in Denmark) '965; Paris (the
Royal Foot) 1'070; Venice 1'157; Toledo '896, and Nuremburgh 1'006 Parts of the
said English Foot. And as to the English Mile it is deduc'd from a Barley-Corn,
whereof 3 in length make an Inch, 12 Inches a Foot, 3 Feet a Yard, 3 Feet 9
Inches an Ell, 5 Feet a Pace, 6 Feet a Fathom, 5 Yards and an half or 16 Feet
and an half a Pole, Perch or Rod, 40 such Poles a Furlong, and 8 Furlongs a
Mile; so that a Mile English contains 8 Furlongs, 320 Poles, 1'056 Paces, 1760
Yards, 5'280 Feet, and 63'360 Inches.
Plate V
London, Waltham, Hoddesdon, Ware, Royston, Huntingdon, Stilton.
Plate VI
Stilton, Stamford, Grantham, Newark, Tuxford.
Plate VII
Tuxford, Doncaster, Wentbridge, Tadcaster, York
Plate VIII
York, Boroughbridge, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham, Chester-le-Street.
Plate IX
Chester-le-Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Morpeth, Alnwick, Belford, Berwick.
Lincolnshire
©Biff Vernon 2001, 2002