Ermine Street, the A1 of Roman times, ran from London to York and was the main route for Emperors, Roman legions, tradespeople, travellers, and livestock. The road was lined with shops, workshops and peddlers selling wares. Running across the field you can see a slight mound where Ermine Street ran; this ‘agger’ is a man-made embankment.

Ermine Street looking to the north and heading for Lincoln. The roads within the Roman town of Durobrivae are at the bottom of the image and the modern villages of Castor and Ailsworth can be seen across the River Nene to the right (Photo: Rex Gibson).
In the 1970s a farmer was ploughing the field when he unearthed a stone coffin. Inside was the burial of a wealthy woman that included gold, jewellery and offerings that the Romans believed would provide her with a safe passage to the afterlife.

Earrings found in the burial site. Illustration by Evie Godfrey.