Review of EBT

Early British Trackways.—Mr. Alfred Watkins, despite advancing years and health which of late has not been of the best, must always be finding fresh outlets for his intellectual activity. The present volume is an expansion of a lecture delivered last year before a Hereford Naturalists’ field club, in which Mr. Watkins described many observations which he had made on the ancient trackways of Britain in time probably long before the Roman invasion. And from these observations he has formulated a theory which sheds an interesting light on the long bygone inhabitants of this island, and incidentally adds to our knowledge of ancient landmarks, place names and other matters of antiquarian investigation. Mr. Watkins shows that the ancient trackways were always straight, apparently because they were sighted between two extreme points and then marked, as regards the intermediate distance, in some cases by stones which still remain. He displays a great deal of ingenuity in deriving a great mass of evidence from the antiquarian remains and from the names of places in Herefordshire. The original nature of the book will be appreciated by the antiquarian. The volume is illustrated by a large number of reproductions of photographs and by two plates of maps showing some of the ancient trackways. It is published by The Watkins Meter Co., Hereford, and by Messrs. Simpkin, Marshall, London. Price, 4s. 6d. net.