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LEICESTERSHIRE,

CALLED in the Domesday Survey Ledecestrescire, is an inland county, situated nearly in the middle of England, and environed by the counties of Rutland and Lincoln to the East, Nottingham and Derby on the North, Staffordshire and Warwickshire to the West, whilst part of the latter county and Northamptonshire attach to its Southern border. The greatest part of this boundary is artificial, but on the South East the rivers Welland and Avon constitute a natural line of demarkation. A part of the great Roman road, called Watling-Street, appears to have formed a regular division between Leicestershire and Warwickshire to the South West. The district included within these boundaries was, at an early period, a part of the territory belonging to the Coritani, or more properly Corani*. After the Romans had subjugated the Britons, and had established colonies in different parts of the Island, the country now under consideration was included within the province of Flavia Cæsariensis, and had military stations established at Rata (Leicester); Vernometum, on the northern border of the county; Benonæ, near High-Cross; and Manduessedum, at Manceter†. These stations were connected by regular artificial roads, or military ways, known by the names of Watling-Street, Foss-Way, and Via Devana. The first enters

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* For some account of these, see Beauties, Vol. III. p. 291. See also Whitaker's History of Manchester, and Pegge's Dissertation on the Coritani, annexed to his Coins of Cunoboline.

+ The Rev. T. Leman, on the Roman Roads and Stations of Leicestershire; see Nichols's History, Vol. I. p. 147, where are different observations on the same subject, by the Bishop of Cork and Ross, Mr. R. Gale, Dr. Pegge, Mr. Throsby, Mr. Reynolds, and Mr. Ashby.

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