Dear Sir,—I note in yesterday’s issue of the South Wales Argus a letter written by our friend, Alderman Graham W. White, J.P., in which he makes a plea for the re-naming of Barrack-lane; but I think, with all due respect, it will be very difficult to find any direct evidence that the road referred to was ever known as the Via Julia. I have looked up Coxe’s “Monmouthshire,” and if Alderman White will refer to page 19 he will find these words: “It passed a little to the west of Newport, and led up the hill to the site of St. Woollos Church near the remains of several encampments and a tumulus now destroyed,” etc. Barrack-lane, Risca-road end, is about a mile from St. Woollos Church; and these words evidently prove that the Via Julia must have been much nearer the old Caerau encampments than Barrack-lane, as there are no traces of encampments near the lane.
I think there is much more direct evidence that the sunken hollow or dingle to be seen south-east of Fields House and
leading up towards Risca-road is the Via Julia, or old Roman road. Building operations, and the making of the Cemetery,
have completely wiped out any further trace of it until you come to the Newport–Bassalleg road, a short distance
from the cemetery wall or gate at the Bassalleg end. Here you may observe on the right hand side of the road a dingle or
sunken trackway which during the last fifty years has been partly filled up by tipping in road refuse. This undoubtedly
is the continuation of the sunken trackway near the Fields House, and I well remember traces of this sunken road could
be seen nearly to the top of Nantcoch Hill. There can be no doubt that the hollow on the upper end of the Nantcoch Wood
or brake, leading to the Park Wall, and crossed by the wall, was the road or trackway over which the old warriors made
their way to the Gaer encampment in Tredegar Park. From this point the road must have crossed the river at Bassalleg and
passed through or near the village, although there are no traces of it until you reach Pentrepoeth village on the
Michaelstone road. Here there is very direct evidence of the existence of the road, or sunken way, passing the lower
side of the recreation ground by the side of the nurseries, and through fields numbered on the ordnance map 445, 444,
440, and 439, until you reach the Pwllsands. Here it crosses the Wern field between the old highway leading to St.
Mellons and the ruins of the old Wern farmhouse until you reach the highway just referred to at Croesheolydd or Cross
Roads, near the ancient farmhouse. Here the Roman road is crossed by the present road, and the sunken road runs by the
side of the highway until you reach the cottage on the top of the hill, which is built on the old road, and at the end
of the garden nearest to Penylan I well remember a piece of pitching, or portion of what I have always thought to be the
surface of the old paved road. From this point the two roads are merged into one, and pass through Penylan village,
close to the old encampment, to Pantrhiwgoch Farm or old roadside hostel, and, thence, at the back of Druidstone to
St. Mellons. In several places there is evidence of the old road by the side of the more modern one. Coming back to
the cross roads near Croesheolydd Farm house there is very direct evidence of a road or trackway leading to the old
Cleppa Park mansion, the ancient seat of the Tredegar family, and also to the encampment known as Coed Dafydd. (I like
thes old place names.) I have tried in this rather long letter to show that everything points to the
road or trackway described as being the Via Julia, or old Roman road; and I think it will be very difficult
to find any direct evidence that Barrack-lane can be the Via Julia, or Roman road. In conclusion, I consider the old
place name of Nantcoch Road more appropriate than any other which has been suggested.—Yours faithfully,
JOHN BASHAM.
Fairoak Nurseries, Bassalleg,
Dec. 15, 1922.
Source info: Journal named in cutting; letter dated “Dec. 15, 1922”.