. The camp of refuge;. running therefore from south to north, was Aldrethcauseway from Cambridge to Witcham, which served asa way from the drier lands near Cambridge to theislands in the fen. Another great causeway ranirregularly from St. Ives to Cold Harbour, then bifur-cated in one direction to Peterborough across Whittle-sey mere, and in the other direction northwards toIngleborough. Besides these, the work of the fen-people themselves, there was the work of theirconquerors the Romans. Akeman Street ran fromCambridge through Thetford and Ely straight up toLynn ; the great fen-road crossed f
. The camp of refuge;. running therefore from south to north, was Aldrethcauseway from Cambridge to Witcham, which served asa way from the drier lands near Cambridge to theislands in the fen. Another great causeway ranirregularly from St. Ives to Cold Harbour, then bifur-cated in one direction to Peterborough across Whittle-sey mere, and in the other direction northwards toIngleborough. Besides these, the work of the fen-people themselves, there was the work of theirconquerors the Romans. Akeman Street ran fromCambridge through Thetford and Ely straight up toLynn ; the great fen-road crossed from west to eastfrom Durobrivae south-west of Peterborough to Swaff-ham and the coast of Norfolk at Happisburgh. NearEastrey this road stands from one to two feet abovethe present surface of the land, and is nearly 60 feetwide and as hard as stone (Babbington, Anc. Cam-bridgeshire, p. 69); and Dugdale, in describing thisroadway in 1662, speaks of it as 60 feet wide in allplaces where they have cut through it (^Hist. of. MAP OP THE DISTRICTj PKOM THE ORDNANCE SURVEY INTRODUCTION Iv Imbanking, p. 175; Browns Post. Works, p. 4). Elywas connected with Spalding by a roadway whichbranched from Akeman Street at Littleport and wentby the way of Wilney, probably along the line of theold causeway dyke to Upwell and Elm, and from thencein a direct line to Spalding (Babbington, op. cit. 73). But Ely was at this time strictly an island, and it isso described by Macfarlane (see p. 35). It is a tractslightly raised above the level of the surroundingcountry, and on the highest point the present cathedralchurch of Ely now stands. The main approach wasnot by the Roman road, but by Aldreth causeway. Itwas at this point that the isle was most accessible;and here is the spot where William the conqueror ofEngland had to contend with Hereward the defenderof England. Kingsley has left us a picture of these fens which isdifficult to pass over without drawing attention to, forthere is nothing like it in
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