Via Devana

Camulodunum to Deva

Via Devana is the modern name given to a road that may never have existed as a single Roman route. The eighteenth-century antiquary Charles Mason coined the term for a supposed road running diagonally from Camulodunum at Colchester through Cambridge to Deva at Chester, the legionary fortress on the Dee. Stretches of Roman road certainly exist along that line, particularly between Colchester and Cambridge, but whether they ever connected as one continuous highway is disputed. The Cambridge to Godmanchester section survives clearly. West of that, the Via Devana is more a Georgian idea than a Roman fact.

The route

The route as proposed runs diagonally across England from Camulodunum at Colchester through Cambridge and Godmanchester, then north-west through the Midlands to Deva Victrix at Chester.

Real Roman road certainly exists along parts of that line. The stretch from Colchester toward Cambridge is well attested, and the section from Cambridge to Godmanchester is clear on the ground. Beyond Godmanchester the evidence thins, and the western half was for a long time omitted from some historians' maps for that reason, though most now accept the route.

The surveyed line

The Itiner-e survey maps Roman roads across this part of the empire, but attributes no segment to Via Devana by name, so there is no measured line to draw here. The road is well attested by archaeology and by the modern roads that still follow it.

The road today

The A1307 between Cambridge and Haverhill follows parts of the eastern section. The A604 is sometimes cited for this road, but that number was retired in the 1990s and split between the A14 and the A1307.

See also: which modern roads follow Roman lines, and how closely.

Where to see it

The Gog Magog hills south-east of Cambridge carry a clear stretch as a chalk track with wide views. Durovigutum at Godmanchester has a well-understood Roman town plan and the road's junction with Ermine Street.

Common questions

Did the Via Devana really exist?

Not as a single named Roman highway. The name was coined in the eighteenth century by the Cambridge antiquary Charles Mason for a route from Colchester to Chester. Roman roads certainly exist along much of that line and most archaeologists now accept the route, but the name is a Georgian invention and the western half is less securely traced than the eastern.

What does Via Devana mean?

The road to Deva. Deva Victrix was the Roman legionary fortress at Chester, and the name was invented to describe a road supposedly aimed at it.

Counties it crosses

Am I on it?