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The Association of British Counties

Gazetteer of
British Place Names

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Dere Street, Durham

Dere Street is a Roman road that passes through County Durham. It is a modern designation of a Roman road which ran north from Eboracum (York), crossing the Stanegate at Corbridge and continuing to the Firth of Forth. It was constructed by the military to secure the colonisation of northern Britain. The Romans met significant resistance and needed a series of forts to secure the route. The Roman name for the route is lost. Its English name corresponds with the post-Roman Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Deira through which the first part of its route lies. The term 'street' derives from its Old English sense (from Latin: via strata), which referred to any paved road and had no particular association with urban thoroughfares. It is within the council area of Darlington. More...

Place Type: Roman Remains
Historic County: Durham
Lat, Long: 54.543302,-1.6734806
Grid Reference: NZ212164
Police Area: Durham
Council Area: Darlington
Civil Parish: Piercebridge CP
Country: England

GBPNID: 301305
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Dere_Street,_Durham_301305

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Portions of its route are still followed by modern roads, including the A1(M) south of the River Tees, the B6275 road through Piercebridge, and the A68 north of Corbridge in Northumberland. And parts of the road in Scotland were later known as St Cuthbert's Way and as the Royal Way (Mediæval Latin: Via Regia). It was sometimes referred to as 'Watling Street' and marked on some maps as such, which cause it to be confused with the Watling Street that linked Dover with Wroxeter.