The Lot Way is one of several parallel such tracks - the best known is the Icknield Way, running a dozen miles to the south along the ridge above Royston. Just to the north of Comberton is the Port Way, running through Coton, Hardwick and Caldecote Highfields, and three miles to the South is the Mare Way, running along the ridge between the Eversdens and the Wimpole estate.
Most of these tracks probably date back to the Bronze age, when they were a major east-west route, connecting East Anglia and its flint mines with Cornwall and its tin mines. [The Icknield Way, Edward Thomas, 1916]. They remained in use through Roman times and the Medieval period, as they form the first dry east-west routes south of the swamp of the fens.
Fig 1 shows the first edition Ordnance Survey (OS) map of the area from 1836, predating enclosure, showing the Lot Way as a main connection between Comberton and Barton. Local names near Comberton include Mill Way or Millway for the section between Comberton and Toft, and Great and Little Hodge, for the sections between Barton and Comberton. [Landscapes Decoded, Prof Susan Oosthuizen, 2006].
Fig 2 is from [Archaeology of Cambridgeshire, Alison Taylor, 1997], (see article page), and shows "Lot Way (line of Roman Road)" passing Comberton Church along the ridge, with arrow, label and route showing continuation to Barton.
Fig 1 - OS first map of 1836, showing Lot Way route before enclosure
| Fig 2 - A. Taylor 1997, showing Lot Way as line of Roman Road
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Fig 3 - Lot Way looking East to Comberton Church
| Fig 4 - Lot Way looking West towards Toft
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Within Toft parish, the Lot Way is well used, and is cherished, with part of the original wide 'common' or green lane preserved as Lot Meadow, with a sign with description and map (Fig 6). "Lot Meadow is located on the Lot Way, an ancient 'Common', probably of prehistoric origin, linking the Bourne valley villages of Caldecote, Toft, Comberton and Barton with Grantchester. Though the footpath was established long before the churches of these villages, both it and the churches are located on the same higher ground to avoid the floodplain of the Bourn Brook. The Commons were areas between the fields, where livestock could be moved easily and grazed during the day away from crops."
Fig 5 - Lot Way near Toft
| Fig 6 - Lot Meadow Sign in Toft
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Fig 7 - Lot Way missing section East of Comberton Church
| Fig 8 - Lot Way missing section from The Drift to the Church
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The enclosure survey of 1839 (Figs 9 and 10 from Cambridge University Library) laid out a new straight highway (Long Road) heading north from Comberton to Madingley. It also defined a byway continuing the same alignment due south (now known as The Herringfield Drift, but marked First Private Road on Fig 10 below) which cut across the Lot Way between Comberton church and Barton.
Fig 09 - Enclosure map 1839 - Overview
| Fig 10 - Enclosure map 1839 - Zoomed to Lot Way east section
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The enclosure map was designed to show the ownership of land, plust the new byways, and does not show footpaths or tracks. However, it shows the route of the Lot Way as a set of light green linear polygons, which were the wider green lane 'commons' mentioned on the Toft sign above. The Lot Way/ Millway ridge route is the middle of the three horizontal green bands, with the upper green band being along Tit Brook, and the lower one being the Broadway/Stallan Way in the valley of the Bourne Brook [See figure 5.3 in Oosthuizen, 2006, cited above].
In the same general period, the main route from Barton to Comberton shifted to a more northern alignment to more directly access the modern centre of Comberton at the crossroads, so the original Lot Way from Barton to the Drift became much less used. There are still short fragments of the original alignment near Barton used as parts of a permissive path (Fig 11).
The Lot Way is documented locally at Watt's Wood nature reserve, which is by the Herringfield Drift (Fig 12). "From the edge of the wood you can just see the tower of St Mary's Church, south of the village. It is on an ancient route called the Lot Way, dating from Roman times or earlier. This follows a narrow ridge which links it to other elevated churches at Barton and Toft. To the south is a Roman villa discovered in 1842."
Fig 11 - Lot Way fragment West of Barton
| Fig 12 - Watts Wood Sign
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Figs 13 and 14 are the 25-inch map of 1886, and the 6-inch of 1903. Both show the adjusted alignment of the Lot Way from Church Lane to the Herringfield Drift.
Fig 13 - OS 25in 1886
| Fig 14 - OS 6in 1903
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OS maps through the whole of the 20th century continued to show that section of the Lot Way as a track - See Fig 15 of 1946, and Fig 16 of 1956.
Fig 15 - OS one inch 1946
| Fig 16 - OS 25K 1956
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The track is still shown on the 2007 edition (Fig 17), but the current 2020 edition does not show it, as it is not currently marked on the ground.
There is good evidence also from sources other than Ordnance Survey - in particular, Fig 18 shows the 'Cambridge and District Footpath Map' published by the Cambridge Preservation Society in 1936. At two inches to the mile it shows a lot of paths and tracks not on the modern definitive map, but also omits quite a few routes now public. The inside cover has some interesting advice, presumably valid in the 1930s, e.g. "Any footpath connecting two spots open to the public is as a rule a public footpath."!
Fig 17 - OS 1:25K 2007 (Crown copyright) - Lot Way to The Drift is still shown.
| Fig 18 - Cambridge and District Footpath Map 1936 shows track to the Drift.
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Fig 19 - CUCAP Aerial photo 1962 - Lot Way track is at base by cursor
| Fig 20 - OSM 2020 - Jubilee Walk alternative in orange, and original Lot Way in red
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When the current evidence-gathering is done, I intend to request that the Parish Council take on the case of re-establishing the lost Lot Way highway from Church Lane (TL 3848 5550) to the Drift (TL 3882 5548). This could preferably be by negotiation with the landowner to dedicate a right of way, or if not, by making a Lost Highway claim with the county. A second phase might be to recover the Lot Way route from the Drift to Barton, but that is outside the scope of this document.
As I write this, the current Coronavirus lockdown has highlighted the vital importance of our network of footpaths and byways, both for local exercise, but also as an escape from the stresses of a lockdown house into the peace of the countryside, to preserve our mental balance. Covid-19 has reminded us that footpaths matter!
If you have further evidence about this lost highway, photos of its route, or remember walking it in the 1950s/60s/70s, please contact me at paul@paulhardy.net or telephone 01223 263232, or by mail to 15 Kentings, Comberton, Cambridge, CB23 7DT.
[V1.6 of 15 July 2020, PGH]