Doctor's Gate Road (Group Record), Hope Woodlands

Summary

The is the Group Record for Doctor's Gate (please also see 60534*1, 60534*2, 60534*3 & 60534*4 for individual sections of the route). A general description of the old route from the Hope Valley over the high ground towards the Cheshire plane is though to have originated in Roman times to link the forts at Navio (Brough on Noe) and Melandra (Glossop). The modern name "Doctor's Gate" is derived from Dr John Talbot who is credited with improving the road over the Snake summit in the closing years of the 15th century, the "gate" element being a derivation from the Scandinavian "Gata" - a way or road. NOTE: Blackley Hey section of Doctor's Gate (suffix 1) is the only section to have NT status: "licence" together with Inalienable and Tenancy, the other sections are NT status Inalienable and Tenancy only.

Identification Images (0)

Monument Types

Description

[1] A major through-route running along the Woodlands Valley. It runs eastwards from Glossop onto Coldharbour and Shelf moors then drops down into Lady Clough where it is overlain by the Sheffield to Glossop Turnpike (Snake Pass). It branches from the line of the later turnpike north of the Snake Inn to run along the northern side of the valley and drop down to the valley bottom near the confluence of the rivers Ashop and Alport. The route than gradually ascends the southern side of the valley to cross over to Edale via Hope Cross south-east of the survey area. For most of this length the route survives as hollowways and terraced trackways. However on Alpert Moor a significant stretch running across
boggy ground is metalled in stone.

The route is first recorded in 1627 as "Docto Talbotes Gate" and still known today as "Doctor's Gate" (Cameron 1959). It was the Hope to Glossop packhorse route which was replaced by the turnpike in 1821 (Dodd and Dodd 1980). After the turnpike was built the packhorse probably remained in use by people who wanted to avoid paying the turnpike's tolls.

It is also reputed to be a Roman road joining the forts at Brough and Glossop (Dodd and Dodd, 1980; Wroe, 1982), though no evidence for its Roman antiquity has been discovered. Excavations along its route south of Crookstone, outside the survey area, have found metalling (Hart 1981 ). This has been taking as automatic proof for a Roman date (Dodd and Dodd 1980) even though it is now known that packhorse routes were often metalled over boggy ground.The course of an old route thought to have originated in the Roman period to link the forts at Brough on Noe (Hope) and Glossop and which continued in use through the post-medieval period, crosses National Trust property at Heyridge Farm. The course of the road continues in use, and it is marked on subsequent maps (Ordnance Survey 1840, 1880). The route is still followed by a footpath along most of its length (Bevan, 1998: p3 - feature 0.0).

[2] It has been suggested that the route is a Roman one, linking forts at Brough in the Hope Valley with Melendra near Glossop (Dodd and Dodd 1980; Wroe 1982). From the Roman Fort at Brough there are three possible routes which coincide at Fullwood Stile (a later field inspector notes that only one route is practical between Brough and Fullwood Stile). See also Barnatt 1993. It was first recorded in 1627 as 'Docto Talbototes Gate' and is still known as 'Doctors Gate' (Senior map 1627, Cameron 1959).

The presence of a guide stone with the date 1737 (Site No. 60480) beside the road at Hope Cross indicates that the route remained in use for more than local traffic up to the 18th century. The surface may indeed be Roman or be sealing Roman layers and every effort should be made to reduce traffic over it, especially in periods of bad weather when the damage will be the greatest.

Wroe,P. (1971, No.91) has suggested an alternative course for the Roman road to the south of Hope Cross. Wroe suggests a slightly diverging course to the west of the present track but evidence on the ground is slight and although there are well defined holloways climbing to meet the road these are steep and difficult in comparison with the present track and are more likely to be short cuts to local farms and are likely to be medieval in date. Wroe cut a number of sections across his suggested route both here and at Harrop Farm but they did not produce conclusive proof. Sections cut across the road elsewhere along the route revealed a metalled surface but this does not necessarily indicate a Roman date as medieval roads were also sometimes mettalled.

The westerley course of the route across Heyridge farm from the crossing of the River Ashop was shown as a road on the first edition O.S 1" map of 1843. It was the main route down this part of the valley in 1808 (Potter 1808). However, it lost much of its importance when the present main road, the Glossop to Sheffield Turnpike, was built in 1818-21 (Radle and Penny 1972).

Refer to group references 60534*1-4 for sections of the road which cross National Trust property.
Further information - O.S records for Roman Road RR711, in property file. Also known as feature 2 in Barnatt 1994 (Hayridge Farm).

References

Designations

None Recorded

Other Statuses and References

Associated Events

Associated Finds

None Recorded

Related Records