Some interesting news from Burton-on-Trent, where a local expert has carefully spent many years tracking down the likely location of an Ancient Roman marching fort. He remarks on the Roman practice of placing auxiliary ‘marching’ forts, at a day’s march or 15 Roman miles apart. This means 14.167 modern miles. There were then some slight adjustment to ensure access to two clean water sources, one for the baths and one for drinking.
So it would be interesting to plot that on a map from the marching camp at Chesterton along the Rykeneld Street. That camp was a 2 acre site at the far eastern end of Loomer Road, Chesterton, near St. John the Evangelist (R.C.) and Chesterton’s main road roundabout. Nearby was a larger fort under what is now Chesterton Community Sports College. These two sites are about 300 yards apart, so a point between them seems the best starting point for measuring, and makes little difference to the outcome.
So one can take the road out from there on a map, and along the most likely route. It’s known it went across Wolstanton Golf Course, and reached the current site of Stoke Station, then went on to Blythe Bridge and to Uttoxeter. It thus seems to me that there was most likely a marching fort about a mile or so east of Tean, most likely more or less at the the small modern village of Checkley — when you have several streams feeding down to the nearby River Tean.
On then looking for corroboration one finds that “there is evidence of a Roman road about a mile north of the village”, but also there is the known Roman fort at nearby Rocester, a few miles further on. This is now under the eastern part of the town.
However, if one goes the ‘other way’ from Rocester toward Chesterton, then at 14.1 modern miles you reach the vicinity of Heron Cross and Mount Pleasant, Fenton. Again, a short distance above the river (the Trent in this case) and well-watered and a likely spot.
Of course, it may be that both notions are more or less correct and that you had ‘one-way’ marching forts? Those headed north-west from Uttoxeter might then use Mount Pleasant, those headed south-east from Chesterton might use Checkley or thereabouts. Or visa versa. Because presumably the Army would not want squabbles about beds and food, which might occur if two or more marching companies both arrived at the same fort for the night, each going different ways. But I can find no information on such practices. Perhaps an expert reader can tell me if that was the way of such things, or not?
