Mr. Woodward regarded Norwich as the _Venta Icenorum_ of the Romans for several reasons, and particularly because it was plain from the occurrence of these Ventas in Britain, and none in any other part of the Roman world, that this was the name of a British town, which its being called the Venta of the Iceni strongly confirmed—even, in fact, a British stronghold, constructed according to the custom of that people in parts of the country without hills. In hilly countries the strongholds were entrenchments round the summits of the hills, but then there were small tracts of land surrounded by marshes. Such were the British strongholds on Bungay Common, and that at Horning, and such he believed was the _Venta Icenorum_. They were not intended for permanent occupation, but as places of safety for their wives and children, and for their cattle, in case of the attack of another tribe; and they could rarely be held against the enemy for any length of time. In this instance, the trench was drawn in a horse-shoe form, from the eastern slope of the ground on which the Castle now stands to the western side, the steep bank of the little stream, called the Cockey, being rendered more steep by art, whilst the Wensum and marshes protected the other sides. The position of the Roman camp, as the map showed, was determined by its being the fittest for keeping in check the _Iceni_ of _Venta_, and preventing them from marching against the southern part of the island; and it might probably have been placed there after the disastrous experiment of what the _Iceni_ could do under such a leader as their famous Queen Boadicea. In the latter part of the Roman period it would seem that the conquerors had less occasion for mere military force here, for the remains of a Roman villa had been found in the northern side of the camp at Caister.
Mr. Woodward said the Map of Norfolk still showed traces of Roman roads radiating from Norwich. The principal roads were—one entering the stronghold in the western side, now St. Stephen’s Street; another entering it on the east, now known as King Street. This last crossed the river by a ford at Fyebridge, and was the origin of Magdalen Street and St. Augustine’s Street; another road left the fortress on the western side, near the river, and was called St. Benedict’s Street; and the last crossed the river at Bishopbridge by another ford, and sent off branches to the north-east and east of Norfolk. He believed that nearly all the main lines of road originated with the Romans, but this is at least doubtful. Norwich must then have been a very large town to have required so many main lines of roads; but its very existence as a town is uncertain during the Roman period.