rds the
Fleet--the wall ending at the Thames. The whole length was two miles and
a half and 608 feet. Stow did not know that several of the gates he
named--Aldgate, Cripplegate, Aldersgate, and Ludgate--were not Roman.
Nor did he know that Ludgate means a postern, and Crepulgeat a covered
way, both these gates being probably of late construction, though
possibly of the time of Alfred. The exact site of the wall and the two
landward gates seems to be indicated by the old ward boundaries, but
modern investigators have neglected them. There was another Roman
settlement, namely, at Westminster, where the abbey stands on the site
of some older buildings. Roman concrete forms the foundation of the
older part of the church and the dark cloisters. The pavement of a
dwelling was found under the nave, and a sarcophagus, bearing a rudely
carved cross, showed that the town was not walled. The Romans possibly
built here on account of the ford, and we may be sure that at times,
when the only bridge was under repair or unfinished, the crossing here
for the ancient road, which the Saxons named the Watling Street, was
found convenient. There is mention of the buildings on Thorney in a
charter at the British Museum (Kemble, D.L.V.), apparently a thirteenth
century forgery, but of interest as showing that a tradition survived.
King Eadgar is made to say that a temple of abomination had been
destroyed to make way for the church of St. Peter. Such a temple, if one
existed, was more probably Saxon than Roman.

As to the houses and buildings of Roman London within the walls we know
very little. Sir W. Tite enumerated a large number of mosaic pavements,
some of them of considerable size, and scattered over a wide area, but
apparently not marking any fine or magnificent public buildings.
Stukeley made a plan showing where, in his opinion at least, remains of
such buildings should be found; but, to put it briefly, remains of the
kind have been conspicuous by their absence on his eight sites. Stukeley
is, in fact, a very untrustworthy authority. He thought, with Stow, that
Algate, the mediaeval name, meant Oldgate, or, as Stow wrote it,
Ealdgate, whereas it was in reality one of the latest. The name probably
denoted a gate open to all without toll.

The remains of the wall, which still or lately existed, have been
carefully examined by Mr. Norman, of the Society of Antiquaries, and Mr.
Francis Reader. Their account of various excavations is in v