11thcentury
<< Back to contents | 12th Century Dunstable >>
The stage is set
By the 11th century, the deserted Roman town of Durocobrivis was long gone and Saxon settlers had avoided the crossroads for a number of reasons.
By 1000BC, the land of Kensworth came up to the High Street South / West Street corner, Sewell to the High Street North / West Street corner, and the manor of Houghton stretched to the corner of High Street North and Church Street (then called East Street). Caddington was situated at the top of the hill to the south east. It is, however, unlikely that any inhabited land came up to the crossroads. The remains of the buried Roman ruins from Durocobrivis would not have made good farming land!
Interestingly, Dunstable is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 - possibly due to the presence of travelling traders situated at the crossroads. Even though there was not a town per se situated at the crossroads, we must remember that it was the meeting point of two of England's biggest roads - Watling Street and the Icknield Way. It's worth bearing in mind, however, that the Domesday Book was really no more than a glorified tax report, so we cannot take it as gospel.
