Harrow Way

The Old Way marked in red with the Pilgrims Way marked in orange, key locations in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle are labelled black

The Harrow Way (also spelled as "Harroway") is another name for the "Old Way", an ancient trackway in the south of England, dated by archaeological finds to 600–450 BC, but probably in existence since the Stone Age.[1][2] The Old Way ran from Seaton in Devon to Dover, Kent. Later the eastern part of the Harrow Way become known as the Pilgrims' Way in the 19th century: the latter was a route invented by Albert Way of the Ordnance Survey, who imagined it (without evidence) to have been a pilgrimage route which ran from Winchester, Hampshire, via Farnham, Surrey, to Canterbury Kent.[3][4] The western section of the Harrow Way ends in Farnham, the eastern in Dover.

The name may derive from herewag, a military road, or har, ancient (as in hoary) way, or heargway, the road to the shrine (perhaps Stonehenge).[5] It is sometimes described as the 'oldest road in Britain' and is possibly associated with ancient tin trading.[6]

Looking up to woodland on the Harrow Way near Overton, Hampshire
The Harrow Way - overlying road in Basingstoke
  1. ^ Brayley, Edward (1850). A topographical history of Surrey. Vol. 4. London: G Willis. p. 218. OCLC 4601837.
  2. ^ Margary, Ivan D (1948). Roman Ways in the Weald. London: J M Dent. pp. 260–263. ISBN 0-460-07742-2.
  3. ^ Alexander, Matthew; Tales of Old Surrey ISBN 0-905392-41-8
  4. ^ Hooper, Wilfrid (1936). "The Pilgrims' Way and its supposed pilgrim use". Surrey Archaeological Collections. 44. Guildford: Surrey Archaeological Society: 47. In their train have followed the host of guide-books and popular writers who have expanded and embellished ad libitum as fancy prompted
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grinsell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Somer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).