Editing Watling Street (section)

===Saxon===
By the time of the [[Adventus Saxonum|Saxon invasions]], the Roman bridge across the Thames had presumably fallen into disrepair or been destroyed. The Saxons abandoned the walled Roman site in favour of [[Lundenwic]] to its west, presumably because of its more convenient access to the ford on the Thames. They did not return to [[Lundenburh]] (the [[City of London]]) until forced to do so by the [[Viking invasions of England|Vikings]] in the late 9th century. Over time, the graveling and paving itself fell into disrepair, although the road's course continued to be used in many places as a public [[right of way (transit)|right of way]]. "Watlingestrate" was one of the four roads {{nowrap|({{langx|la|chemini}})}} protected by the [[Peace (law)|king's peace]] in the [[Laws of Edward the Confessor]].<ref name=haskill>{{citation|chapter-url=http://www.earlyenglishlaws.ac.uk/laws/texts/ecf1/view/#edition,1_0_c_11_3/commentary,1_0_c_11_1|title=Early English Laws|chapter=Leges Edwardi Confessoris (ECf1), §12|publisher=University of London|location=London|date=2015|access-date=20 February 2015 |language=la}}</ref>{{refn|The other three were "[[Fosse Way|Fosse]]", "[[Hikenildestrate]]" (Icknield Street), and "[[Herningestrate]]" (Ermine Street).<ref name=haskill/>}}

A number of Old English names testify to route of Watling Street at this time: [[Boughton Street]] in [[Kent]]; [[Colney Street]] in [[Hertfordshire]]; [[Fenny Stratford]] and [[Stony Stratford]] in [[Buckinghamshire]]; [[Old Stratford]] in Northamptonshire; [[Stretton-under-Fosse]] and [[Stretton Baskerville]] in [[Warwickshire]]. (The three adjacent settlements of [[All Stretton]], [[Church Stretton]], and [[Little Stretton, Shropshire|Little Stretton]] in [[Shropshire]]; and [[Stretton Sugwas]] in [[Herefordshire]] have a Watling Street but they are not on the route).