What’s in a Name? Strete
photo © Nick Shepherd
www.southdevonphotos.co.uk S
trete - that stunning village along the A379 - gets its name from the Anglo Saxon word “Straet”, which is itself derived from the Latin ‘Via Strata’ meaning a paved road. It was first mentioned as Streta in a document in 1194 and was listed as Strete for the first time in 1244. So far, so obvious, you might think. But the fact that it has the name Strete seems to indicate that this town is along a long-established road – and most towns which have names related to the word ‘straet’ (such as Watling Street) are along Roman roads. But there ARE no Roman roads identified in Devon other than those going to Exeter (known in Roman times as Isca) and Seaton. The road out of Exeter was part of the famous “Fosse Way”, which went all the way to Lincoln.
But recently-discovered evidence - a hoard of coins found near Newton Abbot – has got archaeologists excited about the chance of more Roman remains being found in the South West. The road between Totnes and Newton Abbot has been cited as a possible Roman road – why not Strete and the A379? This has reignited interest in a supposed road dissecting the county from Exeter, through Newton Abbott and then down towards the Tamar via South Brent.
The Romans considered roads one of the most important part of their Empire’s infrastructure: thanks to them they could move large bodies of soldiers quickly around a country, helping them to maintain control of it. Around their massive empire, it is estimated they constructed more than 400,000 km of roads – or further than it is to the moon. It is thought they built more than 4,000km in Britain alone but as it’s so tough to find evidence of them, there might have been more. But why would the Italian empire-builders have constructed roads all the way down to the south of Devon? They may not have, but could have improved the routes that were already well used. The Dumnonii tribe ruled Devon when the Romans arrived and they maintained a well-established trade route from the continent. If the Romans were anything,
they were ardent capitalists and they loved their luxuries so any trade route is likely to have been used. Paved Roman roads were famously straight – partly because by law they had to be 8 feet wide when they were straight and 16 feet wide on a curve, so bendy roads cost more and the roads through South Devon are anything but straight. But they did improve or even just demarcate other roads which they used but which were not for military purposes – just like the roads in Devon.
So maybe Strete became an important place for trade when the Romans were here – the other places associated with Strete or Street are generally trading places - equivalent to today’s motorway service stations. Strete grew up, as all towns do, because there was a need for it to be there for the people of the area and those passing through.
A stagecoach ran for hundreds of years between Kingsbridge and Dartmouth, passing through Strete and its route was used for the road that we now call the A379.
But just because it is on the road which many pass through does not mean it is somewhere with no reason to stop and visit.
Now the village is slap bang in the middle of the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and offers perfect access to the South West Coast Path. The path has many sections that can be said to be stunningly beautiful, but the section around this bit of coast is certainly considered by many to be the MOST beautiful.
The village, therefore, is a strong part of the area’s tourist industry, but its community is as tight knit as any – many community events enrich the local calendar, including the very popular village day in the summer. A place that built up because of its importance to a local roadway has, for generations, created a sense of home for all who live there thanks to its warmth and welcoming nature. Strete is not somewhere to pass through, it’s a place to stop and get to know – it will be worth the effort.
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