The Roman Map of Britain Argistillum Stretton Grandison or Blackwardine, Herefordshire

Argistillum (R&C 63) next

    Argistillum very much resembles the place name Hergest (He) Hergest(h) 1086 on the River Arrow. The Arrow is recorded as (ondlong) Erge 1040. Ekwall derives the name from the Celtic base arg- 'white, bright', though he offers an alternative.     
    The Warwickshire Arrow Arwan stream 11th is derived differently, according to Ekwall. The earliest forms are Arosætna (gen.) 7th  and Arne (for Arue) 710. A Celtic base *Arua was deemed probable.

    Pen Puumlumon Arwystli, a mountain peak, is located at SN815877. While the Roman fort at Cae Gaer is in the vicinity, it is well outside the area of consideration.

    The Roman settlement at Blackwardine (SO5356) is about 2 miles east of the joining of the Arrow with the Lugg. The settlement is on another Lugg tributary, the Humber Brook. While on a direct road (Margary 610) from Gloucester, Blackwardine seems too far north and west.

    The Book of Llan Dâv records more than a few  persons named Arguistil that are associated with Ercicg, Erging.

    In the Cosmography, Argistillum is found between the entries for Gloucester Glebon colonia (R&C 62) and Vertis (R&C 64). Potential sites are Weston-under-Penyard Ariconio (and vicinity), and Alcester (on the Wa Arrow), both with problems.

   Argistillum is preceded by the entry for Gloucester, which is the first site listed in this quadrant, therefore the two are certainly connected by road. Margary 541 connects Gloucester and Aust (ST6088). According to Hugh Smith, Aust is based on L. August(in)-. PNRB concurs, as does Coates who stipulates that the spoken form must have been VL *Agust-.
    The explanation of Argistillum for Augustinum is fairly straight-forward. And while this is quite attractive, Aust seems too far south to be a credible candidate, and is mentioned for the sake of completeness.

    The most attractive candidate is Stretton Grandison/Canon Frome (SO640434),  site of a Roman fort and small settlement, on Margary 610 northwest of Gloucester. Like Weston-under-Penyard, it is in the Erging district. Two miles downriver is Yarkhill (SO6042) Geardcylle 811, Archel 1086, Archil 1190. The OE Geard- 'yard' is apparently from association with contemporary forms of Penyard Hill (cf. Pennard Hill of Somerset). Both Stretton Grandison and Yarkhill are on the Frome W. ffraw 'fair, fine, brisk'. Ekwall comments that the Fromes "have a comparatively slow current; a meaning 'swift river' is not probable". The river names Frome and Arrow (Erge) appear to share the same root, see ERN Arrow Wales, He pp 17-8 and Frome pp 167-8.    
    'The Ark' (SO625431) is on the River Lodon, a mile west of the fort, just above the river's junction with the Frome.

    After further reading, the settlement at Blackwardine is considerably larger than I imagined. The settlement appears to extend west across the Roman road (Margary 613) in the direction of the mouth of the River Arrow. What have been interpreted as defensive ditches encompass a fairly large area.

   Margary 610 runs from just west of Gloucester past Stretton Grandison and is lost just beyond the river Frome in Lower Egleton. The extension of this road could easily join up with Margary 613 somewhere below Blackwardine.