Bourton & District

Archaeology Trips

March 2024
The Windmill Tump long barrow, near Rodmarton, was built c. 3,700 BC, in the early Neolithic or New Stone Age era. It was excavated in the mid-Victorian period and again in 1939 by Mrs Elsie Clifford. It has a false portal and a small forecourt, which may have been used for rituals. There is a north and south chamber on the sides. These are approached via stone steps and small passageways. Human remains were uncovered in both chambers, some with trauma wounds. In 1987, a beech tree blew down revealing a third chamber in the north-west sector of the mound. There are possibly more chambers waiting to be discovered.

It is always interesting to be in situ, rather than just reading about a place. Why was it built in that exact spot? What was its purpose? It is always fascinating to stand on a mound built over five and a half thousand years ago and speculate on these questions. Some sherds of pottery were picked up by a member close to the long barrow. Finds are scrutinised, even when they are ice cream sundaes! (See photo)

Windmill Tump 4 Windmill Tump 5 Windmill Tump 9 Windmill Tump 10 Windmill Tump 12

February 2024
The Church of the Holy Rood (cross), is one of four in the Duntisbourne Valley, all of which have Saxon origins. Traces of its Saxon beginnings can be seen in the stonework on the south wall. A Saxon arch leads from the porch to the nave, with a sun dial above the inner door. The porch was added in the 15th century along with the tower paid for by the riches of the wool trade. The interior has many interesting features, including a 15th century stone font The carved face of a Green Man is hidden in carved stone foliage under the overhang.

The greatest treasures of the church, however, are the four 10th century Saxon sculptures, three of which were discovered when the chancel arch was rebuilt in 1850. The fourth one, a crucifixion scene, was rescued from the East gable end and is now above the pulpit.

Though off the beaten track, this little church is well worth a visit

Daglingworth Church (01) Daglingworth Church (02) Daglingworth Church (03) Daglingworth Church (04)

January 2024
This was our annual trip to Corinium Museum’s Resource Centre, North Leach.

The group was split in two for presentations on archaeology and social history given respectively by Phil Brant-Simmons and Caroline Morris. On the archaeology side, we saw Romano-British pottery from Lansdowne, Bourton, Samian ware from Gaul, coin-minting moulds from Bagendon, a mammoth’s vertebrae and a Romano-British skull from Bathgate cemetery, which had undergone trepanning. The person had lived some ten years after this crude operation. On the social history side, we saw a prisoner’s iron plate from the Old Prison, a wooden twitch for making horses docile, a picture of a rat catcher and some patten overshoes.

Northleach Farm Cart Northleach Mammoth Northleach Rat Catcher Northleach Smock

November 2023
We visited the Oxfordshire Museum Resource Centre, Standlake, Oxfordshire to learn about Roman coins in Britain, concentrating on the Oxfordshire region. In recent years several hoards of coins have been discovered, including three in the Stoke Lyne region of north Oxfordshire. The first of theses yielded 1,641 coins.

We were also able to handle actual Roman coins and we were tasked with working out the designs and rough dates for them. It’s always a thrill to have hands on experience of finds.

Roman Coins (01) Roman Coins (02)

October 2023
This trip was to the hidden gem that is the Coln Valley, tucked away just off the Fosse Way.

The church at Coln Rogers dates back to Saxon times and exhibits its original ground plan. The village is named after Roger of Gloster, knight, who in 1150 gave Coln on the Hills to the monks of Gloucester for the good of his soul, after being wounded at Walyeson (Falaise).. There are also Norman and Early English features. There is a plaque in the porch celebrating the fact that Coln Rogers is a “thankful village” in that all the men who went off to WWI came back safely, one of only 49 such communities in the whole of Britain.

The earliest recorded date for Coln St Dennis is 804 AD but recent archaeological excavation and research carried out nationally make it possible that this area has been cultivated in the last millennium BC or even earlier.The Manor is first recorded in 804 AD. Edward the Confessor gave it to Westminster and partly to the Abbey of St Denis, Paris, hence the name of the village. The church has an unusual central tower and is still a place of worship 850 years after its construction.

Coln Valley (01) Coln Valley (05)

September 2023
We went to Ascot-under-Wychwood and were guided round the village by Carol Anderson, Chair Ascot Martyrs Memorial Trust, who gave us a comprehensive account of Ascot and its surroundings from the pre-historic, the Mesolithic and Neolithic Eras, to the 20th century. We saw the stone chambers of a Neolithic long barrow, which had been excavated and the stones eventually moved to the old village pound.

In 1873, 16 women were put in prison for attempting to help their men, poor agricultural labourers who were striking to get a decent wage. The women, two with babies, , were jailed in Oxford prison. This attracted the attention and sympathy of the national press and these women became known as the Ascot Martyrs.

This was not our normal monthly trip but was most interesting, indicating that all our Cotswold communities, whether big or small have a story to tell.

Ascot 3 Ascot 4 Ascot 5

August 2023
The trip in August 2023 was to the Sisters Neolithic Long Barrow, just off the Fosse Way, close to Cirencester. Professor Tim Darville and his team from Bournemouth University have been doing an annual dig at this site since 2015. Professor Darville conducted us and others round the site, giving an update on progress made so far. The first stages of the construction of the long barrow were done between 3800 and 3400 BC.. Extra building continued for centuries and the site was still in use during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age. We learnt that the early farmers of the Neolithic (New Stone Age) had links with Europe and that the long barrow mirrored what had been constructed in northern Europe.

16th Aug 2023 - Sisters Long Barrow (01) 16th Aug 2023 - Sisters Long Barrow (02) 16th Aug 2023 - Sisters Long Barrow (03) 16th Aug 2023 - Sisters Long Barrow (04)

July 2023
July’s trip was to Great Witcombe Roman Villa, which is hard to find but worth the effort. It is tucked away in a fold below the Cotswold scarp and close to Cooper’s Hill. It is thought to have been built in the 1st century AD and was probably occupied until the 5th century AD. It was built on a slope and so was constructed on four terraces. It consisted of the main living quarters and a “leisure wing” with a bath house and possible temple. These were joined by a corridor. We were also lucky to see numerous wild orchids surrounding the villa.

Great Witcombe Roman Villa (01) Great Witcombe Roman Villa (02)

June 2023
Our June 2023 trip was to Painswick Beacon, also known as Kimsbury Castle. The site has a late Iron Age hill fort, possibly constructed about 100 BC. This is situated on the edge of the Cotswold scarp and enjoys impressive views over the surrounding countryside, particularly of the Severn valley. It covers 7 acres and has three ramparts and ditches as part of its fortifications

The site is marred by extensive quarrying, while it must be the only Iron Age hill fort with a golf course in its centre!

As an added bonus, there were plenty of wild flowers, including some orchids, dotted around the site.

Painswick Beacon (01) Painswick Beacon (02) Painswick Beacon (03) Painswick Beacon (04)

May 2023
Our May 2023 trip was to Bourton’s best kept secret: Greystones Farm. This is owned by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. It has three strands to it: the wildlife, the organic farm and the history and archaeology of the site. It is a scheduled Ancient Monument of national importance, The group went round part of the once impressive ramparts of a massive structure, called an “oppidum”, built around the !st Century BC. The earliest sign of use relates to a stone hand tool, dating from the Palaeolithic Era (Old Stone Age), making it at least 12,000 years old. Geophysical surveys have revealed the presence of a Causewayed Enclosure, constructed in the Early Neolithic Era (New Stone Age).

The group then visited the replica Iron Age roundhouse, constructed by volunteers in 2017, which, among other things, is used for Primary school visits to learn about life in the Iron Age (c. 900 BC to 43 AD).

Greystones Roundhouse (01) Greystones Roundhouse (02)

April 2023
Our April trip was to Hailes Abbey tucked into a valley near Winchcombe. It’s managed by English Heritage and we were fortunate to get an enthusiastic volunteer to take us round. We learnt how medieval monks lived and what their daily routine was. The abbey was founded in 1246 and was built in just five years. Rob, our guide, pointed out mistakes by those early builders (so no change there!). The abbey became a magnet for pilgrims and consequently became very rich and prosperous. During the Dissolution, the abbey was suppresses during the reign of Henry VIII, systematically looted and dismantled Although not much is left, the ruins paint a vivid picture of monastic life in one of the most important religious centres in England.

There is a small, well-appointed museum with some of the relics found, including magnificent floor tiles.

We had lunch at the nearby Hayles Fruit Farm cafe, which rounded off an enjoyable day out.

Hailes Abbey

1st March 2023
We visited the Rollright Stones, which is on our doorstep and so somewhat taken for granted. However, this sacred landscape covers two millennia and was in use for over a thousand years. The Whispering Knights form the earliest part of the site and consist of a megalithic dolmen, built some 5,500 years ago in the Early Neolithic era. The King’s Men stone circle was constructed in the Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age (2,200-2,400 BC). The King’s Stone is a solitary stone pillar, which could have been erected in the Bronze Age.

The Whispering Knights’ dolmen was possibly a burial site. Interestingly, the King’s Men have connections to similar structures in Cumbria and is virtually the same size and orientation as Swinside stone circle in the Lake District. The King’s Stone may act as a burial marker.

There are many legends attached to the Rollrights, including a witch turning people to stone. Some stories involve young women dancing naked round the stone cile! Votive offerings are still being left at the site pointing to the power such places still exert

Rollright Stones trip March 2023

1st February 2023
This trip to Corinium Museum, Cirencester was specifically to see the Gadiators: A Cemetery of Secrets exhibition. This relates to 80 Roman era burials uncovered near York. The remains of some of these were on display. A 20-minute film showed the latest research methods used to determine who they were, where they came from and how they died. Were they criminals, soldiers, slaves or gladiators?

One skeleton on display exhibited bite marks to his torso that are believed to have been inflicted by a big cat, such as a lion or tiger. This would certainly point to that person having to defend himself against a ferocious beast in the arena.

Time was also spent going round the rest of the museum, which I believe is well worth anyone visiting.

Archaeology Trip (01) - 01-02-2023 Archaeology Trip (02) - 01-02-2023 Archaeology Trip (03) - 01-02-2023 Archaeology Trip (04) - 01-02-2023

January 2023

This trip was to the Corinium Museum Resource Centre at Northleach. Like other museums, the majority of its items are not on display but stored away. The Resource Centre has archaeological finds from the Cotswold area, including some from Bourton-on-the-Water and its surroundings. We were shown human remains of a woman of the Anglo-Saxon period that had been found in a river in Fairford by two lads. In addition, there were some curious social history objects and we were asked to guess what they were used for. These included a wooden distaff and a nib anvil for producing quill pens. Conservation work is also undertaken there and we were able to see two volunteers cleaning and preparing an old plough.

The Northleach centre is a fascinating cornucopia of delights, which we have been visiting on an annual basis.