1.
Carolyn Heighway, Anglo-Saxon Gloucestershire
(1987)
Introduction
Saxons – Migrated from NW Europe in the 5th
century. Some had already come to
Britain in the late 4th century in the pay of the Roman
authorities. Tradition has it that,
after the legions left, Anglo-Saxons continued to be employed as mercenaries,
but rebelled against their employers. By
470 they had taken over substantial parts of south-east Britain.
Estimates now put the Romano-British population as high as
4-5 millions (as against 2 million estimated from Domesday). No archaeological evidence for more than a
handful of Saxons in the Vale of Gloucestershire. Must have mixed with the existing peoples.
C400 – time of prosperity for great villas in Gloucestershire. However, towns were less prosperous – by the
300s were increasingly fortified.
410 AD – End of Roman Britain. Archaeology suggests deepening economic
crisis. Pottery factories ceased
production, towns and villas fell into ruin by the mid 400s. The coin supply came via the Roman army and,
without military markets, economy operated on a lower level. Localised and dependent on barter.
Lack of coinage and pottery make dating difficult. In Fifth and Sixth century almost no burials
found. There are Dark Age cemeteries elsewhere, eg. Cannington in Somerset, but
none in Gloucestershire.
Documentary sources:
Gildas “Ruin of Britain”, written around 540 AD. Mainly moralising. The circumstances of the “fall of Roman
Britain” already forgotten.
COUNTRYSIDE / VILLAS
The decline of the villas illustrated by excavations at FROCESTER
COURT. Former
stone villa abandoned and used as storehouse whilst farmer built a timber house
in the courtyard. Vestiges survived to
the 1200s.
p.6 TOWNS.
According to Gildas
(in 540 AD) “deserted, in ruins and unkempt”.
At Cirencester, at least one farmhouse was inside the walls.
Gloucester: a few well-appointed houses, but much empty
space; public buildings divided up to serve as
industrial units. In the early 400s events were dramatic: the forum forecourt was enlarged, the main
street eliminated, public buildings demolished.
Timber buildings erected on the ruins.
Shown by chance survival of a timber at 1 Westgate Street; St Mary De
Lode was a timber building of this type.
Wroxeter has a whole street, constructed in this way in the 5th
century.
p.7-8 There is little evidence of urban activity anywhere in
the 6th century. At Cirencester the defences were maintained into the
early 5th century; the forum was kept clean to about 430. The main
street ceased to be used in the early 400s and in the roadside ditch two
skeletons were found, apparently never properly buried. There may have been an outbreakof
plague. In the 400s the people were
apparently living in the amphitheatre.
There were timber buildings here in the 400s or later, including one
large hall.
At Bath the Roman complex fell into disrepair, though the
springs continued to be visited.
RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS
Temples and shrines outlasted Roman rule. At Lydney there
was a temple complex built in the late
Roman period which may have been maintained into the 5th
century. Dedicated to the water god
Nodens; offerings of jewellery. New
ramparts in front of the temple in the 5th century. At Uley the Roman temple was also
altered. One interpretation is that
Romano-British were reverting to their native gods.
Christians? Existed
in 5th and 6th centuries.
Numbers unknown. Gildas describes a country which was nominally Christian. When the Gaulish bishop Germanus visited
Britain in 429 to deal with heresy in the British church, he found well dressed
prelates and a church still in operation.
Power would have shifted to rural rulers. Wales and North had a system where king owned
head manor of a group of estates – something similar probably operated in
Gloucestershire. Kings sought power and
property. One
Gloucestershire “king” the man buried at Kingsholm. Body
placed in a timber mausoleum. Clothing
with silver belt-fittings. Gildas names
Aurelius Caninus, or Conan, as ruling in the Severn Valley in the early
500s. The genealogy of Vortigern places
one of his ancestors, Vitalinus, in the Gloucester area. Reinforced their rule by claiming descent
from Roman public offices.
Occupied fortified strongholds, often reused Iron Age sites.
eg. Dinas Powys; Cadbury-Congresbury and South Cadbury in Somerset. Crickley
Hill – large 5th-century hall and associated huts, plus 5th
century belt-buckle.
Finds of imported red pottery – in Celtic west, but only one
sherd in Gloucestershire. Another type
of pottery is “grass-tempered”; local in origin. Found in sites from 5th to 8th
centuries so only vaguely dated. Almost
none is found in the Roman towns, but loads at Frocester – suggests centre,
perhaps a rural market.
LAND ORGANISATION. Romano-British system was probably based
on small fields held by individuals. The roads, trackways, and in particular
the saltways, must have persisted.
Strong element of continuity. A
tied peasantry. For example must have
used labour services for construction of the Wansdyke, east of Bath (6th-7th
century).
Anglo-Saxon settlement
Only in the late 5th century did large groups of
wealthy Saxons settle in the Thames Valley, including at Lechlade
[Butlers Field] and Fairford. During the 500s Saxon settlements
advanced up the dip slopes of the Cotswolds, reaching Cirencester and the
heights above the Stroud Valley at Chavenage.
However, there was little Saxon settlement in the Vale which must have been occupied by a powerful
British kingdom.
ENTRY FROM THE ASC FOR AD 577
In this year Cuthwine and Ceawlin [of Wessex] fought against the Britons and killed three kings, Conmail, Condidan, and Farinmail, at the place which is called Dyrham, and they captured three of their cities, Gloucester, Cirencester and Bath.
Has a convincing
catalogue of British names. Seems quite
likely that the sub-Roman British kingdoms would be centred on the old Roman
towns. The battle of Dyrham may have
taken place at the old Iron Age hillfort on Hinton Hill, which has commanding
views of the Severn Estuary. Meant that,
for the first time, the Anglo-Saxons penetrated from coast to coast and
separated the British of Cornwall from those of Wales. The cemetery at Bishops Cleeve shows that
around 550 Anglo-Saxon influence had reached the Severn Valley.
Difficult to reconcile exactly but compiler of ASC intends it to be understood that Cirencester was an important place c400-600. In 628 AD Cirencester was again fought over by Cynegils and Penda. This chiefly reflect competition between West Saxon and Mercian rulers for control of the area. But suggests a significant town or administrative unit.
2.
Archaeological Evidence from Fifth century:
Although the Roman buildings and town walls must have
remained standing, there was little to differentiate the urban space from the
surrounding countryside. Some Roman
buildings, eg the Beeches villa and, possibly the forum, suggest occupation
into the fifth century. Very little
archaeological evidence from mid-fifth century onwards (possible early medieval
ditch found on Mycalex factory site in 1961; bodies in ditches at Leaholme and
Dyer Court - fuelled speculation of epidemics and bodies left to rot by the
roadside.)
550 AD. Earliest possible date for artefacts from Barton
farm.
Roman Amphitheatre in the Fifth/Sixth period
Wacher suggested a Fifth/Sixth century fortified site. The entrance passages were narrowed, flanking
rooms blocked off, and entrance route improved.
Possible postholes for an Anglo-Saxon hall - but the interpretation is
not secure.
Tempting as fits in with importance of fortified bases in
period, eg. reuse of Somerset Iron Age hillforts. Tempting to see chieftain's base prior to
Battle of Dyrrham in AD577.
No substantial pre-Conquest archaeology elsewhere, including
surrounding rural regions.
SAXON CEMETERY AT THE BARTONS
In 1886 an early medieval cemetery was discovered in The Barton. Dated to 6th century. Nine skeletons. Were a number of further discoveries - in 1909 two pagan Anglo-Saxon shield bosses in association with adult male and child burial; cut through Roman Orpheus Mosaic . Also from this site, an Anglo-Saxon pot decorated with stamped patterns, bosses and incised lines. Nothing else survives and the extent of the cemetery is unclear.
EVIDENCE FROM THE BRIDGES ROAD GARAGE EXCAVATION
Bridges Road Garage excavation; one of the Roman grave
shafts cut by possible sunken-featured building containing 30 or so sherds of
grass-tempered ware. Dates from 5th-8th century. Found on three other
Cirencester sites. Perhaps after Battle at Dyrham in AD 577 when Saxons
conquered kings of Cirencester, Bath and Gloucester.
One set of the grass-tempered pottery from Barton farm burial - suggests earlier,mid-century date.