Site Name: Chadlington

Site Location: North-West Oxfordshire
Related Achive: Manning (and Leeds)

A number of features at Chadlington were documented by Percy Manning.

He recorded a round barrow near to Old Downs Farm (now East Downs Farm) where a flint flake and scaper were recovered from the surface on 15 September 1921. The flake was last known to be in the possession of E.T. Leeds. This barrow is no longer visible on the surface, but a concentration of stones approximately 20m in diameter may mark its location.

A further round barrow was noted at Barters Hill Farm. It was 28m in diameter and 70cm high, although it had been ploughed it was still visible.

A possible Roman camp or hill fort was also identified at Knollbury between Chadlington and Sarsden. In fact it was noted by William Stukeley in 1776. This feature was roughly rectangular being about 150m by 100m. There was no evidence of a ditch but there was a single bank. Surface finds including flint and pottery have been found at this site, which is now a scheduled monument.

Finally Manning recorded the discovery of part of a skull in a gravel pit in a field to the west of the road from Chadlington to Catsham Bridge, which may have been Saxon or early Medieval in date. There were also excavations on the east side of Catsham Lane, under the direction of Edward Thurlow Leeds in July 1929. A small Anglo-Saxon cemetery was discovered at the site. (Find out more about the cemetery and its finds)

References:

Victoria County History of Oxfordshire, Vol I, p317

A. Beesley (1841) History of Banbury, p15

E.T. Leeds (1940) "Two Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries in North Oxfordshire", Oxoniensia V, p23-30

W. Stukeley (1776 ed.) Itineramum Curiosum, Vol 1, p48