Volume 8 Issue 1, February 2010 www.archaeologyinmarlow.org.uk

ArchaeologyArchaeology inin MarlowMarlowNewsletter

New discovery in St Albans Not far from the entrance to Verulamium Park a “treasure Forthcoming AiM Events trove” of Mesolithic finds and Roman architecture has Thursday 25 February 8 p.m. just been discovered during an archaeological excavation Chairmaking in the Chilterns before a planning application for a new leisure centre. Garden Room, Liston Hall, Marlow: A talk by the Twelve trenches, including two joined pairs were dug in Curator of Wycombe Museum, Dr Catherine Grigg, January and finds already include a probable Roman mill, who has made a special study of this local craft. Find and prehistoric flints. out about traditional chair making, including how to tell The most important if a Windsor chair was made locally. discovery is a two-phase Members £2.50, non members £3.50 Roman building, but this seems Thursday 25 March 8 p.m. to have been at Iron Age Hillforts of Marlow and Taplow, least partially Garden Room, Liston Hall, Marlow: A talk by d e m o l i s h e d Dr Tubb – he will discuss recent discoveries during the Roman regarding Danesfield Hillfort, Medmenham or medieval period. Hillford and Taplow Court. Dr Tubb is a Preliminary dating landscape archaeologist, a tutor at Bristol suggests it was OK, I admit it - the photos are not the new discovery University and teaches continuing education built in the second to or even representative of it - but they were all I had courses. See page four for more details third century AD. of at Albans at short notice! Members £2.50, non members £3.50 Other finds included prehistoric flints, possibly from the late mesolithic to early neolithic periods, circa 4,000BC. Thursday 27 May 8 p.m. AIM Annual General Meeting Garden Room, Liston Hall, Marlow This is to give members notice that the Annual General Meeting of Archaeology in Marlow will be held in the Garden Room, Liston Hall on Thursday 27 May 2010 at 8 p.m.. You are invited, not only to attend the meeting In this issue but also to stand for election to the committee and to Hopefully it isn’t propose motions for the meeting. Free entry. Christmas Quiz too late to wish Other organizations events members and Lynn Holmes Thursday 10th June 8p.m. Warren Wood Investigation Iron Age Hillforts - a talk sponsors a Happy Fine Houses in the Thames and Chilterns Mayan Head discovered and Peaceful 2010 Garden Room, Liston Hall, Marlow Competition and to thank you Members £2.50, non members £3.50 Bisham Abbey Roman Road Walk for all your support Illustrated history of Bucks in 2009. We are also arranging a talk on Coins for the summer. Ackhampstead Local Toll Roads 1 Annual Christmas Quiz Held on Monday 7 December 2009 Other Organisation’s Events

Our quiz night was a very successful evening, where Pits, Bumps and Hollows everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and everyone 7 February 2010,Time: 10am won at least one, if not several prizes. The raffle prizes Location: Bradenham Woods were donated by members and by sponsors and we A gentle walk through the woods at Bradenham needed two tables just to display them all. Thank you looking at archaeological evidence for historic woodland management and past land use. Wear to The Dean stout footwear and waterproofs. Booking essential. Street Market Meet at the Green beside the Church, Bradenham who donated village. Free. a huge fruit Contact: Cathy Rose, Chilterns Conservation Board basket and 01844 355506, [email protected] plants and flowers, Saddle Marlow Society Local History Group Safari for the Angling on the Thames - A Talk by Ian Sutton p e d o m e t e r , 15 February 2010 7.30 p.m H u n t s Garden Room, Liston Hall, Marlow Hardware for the Lights, Burgers for their Voucher and to members who also brought many prizes. Marlow Society Lecture 23 February, 2010 8 p.m. Maps of Buckinghamshire Everyone helped with the nibbles, food and drink and by John Leighfield selling the raffle tickets, the hot mulled wine was very 8 p.m. Main Hall, Liston Hall, Marlow popular. The format was to have a chat and drink and have two rounds of the quiz (questions set by Two Woodland Archaeology workshops at Pigotts Keith Bracey), have the raffle and then have another Wood two rounds, with a prize for the winning team. (Very 5-6 March 2010 10am - 4pm inventive names for the teams!). Mike Miller was our North Dean, near Hughenden Valley quiz host and adjudicator. The workshops are involving talks, walks and mapping activities. £40 for professionals, £30 for I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, even though we didn’t public and woodland owners. Bring a packed lunch, win, I did learn a lot from the quiz questions. teas and coffees provided. Booking essential Contact: Donna Hunter, Chiltern Woodlands Project Phone 01844 355504, [email protected] COMPUTER C@VERN Chilterns Woodland Conference Sign up for The Thames Valley’s favourite 24 MBYTES broadband 12march 2010, 9.30am - 3pm www.thamesbroadband.com (from £15.10) Green Park Conference Centre, Aston Clinton Latest Pentium 4 Core 2 Duo PCs The theme for this years conference is ‘The CHECK US OUT BEFORE YOU BUY importance of field and hedgerow trees’. It will 3 YEAR WARRANTY - LIFETIME FREE SUPPORT - EST. 1992 include a session on lessons learned from the

PRINTERS, SCANNERS, DIGITAL CAMERAS, PHOTO VIEWERS Special Trees and Woods Project 2006-2009. £30 CABLES, PROJECTORS, NETWORKING per person. Booking essential

TELEPHONE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FOR FREE - ASK FOR DETAILS! Meet at the Old Coach House, Green Park Conference Centre, Aston Clinton WIRELESS NETWORKING, MOBILE SOLUTIONS, LAPTOP SPECIALISTS VIRUS KILLING, ADWARE& SPYWARE REMOVAL Contact Donna Hunter 01844 355504 [email protected] 9 Dean Street, Marlow,Tel: 01628 891101 email : [email protected] www.computercavern.co.uk

2 Warren Wood Investigations

AIM’s Fieldwork/Research Group met up on the 12th of January and (amongst other things) decided on a timetable for our excavations at Warren Wood (Little Marlow).

As long as the visit of Ian Cook (Oxford Archaeology Archaeologist) has taken place by the time you read this newsletter, we will be starting our excavations on Sunday 3D reconstruction 14th of February at 10 a.m. We intend to work on alternate of Warren Wood Sundays until the work is completed. We will visit the site every two weeks (weather permitting) continuing on the ‘finds’ unearthed as we go. As with all AIM excavations, training 28th February, 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th March, etc. will be given to those with little or no experience in order to acquaint them with ‘best practice’ to be employed on site to For newer members, and to refresh aging memories, achieve our objectives. Warren Wood contains a double enclosure, thought to be medieval. We hope to be able to discover artefacts that will Should you wish to take part in our investigations, please contact tell us what the enclosures were used for and to date the me for further details and to reserve your places on days on site accurately. which you would like to attend. Either email me (John Laker) on [email protected], or write to 9 Spinfield Lane, Our plan is to excavate eight test pits measuring one Marlow, SL7 2JT, or telephone 01628 481792. metre by one metre. Four of these pits will be in the inner enclosure and four in the outer enclosure. AIM members may attend free Although many archaeological techniques will be of charge, but employed on the site, our main task is to dig through non-members will the various contexts/levels, recording them and the be required to join as temporary More (non-AiM) Events members at a rate of £2/day Marlow Society Local History Group in order to be 15 March 2010 7.30 p.m covered by our insurance. A Talk on Hurley by Jeff Griffiths Garden Room, Liston Hall, Marlow

You have probably all heard about the BBCs “A History of the World in 100 objects”, the radio programmes tie in with the website which is www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld and they are inviting listeners to upload objects.

AIM is a member of CBA (Council for British Archaeology), their website is www. britarch.ac.uk. AIM receives the CBA magazine regularly, members can borrow these, either at meetings or by phoning Ann on 481792.

3 Iron Age Hillforts of Marlow and Taplow Mayan head suggests Ancient City -A talk by Dr Paul Tubb on Thursday 25 March 8 p.m. Garden Room, Liston Hall, Marlow Archeologists have discovered a 10 x 11ft The three hillforts in the vicinity of Maidenhead, Mayan sculptured Taplow Court, Danesfield Camp and Medmenham head in Guatemala in Camp, are all very different sites. Recently published a little-known site close to the border with excavations at Taplow and fieldwork at Danesfield and Belize and about 70 Medmenham have produced exciting new insights Miles from Tikal. into the construction, dating and occupation of these Iron Age sites. This talk will discuss these recent The head dates from discoveries and place the sites within the context of the early Classic period recent research into Iron Age hillfort-based activity in between 300 to 600 The Mayan city of Tikal the Chilterns and across southern Britain. AD and means the site is much older than previously thought. The Maya Dr Paul Tubb is a landscape archaeologist with 30 often constructed new buildings using older ones as years experience, mostly in the chalklands of Wiltshire, foundations. Dorset and Hampshire. He is particularly interested in Bronze and Iron Age settlement. He is a tutor on “It could be an imaginary being, something from the Part-Time Archaeology degree course at Bristol the underworld, perhaps linked to a Mayan deity,” University and also teaches Continuing Education Polytechnic University of Valencia Professor Gaspar courses at Oxford and Reading. Munoz, part of the team of archeologists that found the head, told Reuters.

Each of the five Coats of COMPETITION - whose shields are they? Arms have an association A B C D E with Marlow and all have appeared in Histories of the town - But can you identify them? Email answers to [email protected]

4 Bisham Abbey

Close by the Thames near Marlow, Bisham Abbey has I, who was imprisoned by her sister, Queen Mary, around witnessed a rich slice of English history. But Bisham (the the period 1555 and 1558. An ancient holy well close by name of the Abbey, like the village, should properly be still bears Elizabeth’s name. pronounced as ‘Bizum’) was a Priory, not an Abbey, for After its dissolution, Bisham Abbey was given by King much of its life, and most of what we now see is, in fact, Henry VIII to his former Queen, Anne of Cleves. Following a Tudor mansion. It was originally built around 1260 Anne’s death, Bisham Abbey passed onto Sir Thomas as a preceptory of the immensely powerful Knights Hoby, the man who was responsible for the custody of Templar. On the suppression of that Order, it passed Princess Elizabeth during the reign of Mary Tudor. It was into the hands of the Hobys who demolished William Montacute, the monastic church on the Earl of Salisbury, who site while adding the fine bay then built a priory window to the northern end here for Austin (see photo) and, in 1560, Canons in 1337. an imposing brick tower. The nearness of this After her accession, Queen Priory to Windsor Elizabeth I appointed Sir Castle would have Thomas as Ambassador to led to heavy claims France. It is his wife, Dame on this community’s Elizabeth, who is purportedly hospitality. the tormented ghost who In July 1536, Bisham haunts the Abbey. A son, Priory was surrendered to Henry VIII on the suppression curiously named Thomas Posthumous from being born of the monasteries. Uniquely among all the monasteries after his father’s death, is believed to be the inspiration of England, it was then selected by the fickle King to for Shakespeare’s comic figure of Sir Andrew Aguecheek be re-established on a grander scale as an abbey. In in Twelfth Night. December 1537, a charter was granted to this new When the Hoby line ran out, the Abbey passed into the abbey of the Holy Trinity. It lasted, however, for only six hands of the Vansittarts, the first member of that family months before the Abbot, John Cordrey, and his monks to live there, George, having made his fortune in India. were again forced to surrender Bisham Abbey to the Adding Neale to the family name in due course, this family King’s appointees. and its descendants held the Abbey, the estate and village, During its complex history, Edward II used this up until 1965 when death duties necessitated their sale. establishment to imprison Queen Elizabeth of the Scots, The Abbey, which had been let to the Central Council the wife of King Robert the Bruce, and her female for Physical Recreation as a memorial to two brothers relatives in 1310. Following the dissolution, it served in the family who were killed in the Second World War, for about two hundred years as the main residence of was then purchased as the CCPR’s first residential site. the Montacutes, who became Earls of Salisbury. One Bisham Abbey still remains in the hands of a successor of that line of illustrious Earls, who merits mention by body, Sport England. Shakespeare, was Richard Neville, known to history Stonor House in the Chilterns, a few miles outside as Warwick the Kingmaker, the wealthiest and most Henley, now provides a home for furniture, portraits, powerful English peer of his age. A principal protagonist china and other objects of interest which came from in the Wars of the Roses, he lies buried somewhere in Bisham Abbey, the families of these two houses having the grounds of Bisham Abbey. It was probably also a had links. A comprehensive history The Story of Bisham virtual gaol for Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth Abbey by Piers Compton was published in 1973. Jeff Griffiths 5 Roman Road Walk

Over the last few months, we have been undertaking cultivation and research looking into the evidence for a Roman work to the road (or roads) passing through or near Marlow. landscape over As members will doubtless be aware, there is little the centuries evidence of substantial Roman settlement or activity meant that in the immediate vicinity of the town, but there is any evidence plenty within near distance along the Thames (eg the of any Roman villa at Hambleden) and also north of Marlow, with tracks has long since disappeared. the remains of a substantial villa on the Rye in High Wycombe. Finally for now, we have also looked north of the town. In early December, a group walked a footpath that runs We have undertaken significant desktop research, parallel with Burroughs Grove up towards Ragman’s Castle mapping the details of known Roman archaeological and Handy Cross. This footpath - considerably sunken in finds and suspected roads along the Thames and places - is clearly a very old path but again offered up no south Chilterns. We have combined that with other obvious evidence of any Roman activity. anecdotal evidence of Roman activity to form a high level picture of the potential scale of activity in the So our activities to date - while enjoyable and interesting - area during the Roman period. have not yet yielded any success. Our next port of call will be to make contact with other groups in the region who Based on that, we initially undertook a field walk have also been investigating Roman roads and settlements exercise during September last year in and around to exchange findings and ideas. Bisham. This focused on following some well- established footpaths for indications of any road or In the meantime, if any members would like to know more track suggesting a connection between Marlow and about the research to date or have any information that Maidenhead across the Thames near the existing they feel might be helpful in this elusive search, please do bridge. Despite an extensive search, aided by contact Andy Ford by email at andyford.marlow@btinternet. excellent weather, we identified no evidence of any com or on 01628 481141. Roman tracks or roads. Illustrated history of early We have also conducted brief surveys of a similar nature to the west of Marlow, following the footpath Buckinghamshire from opposite the Cheerful Soul restaurant, through Harleyford and to Medmenham. Again, the extent of Between March and July this year, Bucks Museum in Aylesbury will be holding an exhibition entitled ‘An Illustrated history of Marlow Museum early Buckinghamshire’.

Changing Opening hours, AIM has been offered the opportunity of contributing to the exhibition. It is Presently (Winter) planned that we will have a display Sundays only 1 to 3 pm case to advertise our previous and future archaeological investigations. Summer - From 6 March, Saturdays, Sundays and So, if you are in Aylesbury, why not Bank Holidays 1 to 5 pm pop in to see the displays created by AIM and other archaeological Funded by National Lottery Awards for All - Reg. Charity No.1129346 groups in Bucks? Court Garden Leisure Centre, Pound Lane, Marlow 6 Ackhampstead - The chapel that vanished

Ackhampstead no longer exists, though for eight chapel nearer to hundred years its 465 acres nestled quietly just off their own houses the road between Lane End and Frieth. All that is left as it was “more today are a large earth platform, a ditch running across convenient”, though Earthworks in the next field, a clump of trees with the remains of presumably not for Ackhampstead chapel some flint walls and the word “Ruin” on the OS map. the 56 residents of Ackhampstead! Two years later at a Consistorial Ackhampstead is not mentioned in the Doomsday book Court of the Diocese on 28 April 1848, the decision but a pre-conquest account implies it existed as it was was made to build a new church at Cadmore End. given to Abingdon Abbey by Edward the Confessor A plan to move the responsibilities for the Chapel and his queen, Eadditha, “from sorrow at the under- over to the curate at Hambledon seems to have nourishment of the younger monks.” The earliest known fallen by the wayside – not least by the dismantling explicit mention of the chapel is in 1242 when it was of the building to provide stone for the new church! referred to as Ackhampstead or Chyssobock in the registers of the Bishop of Oxford’s County and City Herald Lincoln. reported that the court was presided over by Dr Phillimore, chancellor of Interestingly, in 1429 the Diocese; promoters were the Thomas Chaucer, son of the Rev. Edward Brietzake Dean, vicar of famed poet, was the “Esquire Lewknor “and others”; the opposers for life” of the “manor of were Sir William Robert Clayton, Ackhampsted,” indeed he was Bart., Joseph Townsend “and others”. buried only a few miles away in There was a discussion as to whether Wallingford. Dr Phillimore could hear the case The site of Ackhampstead chapel and it was thought the Bishop should The last curate, the Rev. Fredrick Menzies and arguably preside over it. However Dr Phillimore “corrected” this the villain of our piece, considered it of “No architectural view by announcing that “nothing can be more complete value with no graves inside or out”. He also claimed that than the surrender of all his powers to me”. He also there was no road whatever, which was palpably untrue! reported that the bishop had considered that the move Perhaps he disliked the area as he also referred to the would “promote the spiritual advantage of the district”. district as “almost heathen, many of the people being un-Baptised” – though he admitted the congregation Dr Phillimore’s power to pull down the chapel was also “usually consisted of 80 or 90 individuals” – which contested, but again his view held sway, despite the must have been a very tight fit in such a tiny chapel! fact there was no written authority for him to do this.

On 12th August 1847, the residents of the Cadmore If you visit the chapel on a quiet sunny day you can End part of the parish met and resolved to move the almost hear the echos of thoughts on sharp practices!

7 Taking the Toll

The earliest recorded toll road in the world is the Susa–Babylon highway, when travellers paid a toll during the regime of Ashurbanipal (who conquered Egypt) some 2700 years ago. Aristotle and Pliny both mention tolls in Arabia and other parts of Asia and their use was also recorded in India, before the 4th century BC.

In England, the upkeep of bridges was placed in the hands of local settlements by the Bridges Act of 1530 and, some to one side to allow travellers to pass. Turnpike trusts 25 years, later Parliament (like today knowing a good became responsible for improving and maintaining most cost-cutter when they saw it!) devolved the care of main roads in England and Wales and eventually 1,000 roads to parishes as statute labour. Every adult in trusts administered around 30,000 miles through some a parish was obliged to work for four consecutive 8,000 toll gates. They were gradually abolished starting days a year on the roads - and had to in the 1870s, principally due to the growth of the railways. provide their own tools, carts and horses. 1663 saw a section During the 1800s, Buckinghamshire had at of the Great North Road in least sixteen Turnpike trusts, including Hertfordshire become “Great Marlow and Stokenchurch,” England’s first road to which was incorporated in 1791 and charge a toll, and the had its term extended for a further first Turnpike trust 21 years in 1813. It was responsible was set up some for 8.5 miles of road including two forty years later in turnpikes and a side gate. There 1706. is some evidence for a toll bar at Seymour Court in a Notice of Auction The name “Turnpike” of Tolls in July 1821. Two other gates comes from the military are mentioned in the same notice and were practise of placing a pikestaff at Penley Hills and Well End – which were both across a road to block it - it was “turned” in Oxon until the boundary changed in 1896.

8 The A40 Toll Road. Beel Lodge does survive there. A “Whielden Lane” gate The road between Beaconsfield and Stokenchurch was appeared on a 1985 0.S.map - but not on the earlier “turnpiked” in 1719, with other sections turnpiked later. maps. It stood opposite the ‘Queen’s Head’ and seems In 1751 it was added to the “Wendover to Buckingham to have been demolished for road widening in 1929. Turnpike Trust” and remained part of it until 1852, when The Terriers gate turnpike was probably sited west the Beaconsfield and Red Hill Trust was formed. of Wycombe Heath - and the gate at Great Marlow was to be found north east of the town where the High Wycombe and Little Marlow roads meet. The Bisham gate was north of Marlow Bridge and the Greenland gate was opposite Greenland estate. The Ordinance Survey also marks a turnpike at Medmenham, though there seems to be no reason for a gate to be there.

The Marquess of Salisbury and the Earl of Essex, were both afflicted by gout and made annual “treatment” visits to Bath. To shorten the journey, their lordships actually built their own road from Hatfield! It crossed the Thames at Marlow and joined the A4 at Knowl Hill - cutting their journey by some 20 miles.

There were five toll gates along this road, starting with the The surviving mile posts on this road are all from an Denham gate, opposite the “Dog and Duck” followed by the identical cast-iron mould and all show Reading, but give Red Hill gate near the 18th milestone. The Holtspur gate the distance to Hatfield at the top. One of these is still collected tolls at the north end of the road from Hedsor. standing in St. Albans at the west end of St. Stephen’s High Wycombe’s gate was pulled down in 1826 and Hill near the King Harry public house. Others are at replaced by a new toll bar and although the toll house was Chenies, Little Chalfont, Medmenham and Greenlands. eventually dismantled in 1978, it has now been re-erected Two more have been found locally at the entrance to at the Chiltern Open Air Museum, complete with its toll Bisham Church and at Burchett’s Green. board. Lastly, the West Wycombe gate was sited where the road splits off to Princes Risborough. The Old Toll House at Bisham Gate This cottage is of particular local interest and was From Chenies through Amersham, High Wycombe, probably built during the 19th century for the Reading Marlow and on to near Henley-on-Thames. and Hatfield Turnpike Trust. Over the years there This road was managed by the have been numerous Reading and Hatfield Turnpike additions and alterations Trust, which was the very last to the building. Although trust in the county and continued there is no direct until as late as 1881. documentary evidence of a tollhouse at this Debatably, there was a turnpike at location, local oral the intersection of several lanes tradition suggests it was in Little Chalfont. But a statement a toll collection point. of income and expenditure for the trust dated 31st October 1829 I would carry on with does not include it. However a this subject - but writing much altered toll house called has taken it’s toll on me!

The Old Toll House at Bisham Gate 9 AiM

This is to give members notice that the Annual General Meeting of Archaeology in Marlow will be held in the Garden Room, Liston Hall on Thursday 27 May 2010 at 8 p.m.. You are invited, not only to attend the meeting but also to stand for election to the committee and to propose motions for the meeting.

AiM would like to welcome the following new members Roger and Sally Ainslie. AiM Annual Membership Rates Individual Membership £9.00 or £4.50 if in full time education Family Membership £12.00, School Membership £18.00 Corporate Membership is available on application

AiM Committee Meetings

All members are welcome to attend all AiM meetings

The Main Committee Meeting - 7.30pm on Tuesday 2nd March 2010 @ 9 Spinfield lane. Marlow

The Fieldwork/Research Meeting - 7.30pm - To be announced

AiM Committee Members

Chairman Vacant

Secretary Kathy Bragg 01628 631952 - [email protected]

Acting Treasurer Ann Pitwell 9 Spinfield Lane, Marlow, SL7 2JT 01628 481792 [email protected]

Membership Secretary Gerry Platten 12 The Croft, Marlow SL7 1UP 01628 472126

Field Work Co-ordinator John Laker 9 Spinfield Lane, Marlow, SL7 2JT 01628 481792 - [email protected]

News sheet compiler Gerry Palmer 01494 637499 [email protected]

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