The SOAG Bulletin No.59 (2004)

South Archaeological Group

Price: £3

President Cynthia Graham Kerr, The Thatched Cottage, Whitchurch Hill, Oxon, RG8 7NY

Chairman Pat Preece, 99 Woodcote Way, Caversham, Reading, RG4 7HL

Honorary Secretary Ian Clarke, Upperton Farm Cottage, Brightwell Baldwin, Oxon, OX49 5PB

Honorary Treasurer John White, 22 Holmlea Road, Goring-on-Thames, Oxon, RG8 9EX

Editor Janet Sharpe, 66 Radnor Road, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 0PH

Cover illustration: Stripping the rods (see article by Pat Preece on page 23)

Any statements made or opinions expressed in the SOAG Bulletin are those of the authors alone for which the South Oxfordshire Archaeological Society does not accept responsibility.

Acknowledgements as stated in the articles

ISSN 0953-2242

© The South Oxfordshire Archaeological Group and the authors 2005

Articles, accompanied by illustrations if appropriate, and book reviews are invited for publication in the next issue of the SOAG Bulletin. Authors are referred to the Notes for Contributors inside the back cover.

Published by the South Oxfordshire Archaeological Group 2005

Printed in the United Kingdom by RDA-WINNERS, Woodcote, Reading. Tel: (01491) 681710 SOAG Bulletin No. 59 (2004)

CONTENTS

President's Report 2004 ...... 2

2004 AGM Guest Lecture Denise Allen: Roman Glass ( report by Ian Clarke )...... 3

SOAG Summer Visits Visit to the Roman Glassmakers ( Mary Clucas )...... 4 Visit to Northleach Museum and Manor Farm ( John White )...... 5 SOAG Visits Museum ( Cynthia Graham Kerr ) ...... 5 SOAG Visit to Bisham and Marlow ( Edward Golton )...... 6 The Old Town of Marlow ( John Westwood ) ...... 7

Meetings and Conferences CBA South Midlands Group Spring Conference ( Mary Clucas ) ...... 7 Oxfordshire Past 2004 ( Catherine Clarke ) ...... 8 Northmoor Trust Open Day ( Janet Sharpe )...... 8 National Trust Monitoring Group AGM ( Cynthia Graham Kerr )...... 9

Reports and Articles Gatehampton Farm: Interim Report 2004 ( Hazel Williams )...... 10 The Gatehampton Baby ( Tannis Laidlaw )...... 14 Celtic Heads Again ( Mary Kift ) ...... 16 Friarhampstead Revisited ( Ian Clarke )...... 16 The Manor, Chalgrove ( Barbara East )...... 20 An Unusual Brickwork Pattern ( Edward Golton )...... 21 Two Little Known Monuments ( Marian Fallowfield )...... 22 Osiers ( Pat Preece ) ...... 23 Wheelwrights ( Pat Preece ) ...... 25 The Imperial Strikes Back ( John White )...... 27 SOAG Bulletin No. 59 (2004)

PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2004 Cynthia Graham Kerr

his year saw further change and growth for SOAG, Gary Lock, director of the Marcham/Frilford T with the Gatehampton dig still our main work and excavations, spoke about the enigmatic amphitheatre or attraction but with other projects springing up as well, and ritual pool at this Romano-British religious site at the we have maintained our healthy membership numbers. January meeting, as a follow-up to our visit to the site last This is all helped by a Committee full of ideas – and year. In February Pat Preece gave us one of her famous prepared to try them when needed. Medieval woodland talks. The AGM Guest Lecture was by Denise Allen on ‘Roman Glass’ (see separate report). The Dig and Other Fieldwork We pleased our industrial archaeologists in April, when This year Hazel Williams became dig co-director with Gordon Stevenson spoke about old railways, and May myself. Much progress has been made at the dig (see brought a riveting talk by Hazel Williams on our own dig separate reports) and the number of diggers rose to 19 one at Gatehampton. July saw us at the Goring Thames Sailing week with an average of about a dozen quite usual. It is Club for a delightful summer party by the river (with pleasing to be able to help those SOAG members who are tha