AVON EXTENSIVE URBAN SURVEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT REPORT HAWKESBURY UPTON PREPARED BY E. LA TROBE-BATEMAN AVON EXTENSIVE URBAN AREAS SURVEY 1997 - HAWKESBURY UPTON CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 The aims of the report 1 1.2 Major sources of evidence 1 1.3 A brief history of Hawkesbury Upton 2 1.4 Population 4 2.0 Prehistoric Archaeology 6 2.1 Sources of evidence 6 2.2 Local settlement pattern 6 2.3 Regional context 6 3.0 Romano-British Archaeology 7 3.1 Sources of evidence 7 3.2 Local settlement pattern 7 3.3 Regional context 7 4.0 Post-Roman and Saxon Archaeology 8 4.1 Sources of evidence 8 4.2 Local settlement pattern 8 4.3 Regional context 9 5.0 Medieval Archaeology 10 5.1 Sources of evidence 10 5.2 Watercourses, roads and routeways 10 5.3 Commercial core 10 5.4 Religious sites and cemeteries 11 5.5 Industrial areas and sites 13 5.6 Hawkesbury village 13 5.7 Standing buildings 13 5.8 Local context 13 6.0 Post-medieval Archaeology 15 6.1 Sources of evidence 15 6.2 Watercourses, roads and routeways 15 6.3 Hawkesbury Upton - a former urban area? 15 6.4 Religious sites and cemeteries 15 6.5 Industrial areas and sites 16 6.6 Hawkesbury village 16 6.7 Standing buildings 17 6.8 Local context 17 7.0 Early modern (19th century) Archaeology 18 7.1 Sources of evidence 18 7.2 Watercourses, roads and railways 18 7.3 Hawkesbury Upton village 18 7.4 Civic buildings and monuments 18 7.5 Religious sites and cemeteries 19 7.6 Extractive industrial areas and sites 20 7.7 Non-extractive industrial areas and sites 20 7.8 Standing buildings 20 8.0 20th century development 21 8.1 Sources of evidence 21 ENGLISH HERITAGE COPYRIGHT AVON EXTENSIVE URBAN AREAS SURVEY 1997 - HAWKESBURY UPTON 8.2 Watercourses, roads and railways 21 8.3 Settlement growth 21 8.4 Civic buildings 21 8.5 Religious sites and cemeteries 21 8.6 Non-extractive industrial areas and sites 22 9.0 Further research 23 9.1 Research interests 23 9.2 Recommendations for further research work 23 10.0 References 24 10.1 Bibliography 24 10.2 Map sources 26 10.3 Aerial photographs 26 10.4 Archaeological evaluations 27 11.0 Acknowledgments 28 Maps Map A: Saxon period Map B: Medieval period Map C: Post-medieval period Map D: 19th century Map E: 20th century ENGLISH HERITAGE COPYRIGHT AVON EXTENSIVE URBAN AREAS SURVEY 1997 - HAWKESBURY UPTON 1 AVON EXTENSIVE URBAN SURVEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT REPORT HAWKESBURY UPTON 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The aims of the report The Extensive Urban Areas Survey was commissioned by English Heritage in October 1995. Hawkesbury Upton is one of six areas studied within South Gloucestershire. This document is a desk-based study of the archaeological resource surviving in the town and its immediate environs. It includes an assessment of below ground archaeological remains, standing buildings and the historic plan form of the town. It considers the development of the town within a standard chronological framework and where possible, the site areas mentioned in the text are identified on a modern map base of the town. The maps are contained at the end of this report. The archaeological assessment report provides the basis for new planning guidance for the historic environment of Hawkesbury Upton, as set out in the strategy document for South Gloucestershire. 1.2 Major sources of evidence No major archaeological work is known to have occurred within the village. This is largely because of the low level of development and protection by a Conservation area. There have been a number of minor proposed developments in recent years, but no significant archaeological features have been recorded as a result of watching briefs and evaluations. Hawkesbury Upton was not included in Leech’s survey of small medieval towns and there has not been any other intensive study of the village itself; however, a parish survey was carried out in 1978 (Jones et al). There appear to be many surviving documents for the manor of Hawkesbury and by extension for the town itself. The proceedings of the manor court at Hawkesbury are preserved in the court rolls from 1281-2 onwards and were held twice a year; many examples refer to the tenants of Hawkesbury Upton (Mack 1932: 18). The records are held at the Gloucestershire County Record Office. A large number of deeds relate to the town from the 14th to 17th centuries (Gloucestershire Record Office D48/T46, T20). The survival of the Liverpool papers which belong to the Jenkinson family have the potential to shed considerable light on the parish. The family gained ownership of the manor in 1620 and were still in possession in 1932 (Mack 1932: 22). The papers offer: ‘an exhausting account of the activities taking place on the estate at that time; the ancient monastic grange, by then the malthouse, was exceptionally busy, and merited frequent references’ (SMR 3309; Anon. n.d.: 5). The earliest map of Hawkesbury Upton is the Tithe map of 1840, although it is of very poor quality. The Ordnance Survey map of 1882 is of good quality and shows that the town had changed very little since 1840. This report has relied on plan analysis of the historic maps of the town and 18th century antiquarian accounts by Atkyns (1712) and Rudder (1779). The town is not covered in the Victoria County History, and as result the historical background is patchy and in many cases dependent on the archaeological understanding of the town. ENGLISH HERITAGE COPYRIGHT AVON EXTENSIVE URBAN AREAS SURVEY 1997 - HAWKESBURY UPTON 2 1.3 A brief history of Hawkesbury Upton Hawkesbury Upton lies on the south-west edge of the Cotswold scarp, about 183m (600 feet) above sea level. Hawkesbury lies a short distance to the west at the foot of the scarp: today it is only a small hamlet but from at least the Saxon period it was the centre of a large and important estate, and its church served a large rural area, including Hawkesbury Upton (Heighway 1987: 112). Two towns lie in close proximity to Hawkesbury Upton: Wickwar is only 5 kilometres to the west of Hawkesbury Upton and Wotton-under-Edge 6 kilometres to the north. The village lies in an area of mainly arable cultivation, with cattle and sheep grazing on higher ground. The lack of industrial development and nature of agriculture in this area has led to the preservation of many strip lynchets on the hillsides, especially around Hawkesbury Knoll. No rivers run through the village, and until the 20th century the settlement has depended on springs and wells for water. The Little Avon forms part of the western parish boundary. Today Hawkesbury Upton is no more than a large village, but there are clues that it was originally founded as a town: the plan form of the settlement suggests that it was deliberately planned, a market charter was granted in 1242 and a reference in an indenture lease of 1332, indicates that it was a originally founded as a town: ‘a messuage, with closes and croft adjoining, and a virgate of land, in the town and fields of Upton, within the manor of Hawkesbury’ (Calendar of Patent Rolls; Jones et al 1978). The addition of the prefix ‘Hawkesbury’ to Upton is first recorded in the Patent Rolls of 1439 (Smith 1965: 32), and was clearly added because of its close proximity to Hawkesbury. The Domesday reference Harochesberie in 1086 is the first record of Hawkesbury (ibid.), and is derived from the old English personal name Hafoc (the name for a hawk), and the burh dative, which was variously applied to Iron Age hillforts, Roman and Anglo-Saxon fortification and fortified houses, later to manors or manor houses, and to towns or boroughs (Mills 1991: 163). The earliest reference to a settlement at Hawkesbury Upton, or Uptun as it was known, was in the 10th century when it was given to Pershore Abbey: ‘972 King EDGAR to Pershore Abbey. General confirmation of lands and privileges. The lands include: 40 ‘mansi’ in Suthstoce (South Stoke, i.e. Hawkesbury), Hilleahe (Hillesley), Tresham (Tresham), Cyllincgcotan (Kilcott), Ealdanbyri (Oldbury on the Hill), Dydimeretune (Didmarton), Badimyncgtun (Badminton), and Uptun (Hawkesbury Upton); 10 in Deorham (Dyrham); 5 in Longanege (Longney); 6 in Lidanege (Lydney); 6 in Wiggangeate (Wyegate); 10 in Wigwennan (Childs Wickham).’ (Finberg 1961: 59) Suthstoce was first identified as Hawkesbury by Mack (1932: 4). Finberg identified Suthstoce by looking for a large manor close to the other settlements that could be recognised in the charter. Hawkesbury was the obvious settlement to which these lands could have belonged, and in later centuries the manor was called Stoke Hawkesbury (Glos. Notes and Queries 5: 1891-3: 275-83). Finberg suggests that it was called South Stoke to distinguish it from Severn Stoke, the other Stoce named in the charter. The identification is further confirmed in the survey by the mention of the Little Avon (‘Afene’) which forms the parish boundary between Hawkesbury and Horton. (Finberg 1961: 59) The survey begins by stating that ‘these are the bounds of the seven lands belonging to South Stoke’ (ibid.), indicating that Hawkesbury was the centre of a large and important estate, possibly of Royal origin. The original foundation was probably an Anglo-Saxon ENGLISH HERITAGE COPYRIGHT AVON EXTENSIVE URBAN AREAS SURVEY 1997 - HAWKESBURY UPTON 3 minster church, from which a small body of secular clergy provided pastoral care for this very large area (White & White 1980: 1).