Glevensis Gloucester and District Archaeological Research Group Review No 40 2007 + GLEVENSIS THE GLOUCESTER AND DISTRICT ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH GROUP ANNUAL REPORT NO 40 : 2007 Editorial Committee Martin Ecclestone, Adam Mead & Les Comtesse CONTENTS Page OBITUARY: BETH BISHOP 1943 - 2007 By Eddie Price ii TIME TEAM PHOTOGRAPH ii HON. SECRETARY’S REPORT TO THE 2007 AGM By Martin Ecclestone 1 RESISTIVITY SURVEYS ARCHIVE By Ann Maxwell 2 MAPPING THE LANDSCAPE: THE IRON AGE AND ROMAN PERIODS IN PART OF NORTH-WEST GLOUCESTERSHIRE By Diane Charlesworth 3 FROCESTER COURT EXCAVATIONS 2006 By Eddie Price 13 THE MEDIEVAL MANOR OF MINSTERWORTH By Terry Moore-Scott 15 THE REVOLT OF OWAIN GLYN DWR AND THE PARLIAMENT OF GLOUCESTER IN 1407 By Russell Howes 24 FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING THE DEMISE OF MITTON CHAPEL By Bruce Watson 30 WHAT HAPPENED TO HARESFIELD CASTLE? By Martin Ecclestone 31 THE MEDIEVAL STAINED GLASS IN ALSTONE CHURCH By William Kyle and 40 Bruce Watson GlOUCESTER CITY COUNCIL HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT TEAM By Jonathan Smith 45 THE FROCESTER EXCAVATION IS COMPLETED! By Martin Ecclestone 46 PLANNING RELATED ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN GLOUCESTER 2003-2006 By Jonathan Smith 47 TREASURER’S REPORT By Angela Newcombe 61 © 2007 The Gloucester and District Archaeological Research Group and individual authors. Any statement made or opinions expressed in the Review are those of the contributors alone, for which the group does not accept responsibility. Copies of this issue £3.00 (£4.00 by post in UK) and back numbers - issue No 39 at £2.00 and all other available issues at £1.00 each (plus postage) - can be obtained from the Hon Secretary (M Ecclestone) Princess Royal Cottage, Butterow West, Rodborough, STROUD, GL5 3UA (Tel 01453 759516) Authors of articles for issue 41 should contact the Hon Secretary. Published by the Gloucester and District Archaeological Research Group Reg Charity 252290 Printed by Top Flight Printers, Cheltenham www.gadarg.org.uk ISSN: 0307 - 210X i GLEVENSIS 40 2007 OBITUARY Elizabeth Anne Tindell Bishop. 4th March 1943-17th January 2007 Beth, as she was known to all, was the oldest of four that has only now ended. Leighton’s interpretation of children of a family living near Shrewsbury in the 17th century Frocester estate court roll, completed Shropshire. She obtained an Honours Degree in before his death in 1989, has been an invaluable English Literature at Birmingham University, and contribution to its modern history. joined the Welsh Office as a Civil Servant in the Land Registry. She was devoted to wildlife, and her interest One of my earliest recollections of Beth was as a in archaeology developed during a University training forthright critic of my early literary and lecturing excavation where she met her future husband, Gerard endeavours. She somehow then became my willing Leighton Bishop. They married in 1975 and came to assistant and unofficial secretary, who did much live at Ampney Crucis, near Cirencester. Thereafter editing and preparation of the text of the two volume they undertook a lot of fieldwork and documentary Frocester Romano-British Settlement monograph research on the Cotswolds on behalf of Graham published in 2000. Webster’s work at Barnsley Park. An early interest in Bibury led to a rescue excavation in 1986 in advance Over the years I knew her Beth Bishop served as a of a housing development on an unscheduled part of member of several committees, including the Bristol its known major Roman Villa site. A visit to help at and Gloucester Archaeological Society, GADARG, the Frocester Excavations in the early 1980’s was the and as Secretary and eventually Assistant Editor of beginning of a friendship and working association the Association for Roman Archaeology. She will be missed by all who knew her. Eddie Price A number of Gardarg members participated in the Time Team excavation of a Roman villa at Coberley, Gloucestershire, this September. The photograph shows Peggy Fowler (left) and Ann Maxwell not rocking a cradle but sieving the contents of a spoil heap. COVER : The cover photograph shows the centre section of a floor mosaic uncovered at the villa. ii GLEVENSIS 40 2007 HON. SECRETARY’S REPORT TO THE 2007 AGM Martin Ecclestone This is a year of celebrations of all kinds: there are opportunity. Many years later you will be able to plans to celebrate the creation of Gloucestershire (and reminisce about your part in one of England’s classic Winchcombeshire) in 1007, the legislation to abolish excavations, on a par with Wharram Percy, Maiden the slave trade in 1807, the inauguration of the Castle or Flag Fen. European Community in 1957, and of course GADARG in 1967. So the first thing I want to say is We are especially grateful to Marta Cock for how much we owe to those who founded GADARG arranging the lecture programme and the summer forty years ago, and to all those whose work has visits, both of which require a lot of work and can be ensured that GADARG is still alive and well. It would quite stressful. It has been suggested that some of our not be possible to do justice to their many and varied members, who may find it difficult to come on contributions, but I feel two of our members deserve Monday evenings during the winter, might like some particular thanks this year. Some of you here today of the lectures to be in the afternoon, perhaps on a may not know Patrick Garrod, but from GADARG’s Saturday. It would be helpful to get your comments earliest days he has been at work with his trowel, on this later, under Any Other Business. I must also helping to uncover the archaeology of Gloucester. I remind you that our journal, Glevensis, urgently am sure that we are all glad that he will be our guest requires a new Editor. After three years as both Editor of honour at the Anniversary Dinner on April 20th. and Secretary, on what was meant to be a temporary The other member to congratulate here is Nigel Spry, basis, I feel that the work should be shared more whom I’m fairly sure has spent more years helping to equitably. The IT publishing work on Glevensis has run GADARG than anyone else, and who continues been very effectively dealt with by Les Comtesse, and to keep prodding us to do more. The high quality of I have been kindly assisted in the editorial work by the report on the 1970s excavations at Priory Road, David Aldred and Russell Howes. But the fact is that produced by Nigel, Philip Moss, John Punshon and the members of your Committee cannot go on for Don Mayes, is a tribute to his energy and ever: their average age is now 67, and though they are determination, and not least to the patience of his wife still capable, it would be beneficial - and essential for Jo. our future - to have new members with new ideas. If you feel you could contribute in this way, please During the past year we have carried out fieldwork contact one of us after the meeting. similar to that in previous years: some field-walking at Newent, an earthworks survey at Hartpury, and The wider archaeological world is not standing still, resistivity surveys at Harescombe, Winchcombe and and we are pleased that Gloucester City Council has St Peter’s church at Frocester. A new kind of finally appointed a successor to Richard Sermon. The fieldwork has been opened up by the development of Council’s new Historic Environment Manager is Lidar, which can produce very accurate 3-dimensional Jonathan Smith, who has come to the last two models of the ground surface, even under tree cover, meetings of our Committee and contributed a great from which images similar to air photographs can be deal to our discussions. We are also grateful to Tim printed. The County Unit has used Lidar to locate Grubb and Anna Morris, who take turns to represent man-made features in the Forest of Dean, and our the County Unit at our meetings. member Harold Wingham, who has long experience of air photography, has obtained Lidar images of the Many of you will be aware that a major project to High Brotheridge wooded areas, as described in the develop the historic centre of Gloucester is now under last issue of Glevensis. At Frocester the 2006 way, led by the Urban Regeneration Company. Both excavations were again directed by Eddie Price, who the archaeological community and the Civic Trust are has also been working on his third and fourth anxious about this development, though there is volumes, which will deal with the archaeological certainly the potential for a greatly improved city work since 1995 and the history of the parish. Work centre, which would make good use of historic on the site will begin again on the last weekend of buildings such as Blackfriars, while respecting the April, and I do urge members to take part, especially archaeology that has survived centuries of if you have never been there before. Eddie himself commercial development. Both Jonathan Smith and thinks that this may be the final year - so take this the County Archaeologist, Jan Wills, are involved in 1 the Urban Regeneration Company’s plans, and while Archaeology in Gloucestershire, will be able to we remain concerned about the extent of public contribute comments on the White Paper’s proposals consultations, we are confident that Jan and Jonathan during the limited consultation period. will voice our reservations as well as their own professional concerns. At present we have 186 members, of whom 20 are Associates and 4 are juniors.