The Later Saxon and Early Norman Manorial Settlement at Guiting Power, Gloucestershire

Archaeological Investigation of a Domesday Book Entry

By (author) Alistair Marshall

Book cover: The Later Saxon and Early Norman Manorial Settlement at Guiting Power, Gloucestershire

Extent: 124 pages

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing

Subjects: Medieval Studies

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(July 2020)

ISBN: 9781789693652

8.07 x 11.46 inches

Price: $39.00

On back order

This report outlines investigation of the early manor at Guiting Power, a village in the Cotswolds with Saxon origins, lying in an area with interesting entries in the Domesday Survey of 1086. Excavation has shown that, during the later Saxon period, a lightly defended compound contained a principal area of habitation, with an adjacent, more open ‘working area’ partly divided by ditched sub-enclosures, perhaps related to subsidiary settlement, or other economic activity. This complex may have formed the main estate-centre for a more extensive land-holding, scattered over the northern Cotswolds, and leased from the king, its last Saxon tenant being one ‘Alwin’, as sheriff of the county a thegn of some standing. During the major economic and social changes following the Conquest, under a change to Norman lordship, the manorial perimeter was reinforced, and a small apsidal church was constructed within it, now restored as a standing monument. Subsequently, a new complex of manorial buildings was established on a fresh site within the enclosure, the precursor of the present parish church was constructed nearby, with further development of manor and village into the full medieval period.

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SITE, OBJECTIVES, AND METHODS OF INVESTIGATION ;

SECTION 2: STRUCTURAL SEQUENCE AT THE SITE ;

SECTION 3: GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE SITE ;

SECTION 4: FINDS AND SAMPLES FROM THE SITE ;

SECTION 5: CONSERVATION OF THE SITE ;

SECTION 6: SUPPORTING INFORMATION/SOURCES ;

SECTION 7: FIGURES AND PLATES ;

SECTION 8: ONLINE CONTENT

Alistair Marshall has a formal background in archaeology and the natural sciences, general interests in European prehistory, and is currently developing various projects including: application of remote sensing, from broader study of landscapes to detailed interpretation of ritual monuments with related experimental work; structural analysis of megalithic sites, with especial reference to interpretation of axial alignment; investigation of broader aspects of tribal economies during the later Iron Age in Britain and Northwestern Europe.

  • By (author) Alistair Marshall