Saxon Times Part 2

Saxon Times, Part 2 – from the Romans to the Normans

There were Romans in Britain from around 55 BC to around 450 AD; they upgraded the Fosse Way and gave us Corinium Dobunnorum (modern Cirencester). The well-known www site tells us that its ‘2nd century walls enclosed the second-largest area of a city in Roman Britain’. Recent archaeological work has shown that there were also several Roman sites on an arc around the north of Malmesbury. However, there is not much evidence that they spent any time visiting our village, other than an occasional find of a Roman coin.

The Anglo-Saxon period covers the years from 450 to 1066, when we can be sure there was a settlement in this area. Crop marks and finds of pottery sherds have revealed ‘Romano Saxon’ evidence of houses between the River Avon and the eastern boundary of today’s Sutton Benger, north of the main road. Similarly, there is visual evidence to the south of the main road, north west of Christian Malford church. In fact, there is a theory that the original road crossed the Avon by Christian Malford church (Christ – Mal – Ford meaning ‘ford by the church’). It is possible that those settlements lasted until there was an exceptionally rainy season, leading to heavy flooding in the meadows and a move to today’s village.

The Norman period lasted until 1154 (and the arrival of the Plantagenets), and it was during this time that the ancient parish boundaries were set down in writing. We also start to see documentary references to ‘Sutton’ village and its church from the early 12th century. Sutton Benger was a detached part of Brokenborough (yes – that Brokenborough, beyond Malmesbury), and the church was owned by Malmesbury Abbey.

  *And these are the boundaries of the ten hides belonging to the Manor of Brokenborough … that is Sutton. First where the boundary which is called roe-deer hedge extends to kettle spring. And from there to boundary brook. And along that brook into the Avon. From that straight along the stream … to the east part of sedge meadow, to broad stream.*

The history of Draycot Manor can be traced back to the Norman Conquest, and its church dates from the later 12th century. For more details, see Tim Couzens, Hand of Fate: The History of the Longs, Wellesleys and the Draycot Estate in Wiltshire.