Waddesdon in the Roman period

Several Roman roads are thought to pass through Waddesdon and archaeologists have found evidence of several Roman houses and other settlement.

Roads

Your teacher will give you a map of the Roman period remains in Waddesdon parish. The purple lines are Roman roads, four of them pass through Waddesdon parish. One goes from Aylesbury in the far right of the map, though Fleet Marston (where the green dots and orange triangles are) through Waddesdon village (where the brown spots are). This road is called Akeman Street and links London with the west of England and Wales. Another road goes south-west through Eythrop. Two head north, one of them passes through Blackgrove Farm (where the blue dots are) and the other to the east of there.

Roman ditches, pottery and the road were found in an excavation at Blackgrove Farm when a gas pipeline was laid. To the right is a picture of the Roman road in excavation. The same pipeline uncovered ditches that seem to be field boundaries at Littleton Middle Farm.

Buildings 

A site at Cranwell, just south of Akeman Street near Fleet Marston, was found on an aerial photograph. It is a rectangular building and may be Roman. You can see the cropmark of the possible Roman building on the aerial photograph to the left.

Artefacts

Roman artefacts were also found south of Akeman Street but, this time, closer to Waddesdon. Roof and floor tiles, brick and flue tiles (hollow bricks used for walls to let through the hot air from Roman central-heating) were found in a field. Some pottery was also found, including parts of a mortarium (a pot used to grind spices and similar foods), flagons, storage jars and a cheese press. A flue tile from Foscott, like the one found in Waddesdon, can be seen right.

It seems as though Roman settlement concentrated near the roads and the fields were further away from the roads.

Go back to find out more about Archaeology in local history.