King Arthur's Wars by Jim Storr

Author:Jim Storr
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: HISTORY / Ancient / General
ISBN: 9781911096962
Publisher: Helion and Company
Published: 2016-06-20T04:00:00+00:00

Figure 7.5 The Cirencester Area.

It is perhaps meaningless to look for the capitals of post-Roman kingdoms. It is, however, well worth looking at the area five miles west of The Trench called Rodborough Common. The Nailsworth Stream flows into the River Frome just below Stroud. They form an isthmus just over a mile wide and two miles long. See Figure 7.6.

The Frome, the Nailsworth Stream and other watercourses form narrow, steepsided valleys cut deeply into the plateau of the Cotswolds. The valleys are almost 200 metres deep and, in places, less than a mile wide. The isthmus is cut off by a dyke and related earthworks. The main dyke is called ‘The Bulwarks’, a much later name. It is up to 30 feet wide and 10 feet high overall today. It faces generally south and south east. It is sited on a very subtle reverse slope. That is best observed by standing on the dyke as it crosses Minchinhampton Common and looking across to that village.

The Bulwarks appear to have been extended, possibly twice, in the area shown as ‘A’ on Figure 7.6. That seems to have been intended to prevent access to, or along, the river, which would have allowed The Bulwarks to be outflanked. In practice the earthworks eventually ran right across the summit of the isthmus.

‘Rodborough’ means ‘the fortified enclosure in the clearing’. It is not clear which part of the isthmus was originally called ‘Rodborough’. The present hamlet lies off the plateau, at the north of the isthmus. There is also an ‘Amberley’ and a ‘Woodchester’. The remains of a Roman villa have been found at Woodchester. There are at least 16 other ‘-ley’ and ‘leigh’ place names within five miles. The area was clearly wooded, and settled in Roman times.

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