Eastleach

EASTLEACH

(10 miles E. of Cirencester)

(1) 'Celtic' Fields (SP 190070), disturbed by later ploughing and tracks, are visible over some 10 acres of pasture on the limestone spur W. of Sheepbridge Copse (Plate 43). The terrace-way of the Roman road (2) probably crosses over the former S. edge of this group. There are traces of other 'Celtic' fields to N. and S.

Lynchets are up to 3 ft. high on slopes of 13° at most. There are no complete fields, but individual sides are about 50 yds. long. There was probably at least one alteration from the original pattern during the 'Celtic' phase, when part of the S. boundary of field 'a' was ploughed over. Subsequent prolonged ploughing has destroyed the remains which formerly extended down to the Roman road. It is possible that a protuberance at 'y', 50 yds. S.W. of Sheepbridge Copse, represents the corner of a 'Celtic' field cut by the road, and that another field angle was cut 160 yds. further S.W.

Other traces of lynchets, probably 'Celtic', occur as follows: (i) immediately S. of Hatherop Piece at SP 18750716, (ii) W. of Sidelands Grove SP 181086, (iii) S. of the R. Leach, between the river and the modern road, about SP 18870677 and SP 191068. At the lastnamed point, scarps are cut by a hollow-way which is older than the modern road.

R.A.F., VAP 106G/UK 1721: 4261–2. N.M.R., OAP SP 1806/1/438–55.

(2) Roman Road, Akeman Street (SP 18870687 to SP 19300702), (see plan above) is marked by a disturbed bank, up to 3 ft. high with a flat top 27 ft. across, immediately W. of the point of crossing of the R. Leach, here only a stream. The bank rises to a flat terrace-way and continues E.N.E. for 250 yds. to Sheepbridge Copse, where the remains are destroyed. A terrace-way, perhaps a continuation, emerges from Sheepbridge Copse 30 yds. further E., slightly S. of the former alignment, climbs E. for 30 yds., and then N.E. as if to rejoin the alignment. Profiles across the terrace-way W. and E. of Sheepbridge Copse indicate a road surface generally about 14 ft. wide, but occasionally a little wider or narrower (cf. I. D. Margary, Roman Roads in Britain, I (1957), Pl. X, lower). The slope of the road rising E. from the R. Leach, and that of the terrace-way E. of Sheepbridge Copse, does not exceed 9°.

Limestone blocks, some of them more than 1 ft. across, are exposed on both sides of the R. Leach. There is no sign of a bridge abutment. The surface has been partly hollowed by later traffic where the road rises from the river, and the further line of this traffic is marked by a hollow-way branching N.E. from the Roman road and crossing the 'Celtic' fields.

(3) 'Celtic' Fields (SP 188087), covering some 40 acres of Oolite, have been almost completely destroyed; they lay in the extreme N. W. of the parish, W. of No Man's Land Plantation, where ground falling gently S.W. is penetrated by shallow gullies. For plan, see Aldsworth (1). The pattern seen on air photographs shows that they extended in all directions beyond the area which could be plotted, possibly to link with those in Aldsworth. Unusually dense limestone rubble, visible on the modern arable ground, strongly supports other indications that the 'Celtic' fields were walled. Earthworks, probably a track bounded by spread walls, spanning more than 40 ft., ran N.N.E. through SP 18510866 in an alignment similar to that of a comparable feature in Aldsworth, 765 yds. to the east. The fields which are possibly complete have areas of 1 and 1½ acres. A lynchet joined a round barrow, now almost destroyed, at SP 18800858. Three other newly discovered round barrows, the biggest 50 ft. across and 3 ft. high, survive in a small copse just S. of this (SP 188085), where there are no signs of 'Celtic' fields.

R.A.F., VAP 106G/UK 1721: 6261–2; CPE/UK 2098: 4156–7. N.M.R., OAP SP 1709/4/314; SP 1708/1/434–7; SP 1808/1/372.

(4) Soil-Marks (SP 194092-195089), N.E. of No Man's Land Plantation, suggest linked rectangular enclosures, possibly fields, on a different alignment from those of (3). No remains survive on the heavily ploughed flat ridge-top.

C.U.A.P., OAP AYG 67.