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PREHISTORY TO THE CONQUEST
| Prehistoric Kingston |
Hand Axe found near
the Hind's Head pub.
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In prehistoric times
this area was dense forest. It must have been inhabited for
thousands of years as many finds have been made throughout
the parish. Mesolithic flints were found in the area of the
present bypass, Neolithic flints have been found in the north
and south and a hand axe was found near the Hind’s Head. As
well as field marks, showing probable burial sites and farms,
other finds include a Bronze Age knife and Iron Age pottery,
these have been unearthed both at Kingstonhill Farm to the
north and Thompson’s Farm to the South.
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| The Romans in
Kingston |
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The
Romans left their mark. There are five probable sites of Romano-British
occupation in the parish. There was a large Romano-British villa
or farmstead near the crest of Kingston Hill which was occupied
from the mid-first to the fourth century AD. During construction
of a runway, for the Second World War airfield to the east of
the village, a whole vase containing over 2000 coins from the
reign of Maximian (307 AD) was dug up from an earthwork known
as Aelfrith’s Dyke. This is thought to be a Romano-British defence
constructed in the 5th century AD against the invading West
Saxons. It was men
tioned in tenth century Saxon charters as a broad earth ditch
and dyke (bank) which, at that time, indicated the parish boundary
between Kingston Bagpuize and Fyfield. Today sections are still
visible from the air. |
Millennium Green
with Aelfrith's dyke
in the background
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Saxon Kingston
In the land charter for Kingston, in 970, King
Edgar granted 7 hides of land to Brihteah in the place called Cingestun
(1 hide = about 100 acres). As now the parish was long and thin,
being about 4 miles long and half a mile wide, stretching from the
Thames in the north to the Ock in the south. The elongated parish
gave a range of soil types, from the clay and alluvium in the north
and south to a wide range of sandy loams in the higher Corallian
ridge in the centre.
1066 and all that
At the time of the Norman Conquest, in 1066, Cingestun
(later called Chingestune and then Kingestun) was divided into 2
estates with Saxon lords of the manor. Thurchil had the northern
part with the fishery and Stanchil had the southern half. Thurchil
was killed at the Battle of Hastings, fighting for King Harold,
and William seized both manors giving them to two of his military
leaders. Thurkil's land was given to William Ansculfson who granted
it to Adelelm and Henry de Ferrers received the other, granting
it to Ralph de Bachepuise. He was one of Baron de Ferrers’ officers
and probably came from the Norman village now called Bacquepuis
near Evreux.
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