There are several examples of evidence indicating the presence of the Romans in Sherington during the period 43 – 410 AD.
Roman Road
A Roman road passed through Sherington. It branched off Watling Street at Fenny Stratford and ran north for 19½ miles to Dungee Corner, near Irchester. Locally, it ran from Renny Lodge (in Newport Pagnell) to Far Farm, along Bedford Road, Gun Lane, and then north towards Olney along the main A509 road.
Further details of this road (and other Roman roads in the area) are given in the book ‘Roman Roads in the South East Midlands’ by ‘The Viatores’, published in 1964 by Victor Gollanz Ltd. One of the authors visited the route when researching the book and commented:
- Bedford Road: ‘Much stone along the south side of the lane now ploughed out. At Crofts End, a mutilated barrow makes a further turn. Roman pottery and coins were found near to the new school, the more ancient Iron Age settlement around the church having moved downhill’.
- Gun Lane/Olney Road: ‘Trail clearly seen across the ploughing. Curiously enough, when inspecting this field an elderly Sheringtonian watching from the road said, without prompting or hesitation, “That was the old Roman Road”.’
The location of the road is shown on the map. The solid line represents the portions of the route confirmed by the Viatores, as the metalling was visible or the route followed a modern road or track, whilst the dashed line indicates that the precise route can not be confirmed.
Roman Building
Wolverton and District Archaeology Society Journal 2 (1969) Archaeology finds for 1968:
SP 899 475 Roman Grade C (finds with evidence of structure).
Site reported by the farmer Mr Goss of Weston Underwood, visited by K Field, L Price and D Mynard. There is an extensive scatter of sherds, flue and roof tiles. The site was formerly wooded and was cleared in the 1930s, so much damage may have been done by tree roots.
English Heritage’s Pastscape website lists this as: SP 8991 4751 A Romano-British building site was reported by the farmer Mr Goss. An extensive scatter of Roman-British sherds, tiles, flue and roof tiles, imbrex tiles, building stone and a Roman bronze coin were found at the site. Pastscape Monument No. 344893.
Listed by Scott in her gazeteer of Roman villas: E Scott, ‘A Gazeteer of Roman Villas in Britain’, Leicester Archaeology Monographs No 1, 1993 (BU 72 no 1 Page 30).
Other Romano-British Finds
- English Heritage’s Pastscape website. Bucks Museum Report, April 1960 to March 1963, 8. SP 89 46 – Romano-British sherds. Pastscape Monument No. 344882.
- Wolverton and District Archaeology Society Newsletter 7, 1962, 13 (C. Garrett) and
English Heritage’s Pastscape website. SP 892 468 – Three Roman coins. Pastscape Monument No. 344880. - Wolverton and District Archaeology Society Newsletter 9, March 1965.
NGR 8905 4679 – Sherds of Belgic-Romano-British pottery ejected from the foundation trenches of an agricultural building now being erected with the Iron Age enclosure, the remaining part of the Iron Age ditch around the hilltop now being filled in with top soil from a building site in the village. - Wolverton and District Archaeology Society Newsletter 11, 1967. Finds in 1966.
SP 8908 4676 – Romano-British Sherds excavation in garden of new bungalow, Mr and Mrs Field. - Records of Bucks Vol 21 p188. Discoveries during 1979, Buckinghamshire County Museum SP 8961 4482 – After topsoil stripping, three sides of rectangular enclosure were recorded. The feature has not been dated but sparse Romano-British pottery was present in the top of the fill (Accessions number 320.1980).
- Roman coins have also been found in Chicheley at grid reference SP 90 46.
National Monuments Record – English Heritage National Inventory NMR_NATINV-346733.