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Waterborne transport around the sixth century I have discussed Roman roads. But these seem to have gone out of use in the fifth century. In a sixth century cemetery near Willoughby on the Wolds (so immediately south of the Vale) some of the burials are on top of the cobbled surface of the Fosse Way. A century or two later, when the Fosse Way came back into use, a shallow-S-shaped bypass was created around the cemetery. This has to be one of the oldest bypasses in Britain! Looking north along the S-shaped bypass. The Anglo-Saxon cemetery was under the left-hand bridge abutment. In the field on the left was the Roman small town known as Vernemetum. Immediately to the right of the A46 was an early church, perhaps a sixth century baptistry. Anglo-Saxons came to Britain by boat. For generations they continued to travel back and forth over the North Sea. Their vessels were small enough to come up larger rivers, such as the Trent. Bear in mind the Trent was still tidal upstream of Cromwell as the lock there was a long way in the future. At confluences, such as the Devon with the Trent, those coastal vessels could be unloaded into smaller, perhaps raft-like, craft which could travel along more minor watercourses such as the Devon and Smite. Back then the water table was higher than now and rivers had not been narrowed down into faster-flowing channels – that mostly happened in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. When roads came back into use the residents of Strettons, the settlement on the straet, looked after former Roman roads and their users. At the time straet referred specifically to former Roman roads. Bosham, Sussex. Earliest churches in landlocked counties, such as Orston, are almost always located on rivers at the probable limits of navigation for small craft or, in the case of the River Thames, at confluences with tributaries. In coastal counties the earliest churches are mostly found where coastal craft can be 'beached' – such as Bosham in Sussex. I have written in detail about this association of early churches and waterbourne transport here. By the eighth century churches are being built at fords where prehistoric trackways cross the upper reaches of a watercourse. Melton Mowbray is a good example, although the ford has long-since been replaced by a bridge. However the contours of the riverbed reveal it would have been ideal for a ford. Tenth century hogback grave covers are most often found near to places where waterborne transport could land and trade. Shelton, where part of a hogback survives, is on the west bank of the River Smite so fits this generalisation well while Hickling, which has a complete hogback, is beside the upper reaches of the same river. Orston is situated a short distance upstream of Shelton, on the eastern side of the Smite. A network of traders extending to Constantinople and east along the Silk Roads supplied the clergy at Orston and everywhere else in Britain with liturgical requisites such as incense and medicinal herbs grown in the Middle East. The eponymous ford in Bottesford. The modern house is perhaps on the site of the bottl. Bottesford straddles the River Devon. Bottesford did not have an early church. But quite plausibly the wealth which funded the bottl ('palatial house') came from trade as much as from farming. Accepting David Stocker's suggestion that hogbacks are associated with waterside trading then two trading places – Shelton and Orston – are adjacent on a minor river. Why? Well by definition Orston was a christian community. Based on the evidence of Scandinavian place-names – such as Thoroton – probably in the late ninth century more christian than many of the other settlements nearby. The clergy at Orston would need to buy from Scandinavian traders but, plausibly, didn't like dealing direct with 'heathens'. That problem would be solved if a trustworthy Scandinavian – or maybe an English-born trader who had adopted a Scandinavian-inspired lifestyle – was to set up a safe distance down the road and act as middleman. There's exactly the same arrangement to the east with Normanton just north of Bottesford, albeit the modern settlement of Normanton is further away from the Devon than Shelton is to the Smite. And, while not in the Vale, there's another Normanton adjacent to Southwell. And Southwell Minster is the successor to an early church, possibly as early as the 650s, situated at the then-limits of navigation on the nearby River Greet. By the way, the Normans of Normantons were not from Normandy. Just like the Normans of Normandy they were Norsemen. And most likely all Normantons were trading places. For example, Normanton on Soar sits right at the side of the river where quite large vessels could unload. And Normanton on Soar is a short distance away from Stanford on Soar which was probably the location of a seventh century church. So-called 'lay-clerical' pairings of settlements and their churches seems to have been quite common from the eighth to eleventh centuries. There is still a landing stage at the side of the River Soar at Normanton. Presumably this now allows boat-users to access church services. Back to top of this page     Back to home page   This website does not gather or store any visitor information. Copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025 No unauthorised copying or reproduction except if all following conditions apply: a: Copy is complete (including this copyright statement). b: No changes are made. c: No charge is made. www.hoap.co.uk/chronicle

Chronicle entries home page what's new? the geology of the Vale the boundaries and rivers of the Vale long, long ago prehistory in the Vale prehistoric boundaries in the Vale north-south prehistoric routeways Romans roads in the Vale Roman settlements in and near the Vale long ago introduction to Anglo-Saxons place-names of the Vale waterborne transport around the sixth century Orston's early church Anglo-Saxon sculpture in the Vale why Orston lost out to Bingham and Bottesford what the Normans did for the Vale Granby's importance in 1086 Granby's lost castle the Vale's watermills in 1086 Romanesque sculpture in the Vale St Remigius why Bottesford is in Leicestershire the Vale in medieval times medieval gargoyles of the Vale Eastwell's chancel screen St Ethelburga's church other early saints Elston's old chapel Muston and Long Clawson saltways of the Vale the Vale's medieval tile collection the Vale in Tudor times Dissolution in the Vale not that long ago the Vale in the C17th the 'great and the good' of the Vale Bottesford's effigies 'wicked practice and sorcerye' the whales on the Whalley memorial Car Colston's bigoted GP cum JP the Vale's very own regicide Wiverton Hall five rare C17th fonts in the Vale pinfolds and pounds in the Vale dovecotes in the Vale the Vale in the C18th turnpiking the Vale gravestones and C18th trade routes goodbye 'Belvoir Angels' C18th gravestone carvers in the Vale Daffy's Elixir the Marquess of Granby Stilton from the Vale springs and spas of the Vale outstanding organs in the Vale Grantham canal changes in the Vale's agriculture since 1800 Eastwell's recusant priest house and chapel Colston Bassett's ruined church seems like yesterday windmills in the Vale stained glass in the Vale village life in the southern Vale 1850 to 1880 folklore of the Vale Flintham museum lacemaking in the Vale gypsum pits in the Vale brick and tile works in the Vale ironstone quarrying in the Vale ironstone railways ironstone quarries of Leicestershire (YouTube video) The Vale's railway stations Orston's famous architect Mothers Union banners of the Vale redundant telephone exchanges in the Vale WWII airfields and pillboxes in the Vale the Vale in 1944 location shooting at Belvoir Castle Screveton's giants researching and writing local history the Vale as a verb getting started free advice from 2005 asking curious questions (YouTube video) local history groups in and around the Vale Aslockton (Cranmer LHG) Bingham Heritage Trails Association Bottesford Eastwell Harby Harlaxton Hickling Redmile archive Belvoir Villages History and Memories Group Belvoir Angel Society Grantham Canal Society you may also be interested in free PDFs written by Bob Trubshaw Earliest Churches in Nottinghamshire How Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way Anglo-Saxon Leicestershire Conversations in Churchyards Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland Bob Trubshaw's YouTube channel Introduction to medieval carvings Anglo-Saxon and Romanesque carvings How Anglo-Saxons found their way Anglo-Saxon shrines at fords Meetings at triangles Rota's Land and Franni's Land Reading Romanesque fonts Church and manor The significances of square headdresses Early churches and waterborne trade Charnwood slate gravestones and C18th trade routes Ironstone quarries of Leicestershire Roman roads in north-east Leicestershire Salt ways in Leicestershire Why Melton Mowbray needed to called 'middle town' Evolving Anglo-Saxon agriculture Nottinghamshire's earliest churches Ploughs not piety? Economic regeneration in the C7th Were Anglo-Saxon weaving huts women-only places? Barrowby Until Now website Rutland Village by Village website Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland