Shapwick History Group 7 SUMMER I S SUE | J ULY 2 0 2 6 JOHN ANDERSON Roamin' with the Romans On a murky morning back in April, an enthusiastic cohort of villagers were provided with an intriguing glimpse into the past after an unexpected discovery shone a light on the lives of our Kent Drove forebears, some 1,700 years ago. The presence of Romano-British activity first became apparent when Wessex Water carried out pre-construction surveys ahead of the large scale Wetland Project to the north of the village. The fieldwork team from AC Archaeology, who were consulted for further investigation, kindly took the time to provide us with a behind-the-scenes tour of the exploratory dig in progress - a formidable task delayed by the relentlessly soggy start to the year. surprisingly easy to visualise the ancient buildings - the remains of iron nails suggest timber structures were once constructed over the visible stone foundations. Post-research, the site will once again disappear beneath the wetland landscape. Our thanks to Stuart from AC Archaeology, Al from Wessex Water and Graham Croucher for facilitating such an enjoyably unique experience! We'll pass on any follow-up findings when available. A Shapwick 'Ted' Talk More recently, the group hosted a joyful Village Hall evening with readings from the wartime memoir of Shapwick evacuee Edward Baverstock. Ted's book Blown Away - Seeds on the Winds of War is a wonderful personal recollection of village life through the eyes of 'an assortment of scallywags who exchanged the streets of Dagenham for the lanes of Shapwick'. Ted quickly adapted to his new life as part of a small farming community. He wrote fondly about his hosts, the Stevens family at Old Farm, and the colourful assortment of village characters he encountered along the way. It was also interesting to hear about evacuee connections from other villagers, which often led to lifelong relationships, as with Ted, who regularly returned to visit his Shapwick friends. A combination of 21st Century technology and meticulous human trench work eventually revealed features and artefacts indicating an agricultural settlement dating back to the 3rd/4th century, complete with pottery, iron working tools, kiln remains, animal bones and even a few small coins. It was We were joined on the night by Ted's daughters, Suzie and Jenny Baverstock, who shared personal memories of their father, as well as participating in the group readings. Many thanks to both, along with all of our fantastic readers, including Roger, Frank, Laura and Ali. Thanks also to Louise and Chris, and to the SW Heritage Trust for the audio clips previously recorded by Ted himself. You can still find second hand copies of Ted's memoir online, and the History Group has a few copies available to borrow on request - just contact us at History@shapwick.org or find us on Facebook. Made it! Lost my helmet on the way though...
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