GADARG - Frocester

GLOUCESTER AND DISTRICT
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH GROUP

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~ FROCESTER - THE VILLAGE ~
A Romano-British Settlement, its Antecedents & Successors
by Eddie Price

This major monograph, the 4th in the research series, brings together the results of nearly 50yrs of field work and documentary research into the development and landscape of the present village of Frocester in Gloucestershire.

The results in this volume are detailed under fifteen main headings that include: history, people, church, village, law and order, wars, agriculture, communications, education, services and recreation. These are copiously illustrated with photographs, maps and drawings, and cover the time span from early mediaeval to the present day.

"... While the Frocester project is perhaps best known for its thorough, innovative and ground-breaking study of the Roman villa, it is equally important for what has been learnt about the post-Roman activity on the site and in the landscape around .... This is not local history in its worst sense of random fact collecting, but local study, which can be related to what is happening on a larger scale. It is a fascinating read." - Prof. Mich Aston.

~ FROCESTER EXCAVATION ~

For many years, GADARG has been involved in archaeological research excavation at Frocester, 5 km south-west of Stroud. Since 1961, firstly under the direction of Capt. Gracie and then for over twenty five years under Eddie Price, a site of 3.5 ha. has been painstakingly and thoroughly investigated as part of a study of the landscape within the parish.

At forty seven years, it has been the longest running continuous excavation in Britain. The site's history covers four thousand years of occupation from the early Bronze Age, through the Iron Age to the late Roman period and beyond. This site is especially known for being that of the Frocester Court Roman Villa.

Eddie's ill-health towards the later part of 2007 led to the decision that 2007 would be the final season of the excavation on the main site at Frocester. However, Eddie benefited from hospital treatment over the winter and so it was decided in 2008 to run a short dig season to extend north-eastwards as far as the boundary of the present field. The 2008 season has now been completed.

The long-standing site hut has now been moved to a new location behind Eddie's Frocester Court home and in 2009 he hopes to investigate the monastic and Roman levels that are known to be there.

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~ THE FROCESTER REPORT ~

If you would like to read the detailed findings of the excavations carried out in the more than thirty years up to 1994, then this can be found in the Frocester Report.

FROCESTER, A Romano-British Settlement, its Antecedents & Successors. This fortieth anniversary, two volume, A4 softback monograph brings together the results of all aspects of research at Frocester (not just the main site) from 1961 to 1994, along with a summary of the more recent work. The two volume set costs Ł40.

Volume 1, The Sites (ISBN Vol 1 0 9537918 1 5), 288 pages, 195 illustrations, details the evidence of early prehistoric occupation, the beginnings of an Iron-Age farmstead and its continuing development into the mid Roman period. Following the fourth century conversion into a gentleman's villa residence. Settlement continued into the sixth century and was followed by three periods of medieval field system. The phases of development, from prehistoric to modern, are copiously illustrated with excavation plans and photographs together with artist's reconstruction views.
Volume 2. The Finds, (ISBN Vol 2 0 9537918 2 3), 296 pages, 110 illustrations, describes and dates over 2,500 finds. The majority are illustrated with detailed line drawings. Finds include large assemblages of coins, metal work, pottery and other objects. A scattered cemetery group, as well as faunal and environmental evidence, is described and illustrated.

Volume 4. The Village, (ISBN Vol 3 978 0 953 791842), 270 pages, names index, 180+ photographs, 60+ plans. Eddie Price's detailed history of the Parish of Frocester from the post-Roman period to the present is now available. This volume costs Ł25.

Click below for the order form to print out.

Volume 3. Eddie's fieldwork carried out since 1995 should be available for publication by the end of the decade.