Littlestone wrote:
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Think we may have had this discussion in the Circles under Churches thread but the above might indicate the presence of a 'Celtic' people living and worshiping at their own sacred site at Alton Priors (there's a spring and stream in the same field as the church, and the Ridgeway is very close by), while right next-door at Alton Barnes there were Anglo-Saxons worshiping at their own sacred site - both sites eventually becoming Christianized.
Theres a map in Archaeology SW (CBA), which came today - if you take Bath as the centre of a triangle of three territories - Hwicce/Britons/West Saxons, the Fosse Way being the boundary between the Hwicce/Britons and the East Wansdyke from Bath to Pewsey Vale being the boundary for the West Saxons/Britons (5th-7th century). Which fits in rather well with what you have just said... Think we may have had this discussion in the Circles under Churches thread but the above might indicate the presence of a 'Celtic' people living and worshiping at their own sacred site at Alton Priors (there's a spring and stream in the same field as the church, and the Ridgeway is very close by), while right next-door at Alton Barnes there were Anglo-Saxons worshiping at their own sacred site - both sites eventually becoming Christianized.
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The two Altons seems a rather special place, with the stream running through, and the longbarrow on the ridge in the distance. The early saxons would have acknowledged the sacred nature of such a place.
Forgot to say, they also found the remains of an old yew tree by the Chalice Well in Glastonbury. It would have been about 12 foot down from the present level, and was discovered I think with roman bits and pieces....
