Page:VCH Berkshire 1.djvu/283

 ROMANO-BRITISH BERKSHIRE Soc. ii. 72]. Coin of Magnentius (A.D. 350-3), with the Christian monogram on the reverse, from the hamlet of Mackney {Berks, Bucks and Oxon Arch. Journ. Jan. 1901]. BRIMPTON. According to Godwin a hypocaust has been found here [Engl. Arch. Handbook, 59]. It is said that hypocaust tiles and Roman bricks are built into the church [Cooper- King, Hist, of Berks, 45]. BUCKLAND. Romano-British bronze armlet, 4 inches in diameter, with its ends coiled round to form an elastic bracelet, found in the Thames [Proc. Soc. Antiq. (ser. 2) v. 474] and now in British Museum. BUCKLEBURY. In 1860 some remains, supposed to be those of a Roman villa but only very imperfectly investigated, were discovered at Marlston in this parish, on the same estate as the Well House villa in the neighbouring parish of Hampstead Norris. They seem to have consisted of pottery, flue, pavement, and roofing-tiles, tesserae, and animal bones [Journ. Brit. Arch. Ass. xvi. 290, 291]. A bronze object, some Castor ware and glass from this site are exhibited in the Reading Museum. BUSSOCK CAMP. Supposed Roman camp on a plateau at the extreme end of Snelsmore com- mon [Newbury Dist. Field Club Trans, ii. 14]. It was described in 1872 as being nearly square and of large area with ramparts on the north-east and south-west boldly defined, and 12 to 20 feet high, those on the south being 5 feet high. CHADDLEWORTH. An earthen vase with 100 coins discovered in a bye-road about 2 miles north of the ' Upper Baydon Road ' and 3 south of the ' Old Street.' Among the latter were some silver coins of Constantius, Valens, Valentinian and Gratian (A.D. 350-83) [Arch. Journ. vii. 87]. There is a reference in the Gentleman's Magazine of November 1827 [ii. 448] to some Roman pavement taken up on Poughley Farm which stands on the ground of the old monastery, but later writers who describe an old stone coffin lid found at the same time do not mention this discovery [Newbury Dist. Field Club Trans, ii. 58, 237]. CHARLTON DOWNS. See Wantage. CHILTON. A prehistoric hoard, found on Hagbourne Hill in 1803 contained, besides various articles of bronze and iron, a large number of coins. None of these were identified, but it was thought that a gold specimen amongst them might have belonged to the Lower Empire [Arch. xvi. 348 ; Guide to Antiq. of Early Iron Age, B.M. 102, 103]. In the maps of the Ordnance Survey a ' Roman burial ground ' is marked on this hill [O.S. (25 in.) xv. 14]. CHINHAM FARM. See Stanford in the Vale. CHOLSEY. Third brass coins of Victorinus, Tetricus and Claudius Gothicus (A.D. 265-74) have been found [Hedges, Hist, of Wallingford, i. 142, 143]. COMPTON. North of this village there is a large tract of low arable land called ' The Slad,' which is held by popular tradition to be the site of an ancient town. The existence of some small settlement here in Romano-British times certainly seems probable. Bricks, tiles, fragments of pottery, a square floor of chalk, a quern, tesserae and other Roman remains are said to have been found [Hewett, Hist, and Antiq. of Hundred of Compton, 68-72]. It is, however, best known for the vast quantity of coins found from time to time in the course of ploughing, ditching and draining, and called by the villagers ' Slad farthings.' The majority of these seem to have been copper and small, but ' large brass ' and silver coins are also mentioned. One writer says that almost all the emperors are represented amongst them [Hist, of Newbury (1839), 223] ; another gives only those of the third and fourth centuries [Hewett, Hist, and Antiq. of Hundred of Compton, 68-72]. Sir Richard Colt Hoare, who visited ' The Slad ' before 1810 was told by the owner that several rubbish pits or ' wells ' (as he called them) had fallen in at different times in this field [Hist, of Wilts, ii. 52]. In the same parish but south of the village, on a hill known as the Cow Down, is a circular encampment called Perborough Castle, which though probably British in origin [Hewett, Hist, and Antiq. of Hundred of Compton, 68-72 ; Newbury Dist. Field Club Trans, i. 128], was occupied during the Romano-British period, as fragments of Roman pottery have been found here and a quantity of Roman coins and oyster shells. In one earthenware jar there were as many as 500 copper coins. COOKHAM. Two vases, one of grey ware, found in the Thames [Arch. Journ. xviii. 76], now in the British Museum. Two fragments of Romano-British pottery found in pile dwell- ings at the lock [Antiquary, xxvii. 137]. CRANHILL FARM. See 'Letcombe Regis.' 205