This was like an episode of Time Team without the digging, my favourite episodes were when old text such as shown in this video that had been discovered, then read in its original text and translated for us modern folk. Thoroughly Excellent Work!!
I am always excited about the archaeological interests of people living in Great Britain. This culture is much bigger than in Germany, where i live. Enjoying time Team during covid time, i am now watching a Lot of more docu about history and archaeology. I've also been to Salisbury for several occasions, so i know a bit of the beautiful Landscape in south Britain. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Thank you for your Content!
I'd always heard and pronounced it as "buckan", but as Australians change pronunciation of some words and names compared to their British counterparts, I am basically confused at this point.
Having never heard his name pronounced as Boo-Chan, I consulted with the internet and the Jocks tell us the 'ch' is definately pronounced as in Loch, which is closer to a hard K than Jackie Chan.
Having lived in Abedeenshire for many years I wholeheartedly agree with the "Buck'n" pronunciation but with the 'ch' ideally pronounced as in 'loch' - but 'ck' is OK. I'd not heard of the @edwardlane1255 idea that links it to Welsh for 'cow'. They are rightfully proud of their cattle in Aberdeenshire but the last sentence in this Wikipedia entry for Buchan impresses me most! "The genesis of the name Buchan is shrouded in uncertainty,[4] but may be of Pictish origin.[4] The name may involve an equivalent of Welsh buwch meaning "a cow".[4][5] American academic Thomas Clancy has noted cautiously the similarity between the territory names Buchan and Marr to those of the Welsh commotes Cantref Bychan and Cantref Mawr, meaning "small" and "large commote" respectively" Marr was the name of most of Aberdeenshire in the past ... Grampian is a better example
I lived in Oxford for two years and wandered around some of the area, including the large parkland called Port Meadows that is next to what is now called the River Thames northwest of the city. That port name could be related to the portway names you mentioned. Because of the river, it makes sense to have somewhat parallel roads going north on the two sides of the river.
This was great, Paul! It’s incredible how many Roman roads are still turning up and the analysis of the charters in this instance to find that building was really inspiring. The fact there are still road names and farms/cottages that provide clues as to what was once there is just wonderful. Cheers.
Excellent video, very enjoyable to watch. I'm truly amazed how these old texts have been able to provide a clue to the location of this road. Great video, well done!! All the best!!
Certainly makes sense as St Mary’s church in kidlington was thought to have a Roman villa on its site. I think it was ruled out as a farmstead but there is evidence of Roman artefacts on the floodplain behind the church.
Got to love a bit of old English! I think one of the things that fascinates me the most is not that there are remains of Roman roads and villas but that these early medieval charters still exist!
Thank's for a really interesting video, showing that not all fiction is entirely fictional. Congratulations to you and Mark for unearthing the links between John Buchan, two Anglo-Saxon charters, an Oxfordshire stream - and the site of a buried Roman villa and trackway. Excellent piece of research. Very well done!
I particularly like those bits of Olde English, or rather Antient English. Shakespeare I can still understand, but this is fairly incomprehensible to my untrained eyes. Good work.
‘The Blanket of the Dark’ is a marvellous book: it opens the door to a real mystical England. Strangely enough, I was only thinking the other day about seeing if I could get hold of a copy
I've been interested in the old roads on the small Scottish island I live on. Like you I find myself looking for something that has ditches a decent width to it and evidence of a gravel layer. I have to remind myself that many of the routes may have just been narrow footpaths with little if any surface.
back in the '80s I walked from Tarbert to Rhenigidale on the Isle of Harris. At the time the only land route to the village was by a path. This was a very well made path, built up with stones using dry stone walling techniques to be above the surface. Yet the walking surface itself was grassy and springy. Compared to a road it was narrow (max about a metre), but was, and is, a very good route for humans and pack animals to walk. I walked along it thinking that this would have been what the routes would have looked like before wheeled transport changed requirements to being wide enough for carts and a hard surface so wheels wouldn't sink in.
Don't take it personally Paul. The ch sound is notoriously tricky for non-Scots (and some Scots for that matter) to pronounce. and that's before we even get to place names like Milngavie (pron. Mull-guy), a metaphorical stone's throw from the Antonine Wall (as in metaphorical stones tend to travel further than actual ones). Enjoyed the video as always 😊
Very good, but... you do realise this is all visible on Ordnance Survey? There's even a footpath following the Roman route from Kidlington to Bletchington more or less exactly. I'm not being a knocker, far from it - I found this fascinating. Often, though, the edge of a wood, a hedge line, a footpath can tell us vast amounts without ever going near archives written in Old English. BTW, I really enjoyed that Old English.
Well, I didn't expect that - I was on teh farm track by the two tumuli the day before yesterday! If the villa is where I think there's a stone spread visible after ploughing...
Thanks for this video. Very interesting. It touches on an area dear to me. I grew up in Wendlebury, less than a mile from the site of the Roman settlement of Alchester, which used to fascinate me. Alchester was marked on ordinance surgery maps, but all I could see was a wheat field. Apparently the dating of logs used for Alchester’s main gate show it was established within a year of the Roman invasion in 43AD. Alchester was apparently built as a supply depot at the confluence of three Roman roads. I’d love to hear more about those Roman roads.
Excellent video, know the area very well, but adding the Roman history is fascinating especially as I have been field walking around the North Leigh villa for years❤
Find the Villa, find the road! Very interesting video. Those documentaries are something to look forward to every Sunday! I wonder what modern UA-cam Antiquarians have to say to the matter. 🤣
Wonderful; thank you! As a teenager I lived in the nearby countryside for a few years, and was overwhelmed by the beauty and fascinated by the remnants of ancient days. I have not returned to England since then, so your videos are very special to me.
I live on the edge of Kidlington next to the break and ive often thought we had a roman road run along our garden, its what brought me to your channel a month ago. I might have to dig around to look for a villa 😂
excellent detective work with the AngloSaxon charters and pieces of villa. Interestingly the main route of this road can be seen on maps running North from Oxford, via Kidlington, Banbury and Southam to Princethorpe, on the Fosse Way near Stretton-on-Dunsmore (another Saxon named town on the Fosse). This likely continued to Wroxeter, since Coventry and Birmingham were yet to be.
😂😂 An irony when Latin was always a mandatory subject for entry into Oxford (well … certainly was when I was choosing subjects for study in the late 60s/early 70s !!)
Akeman street. Always wondered where it went as it wasnt a "straight" Roman road. It curves around from Cirencester to St Albans rather than being a stright line across the countryside. I'm guessing to avoid rivers and other soggy bits around Oxford. Close to White Oak Green it runs across a farm (and right past the farmhouse) that now belongs to a school friend (inherited from her grandfather) and across the site of the former RAF Akeman. Not much of that left bar the perimeter road. At school, we learnt about the traditional "Roman Roads" but really, only the "motorways" of the day. Other routes and roads were never covered so you tend to think it was only them. Fascinating to find out there is more to it than meets the eye (and former history lessons)
Super interesting investigation with so many layers of clues. What does a Roman fishpond look like on the geophys/LiDAR? Is it shaped a particular way? Catch you soon Paul!
Bucken not Buch On. He wrote the 'Thirty-Nine Steps' and was a British diplomat. He is always called Buck -en, not Buch -on. He was British, not French. Oh, love your content, Paul. The Buch-on controversy is the first complaint I have had with you. Somewhere I have Buck-en's biography. When I locate it, I'll inform you of where he was born. Scotland or England but not France or Canada, though he did work in Canada for a while.
It is indeed pronounced "Buck'n". I lived in Oddington for a decade or so, and used to visit Buchan's grave at Elsfield. Once I had Sir Wilfred Thesiger for lunch and he wanted to visit the tomb, as when he was an undergraduate at Oxford, he walked up to have tea with Buchan. We drove him there.
Another great video! This reminds me of a routeway near Wembley, in Fryent Country Park called Elderstreet, in the charters Elderstreate. It runs away from but almost parallel to Watling Street/Edgware Road. Nearby Fryent Country Park, at Salmon Street, the possible remains of a late Roman, Early Post Roman building are mentioned in historical records, along with Roman building material in the nearby Old St Andrew's Church. Definitely this video shows the importance of looking at clues, especially when the suffix "-street" is present.
Thanks Paul - have you checked out how the middle route you suggest has a junction with Akeman Street right at where the wonderful Aves Ditch runs North? Whilst not on your lines it could form a section of the track. It's an intriguing die straight earthwork of antiquity running towards Fritwell. It's been the subject of excavations - with interesting and ghoulish results. Worth a stroll if you're in the area...
Superb. Please can you ask him to dig that villa? Him being a professional there is a chance he can do it. Beorg can mean hill but if I see it in a charter I assume it is a barrow. Beorg is the ancestor of barrow, if you mangle the vowels in your mouth you can hear the link across a thousand years. It is interesting that the charter was in Wessex English rather than the English of the Midlands where this charter is set. Did he say more about a relationship with Shakenoak, I have interest in that area? Also we have a lot of portways going to Oxford which must be significant in some way.
I had hoped you might enjoy this one. He said a little more on Shakenoak yes, but only really to suggest how similar they may have been with regards to their purpose. It might be prudent to have a chat with him further? Let me know if you can't get his contact details.
Very entertaining. There is such a wealth of things archelogical to do in the UK. I am in South Africa and do similar walks along old railway routes here.
You were right beside Manor Farm and you didn't pop by for a drink with Comrade Napoleon 😉 or even to say hi to George O.😂 I love the videos sir❤ please make more and include your lovely wife too, she always looks like she's ready to laugh❤
Far be it for me a mereNon uni 3 year secondary school leaver at age 15 to correct you guys especially your guest but John Buchan isn't pronounced the way you are trying to. He is a Scot with the same name as the Scottish place of Buchan in Aberdeenshire en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Buchan. Please correct your guest
Never heard John Buchan pronounced John Bu-ch-an before. Is the traditional pronunciation John Buc-han incorrect ?? (thought it was a different person !!)
@@petermcinnes6987 That is my thought too, I wonder on what grounds Mark Merrony felt a variation on the common pronunciation was appropriate/justified. Either he had possibly never heard the normal pronunciation or discovered an ancient guide ?!! 🙂
Hi paul Never forget the lost roman /an maybe vandal capital town ,halfway between Silchester and stains,ceasars? camp,a vast site on plateau, where devil's highway crossed road from ceasers camp to sandhurst, around Crowthorne you can see the roman road network spreading North and south to bicester Chichester etc,the roman remains at crossroads of DH and CCamp where used as cannon practice by Wellington army pre 1815, from his redoubts nearby, the remains went to Virginia water in 1815,the whole area was destroyed by fire over 1000 years ago,largest roman settlement in uk os map 174
@@pwhitewickI think they done a dig at Wickham bushes found some grid streets, mansio ,etc the whole site is huge up on hill the vicus below in Crowthorne has a few of the old roads that point to Silchester and south and north ,modern roads and train tracks follow those routes to this day, check the os map No 175? Reading Windsor
This may be a record for bot postings (?). Great way to boost the algorithm tho. The ghosts of the travelers on those lost roads wink and raise a glass to you and say “all roads have fleas” 🍻 [But with a ‘Chauser-ian accent].
You realise that the name 'Akeman Street' derives from the Roman name for the City of Bath, that is 'Aquae Sulis Minerva', contracted to 'Aqua Minerva'. So originally applied only to the stretch of road between London & the City of Bath, though as with other 'Roman' road names, this has been extended to other lengths of road not part of the original route, or which go beyond it. The most famous of these mis-applications is that of 'Watling Street', originally meaning the road between London & St Albans, as a muddling in Anglo-Saxon times, of the name of Verulamium into 'Vroclingacester' , later
Absolutely yes. Although a minor frustration for us, is someone decided to cite us and suggest that we had said..."The Romans numbered their roads" on wikipedia. Which we simple don't know. I think even from the writings of Tacitus et al, we have no evidence other than Iter's.
I live in Oxford and have been looking at the history of a Roman route going past Radley Wood, through Redbridge, across the Thames and up to the Roman road around Headington or Cowley.
@@user-oj5tw8tn9k No evidence has been found, but it is reported that a track led to the river on the west bank south of Donnington bridge. Part of the problem is that there has been a lot of changes in the area since Roman times. The whole area would have been lower with multiple channels where the river split. There has been sand extraction from the river (for the filter beds at the old water works) as well as land fill with domestic waste from the city.
Thank you. I am now going down a rabbit hole of trying to find out if there is any link between iter as a footpath, and iterate as something you repeat, because both are Latin and a footpath is a route you often do again. I may have to ask Susie Dent. As @DeclanMBrennan commented mens sana.
Enjoyed this - but a little confused by the maps - I wasn't sure which road/route was being talked about with each one. Often there would be a map with three or four roads highlighted, but it wasn't obvious to me which was the one being discussed at the time.
Very interesting - just a thing - can you explain the term 'Ager' please (bank & ditch?) I love your videos, as a fellow ordinary explorer (my interest comes from 'the chapel' on my Dad's place - 4 coloured Medusa mosaic, blue glass, concrete baths and hunting lodge with log still in the hypocaust) Wroxeter 'Hinterland' - who lived there Celts or Romans?
@@pwhitewick There's one little bit near to where Time team dug for the Roman villa, and I've said to me Jess, I wonder if it's part of the Roman road that people have talked about or Saltway, or both?? Either way, I'm fascinated by these things, and why I enjoy you videos 👍
Very enjoyable and informative video ! It reminds me that Ethelred lived in Corfe Castle as a boy, where his half brother was murdered and allegedly thrown down a well (if my memory serves me correctly). The castle might make a great video, I would like to learn more about it's history. It's owned by the National Trust , so I don't know if that complicates things ?
Paul, I enjoy the discovery and investigation, but I oft times get lost in the local (English) jargon of the Roman/AS/OS and other forms and appreciating the significance of your discoveries. But please keep reporting, and I will keep working on my translations. I also need to ask more questions.
very interesting I love looking at maps and speculating about Roman Roads, but I do quibble about the pronunciation of Buchan it's Scottish and is more similar to Buck-an, if you can get a little throatiness in the ck all the better; like the ch in loch should be pronounced
i noticed a couple of comments of questionable virtue so i used the 3 dots to the right of the comments and reported them to youtube. youtube removed them but it seems that a few other legitimate comments disappeared too, including one from paul about the pronunciation of buchan. sorry about that but i had a job to do.
My first thought when seeing all the rivers on the map and knowing that rivers were used extensively to transport everything in Britain, the port would be on a river.
@pwhitewick, Every time I watch one of your videos I always wonder why no one has conducted a large scale Lidar scan of all the interesting areas. Wouldn't be great if Google Maps had Lidar.
Out in the criminal colonies in our school days it was always assumed to be John BUCK-an also. But what would our ticket-of-leave teachers know? One would assume that a Douchy Don from the Dreaming Spires would be correct.😉😊
You can subscribe to Mark's magazine here: www.antiqvvs-magazine.com/
This was like an episode of Time Team without the digging, my favourite episodes were when old text such as shown in this video that had been discovered, then read in its original text and translated for us modern folk. Thoroughly Excellent Work!!
Totally agree :)
I am always excited about the archaeological interests of people living in Great Britain. This culture is much bigger than in Germany, where i live. Enjoying time Team during covid time, i am now watching a Lot of more docu about history and archaeology. I've also been to Salisbury for several occasions, so i know a bit of the beautiful Landscape in south Britain. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Thank you for your Content!
I was thinking the same 🙂
This video was Stewart and Robin's purview on Time Team.
“Buchan” is a Scottish name, from the old province in the Northeast. It’s pronounced “BUCK-kun”, give or take. Related to the name “Buchanan”.
I'd always heard and pronounced it as "buckan", but as Australians change pronunciation of some words and names compared to their British counterparts, I am basically confused at this point.
@@cerealport2726 I'm from London and we always pronounced it Buckan too so Thanks Blinky :)
Buchan means 'cow' in welsh - so maybe a cow related path ?
Having never heard his name pronounced as Boo-Chan, I consulted with the internet and the Jocks tell us the 'ch' is definately pronounced as in Loch, which is closer to a hard K than Jackie Chan.
Having lived in Abedeenshire for many years I wholeheartedly agree with the "Buck'n" pronunciation but with the 'ch' ideally pronounced as in 'loch' - but 'ck' is OK. I'd not heard of the @edwardlane1255 idea that links it to Welsh for 'cow'. They are rightfully proud of their cattle in Aberdeenshire but the last sentence in this Wikipedia entry for Buchan impresses me most!
"The genesis of the name Buchan is shrouded in uncertainty,[4] but may be of Pictish origin.[4] The name may involve an equivalent of Welsh buwch meaning "a cow".[4][5] American academic Thomas Clancy has noted cautiously the similarity between the territory names Buchan and Marr to those of the Welsh commotes Cantref Bychan and Cantref Mawr, meaning "small" and "large commote" respectively"
Marr was the name of most of Aberdeenshire in the past ... Grampian is a better example
A delightful fusion of rural trail walking with speculative archaeology. What a great way to keep a "Mens sana in corpore sano."
Thank you, I certainly hope so.
Wonderful, loved it. The world wouldn't be near as interesting without chaps like yourself Paul, and Mark.
Fascinating research. If history was like this at school, I'd have been much more interested.
Thank you. We have Mark to thank for this one!
Couldn’t be a better video as an Oxfordshire resident!
I lived in Oxford for two years and wandered around some of the area, including the large parkland called Port Meadows that is next to what is now called the River Thames northwest of the city. That port name could be related to the portway names you mentioned. Because of the river, it makes sense to have somewhat parallel roads going north on the two sides of the river.
That was fascinating. Thanks Paul. Something new every week to explore further. 😊😊😊
This was great, Paul! It’s incredible how many Roman roads are still turning up and the analysis of the charters in this instance to find that building was really inspiring. The fact there are still road names and farms/cottages that provide clues as to what was once there is just wonderful. Cheers.
Excellent video, very enjoyable to watch.
I'm truly amazed how these old texts have been able to provide a clue to the location of this road.
Great video, well done!!
All the best!!
Many thanks!
Another interesting Sunday night video right on my doorstep. Thank you
Always a high point on a Sunday evening. Very interesting. Many thanks.
Shows the importance of not messing with place and street names , yes i am looking at you Sadiq
Certainly makes sense as St Mary’s church in kidlington was thought to have a Roman villa on its site. I think it was ruled out as a farmstead but there is evidence of Roman artefacts on the floodplain behind the church.
Fascinating to discover that my commute into Kidlington is probably along a Roman Road!
Almost certainly yes
Got to love a bit of old English! I think one of the things that fascinates me the most is not that there are remains of Roman roads and villas but that these early medieval charters still exist!
Thank's for a really interesting video, showing that not all fiction is entirely fictional. Congratulations to you and Mark for unearthing the links between John Buchan, two Anglo-Saxon charters, an Oxfordshire stream - and the site of a buried Roman villa and trackway. Excellent piece of research. Very well done!
I particularly like those bits of Olde English, or rather Antient English. Shakespeare I can still understand, but this is fairly incomprehensible to my untrained eyes. Good work.
Pursue that interest - get some textbooks on how to learn (translate, pronounce) it
‘The Blanket of the Dark’ is a marvellous book: it opens the door to a real mystical England. Strangely enough, I was only thinking the other day about seeing if I could get hold of a copy
I have most of his books. Love them. Was not aware of this one though. Will also look for a copy.
I've been interested in the old roads on the small Scottish island I live on. Like you I find myself looking for something that has ditches a decent width to it and evidence of a gravel layer. I have to remind myself that many of the routes may have just been narrow footpaths with little if any surface.
back in the '80s I walked from Tarbert to Rhenigidale on the Isle of Harris. At the time the only land route to the village was by a path. This was a very well made path, built up with stones using dry stone walling techniques to be above the surface. Yet the walking surface itself was grassy and springy. Compared to a road it was narrow (max about a metre), but was, and is, a very good route for humans and pack animals to walk. I walked along it thinking that this would have been what the routes would have looked like before wheeled transport changed requirements to being wide enough for carts and a hard surface so wheels wouldn't sink in.
Don't take it personally Paul. The ch sound is notoriously tricky for non-Scots (and some Scots for that matter) to pronounce. and that's before we even get to place names like Milngavie (pron. Mull-guy), a metaphorical stone's throw from the Antonine Wall (as in metaphorical stones tend to travel further than actual ones). Enjoyed the video as always 😊
Always a treat to watch your episodes. Maybe one day I will find your twin of the German provinces.
Very good, but... you do realise this is all visible on Ordnance Survey? There's even a footpath following the Roman route from Kidlington to Bletchington more or less exactly. I'm not being a knocker, far from it - I found this fascinating. Often, though, the edge of a wood, a hedge line, a footpath can tell us vast amounts without ever going near archives written in Old English. BTW, I really enjoyed that Old English.
Well, I didn't expect that - I was on teh farm track by the two tumuli the day before yesterday! If the villa is where I think there's a stone spread visible after ploughing...
Thanks for this video. Very interesting. It touches on an area dear to me. I grew up in Wendlebury, less than a mile from the site of the Roman settlement of Alchester, which used to fascinate me. Alchester was marked on ordinance surgery maps, but all I could see was a wheat field. Apparently the dating of logs used for Alchester’s main gate show it was established within a year of the Roman invasion in 43AD. Alchester was apparently built as a supply depot at the confluence of three Roman roads. I’d love to hear more about those Roman roads.
I recall a programme specifically about Alchester a long while ago. I wish I pukd remember what channel.
Excellent video, know the area very well, but adding the Roman history is fascinating especially as I have been field walking around the North Leigh villa for years❤
Find the Villa, find the road!
Very interesting video.
Those documentaries are something to look forward to every Sunday!
I wonder what modern UA-cam Antiquarians have to say to the matter. 🤣
This is so interesting I have to watch it again
Nice insight into Roman Roads in my area, great work as always
Awesome, thank you!
Wonderful; thank you! As a teenager I lived in the nearby countryside for a few years, and was overwhelmed by the beauty and fascinated by the remnants of ancient days. I have not returned to England since then, so your videos are very special to me.
I live on the edge of Kidlington next to the break and ive often thought we had a roman road run along our garden, its what brought me to your channel a month ago. I might have to dig around to look for a villa 😂
I absolutely love your mind & mode of enquiring into history. Your approach very much reminds me of Michael Wood. Cheers from Nova Scotia! 🇨🇦
I really enjoyed this one Paul, thanks
excellent detective work with the AngloSaxon charters and pieces of villa. Interestingly the main route of this road can be seen on maps running North from Oxford, via Kidlington, Banbury and Southam to Princethorpe, on the Fosse Way near Stretton-on-Dunsmore (another Saxon named town on the Fosse). This likely continued to Wroxeter, since Coventry and Birmingham were yet to be.
John Buchan is pronounced "Buckan"
Oooo thats 5 minutes walk from where I live. Would love to know more abot the Shaken oak villa. Shaken oak farm is owned by a friend.
My wife commented - the Romans never got to Oxford- they didnt have the grades !
😂😂 An irony when Latin was always a mandatory subject for entry into Oxford (well … certainly was when I was choosing subjects for study in the late 60s/early 70s !!)
Akeman street. Always wondered where it went as it wasnt a "straight" Roman road. It curves around from Cirencester to St Albans rather than being a stright line across the countryside. I'm guessing to avoid rivers and other soggy bits around Oxford. Close to White Oak Green it runs across a farm (and right past the farmhouse) that now belongs to a school friend (inherited from her grandfather) and across the site of the former RAF Akeman. Not much of that left bar the perimeter road. At school, we learnt about the traditional "Roman Roads" but really, only the "motorways" of the day. Other routes and roads were never covered so you tend to think it was only them. Fascinating to find out there is more to it than meets the eye (and former history lessons)
Enjoyable interesting video as always Paul, well done and thank you 😊
Started watching your videos out of idle curiosity - now addicted! Excellent content and context. Thanks!
Welcome aboard!
Super interesting investigation with so many layers of clues. What does a Roman fishpond look like on the geophys/LiDAR? Is it shaped a particular way? Catch you soon Paul!
Fabulous video thanks Paul. She am enjoying the history. Please take care
Very intriguing piece of detective work. Thank you for this most enjoyable piece of hidden history.
Bucken not Buch On. He wrote the 'Thirty-Nine Steps' and was a British diplomat. He is always called Buck -en, not Buch -on. He was British, not French. Oh, love your content, Paul. The Buch-on controversy is the first complaint I have had with you. Somewhere I have Buck-en's biography. When I locate it, I'll inform you of where he was born. Scotland or England but not France or Canada, though he did work in Canada for a while.
Perth, according to Wikipedia.
It is indeed pronounced "Buck'n". I lived in Oddington for a decade or so, and used to visit Buchan's grave at Elsfield. Once I had Sir Wilfred Thesiger for lunch and he wanted to visit the tomb, as when he was an undergraduate at Oxford, he walked up to have tea with Buchan. We drove him there.
Superb. Well done Mark and yourself. Great findings. Keeping history alive.
Ah, love it. Very local to me, and I've been exploring Oxfordshire's Roman roads on foot. Cheers Paul.
Another great tale told well. Our thanks, Paul, for what you do..
omg! from across the pond you are evolving and getting better and better. the new tony robbinson!!!!
What a treat! Excellent work as always on the video, but even better, text research, old languages, field work... wow!
Thanks again!
Great video. Unexpected pronunciation of Buchan. Maybe you know something I don't.
I was disappointed that they both got it wrong (and in different ways!).
@andrewbutler7681 yes, not such a big issue really though
@@andrewbutler7681 Paul's pronunciation is often wrong.
@@craftygriffo I often forgive it as a minor speech impediment. 😉😊
Another great video! This reminds me of a routeway near Wembley, in Fryent Country Park called Elderstreet, in the charters Elderstreate. It runs away from but almost parallel to Watling Street/Edgware Road. Nearby Fryent Country Park, at Salmon Street, the possible remains of a late Roman, Early Post Roman building are mentioned in historical records, along with Roman building material in the nearby Old St Andrew's Church. Definitely this video shows the importance of looking at clues, especially when the suffix "-street" is present.
Excellent video, I'm in Banbury so this is just down the road from me..👍👍
Wonderful research, history is a great education topic
Thanks Paul - have you checked out how the middle route you suggest has a junction with Akeman Street right at where the wonderful Aves Ditch runs North? Whilst not on your lines it could form a section of the track. It's an intriguing die straight earthwork of antiquity running towards Fritwell. It's been the subject of excavations - with interesting and ghoulish results. Worth a stroll if you're in the area...
Another topic of interest -Thank you Paul I have posted on our FB History group
Thanks James.
This is tremendous work. I dont know how the person who discovered it, and kept searching, kept his cool
Surely John Buchan is sufficiently well known for his name to be correctly pronounced.
Sorry, completely new author to me!
@@pwhitewick Have you not heard of The Thirty-Nine Steps? Perhaps the younger generations haven't heard of it.
@@pilpelet100 Even in America, we have heard of Buchan. I have his book about Prester John right here on my bookshelf.
Phonetic spelling of buchan. buhk-uh n
@@pilpelet100 Made into a great Hitchcock movie.
Another fascinating video, and so well researched. I didn't know John Buchan researched his novels so thoroughly!
Many thanks!
Superb. Please can you ask him to dig that villa? Him being a professional there is a chance he can do it. Beorg can mean hill but if I see it in a charter I assume it is a barrow. Beorg is the ancestor of barrow, if you mangle the vowels in your mouth you can hear the link across a thousand years. It is interesting that the charter was in Wessex English rather than the English of the Midlands where this charter is set. Did he say more about a relationship with Shakenoak, I have interest in that area? Also we have a lot of portways going to Oxford which must be significant in some way.
I had hoped you might enjoy this one. He said a little more on Shakenoak yes, but only really to suggest how similar they may have been with regards to their purpose. It might be prudent to have a chat with him further? Let me know if you can't get his contact details.
Another good watch!
Very entertaining. There is such a wealth of things archelogical to do in the UK. I am in South Africa and do similar walks along old railway routes here.
You were right beside Manor Farm and you didn't pop by for a drink with Comrade Napoleon 😉 or even to say hi to George O.😂
I love the videos sir❤ please make more and include your lovely wife too, she always looks like she's ready to laugh❤
She is always there behind the scenes in many capacities
Great videos - I really enjoy them!
Paul does a bit of Time Team, I loved it! :)
Far be it for me a mereNon uni 3 year secondary school leaver at age 15 to correct you guys especially your guest but John Buchan isn't pronounced the way you are trying to. He is a Scot with the same name as the Scottish place of Buchan in Aberdeenshire
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Buchan. Please correct your guest
Never heard John Buchan pronounced John Bu-ch-an before. Is the traditional pronunciation John Buc-han incorrect ?? (thought it was a different person !!)
I'm pretty sure the Perth born, 1st Baron of Tweedsmuir pronounced his name like every other member of the Clan Buchan has. Buc-han.
@@petermcinnes6987 That is my thought too, I wonder on what grounds Mark Merrony felt a variation on the common pronunciation was appropriate/justified. Either he had possibly never heard the normal pronunciation or discovered an ancient guide ?!! 🙂
Your videos are always excellent but I feel like this one is particularly well done and so interesting.
Thank you, thats very kind. I struggled betting this one to appear like a rounded nice story, but Marks research was a massive help!
I'm in Anglo Saxon Oxenefordscire in a videogame at the moment 😂
Haha.. brilliant!
Hi paul Never forget the lost roman /an maybe vandal capital town ,halfway between Silchester and stains,ceasars? camp,a vast site on plateau, where devil's highway crossed road from ceasers camp to sandhurst, around Crowthorne you can see the roman road network spreading North and south to bicester Chichester etc,the roman remains at crossroads of DH and CCamp where used as cannon practice by Wellington army pre 1815, from his redoubts nearby, the remains went to Virginia water in 1815,the whole area was destroyed by fire over 1000 years ago,largest roman settlement in uk os map 174
Not aware of this one? In the Antonine Itineries they note a Vindomis between Silchester and Winchester. Nobody has yet to find it.
@@pwhitewickI think they done a dig at Wickham bushes found some grid streets, mansio ,etc the whole site is huge up on hill the vicus below in Crowthorne has a few of the old roads that point to Silchester and south and north ,modern roads and train tracks follow those routes to this day, check the os map No 175? Reading Windsor
This may be a record for bot postings (?). Great way to boost the algorithm tho.
The ghosts of the travelers on those lost roads wink and raise a glass to you and say “all roads have fleas” 🍻
[But with a ‘Chauser-ian accent].
Fascinating, thank you.
You realise that the name 'Akeman Street' derives from the Roman name for the City of Bath, that is 'Aquae Sulis Minerva', contracted to 'Aqua Minerva'.
So originally applied only to the stretch of road between London & the City of Bath, though as with other 'Roman' road names, this has been extended to other lengths of road not part of the original route, or which go beyond it. The most famous of these mis-applications is that of 'Watling Street', originally meaning the road between London & St Albans, as a muddling in Anglo-Saxon times, of the name of Verulamium into 'Vroclingacester' , later
Absolutely yes. Although a minor frustration for us, is someone decided to cite us and suggest that we had said..."The Romans numbered their roads" on wikipedia. Which we simple don't know. I think even from the writings of Tacitus et al, we have no evidence other than Iter's.
As always, a great video. G'day from Australia.
John Buchan's surname is pronounced with a hard k sound for the ch. Buckan (emphasis on the first syllable)
Cheers
I live in Oxford and have been looking at the history of a Roman route going past Radley Wood, through Redbridge, across the Thames and up to the Roman road around Headington or Cowley.
I live there too. Do we know where the river crossing was? Iffley or donnington bridge or thereabouts?
@@user-oj5tw8tn9k No evidence has been found, but it is reported that a track led to the river on the west bank south of Donnington bridge. Part of the problem is that there has been a lot of changes in the area since Roman times. The whole area would have been lower with multiple channels where the river split. There has been sand extraction from the river (for the filter beds at the old water works) as well as land fill with domestic waste from the city.
This is why we love the Romans and the tantalising clues they left for us
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
Thank you. I am now going down a rabbit hole of trying to find out if there is any link between iter as a footpath, and iterate as something you repeat, because both are Latin and a footpath is a route you often do again. I may have to ask Susie Dent. As @DeclanMBrennan commented mens sana.
Ooooh thats a great point!
Enjoyed this - but a little confused by the maps - I wasn't sure which road/route was being talked about with each one. Often there would be a map with three or four roads highlighted, but it wasn't obvious to me which was the one being discussed at the time.
Yup, I often struggle with visualling for the viewer. I think it becomes easier at the end of the video!
Very interesting - just a thing - can you explain the term 'Ager' please (bank & ditch?) I love your videos, as a fellow ordinary explorer (my interest comes from 'the chapel' on my Dad's place - 4 coloured Medusa mosaic, blue glass, concrete baths and hunting lodge with log still in the hypocaust) Wroxeter 'Hinterland' - who lived there Celts or Romans?
Ah yes. I always forget to do this. The agger is the main "bank" that formed the centre of the road. (See the thumbnail of this video).
@@pwhitewick thank you!
Hello Paul,
I love seeing your videos, great work!👍
Have you ever done a video on the Saltway that goes past Banbury at all?
Andy
Thanks Andy. Not yet, but it is on the list.
@@pwhitewick
There's one little bit near to where Time team dug for the Roman villa, and I've said to me Jess, I wonder if it's part of the Roman road that people have talked about or Saltway, or both??
Either way, I'm fascinated by these things, and why I enjoy you videos 👍
I really enjoy the channel
You should check out the recently discovered roman settlement at chipping norton in Oxfordshire
Very good - always look forward to your vids Paul 🙂🚂🚂🚂
Very enjoyable and informative video ! It reminds me that Ethelred lived in Corfe Castle as a boy, where his half brother was murdered and allegedly thrown down a well (if my memory serves me correctly). The castle might make a great video, I would like to learn more about it's history. It's owned by the National Trust , so I don't know if that complicates things ?
Paul, I enjoy the discovery and investigation, but I oft times get lost in the local (English) jargon of the Roman/AS/OS and other forms and appreciating the significance of your discoveries.
But please keep reporting, and I will keep working on my translations. I also need to ask more questions.
Thanks Frank. Ask as many questions as you like. I often gloss over assumptions but appreciate I probably miss a lot!
very interesting I love looking at maps and speculating about Roman Roads, but I do quibble about the pronunciation of Buchan it's Scottish and is more similar to Buck-an, if you can get a little throatiness in the ck all the better; like the ch in loch should be pronounced
How cool!
Have you ever done any videos on drove roads?
Not yet... but we have one coming up in oct
Good film far to short though Paul.
i noticed a couple of comments of questionable virtue so i used the 3 dots to the right of the comments and reported them to youtube. youtube removed them but it seems that a few other legitimate comments disappeared too, including one from paul about the pronunciation of buchan. sorry about that but i had a job to do.
So did the guys pushing jews into the ovens...just saying.
I saw mention of Wulfrune in that Anglo Saxon document the female founder of the town of Wolverhampton. Do you have more information on that.
My first thought when seeing all the rivers on the map and knowing that rivers were used extensively to transport everything in Britain, the port would be on a river.
Great video! Thank you, new subscriber here :)
Interesting find. Tell Rebecca "HI".
@pwhitewick, Every time I watch one of your videos I always wonder why no one has conducted a large scale Lidar scan of all the interesting areas. Wouldn't be great if Google Maps had Lidar.
Frustratingly we scanned the Lidar here but nothing other than route 160
Note - John Buchan has a very old Scots name - and so it has an unlikely pronunciation /ˈbʌxən/
Bac in the Neolithic my English Lit teacher would pronounce it BUCK-an. Is it Bush-AN?
Out in the criminal colonies in our school days it was always assumed to be John BUCK-an also. But what would our ticket-of-leave teachers know? One would assume that a Douchy Don from the Dreaming Spires would be correct.😉😊
Was the river cherwell navigable up to there? With a Ford or bridge there?
Very good question!