(29 miles S.W. of Cirencester)
Romano-British occupation has been recorded from
imprecise locations in the parish. In 1850 'Roman brick'
was found built into the Norman masonry of the
church (ST 68206935), and pottery, coins and tesserae
have come from the churchyard and the vicarage
garden. (fn. 1) The foundations of a villa, and querns, pottery,
brooches and coins have been reported in Congrove
(ST 710698). (fn. 2) Coffins, possibly Roman, have been found
in a field named Coffin Tyning, centred at ST 69807092,
near Beach; (fn. 3) a large stone coffin has been ploughed up
at Upton. (fn. 4) Numerous Roman coins have been found
at Oldland Bottom (ST 672713). (fn. 5)
'Bitton Camp' has been shown by excavation to be
mediaeval. (fn. 6)
|| H. T. Ellacombe, History of the Parish of Bitton, II (1883),
267. TBGAS, XXIII (1900), 60. Finds in Bristol City Museum
include four tesserae found in 1843.
|| H. M. Scarth, Aquae Solis (1864), 125.
|| H. M. Scarth, Somerset Procs. (1854), 59. Tithe Map,
|| Rudder (1779), 294.
|| H. T. Ellacombe, loc. cit. Three 4th-century coins from
the parish are in Gloucester City Museum.
|| TBGAS, 77 (1953), 45–8.