Untitled - Council for British Archaeology

4. Relief
The parish straddles a dissected plateau on the dip-slope of the North
Oxfordshire uplands. The highest point, Hobb Hill rises to just over
500 ft. (c. 150 m.) 0.D. while to the E. of the parish'the bottom
of the Sor Brook valley falls below 300 ft. (c. 90 m.) o.p. The
village itself lies in an area of broken topography, falling into
two main parts climbing either side of a steep valley onto the
plateau from c. 360-400 ft. (c. 110.120 m) 0.D. The church is in the
S. part of the village, on top of a spur just below 400 ft. which is
separated from the main plateau by a small dry valley.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SETTING
- A single Neolithic polished axe has been found E. of the village
near Coates's Spinney (PRN. 5335), and Iron Age pottery has been found
near Bloxham Grove (PRN. 2333). These are the only prehistoric
items recorded from the parish.
Several Romano-British settlements have been.recorded within
Bloxham parish:
The largest, centred c. 800 m. W. of the present village on
the Tadmarton road, has produced evidence of occupation from the 1st
to 5th centuries, and includes a cemetery of at least 30 inhumations.
(PRN. 1712, PRN. 4984).
Another rural settlement of some ,size is known in the NE
corner of the parish near Bloxham Grove (PRN. 2332).
Further Romano-British finds are recorded nearby, near
Upper Grove Mill (PRN 1767).
,(4) A corn-drying oven and Roman coins are recorded c. 800 m. S.
of Bloxham on the South Newington road (PRN. 1731).
A small inhumation cemetery associated with pottery of
2nd - 4th centuries found 800 m. SSE of the village on the Milcombe
boundary (PRN. 2343).
Pottery, querns and other finds are recorded from the
claypit immediately north of the village (PRN. 9948).
No evidence of early Saxon settlement is known within the parish
at present.
The early medieval parish was larger than the modern civil Parish,
including the whole of Milcombe township, which was separated as a
distinct parish in 1854. Despite this, Bloxham is still amongst
the larger parisheg in north Oxfordshire, comprising some 3,124 acres
(1264 ha.). Since early medieval times Bloxham village haS been
the only nucleated settlement within the parish. Apart from watermills,
the only isolated building of any antiquity is Bloxham Grove
in the NE (PRN. 11,121), a 19th century house incorporating remains
of a 17th century predecessor, and probably on or near the site of
the Lodge leased with the warren-in 1528.
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