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In 1980 Mr. Paul Booth, an excavator at Alcester, reported that two skeletons found by the side of the Roman road at Oversley during pipe-laying operations a couple of years before had been subjected to Carbon 14 tests.
One of these skeletons was given a mid 10th century date and the other an 11th century date. In fact, a late Saxon find. Unfortunately, no pottery was found nearby.
Mr. Booth took this find to indicate a cemetery. From field name study we knew that the field by the remains had, for a long time been called 'Chapel Close' and the spring adjoining the field 'Lady Well' (Our Lady's Well). Does the C14 dating suggest that here in Oversley was a holy site of Saxon origin well established before the new Norman lord of the manor built his castle only a hundred yards away?
Further General Reading
| Human Bones in Archaeology | Ann Stirland | Shire Publications |
© Alcester and District Local History Society 1997