Agriculture

The Romans established London within ten years of coming to this country. The London market must have given a boost to the economy of our area, in fact 'Surrey' is believed by some to simply mean the southern district of London. But the boost may have been short lived since from about 250 AD London went into decline until finally abandoned soon after the legions left in 420AD. In either case the poor western heathlands of our area were probably never producing surpluses of food which could be sent to London.

^Industry

In this area iron ore occurs at the base of the Bracklesham beds - at about the 40m height.  This is frequently exposed where the earth is cut through by streams.  Where the streams hit the iron ore they frequently run red.  Evidence of iron working has been found all along the upper Windle Brook.  The residue is predominately from iron ore smelting and includes tap slag.  Where it has been possible to date the material it has been found to relate to the Roman period.^{5, 6 p3}  There was a huge demand for iron from the Roman military.

Recent analysis of a Roman crucible fragment from the Windlesham Arboretum has revealed it to have been used for the resmelting of old bronze. This is of considerable interest as it suggests that items of bronze were being recycled and as such it corresponds suitably with a bronze workers hoard which was discovered a few years ago just north of Bagshot. The hoard contained broken bronze items (including a small imperial eagle ornament and very worn large bronze coins) all of the appropriate size to fit into a small crucible. The conclusion of Geoff Cole, of the Surrey Heath Archaeological and Heritage Trust, is that the settlements alongside Windle Brook were predominantly of a metal working industry, extending for at least 6 kilometres, working in iron in the Later Iron Age and possibly early Roman period, and bronze in the 2nd century AD. ^{7 p4}.

References:-

1    Reading the Earth at Lightwater, G Cole, Surrey Heath Archaeological and Heritage Trust, 1989

2    Hidden Depths, Surrey Archaeological Society, 2002

3    Surrey County Council Sites & Monuments Record No. 1874.

4    O. Manning and W. Bray's The History and Antiquities of Surrey (1814)

5    Tap slagging furnaces in the Weald, the nearest equivalent industry to Windlesham Arboretum, are not known before the early first century AD (The Iron Industry of the Weald, H Cleere & D Crossley, 1985. Leicester Univ Press).

6    Excavations at Wickham Bushes, Interim Report.  M Corney & V Gaffney, 1985. "iron slag well stratified in fourth century deposits".

7    Surrey Heath in the Dark Ages,  Phil Stevens, 1994.