Sat Mar 25 11:32:27 2006
Barbury Castle Country Park

It is hard to believe that much of the lowland England was once covered with dense forest, where man lived by hunting and fishing. Around 3500 BC, farmers, arriving from Europe, settled on the chalklands where tree cover was light. With antler picks and flint axes, they cleared patches of woodland to grow crops. Their sheep and cattle grazed the land, preventing the re-growth of trees. When the soil was exhausted they moved on, creating paths as they went. Gradually, a network of trackways emerged along the chalk downs of southern England.

The Ridgeway was one of the most important of these upland ways, linking East Anglia with Wessex and the Dorset coast. By the Bronze Age (2300-750 BC), it had become an important trade route between England, Ireland and the Continent. Merchants travelling these routes, initially traded in gold, ornaments and copper weapons. Later, this included jet from Yorkshire, amber from the Baltic and blue faience beads from Egypt.

In the late 8th century BC, the Celts arrived in Britain bringing superior iron weapons and farming methods. This marked the beginning of the Iron Age. They were responsible for building many hillforts, like Barbury Castle and Liddington Camp, which is about 4 miles away to your right.

The upland tracks continued to be used throughout the Iron Age and Roman occupation. Only in Saxon times do we see a move to the valleys, with the growth of villages and field systems on the river terraces.

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