The West Berkshire Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary index of the physical remains of past human activity in the unitary authority of West Berkshire Council. Limited elements of the West Berkshire HER are available online via the Heritage Gateway, therefore it is not suitable for use in desk-based studies associated with development, planning and land-use changes, and does not meet the requirements of paragraph 194 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021: 56). Please read
the important guidance on the use of the West Berkshire HER data. For these purposes and all other commercial enquiries, please contact the Archaeology team and complete our
online HER enquiry form.
This site is designated as being of national importance and is afforded additional protection. Consult West Berkshire Council's Archaeology team if more information or advice is needed.
| HER Number | MWB15853 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | Enborne Road Railway Bridge - unknown exact location |
|---|
Summary
Skeleton of young male found during construction of new railway bridge in 1881
Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status
- Registered Battlefield 1000026: Battle of Newbury 1643
Monument Type(s):
Full Description
The Newbury Weekly News <1> describes the finding of the skeleton of a young man (19-23 years old and 5'6" in height), 2'6" below the surface when the foundations of the 'new railway bridge' were built. The interpretation in 1881 was that the body was a Civil War soldier from the First Battle of Newbury, repeated in Money's account of the battles <2>.
The site of the exhumed body was apparently called 'Sadmore' <3>. This placename is no longer in use but Sadmoor Piddle and Sadmoor Ground are marked on the 1775 Craven survey <4>, and Sadmore is also named on Davis's map <5> at c SU449 664. This would suggest that the bridge in question was where the Enborne Road crosses the Great Western Didcot Newbury Southampton line; the GIS point is located here although it is possible that the skeleton was found at another bridge to the southwest. However the DNS line north of Newbury was completed in April 1882 and the southern section doesn't appear to have been started until later.
Sources and further reading
Related Monuments
| MWB15762 | Newbury I Battlefield, 1643 (Landscape) |
| MWB20355 | Enborne Road overbridge, Newbury (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
None recordedIf you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.
Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.