More information : (Centred SP 1534) A settlement at Upton was in existence
in AD 825. At the end of the 13th cent. it supported at least
fourteen families, but was probably deserted by 1384.
Investigations by the School of History of Birmingham University
from 1959-68 showed the site to cover about 12 acres with the
remains of at least 27 buildings. (for further details see
annotated plan). Finds are preserved in the Dept of Medieval
History at Birmingham University. (1-3)
The remains of the deserted village of Upton are situated upon
a SE-Facing pasture slope around the springhead and upper
course of a small stream, now nearly dry. The site, enclosed
by fields of rig and furrow, comprises 18 buildings or groups of
buildings, within a complex of twelve contiguous embanked
enclosures with 5 or 6 smaller enclosures within them. The banks
rarely exceed 0.5m in height and are 3.0 to 6.0m in width. The
building sites are generally represented by rectangular
platforms, or small oval to rectangular banks averaging 14.0m in
length, 5.0m in width. At SP 15113446 is a circular mound, 10.0m
in dia., 0.6m in height, possibly a mill-mound and/or round
barrow. Beyond the site, 100.0m to the SE, is a long narrow
building site, 39.0m in length, 6.0m in width with two openings
in the NW side.
Site surveyed at 1:2500 (4)
Romano British or Saxon ditches, probably for drainage were
found during excavations beneath the 13th century long-house,
by P A Rhatz. (5)
In 1973 pipe trenches, totalling in excess of 500m in length, were cut across the site on a roughly E-W alignment. A watching brief noted a number of pits/ditches, wall foundations, postholes, hearths and paved and metalled areas, interpreted as representing the remains of at least 6 buildings, (1 of which was conjectured to have been of Roman construction). A mound, possibly a robbed barrow of prehistoric origin, was also sectioned but without conclusive results. Finds overall were sparse, with only 20 potsherds being recovered 5 of which were Roman or possibly Roman. (6)
SP 147348. Upton listed in a review of deserted Medieval villages in Gloucestershire. (7)
The earthwork remains of the Medieval village of Upton (described by the previous authorities) were seen centred at SP 1504 3443 and mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage: Gloucestershire NMP project.
The visible remains of the village comprised the collapsed remains of a number of buildings (of mixed domestic and agricultural use) located within walled or embanked enclosures or croft boundaries. The village was arranged along an E-W axis, with the croft enclosures located along the north and south of this axis where presumably a central hollow way passed.
The site of the supposed windmill mound was seen centred at SP 1511 3445.
On the SE edge of the site the remains of a long building mesuring c. 42m x 8.5m was seen located at SP 1525 3427. This has been identified as a probable Medieval sheepcote. Sheep were housed for several months (between Martinmass ( 11th November) and Easter) during the Medieval period.
Traces of ridge and furrow could also be seen as earthworks on the northern edge of the site. (8-9)
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