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A History of Rocester
'A History of Rocester' sets out to describe the long history of Rocester from the mists of time.
There was a small iron age hill fort and, to the south of the village, several barrows indicate the burials grounds of a settled community.
Of even greater significance are artefacts found during excavations on the site of a Roman fort. Mixed into these are the remains of the Abbey of St. Mary, built on the site of the Roman fort in the middle of the 12th century.
Further chapters cover the church and the Abbey, the industrial revolution and the Arkwright Mill, local houses, wills and records, education, sport and recent memories.
Written by Alan Gibson, the well known local author, first published in 2003. £8.95 from our online bookshop. Contact our This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details.
A brief extract follows :
The River Dove and the River Churnet carved their way through wild untamed terrain before reaching the broad valleys left by an earlier ice age. These broad valleys were now fertile and lush. From the west they were joined by the River Trent, equally attractive to Neolithic man. The great forest of Lyme held good bounty, including deer and boar; rivers teemed with fish and meadow lands were packed with edible berries and roots. Those nomadic hunters who finally chose to settle here, could hardly have picked a better spot. Along the banks of the Dove, and in the valley of the Trent, permanent settlements were formed and evidence of their existence remains today.
The Trent valley, particularly rich in artefacts, culminates in a settlement at Trent Vale. Flint tools, arrow heads and the bric-a-brac of Neolithic life abound. Closer to our village are objects discovered during the 20th century. In 1934, Albert Fradley, working at Cubley Carr, found part of a damaged stone adze. In far better condition was a polished stone axe found by Mr G. Cope at Woodhouse Farm.
The axe, described as siltstone, was discovered about one hundred yards from Brocksford Brook (SK 129 352).
Of a later age, two bronze implements were found at Somersal Herbert. The palistave and the flanged axe were unearthed in about 1850. In the village of Rocester itself, a Bronze Age decorated pot was discovered in Northfield Avenue during routine road repairs.
