The Forgotten County: Erased From History

[@blainedunlap8571]

Oh man, sitting here in north Texas in the exact center of hellish summer- found your channel- ( can almost forage through your accent) what a lovely, lovely place you take us to. A hidden Roman mosaic? I may have dreamt of finding such a mosaic since I was ten. Your filmmaking is of the transparent 'plain style,' so images, music, are in counterpoint to the magic-sounding proper names of place. Blaine Dunlap

[@acewickhamyoshi8330]

Yes there will e more as sites in london are being dug down to before Saxon . Danish viking travels across the atlantjc over 60000 years . Trading with mostly vreenland because it was just grassland .. just like how they only weng to anchient america for masts to repair ships

[@Oxygenep12]

@@acewickhamyoshi8330 I'm sorry but you may want to check your timeline for that...

[@helenamcginty4920]

​@@Oxygenep12oops yes methinks he got stuck on the '000's😂 easily done.

[@andrewhCC]

Fascinating story. I started school in Winchcombe, and my youngest brother was born there. However, the family moved away by the time I was 8, so the memories are from some time ago now... I do remember visiting Belas Knap more than once, and seeing an adder on Cleeve Hill.

[@pwhitewick]

Ot was quite the climb!

[@joginns778]

Winchcombe was once the capital of Mercia,😊

[@stephenmcpherson2888]

Your channel is exceptional. You show the beauty of the countryside and so many stories from the past that are unique.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you very much!

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Fascinating curiosity of Anglo-Saxon history - well researched and presented.

[@Sim0nTrains]

Never heard of Winchcombeshire till this video. Well presented

[@andrewhotston983]

Winchcombe later became famous for growing tobacco, much to the annoyance of the individuals who made their fortunes importing it, so the English tobacco growers were suppressed.

[@euruski]

Saruman wasn't happy with his supplier of Long Bottom Leaf from the South Farthing.

[@tomakmens2607]

Ha ha

[@JB-kk5vg]

Interesting. I've driven past Tobacco Close in Winchcombe many times and wondered about the name.

[@Kotka67]

Where have we heard this kind of thing before...?

[@christinehoughton8591]

This is brilliant I didn’t know about this County, I love hearing and learning about history we are not taught. More please 👍

[@christopherdavies7213]

The “politics” of the Anglo-Saxons is increasingly interesting to me. This is fascinating.

[@TiddlesTheBearBaiter]

Read up on Eadric, he's one of the worst traitors in Anglo Saxon history, who keeps on being forgiven only to betray again.

[@scotlander545]

@@TiddlesTheBearBaiter In fairness to him there wasn't much of an idea or concept of an England even in the early eleventh-century. The identity and loyalty to the separate Anglo-Saxon kingdoms would have still been above the identity and loyalty to an England at the time. Eadric was more likely looking after his own and Mercia's interests as he saw fit.

[@kelllefae3026]

I love works of Prof Brian bates ... Anglo saxon spiritual beliefs ..his book web of wyrd is fab!

[@davidcunningham2074]

ten times better than anything on the bbc

[@pwhitewick]

Ah thanks

[@Kotka67]

Anything is better than the BBC

[@tommoncrieff1154]

The BBC no longer hires based on research, education or talent and does not make agenda free programs about English history.

[@danielturner9027]

So is a turd sandwich. It's still a very good video...

[@robupsidedown]

The path to justifying privatisation is to underfund and discredit. Unique to the BBC is that the govt can just install a director general who will do this for them.

[@TerryWinchcombe]

This is fascinating, as someone with the surname Winchcombe it's especially interesting

[@patriciawhite619]

I’m a Winch, was the name eventually shortened?

[@davefrench3608]

Fascinating Paul, you work so hard revealing the intricacies of our country. The research must take you ages.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Dave. Yup, it does take a while!

[@rhonataylor85]

Paul - you combine my favourite things: the English countryside and history. Thanks for your fab videos.

[@pwhitewick]

A pleasure.

[@leighjones5551]

Shropshire is named after the county town of Shrewsbury, it has developed from . Old English Sciropscire . Shrewsbury was Scrobbesburh. Very interesting about the lost County

[@Neandertron]

@@beffjezos1234 It was called Salop because the Normans were unable to pronounce the anglo saxon sound Scrob. As I understand it there was a similar sort of issue that japanese speakers have in distinguishing R and L. So Scrobbsburyshire became Salopsburyshire to the ruling Norman elite and then it was shortened to Salop in the same way that Nottinghamshire sometimes becomes Notts and Lancashire becomes Lancs. Meanwhile in the county itself where the residents could still pronounce the word the name moved from Scrobbsburyshire, to just Shropshire.

[@tonycamplin8607]

Very interesting.

[@marieascot]

Both Shropshire and Salop are both valid names for the country and both are used with the residents called Salopians. Shrewsbury also has two pronunciations of it's name. There is an amusing debate on the subject kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKuZlYdurM2kq7c

[@herdyhely3496]

I’m glad you mentioned that

[@WildwoodTV]

they say the Normans couldn't pronounce it so then it became Salop (salope in French meaning something else!)

[@philiptaylor7902]

Great video Paul, Winchcombeshire was new to me!

[@tonys1636]

More recently Middlesex probably the most known county to vanish into London and surrounding counties. Will probably vanish from memory now that counties no longer used in postal addresses, Middlesex survived as a postal county long after the actual county was disbanded. Rutland disappeared as a county for a few years.

[@whynot217]

The name still survives in the County Cricket Club so the name will likely be around for a long time, signalling to generation after generation that counties do get lost!

[@tonys1636]

@@whynot217 As a born and bred Surreyite, Middlesex is a county I'd like to forget, Surrey did not make things easy for supporters living in the south of the County when playing matches at the Oval. I could cycle to Guildford in an hour.

[@charlesbritten4220]

Cumberland and Westmorland were two of the last counties to vanish in 1974. But one is a sausage and the other a newspaper (Westmorland Gazette) so the names will live on.

[@kateboulton8789]

The signs are still up. The locals are very attached to their county and when you've got a Duke backing you, that carries some weight.

[@LavenderBean06]

There’s a shop in West Drayton, just off the main high street, called something like Middlesex glazing. It’s the older shops that hold onto that piece of history. Also when we applied for secondary school, we had to go through our county council and Middlesex county council. Unsurprisingly it my own council that caused the problems. 😞

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Well I never knew about that short-lived county! Lovely footage of a great part of the country too. Thanks Paul.

[@markhughes7927]

Reading Bede at the moment - absolutely fascinating - this video brings things on!

[@MrGreatplum]

Very interesting, Paul; I’d never heard of Winchconbeshire before. Also loved the places you explored whilst telling us the story

[@HollyMoore-wo2mh]

I love how he wraps it up with everything else going on.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers me ole fruit.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

The Shires of Mercia is a very interesting matter. It’s obviously something of which nothing was ever written.

[@pwhitewick]

Very little it seems. Whybra is worth a read as it helps you understand how the hides and hundreds are crucial.

[@paulbivand9210]

@@pwhitewick You may want: Della Hooke: The Anglo-Saxon Landscape; The kingdom of the Hwicce (1985). Curiously, it's very similar to the Civitas Dobunnorum, except the bits lost to Wessex south of the Bristol Avon and in Wychwood.

[@RalphHeron-d6w]

I really like these posts as I find them informative and not full of stock footage etcetc. Well done 👍

[@NatashaLeeDivine]

What a fantastic video. You deserve far more subs, your content is exquisite and your presentation and editing is absolutely on point.

[@pwhitewick]

@@NatashaLeeDivine thank you. That's very kind

[@richardwakelin843]

What a fantastic presenter you are sir. Your research and presentation is outstanding 👏

[@sicks6six]

It is great finding places like these for the first time when they are off the beaten track, I did a lot of exploring over the years and Somerset is chock-a-block with places like this, the Scottish borders full of them as well,

[@jackwatsonepic626]

I love these channels. Paul, they are so educational to me you should be on mainstream television🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Jack.

[@judithcressey1682]

Thank God he is not on mainstream television ! Msm is not to be trusted and is only concerned with a certain agenda.

[@SpanishEclectic]

It was great to see the Roman mosaic and the Barrow. Such interesting finds easily found in your countryside. The short history you recounted brings to mind the historical drama, The Last Kingdom, based on the Saxon Stories of Bernard Cornwell.

[@mrsrjlupin3650]

Aethelflaed! Aethelflaed! Aethelflaed!

[@JustSomeVideos0]

Lovely story. I know Winchombe well and have walked the path up to Belas Knap on a few occasions. It's certainly a nice climb and all the more surprising to find you can just walk into it. A nice part of the world certainly. Nice Roman villa nearby I seem to recall.

[@pwhitewick]

Ah yes... Chedworth??

[@CricketsBay]

There's an excavated/re-buried Roman villa on the grounds of Sudeley Castle. It's separate from the one at Spoonley (piece of which you showed in this video), which was also excavated/re-buried.

[@johncranwell3783]

Brilliant unearthing of some of our quirky history.... thank you as always

[@fooman65]

Great channel, production quality is as good as anything you get from mist tv shows with massive crews. Well done

[@westcountrywanderings]

Another superb video Paul. I was vaguely aware of this county from when I was walking the Cotswold Way, but this put a lot more context into the history. Thank you! Paul.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Paul. Some lovely walks up there.

[@brianartillery]

Great to see you at Belas Knap. One thing is definitely certain: those barrow builders really knew about building something which commands a stunning view. I've been to dozens over the years, and it's obvious, time and again there will be a strong chance of an incredible view from the ancient site - there might be trees nearby, but generally, they are only a few hundred years old. Belas Knap is one I have not yet visited, but I retire in a few years, and I'll give it a look then. Thank you for another top video. 👍👍👍

[@tasty_fish]

Walked to Belas Knap the other day - there's a few great circular walks from there to Winchcombe (nice pubs and cafes) and back

[@WoodlandAsh]

A very active area, spent the odd night there over the years.

[@chrisleach3958]

Thanks for a wonderful and educational talk. a lot of these area was known to me as I spent six months on a motorbike going through the south as far as Cornwall and up through the Welsh hills but I didn’t know the story behind the settlements, thank you, .

[@nickm8494]

Interesting story about an area I've spent a lot of time in, being a Cheltenham lad! Family walks weren't complete without the occasional visit to the mosaic and Belas Knap. One point to note is the relationship to the Hwicce tribe who were prominent in the region. Some of the local names have the "Wych-" suffix (Wychbold, Wychaven District, Wyche Primary School, Malvern), a modern variation of the old title. There may also be an Anglo-Brittonic crossover within the territory, given the close proximity of the Severn Valley to modern day Wales, although the Hwicce were much less bellicose than their Silurean cousins! Cheers.

[@CliffordShute]

Great video as always, thanks for spending the time in making and sharing. Keep them coming 👍🏻😁

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you

[@IanMorrison-y3z]

Banffshire, Nairnshire, Kincardineshire, and Forfarshire all disappeared from the map of Scotland in the last 50 years.

[@pedanticradiator]

Forfarshire changed its name to Angus around 1930

[@meme4one]

My neighbours surname is Winchcombe 😊 probably from the village name as we are north wilts.

[@tonys1636]

Learnt from this that my surname has Danish origins, different spelling but same pronunciation, that must be the 2% Scandinavian DNA in me comes from.

[@N0C0MPLY]

Another fascinating video, love this channel.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you 😊

[@sharonjuniorchess]

I love this story as I grew up in Herefordshire and well remember my Chemistry teacher who was a local antiquarian, telling us stories about the area ranging around Mercia. He would often show us some of the object that he found just walking over fields after they had been ploughed.

[@Mnogojazyk]

Magnificent landscapes. Thanks for sharing the history.

[@timsully8958]

Always love to find out about an aspect of British modern history that I knew little about, or in the case of Winchcombeshire, absolutely zero! I am much more familiar with the Saxon counties, but always intrigued by the shires, especially places like Rutland, Salop and the Welsh Borders that all have such a bloody (literally) interesting story behind them! 😎 Sadly I don’t get so much time these days to watch all your videos, but once again you have delivered a superb potted history programme 👌💚

[@billmmckelvie5188]

A great video, just a shame about the lack of records regarding this county. Thank you for the exhausting research that has gone into the Video production!

[@pwhitewick]

Very kind. Thank you

[@kayew5492]

I'm sure there would have been extensive records at one time, the landowning class are meticulous about their holdings. However as the old saying goes, history is written by the victor, so later generations only get to see the sanitised, tidied-up, agreed-upon version of events. Every now and then an overlooked scrap of evidence emerges to reveal the joins.

[@Jimyjames73]

What a exciting find @ 3:46 - an old water mill!!! Interesting - Thank you for sharing Paul 😊🚂🚂🚂

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers

[@RotGoblin]

@@pwhitewick you almost certainly already know this, but the National Library of Scotland has maps going back hundreds of years across the UK. Might be able to find your mill on there and discover more about it. I had a quick look and they have maps of Winchcombe going back to the 1880's for example. maps DOT nls DOT uk

[@kiles99]

Great video Paul. I've heard of WInchcombeshire without knowing much about it, so after your teasers on twitter was looking forward to seeing your take on it. Also Belas Knap is under a mile from the location of my ancestors in the 1901 census, the long-derelict Wontley Farm.

[@75elgrebo]

The Iron Age Hill Fort of Bury Hill, Andover was allegedly used as a camp by King Canute in 1016, when he fought Edmund Ironside in the Battle of Andover of course :)

[@pwhitewick]

Interestingly thats in a video in about three weeks time!

[@longhunter1951]

Nice one Paul, a really interesting presentation, Thank you.

[@tomjohnson6810]

A very interesting film. I am motivated to find out more about this lost County. One correction needed though, most of the Counties in the heart of Wessex in the mid Saxon era were in fact named after the main town in the area at the time. So Somerton in Somerset, Dorchester in Dorset, Wilton in Wiltshire and Hampton (eventually Southampton) for Hampshire. The exception seems to have been Berkshire which was named after an unusual forest of Box trees in the area around Newbury rather than an important settlement.

[@pwhitewick]

See description. Whybra explains how this isn't the case. With the exception of Hampshire.

[@capcompass9298]

Hampshire only became official in 1953. Before that, it was also called Southamptonshire. One of them included Isle of Wight, the other didn't. South Hampshire was toated but dropped in 1974 reforms, and POSH (Province of Sth Hampshire, not POmpey & SouthHampton) was also touted by Redcliffe-Maud, and as one of Blair's Regions (so I hear).

[@trudilm3864]

Fabulous work, thank you. So easy on the ear.

[@chazzlebazzle69]

What a welcome recommendation....thoroughly enjoying the content you upload

[@pwhitewick]

Welcome.

[@philiph6488]

Excellent as always.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you!

[@Mallarkey]

What you do is absolutely brilliant and SO important. Thank you.

[@AngelaDibble-qc2ot]

Excellent. You should be on TV.

[@paulbivand9210]

If you look at a map of the area up to the late nineteenth century, you see huge chunks of the Winchcombe area being detached parts of Worcestershire - as being owned at Domesday by the Bishop or Prior of Worcester. So Winchcombeshire was less joined to Gloucestershire than split between Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, on the ownership of the land. Good call not trying to pronounce Hwicce, the Mercian subkingdom though.

[@pwhitewick]

Haha... yup!!

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

Not just Winchcombe and Worestershire either, Paul. My father's side of the family came from Eglwys Cross up by Hanmer, on the Welsh borders which, until well into the 20th century (Possibly Ted Heath's boundary changes?) were part of 'Flintshire (Detatched) ' - miles away from the main county of Flintshire. The reason goes back to Norman times, when the Baron of Flintshire also held property further south - possibly acquired by marriage. There were a goodly few other examples up and down the country.

[@paulinehedges5088]

Loved it! Fascinating story and a lot was new to me. Thank you for another entertaining video. Digging a Roman Villa this week but NO mosaic!😢

[@leeclift4666]

Cheers for posting this Paul didn't know about this Everyday is a school day.Thats a lovely part of the shire Gloucestershire my home county.👍👍👍👍Lee

[@malcolmbennett4325]

As always such informative video’s I so enjoyed them, thanks for your time and effort in what you do. And I’m encouraged you still use the the traditional language e.g BC & AD and not BCE & CE. It took me ages to understand what clever academics were saying.

[@danielsjackjack2548]

You got great voice to listen to. Keep doing great job man ! 🎉

[@watsonwatt7984]

Another excellent video as always and i second the bring back Rebecca

[@CricketsBay]

Yes, bring back Rebecca. I third that.

[@johnstilljohn3181]

Fabulous....! I never knew that. Ironically, I was in Winchcombe on Monday....

[@britishlongbarrows]

Interesting story once again - nice tie in with Belas Knap at the end too 😀

[@pwhitewick]

Busier than a service station on the day!

[@chrisamies2141]

A story that's fascinated me because there's so little information about it. I live in Cheltenham and Winchcombe is a short bus ride away - both would be in Winchcombeshire if it still existed (although Cheltenham was barely a place at the time).

[@lindsayheyes925]

Ah Cheltenham... "Lowland under the slope". The name is a mix of Brythonic and Saxon, and describes the location perfectly.

[@ChristinaBaker-e9d]

Very interesting and I love your way of presenting

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you! 😃

[@weejackrussell]

I have family history connections with this area, I never knew it was in its own county long ago. Lovely video, nice to see where some of my roots are from. The subtitles haven't translated well, King Knut/Canute comes over a Cano and Mercia came out once as Mercy!

[@davidberlanny3308]

Hi Paul very interesting story. That mill was a great find too👍👍, the barrow was a great spot to take a rest!! Recently came across a channel looking at Roman remains down here in Spain you might find it interesting, Isaac Moreno Gallo is the name to look for. All the best!!

[@CricketsBay]

Isaac's channel is awesome.

[@Riddlinrussell]

Great video Paul! Always interesting to learn about my namesake town and county!

[@robinhayhurst5943]

Paul... Just wanted to say, couldn't be happier for the massive increase in your following and views on your channel. (Don't forget the canals though...and maybe less Roman roads content...just a personal preference!!!) xxx

[@pwhitewick]

Always have that in mind to be fair. Feed me stories and I'll tell them

[@robinhayhurst5943]

@@pwhitewick Feed you stories.... well... I know a story about a little girl that stumbles upon a small cottage that is occupied by 3 bears... Any good to you?

[@louisesouthgate5231]

Oooh I've been to Belas Knapp! Very interesting, thank you.

[@loke6664]

Unrest? In Mercia? Who ever heard of something like that? Few places in Saxon Britain had so many colourful people as Mercia. Like Penda, Æthelflæd (who was originally from Wessex and the Daughter of Alfred the Great but she did rule Mercia by herself, something unheard of at the time), Offa and Edmund Ironside. Anyways, Betraying Cnut and betraying Æthelred the Unready was not the wisest thing to do, Cnut might have let him live if it was his first betrayal but there was a bit of a pattern and if Cnut let him live, he would have done it again. Even though he has been mocked by people misunderstanding that he ordered the tide to not come in to prove a point, not because he thought it would work, Cnut was no fool. Having a powerful vassal who are about as trustworthy as a guy selling Rolex watches on the pavement is not a great situation to be in, so it is better to get rid of people like that when you actually have a reason to do so then to wait for the next time they stab you in the back. A fascinating story anyways and it is not everywhere you can find a Roman mosaic out in the wilderness.

[@zoetropo1]

Æthelflæd’s matrilineal ancestors were Queens of Mercia.

[@hughoconnor9172]

It w😅ould be interesting to ponder how english history may have altered if Eardric had stayed true or had been "removed" earlier. Turncoat is an understatement of his character!

[@loke6664]

@@hughoconnor9172 Hard to say really. He wasn't an unimportant character but he still had a limited impact on English history. That could possibly had changed if he picked the right side that last time though, he did have plenty of ambitions.

[@loke6664]

@@zoetropo1 Yeah, I didn't want to go into a long rant about her though (if I did I first had to rant about Penda, that guy was super cool and killed 5 other kings in battle which probably is some kind of record). But as I said, all the people I mentioned are super interesting and a lot could be said about any of them. :)

[@shirleylynch7529]

Very interesting. Love the old waterwheel. Great explore.

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks Shirley

[@VincentGroenewold]

A Roman mosaic just like that, that's mindblowing to me. Love the English country side for things like that. The Netherlands was a great swamp, even though we have some history here and there, it's definitely different.

[@andrewlamb8055]

Good story again. Paul Well done mate ⚔️👏👏⭐️👋

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks 👍

[@chrish5319]

Fascinating, thank you. Looked warm

[@pwhitewick]

Oh very!!

[@williamlee1703]

As said by others, well researched and didnt know any of this so thank you very much for covering it.😊

[@pwhitewick]

My pleasure 😊

[@will5989]

Thanks for posting, another great story.😊

[@lee1954]

I love your videos, Great information and photography. The drone footage is spectacular.

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you.

[@DeanSinger-ky7md]

my grandmother came from there and moved to Wales in the late 1930s - kept her original accent

[@rawbhl]

Subbed, this was a great video, well presented and full of information, thank you sir

[@pwhitewick]

A pleasure.

[@elarsia]

Love the story, very interesting history! You mention in the video though that no counties of Wessex are named for towns. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Hampshire named after Southampton? Hamtun and Hamtunscir

[@VinylFrontier81]

i never heard of hwicce until recently either. great video.

[@jenniferlevine5406]

Great story! I really enjoyed this video!

[@pwhitewick]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@eekee6034]

I've heard of a few counties which no longer exist, but Winchcombeshire wasn't one of them. It must have been gone long before. I loved seeing the waterwheel, as out of time as it was. :)

[@anthonylangford7797]

Which counties no longer exist?

[@eekee6034]

@@anthonylangford7797 There was one with "fox" in its name. That really surprised me. I don't recall the others, I'm bad with names. I think it was Jay Foreman / Map Men who did a video on them, probably in connection with all the other English county weirdness.

[@davie941]

nice one again Paul , very interesting as always , well done and thank you 😊

[@pwhitewick]

Many thanks

[@robmiddleton44]

Really interesting video, as always, the River Isbourne which runs through Winchcombe and rises on Cleeve Hill a mile or two away from Belas Knap is the only river to run north in England I believe had sixteen water mills between it's source and Evesham where it meets the Avon.

[@malcwhite]

What about the Dee and the Mersey?

[@eekee6034]

I just looked up the Dee. It certainly runs north in England, but most of the river is in Wales. I suspect the description of the Ishbourne has become corrupted, it may have been "The only _English river_ to run north" as it's a completely English river. Very little of the Mersey runs north except its estuary, which may have traditionally been considered a separate body of water.

[@terryhunt2659]

@@malcwhite The Dee is mostly in Wales, and much of it flows east-ish. The Mersey on average flows slightly south of west. The Parret and Taw flow more north than otherwise, and reach the sea. The Isbourne is not the only tributary in England to flow north or nearly so, but admittedly this is unsusual.

[@Rocker0375]

Sorry, nog correct, there are lots of Thames tributaries that run North. The Mole, The Wey, The Wandle, The Effra, The Loddon/Blackwater, The Ravensbourne, The Darent..... pro ably others too. And The Yar ((s), East and West on the Isle of Wight),

[@Idomealways..]

Incorrect river wandle flows north

[@CorneliusMount]

A video on the history of the Kingdom of Elmet would be fantastic.

[@YellowDellow-s8i]

Clearly a fellow Edmund Bogg afficionado ,.....

[@patchso]

Great stuff. Got me interested in learning more about the Anglo Saxons.

[@pwhitewick]

This was a rabbit hole I never intended. Quite enjoyed it though.

[@levbronstein-red]

Hwicce was one of the earliest Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Wincombeshire was a memory of those people. The kingdom became a client or sub-kingdom of Mercia as a result of the Battle of Cirencester.

[@DD-bx8rb]

Thanks, from Australia.

[@StephenDavenport-zqz2ub]

This was an interesting story. Near were you park your car to walk to Belas Knap. There is a Roman mosaic in its own hut, provided by a Victorian farmer. Well worth a visit when the farmer has gathered in the harvest.

[@pwhitewick]

Another one?

[@CricketsBay]

Indeed, another 1. There are several Roman villas in that area with mosaics. He means the one on the grounds of the old Sudeley Castle, about 2km from Spoonley Manor. The Sudeley mosaic is in a field, it's very small, and it's right next to the walking path near that car park. It's described as "...about the size of a kitchen sink" and there is a short, rectangular stone barrier around the mosaic. Be careful not to step in the hole and break your ankle.

[@StephenDavenport-zqz2ub]

@@CricketsBay The mosaic is about 20ft by 20ft protected by an unlocked brick building. It is clearly marked on the Ordnance Survey Map.

[@CricketsBay]

@StephenDavenport-zqz2ub Awesome. Good to know. The 1 in the photos I saw is much smaller and right near the path between Belles Knapp and the car park. There looked to be an embankment going up behind it with trees on it and the path is on the other side of the mosaic. It looks like it's almost in a ditch with a short wall around the mosaic. It's on a page talking specifically about mosaics on the grounds of Sudeley Manor.

[@janecapon2337]

Thank you so much for this very informative and entertaining exposition!

[@pwhitewick]

A pleasure.

[@helenamcginty4920]

Wow. Loved the watermill.

[@Joanna-il2ur]

Winchcombeshire was one of those counties like Twixt Ribble and Mersey and Islandshire that just failed to survive. I have read about it in a scholarly work.

[@pedanticradiator]

Islandshire was never actually a county it along with Bedlingtonshire, Norhamshire and Craykeshire were detached parts or exclaves of County Durham

[@WilliamSmith-mx6ze]

"Inter Ripam et Mersam" has survived - it's Lancashire!

[@Joanna-il2ur]

@@WilliamSmith-mx6ze My Lancashire included the north shore of Morecambe Bay.

[@Aztech_Drones_UK]

Very Interesting Paul well done 👏👍

[@garrygreen3210]

Totally excellent Paul, thanks!

[@pwhitewick]

My pleasure!

[@Lichfeldian--Suttonian]

Great story, Paul. A great insight. I think that Eadric Streona would have been pronounced something like "E-adric Streena", since the "E" and "a" might have been pronounced separately and the "eo" might have been pronounced "ee". Check with the locals: I think that the River Meon is still pronounced something like "Meen".

[@pheart2381]

I think Strohna. Its similar to the norse name for Whitby, Streonshalh. Pronounced strone-shall.

[@reide96]

Never been this early before. What a nice mosaic!

[@sirensynapse5603]

I was just polite and let you comment first.

[@Kidderman2210]

Interesting, but you have missed out the legend of St Kenelm! Kenelm was alleged to have been murdered in the Clent Hills in north Worcestershire around CE800. There was a contest between Worcester abbey and Winchcombe abbey to claim the body. Winchcombe won by underhand means and so Kenelm was buried in Winchcombe Abbey. As a result, the abbey became a centre of pilgrimage and very wealthy. By the way, the local police force is still called "West Mercia" today..

[@davetaylor4741]

I do like this type of content and find it very interesting. You certainly live in an area with some extraordinary features. There were a lot in Kent too. When I was young it wasn't as interesting. Then as I got older I worked 6 to 7 days a week. Obviously missed out on a lot of what was around me.

[@ecurewitz]

Excellent. Very interesting

[@pwhitewick]

Glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@ecurewitz]

@@pwhitewick glad you made it

[@kennethslade8468]

How curious. When I was at school many year ago i remember a boy with the name Winchcombe. Makes me think his family line perhaps had a connection to the location you mention.

[@ziggiLarsson]

Beautifully produced. Very interesting. þu dydest wel!

[@uingaeoc3905]

Shropshire is named after Shrewsbury its County Town. This is discernible from the earliest rendering of their names. Aethelred II died on 23 April 1016, he did not 'fall'. Ironside then took fealty from all the Eoldermen of England, Cnut invaded and Streona switched sides again to support Cnut. The development of shires is more complex than realised and if one held an Ealdormanry of two or three there was nothing stopping any reorganisation or merger because he was responsible for the revenue and taxation of them. . If Streona did cause the 'disappearance' of Winchecombshire it may well be related to the historic claim that Streona had for the minor Anglo Saxon kingdom of south-west Mercia which was called 'Hwicce' and also the old kingdom above it as 'Magonsaete' , essentially Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford. Streona was 'fed to the dogs' in the ditch of London because of another treacherous act against Cnut.

[@pwhitewick]

See description. Whybra believes that not to be the case.

[@norbitonflyer5625]

Wiltshirre and Hampshire are both south of the Thames and take their names from Wilton and Southampton

[@pwhitewick]

Hampshire yes. Wiltshire no. See description regarding whybras interpretation