Marcham
Encyclopedia
Marcham is a village and civil parish about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Abingdon, Oxfordshire
. It was part of Berkshire
until the 1974 boundary changes
transferred it to Oxfordshire.
and Roman
village have been excavated. Evidence has been found of round huts and grain storage pits, to which a celtic religious
shrine
was later added. At the end of the first century AD a stone-built Romano-British temple was built on the site of one of the huts and a smaller stone building, possibly a shrine, was built on the site of the Iron Age shrine. The temple seems to have remained in use well into the 5th century.
This site is subject to an ongoing Oxford University research project, with excavations being conducted each July. In 2009 it was announced that the remains of a possible amphitheatre
had been found.
Marcham is derived from the Old English Merceham, in which ham is a homestead and merece is a place where wild celery grows.
The tower
of the Church of England Parish Church
of All Saints
dates from early in the 13th century. It has a ring
of six bells. The remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1837.
Primary School.
The National Federation of Women's Institutes has Denman College
, its residential adult education college, in Marcham.
Marcham Football Club plays in North Berks Football League
Division Two.
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
. It was part of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
until the 1974 boundary changes
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
transferred it to Oxfordshire.
Archaeology
In Trendles Field behind the former Noah's Ark Inn, in the extreme south-west of the parish, the remains of an Iron AgeBritish Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
and Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
village have been excavated. Evidence has been found of round huts and grain storage pits, to which a celtic religious
Celtic polytheism
Celtic polytheism, commonly known as Celtic paganism, refers to the religious beliefs and practices adhered to by the Iron Age peoples of Western Europe now known as the Celts, roughly between 500 BCE and 500 CE, spanning the La Tène period and the Roman era, and in the case of the Insular Celts...
shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
was later added. At the end of the first century AD a stone-built Romano-British temple was built on the site of one of the huts and a smaller stone building, possibly a shrine, was built on the site of the Iron Age shrine. The temple seems to have remained in use well into the 5th century.
This site is subject to an ongoing Oxford University research project, with excavations being conducted each July. In 2009 it was announced that the remains of a possible amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
had been found.
History
The toponymToponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
Marcham is derived from the Old English Merceham, in which ham is a homestead and merece is a place where wild celery grows.
The tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
of the Church of England Parish Church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of All Saints
The Feast of All Saints
The Feast of All Saints is a novel by Anne Rice.-Plot summary:This novel is about the gens de couleur libres, or free people of color, who lived in New Orleans before the Civil War. The gens de couleur libres were the descendants of European settlers of Louisiana, particularly the French and...
dates from early in the 13th century. It has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six bells. The remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1837.
Amenities
Marcham has a Church of EnglandVoluntary controlled school
A voluntary controlled school is a state-funded school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which a foundation or trust has some formal influence in the running of the school...
Primary School.
The National Federation of Women's Institutes has Denman College
Denman College
Denman College is a residential adult education college centred on Marcham Park at Marcham in the English county of Oxfordshire . The college is owned and operated by the National Federation of Women's Institutes ....
, its residential adult education college, in Marcham.
Marcham Football Club plays in North Berks Football League
North Berks Football League
The North Berks Football League is a football competition in England. The league was founded in 1908. It has a total of five divisions, with Division One sitting at Step 7 of the English football league system. Despite its name, the vast majority of clubs are based in South Oxfordshire...
Division Two.
Sources and further reading
- Hingley, R. 1985. Location, Function and Status: a Romano-British ‘religious complex’ at the Noah’s Ark Inn, Frilford (Oxfordshire). Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 4 (2), 201-14.