Barston is a small parish of some 1984 acres which still retains its rural character despite the proximity of the West Midlands conurbation. The parish includes the village of Barston and the two hamlets of Eastcote and Walsal End.

The first documentary evidence for Barston is to be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. Here it is recorded that before the Norman conquest the land belonged to Aelmar who had sold it to Alwin, father of Turchill, the owner of Barston in 1086. It appears, therefore, that Barston was an Anglo-Saxon estate for some time before the conquest.

The name of Barston is derived from the Old English element 'tun' (farmstead) and the personal name Beornstan. The element 'tun' is thought by place-name scholars to have been in use between 750 AD and 950 AD. Presumably the name of one of the lords of the manor during that time was Beornstan, and that is the name which became attached to the area, though it was probably not its first name.

Many of the timber-framed buildings in the parish belong to the late seventeenth or early eighteenth centuries, although the earliest parts of the moated site of Eastcote Hall date to the fifteenth century. Some of the fine brick buildings, such as Barston Hall and The Firs, are of the eighteenth century.

The church was rebuilt in 1721, replacing what may have been a medieval building. The parish was a chapelry of Berkswell until 1894, although it was separate from Berkswell for a short time around 1662. The remains of what is thought to be a medieval preaching cross stand in the churchyard. Parish records go back to 1568.

THE PARISH SURVEY
In 1986 the Field Group of the Birmingham & Warwickshire Archaeological Society began an archaeological survey of the parish to see what evidence could be found for land use and settlement, both during early periods, for which there is no documentary evidence, and in the medieval period from which few records survive.

No previous archaeological survey had been undertaken in the parish, and no archaeological finds had been recorded from the area.

After obtaining permission from landowners and occupiers each field was recorded, with details of land use and vegetation, descriptions of boundaries, and a note of any visible features. Ploughed fields were field-walked where possible: a group of people walk in a line at close intervals across a field, picking up from the surface and recording such items as pottery fragments and flints.

EARLY SETTLEMENT AND LAND USE
Evidence for the prehistoric period in the form of worked flint has been found in all areas field-walked. In the south of the parish a scatter of flint was found just above the flood plain of the River Blythe. From their shape and form the flints appear to have been worked during the Mesolithic period, about 8000 years ago. Mesolithic people were not farmers but lived by hunting animals, fishing, and gathering fruits and nuts. Judging by the quantity and nature of the flint - waste flakes, scrapers and cores - the site probably represents a temporary encampment made after a season of hunting, when a new stock of tools and weapons were needed.

A smaller number of flints has been retrieved belonging to the Neolithic period of about 6000 years ago. These flints, found near Wood Land and in fields south of the Church, are a little larger than Mesolithic flints and include a scraper and an arrowhead.

The Bronze Age is represented by the discovery of two 'burnt mounds'. They consist of heat-cracked stones and charcoal, and are common in the West Midlands and elsewhere. Scientific dating of charcoal from such mounds has produced a date of about 3300 years ago. The better-preserved mound in Barston was found in fields behind the Church near the river; the other is to the north, east of Walsal End.

Archaeologists are not agreed on the origin of burnt mounds. It has long been held that they are the debris from cooking areas. The stones were heated in a fire then placed in troughs of water to bring it to the boil and so cook food. A more recent theory is that the mounds are the debris from prehistoric saunas, drawing parallels from practices known among North American Indians. Whatever the reasons for the mounds, they are an indication of nearby settlement, even though this has not yet been discovered.

A scatter of Roman pottery was found near Eastcote: mainly mortaria (mixing bowls) and pieces of grey pottery. The rim shapes suggest that the pottery dates from the second to the fourth centuries AD. Single sherds of Roman pottery have also been found in nearby fields. Roman settlement in the area appears to have been centred near Eastcote and to have included arable fields.

Sherds of medieval pottery dating from the 12th to 15th centuries AD, have been found in most of the areas field-walked. These scatters of pottery fragments are the result of including domestic waste in manure used on arable land. From this evidence, together with 'reversed-S' field boundaries and the remains of 'reversed-S' ridge and furrow, it is possible to reconstruct part of the medieval open field pattern of the parish. There was a large 'North Field' whose position is also indicated by surviving field names. Because of the shape and size of the parish other areas of arable land were probably fitted in as smaller parcels.
The 'reversed-S' ridges are the result of the use of ox-teams for ploughing during the medieval period. A long team of oxen had begun its turn well before the end of the strip. Later, ploughs were drawn by teams of horses, needing a smaller turning circle resulting in straight ridges.

Every farmer would have had strips in each of the open fields and these were worked in rotation. Some areas of land close to the river were subject to flooding and would have been used mainly for pasture and/or hay. Woodland was more extensive in the Middle Ages than in later periods. Much of the area of the parish, however, would have been ploughed. A number of surviving lanes, such as Walsal End Lane, Wood Lane, and Oak Lane, probably provided access into the open field system.

The main road through Barston, Barston Lane, follows a natural ridge. The modern village stands on the highest part of that ridge, and is also probably the site of the medieval settlement.

An area of irregularly-shaped fields in the west of the parish near Knowle Road suggests assarting, i.e. clearing of land for cultivation. This is also supported by field names of 'Ridding' (meaning cleared woodland). Field-walking here has produced very little evidence from the medieval period or earlier. This area was probably heath or woodland which was gradually grubbed out to provide more arable land, thus producing irregular field shapes.

The detailed archaeological survey of the parish has produced evidence of early settlement and land use. Occupation of the area has probably been continuous since the earliest times, even though evidence for all early periods, such as the Iron Age, has not been discovered. The natural boundaries have also defined a land unit recognised as such from an early period.

From an examination of the landscape it is possible to discover information which cannot be found in documents. The evidence recovered helps our understanding of the development of the landscape, which is still continuing today.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Birmingham & Warwickshire Archaeological Society would like to thank all those who assisted with the survey and in the participation of the leaflet. The Society is particularly grateful to the people of Barston, without whose co-operation and help this survey could not have taken place.

Barston Church: Jim Howrie
Line drawings: Mark Burnett, John Leighfield