Farndon
The village of Farndon lies some two miles south-west of Newark
town centre and is today only separated from the town by few fields.
The oldest part of the village, including the church is found at its
south-west end with later development spreading north-east for some
800 yards along a low ridge which bounds the Trent flood plain. This
flood plain and the river itself define the north west edge of the
village with a large tract of low lying fields known as Farndon
marshes being enclosed within a loop of the river. Immediately to
the east of the village is the Roman Fosse Way, still in use today
as a the A46.
The oldest building in the village is the church, which dates from
the 11th century although it was partially rebuilt in 1664 and
underwent major alterations at the end of the 19th century. For
further information on the church and on our work on adjacent sites
please see the separate sections.
There is, however, considerable evidence of earlier occupation in
the form of pottery finds dating from the Roman period. These have
been found at various locations but appear to be concentrated more
towards the north-east end of the village along the low ridge. Finds
catalogued by FARI have come from Kirks Bay, Masons Field, Marsh
Lane, The Meadows, Willow Farm and Sandhill Road. The last of these
comprises an extensive collection of Roman pottery now held by the
Newark Museum and subsequently augmented by excavations undertaken
by FARI Archaeology in 2005 and 2006.
We consider that these numerous concentrations of pottery must
indicate some Roman settlement in the Farndon area in the 2nd to 4th
centuries AD. Further information on our investigations,
particularly in the Sandhill Road, Masons Field and Kirks Bay area
can be found in the relevant sections.
The origins of the name Farndon are obscure. The first accepted
reference to the village is from the Doomsday book of 1086 when it
is mentioned as Farendune. This name is believed to have a Saxon
derivation meaning 'Fern covered dune' although whether this relates
directly to the low ridge is debatable. There are then regular
references to the village from documents throughout the middle ages
although the spelling of the name varies considerably.
There is an earlier reference to a village of Farndon in the
Anglo-Saxon chronicles.
