On Thursday the 18th June a number of the Chiltern District Welsh Society were treated to an historical and archaeological walk around Hodgemoor Woods led by Nigel Rothwell and his wife Janet.
To quote two members of the group after the event: “I really enjoyed it and it was very informative. I will look at woods with new eyes from now on.” “I thought the talk today was amazing. I loved every minute of it! “ Indeed it was. Nigel had done a great deal of preparation and we were all supplied at the beginning with a booklet containing maps, photos and diagrams for reference during the walk.
We started with the Iron Age and Roman times – did you know that a road from Verulamium (St Albans) runs right through the wood? The Lidar map showed it up beautifully and Nigel was able to show us parts of the Roman road. The same map revealed an Iron Age farmstead and field system through which the road later passed. Lidar is a remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses to measure precise distances and generate highly accurate, 3D models and topographic maps of environments. Then on to an Anglo Saxon homestead and medieval field patterns with their characteristic ridge and furrow system.
Walking through the woods we were at the edge of the Parish of Seer Green. In the Domesday Book Seer Green was recorded as a detached woodland portion of the Manor of Farnham (later Farnham Royal). The land was governed by a companion of William the Conqueror, Bertram de Verdun. This is where a Welsh connection comes in. De Verdun was also a Marcher Lord!
The woods were at one time fields which gradually became wooded through the Middle Ages. Names of fields such as Further Brickmill Field gave evidence of the brick making industry that took place, together with the huge pits in the wood where the clay was dug out. Nigel was by profession a geologist so he gave us insight into why the pits, and other features such as springs were in the place they were. The underlying ground being chalk in the south-eastern corner of the wood, overlaid in the centre with clay and further north with a top layer of sand and gravel.
It was fascinating to hear of the local Chalfont St Giles “Pest House”. Apparently most parishes had one for locals with contagious diseases. It was situated on the very limit of the Parish and was only demolished round about the end of the second World War when found not fit for habitation.
During the Second World War the woods served as temporary billeting for various units, including Northamptonshire Territorials and the 51st Highland Division.
Following WW2 Hodgemoor Woods served as a Polish Resettlement Camp for allied soldiers and their families and we were shown the remains of the necessary Effluent Treatment Plant that was built for the camp. The Camp only closed down in 1962. We spotted the remains of their telegraph system way up in a large Scots Pine!
A fascinating morning. We have walked through Hodgemoor Woods on many occasions without realizing the wealth of history literally beneath our feet.
Our thanks to Nigel and his wife Janet. CDWS has made a contribution to the Seer Green and Jordans Society, of which Nigel is an active member.
The morning was rounded off with a very pleasant lunch at The White Hart in Chalfont St Giles.
A morning to remember.
Janet John 18/6/2026
The tour was very informative and full of surprising insights into life in Amersham during Tudor times. We also discovered the origins of many everyday expressions that originated in that period.
We met again with the three other women. One was the Wise Woman, who sold herbs and potions for medicinal purposes. She trod a fine line between providing a health service and being accused of witchcraft. Life was hard for most people and meat was a luxury. A family meal might be a pot of vegetables with a very small portion of meat. It was “pot luck” for whoever pulled out a ladleful with the piece of meat in it.
The Martyr’s Memorial was a poignant reminder of harsher times. Their crime was to read the Bible in English, an act seen as a challenge to the authority of the Church and its bishops. They were burned at the stake, with the daughter of the first victim made to light the fire. Ironically, within less than a century English language bibles were to be found in all Anglican churches. A play about those events is held every four or so years in Amersham, and for those that haven’t seen it, preparations have already begun for the next performance in 2027. Well worth seeing.
We all met at Milton’s Cottage at 10am on Friday 10th October. Most of us arrived early and, as the weather was good gathered in the garden.
Milton took refuge from the plague in London by escaping to this cottage in 1665, and, although he lived here for less than two years, wrote his most famous work Paradise Lost and began Paradise Regained, whilst living here with his third wife.
We then walked down the hill to the parish church of Chalfont St Giles. Here we met our guide Tony Ferguson, who is not only an author and speaker, but also a member of the St Giles watch, which helps to ensure that the church remains open to visitors.
One of the most striking features of the church is a set of 14th century wall paintings depicting scenes from the bible. These were discovered and revealed by the Victorians, but about 20 years ago suffered damage as a result of thieves taking lead from the roof.
The advance party arrived at 9:30am to put up the gazebos in Ann Evans’ lovely garden, and as there were only 4 of us and we were dealing with a new gazebo, it took a bit longer than expected.
It was lovely to meet with old friends again. In total there were 33 of us, and, after mingling and greeting everyone, we chose which of the four tables to sit at.
provided us with a choice of chicken or salmon salads (or a combination of the two), and a wide array of desserts.
After the meal Kay Day thanked Ann Tennant for the lovely food and Ann Evans for coming to the rescue at the last moment with the offer to host the event.
We had a great turnout for our AGM on Friday 9th May. There must have been 55 people attending.
Chairman Gwyndaf John opened proceedings by welcoming everyone and saying that we had apologies from another 17. He said that as this was a special occasion, marking the 25th anniversary of the Society the celebration would be free and we would look back over the first 25 years since the Society’s creation. As he spoke, there was a slide show on the screen behind him showing photographs of our events over the 25 years – approximately 1,000 photographs!
Sue Jones then proposed a vote of thanks to past and present committee members.
Bob Ford then spoke about his time as chairman, and the 2004 trip to visit the Norwegian Welsh Society.
the organisers who had arranged outings, golf days and trips and all our committee members (giving special thanks to Jonathan Pegler and Maldwyn Pugh).
UK staff used to use Walther PPK pistols, but changed to bulkier Smith & Wesson revolvers after an incident when the automatic pistol jammed. Lloyd described the care and maintenance of the weapons and the firing practise that they undertook.
This year Ann Evans hosted the event at her house, The Tuft, in Chesham Bois. This was the original location for Christmas Drinks in the earlier years, until the Society became too large.
many of our favourite carols.
It was a very joyful occasion, and our thanks go to Ann for hosting the event again, Ann Tennant for the lovely canapes and to Kay for organising the event.
