Floreat Salopia: A Celebration of Shropshire’s History and Archaeology

In 2025, the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society, incorporating the Shropshire Natural History Society and the Shropshire Parish Records Society, will publish the 100th volume of its Transactions. It has taken closer to 150 years than a century to achieve this feat, but it is nonetheless an important milestone for the society. In recognition of this, the Society is publishing these papers to reflect upon the rich and often underexplored historical and archaeological dimensions of the county with the twin aims of showcasing the research currently being carried out across Shropshire to a wider audience, and to alert other researchers of the huge potential that the county has to offer in the hope that they too could become involved in exploring its riches. The papers offered here are loosely chronological rather than being thematic and contributors were given a free hand over what they wished to write. Equally, the choice of contributors reflects the two current aspects of the society (history and archaeology) and are fashioned to demonstrate the contribution that the authors are currently making to their respective fields. They are new research papers and are not designed to look back at the society and its earlier works. In making this distinction, the aspiration is that this volume's contents will be of much broader interest than just the county and its region but will instead showcase the undoubtedly high potential for future research that can inform broader subject areas of national interest and importance. AUTHOR: Roger White is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham. He has primarily worked on Wroxeter, in Shropshire, and has published a number of monographs and books on the site. He holds a PhD from the University of Liverpool (1987) on Roman and Celtic Objects in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. He also has expertise in Heritage Management and has written conservation management plans for sites in the UK, Jersey and Georgia. He is currently Chair and Honorary Editor of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society. 150 illustrations

Table of Contents:
Dedication The Loggerheads: a note Roger H. White List of figures List of tables List of contributors A note relating to the maps in Chapters 5 and 8 A note on referencing Preface: Roger H. White 1. Borderline practices? Reassessing earlier prehistory in Shropshire David Mullin and Jodie Lewis 2. In the line of duty: new approaches to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age archaeologies of Shropshire Andy Wigley 3. On the fringes or at the heart of things? Shropshire in the Roman era Roger H. White 4. A meeting of peoples: PAS metalwork, material, and documentary evidence for cultural exchange in Anglo-Saxon Shropshire and the Mercian West Midlands Morn Capper 5. Medieval towns in Shropshire, 901–1500 Nigel Baker 6. ‘Cemeteries everywhere enclosed, churches properly built and well furnished’. Parish churches in Shropshire’s changing religious landscape before 1200 John Hunt 7. From medieval to modern: a story of early industrialisation in Shropshire Paul Belford 8. ‘The whole party of the King’s in this county being engaged, directly or indirectly, in this business’: Shropshire and the regional conflict in 1648 Jonathan Worton 9. The Grand Tour and the Shropshire Country House – a focus on collecting and architectural response in the long eighteenth century Gareth Williams 10. Celebrating the manuscript maps of Shropshire Robert Silvester 11. The changing pattern of industrial history Barrie Trinder 12. The role of adult education in history and archaeology, 1945–2000 Barrie Trinder 13. What future for Shropshire’s past? Roger H. White 14. Endword Trevor Rowley

About the Author :
Roger White is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham. He has primarily worked on Wroxeter, in Shropshire, and has published a number of monographs and books on the site. He holds a PhD from the University of Liverpool (1987) on Roman and Celtic Objects in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. He also has expertise in Heritage Management and has written conservation management plans for sites in the UK, Jersey and Georgia. He is currently Chair and Honorary Editor of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society.

Review :
"[A]n interesting and useful volume that highlights the known archaeology of Shropshire, while also contributing to wider discussions about archaeology in the county and beyond."-- "Current Archaeology"