Early History
No organized excavations have taken place to establish the earliest settlements at Garsington, but Bronze Age tools have been found in the area, so it is reasonable to assume that the area was settled at least as far back as the Iron Age. This covers the period from 700 BC until 43 AD and follows the Bronze Age and precedes the Roman age.
Roman Remains
The Roman road from Dorchester to Alchester (near the present Bicester) passes to the south of Garsington running from Toot Baldon, past the electricity substation and on to Blackbird Leys. It crosses the B480 to the east of the railway bridge.
Near this road, evidence has been found of pottery kilns. Pottery sherds have been found which were similar in quality to that produced in Sandford and Cowley in the third and fourth centuries. These kilns were near Northfield Brook, close to Sandford Brake and King's Copse. This would be roughly grid reference SP565025. Pottery would have been produced for transport up and down the Roman road system. Some Roman coins have been found in this same area, These coins are now in the Ashmolean museum.
Anglo-Saxon Garsington
There is currently no archaeological evidence of early Saxon Garsington. The nearest finds have been at Wheatley and Cuddesdon. The Domesday book(1086) does contain a reference to Garsington lands in the account of the Abingdon Abbey lands, where there is a reference to 'one hide of inland which lay in parcels among the king's land in Garsington'. This shows at least that farming in strips was established here.
References and further reading
Eve Dawson Garsington before Enclosure 2001 ISBN 0 9517152 5 9 published by Garsington Local History Group. This is available at the Centre for Oxfordshire Studies in the Central Library at the Westgate Centre as are a number of other relevant books. It is intended that this centre moves to join the Oxfordshire Record Office in Cowley but this has yet to happen.
T. Rowley Origins of Open field Agriculture. 1981
J.Fox Roman and Saxon Wheatley Wheatley Society 1985
J. Blair Anglo-Saxon Oxfordshire 1994