Silchester After the Romans

Unlike the majority of major Roman towns in southern Britain, Calleva Atrebatum did not re-emerge as a town in the medieval period.

The fabric of St. Mary’s church is largely 12th century in date. Inside is a fragment of a Norman font, showing that the church dates from much earlier. There are also well-preserved 14th-century wall paintings. ©  English Heritage
 Rome lost control of Britain at the beginning of the fifth century AD, when evidence suggests that Silchester was still a flourishing town. It is likely that it was abandoned sometime between AD 550 and 650. 

The Domesday Book (1086) lists a village known as Silcestre. The only surviving physical evidence of medieval Silchester, however, is the 12th-century church of St Mary, located close to the east gate. Archaeological evidence suggests that the medieval village lay between the amphitheatre and the south gate. This village would appear to have been deserted around 1400, perhaps as a consequence of the Black Death.

The present village was founded to the west of the Roman town, where the earliest houses date from the 17th and 18th centuries.