Lunchtime Meeting - 12.45pm - Speaker Roger Cooper

Roger, a committee member of Oswestry & Border History & Archaeology Group – OBHAG - and a member of the Castle Studies Group, is a Field Archaeologist and semi retired principle of SAP Archaeology - an archaeological contracting unit.  His interests include the furtherance of archaeology within the community, castle studies, Medieval history, mountain and coastal walking and visiting historical sites of any period.

"I have to tell you that my career is in ruins," said Roger Cooper, director of the Oswestry Castle Research Project and semi-retired archaeologist, as he began his recent presentation to the members of Oswestry Rotary Club, causing concern to those present before the truth behind his opening comment dawned on the audience with relief!

With many people, including those who have lived in the town for some time, unaware of the existence or importance of Oswestry Castle, Roger spoke of the history of the castle, first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, before describing the project's development.

Oswestry Castle was the site of a parliament held by Richard II in 1398, was garrisoned by Royalist troops during the Civil War before being captured by the forces of Oliver Cromwell in 1644 and largely demolished by the Roundheads by 1650.  Its former importance can be easily overlooked as its fragmented ruins are hidden on top of the mound by the Horsemarket as reshaped by a Victorian pleasure garden.  "The structure of the castle underground is intact; its shape and structure is fine.  We want to develop our knowledge of the site, which was a very important ‘Marches’, or border, castle," said Roger,  "It was quite an important place."

Starting in 2014, with a 4 day excavation in the castle garden area during the Heritage Open Day weekend, the group investigated the remains of the castle's defensive walls aiming to determine its layout.  Over the next 2 summers, with finance from the Heritage Lottery Fund, further digs and the research of documentary evidence have continued to map the castle and interpret its story.  One mystery was solved when an incongruous wall of dressed stone prominent in the ruins was indentified as a Victorian addition of stones taken from the original town walls reassembled on the mound and unrelated to the castle structure.

Explaining the background and development of the project from its start, Roger outlined the group's plans going forward with a minimum 5 year project to put Oswestry Castle and its national and regional importance in context.  The Project will produce a final report for Historic England and Oswestry Town Council and will also engage the people of Oswestry with their castle once more.

In 2015, the Project received a grant from the Rotary Club's Mary Hignett Bequest Fund to buy a digital SLR camera to assist with recording by photographic, and conventional archaeological drawing techniques, the surviving remains of the castle. "What a fascinating project," said Oswestry Rotary President Ian Haigh. "I'm glad that we could assist in this way.  We hope that this will help with the project report and promoting the site to the public. Everyone in Oswestry should be aware of the castle."