The
village's delightful old world Cotswold houses are built of locally quarried
stone - the oldest date back to the seventeenth century. But if its cottages
are of no great antiquity, the village itself is, for Bourton, or to give it
is older name of Burghton or Boroughton can trace its story from pre-Roman times,
when there was a military camp here at Salmonsbury.
A number of ancient trackways converged on Bourton. The most important of these was - and still is - the Roman Fosse Way, which starts from the mouth of the Humber and ends in Devon, and which runs along the top of Bourton-on-the-Water.
The next road of importance connecting with Bourton is Buggilde Street which joins the Fosse way near Bourton Bridge. Many of the trackways and roads led from Salmonsbury camp, but unfortunately a number of these were obliterated in the 18th. century. The Romans knew Bourton well - even in their day it would appear to have been a favourite spot - and much of their pottery and coins have been found in the parish.
But Bourton's story goes back much further than the Romans. It was a place of some importance long before Caesar's legions reached these shores and found a large military camp already in existence here. Extending to some 60 acres, the camp stood to the north-east of the present village - which at the time was probably too marshy for building.
That Aulus Plantius and his army of Romans used the camp is beyond question, for numerous finds point to their occupation, although the camp is of earlier construction. The discovery of some iron bars, identified as 'currency bars' has established it as an Iron Age camp. It was possibly in use as early as 400 B.C. The Romans are thought to have used the camp as a military station - no evidence of luxurious living has been unearthed on the site - and when they had firmly established their rule it is believed they moved away from the camp, nearer the river and the Fosse Way.
The discovery of a villa, near where the Fosse Way crosses the River Windrush, rather bears this out. Although large scale excavations were not carried out, such remains as were found indicated that this building belonged to a family of means. When the railway was built, coins discovered extended through the reigns of thirty-five emperors and covered a period of close on 300 years. They were so numerous that they had been taken to Stow-on-the-Wold and sold by the peck. A find that created even greater interest among antiquarians, however, was the discovery, in 1931, of a Saxon pit dwelling, in a gravel pit beside the Roman road about half a mile north of the camp. It was only the fifth find of its kind in the country.
Constructed partly below ground, from the discovery of clay loom weights, bone needles and spindle whorls, it was undoubtedly a weaver's cottage. The Saxons also made use of the old camp and gave it its present name of Salmonsbury. They also named the village for us - Burghton, meaning the town by the camp.
Although Bourton was never the scene of a battle during the Great Rebellion, the worthy citizens must have listened with apprehension to the sounds of battle from across the fields at Stow-on-the-Wold, near where was fought one of the last actions of the Civil War, and in which the Royalist leader, Sir Jacob Astley, was taken prisoner. That was in March 1645. In June of the previous year King Charles stayed in Bourton, but there is uncertainty as to whether he slept at the manor house, or at the rectory.