BUPTON

CENTER OF POWER IN THE DOVE VALLEY

by: Ray-Scott Miller

We are currently researching the possible origin of PF-2431 haplgroup in England within the Merican Bishopric of Lichfield, and Bupton, Derbyshire as the center of power.

Excerpt:

Bupton, now Longford, Derbyshire, is an under-researched backdrop to numerous course-altering events in British History.  The fertile soil tells the story of Bupton as a keystone estate on the “main and main” crossroads of the Dove Valley.   It was part of the Bishop of Lichfield’s core land holdings, home to a 12th century or earlier moated manor house, a 10th century or earlier Merican minster and possible burh and roman fortification.  Though the story of this manor is accessible, it hides in the landscape on which fields of grain now grow.    

From its commanding position, Hilltop Farm, just south of Longford Mill, was the seat of control for Bupton and Longford Parish as a whole.  Current conservation appraisals of Longford, Derbyshire, have ignored Hilltop Farm.  This report intends to rectify its exclusion, describe Bupton as the center of power for the Dove Valley, through its strategic landscape and a yet undiscovered archeological site on Hilltop farm. This report includes a desk-based assessment of Hilltop Farm and the neighboring village of Mammerton, directly across Longford Brook.  Furthermore, Part One intends to encourage further fieldwork through securing and excavating Hilltop Farm, which the report concludes is a significant historical site for the region.   The forthcoming Part Two is a more in-depth look at the historical record of Bupton and the political dramas in which the estate participated.   Both reports provide conclusive evidence that historians and archeologists must focus their work on the culturally and historically rich parish with its tangible treasures barely below the topsoil.  

Some of the Lands of the Bishop of Lichfield at the time of the Domesday