CHANGE is the theme of a new book dealing with the history and archaeology of an apparently 'timeless' corner of the Marches, writes GEORGE CHILDREN.

'The Gale of Life' comprises 20 essays on south-west Shropshire, an 'overwhelmingly rural' area that has seen its fair share of upheavals.

In the first century AD, the Romans arrived and established a lead mining industry that had a 'cataclysmic' effect on the locality.

Offa's Dyke constructed

Next it was the onset of the 'Dark Ages', when English-speaking rulers gained control of the area. It was a period that saw construction of Offa's Dyke, our understanding of which, as contributor David Hill points out, has deepened over recent years.

Says Dr Barrie Trinder in his introduction to the volume: "What remains evident is that the building of the dyke, like the establishment of the Roman lead mines, was a period of sudden far-reaching change."

Wide-ranging influences

The Normans, the Civil War, enclosure and changes in transport have all had an impact on the area and all are dealt with in turn.

Contributors include place-name expert Margaret Gelling and the Bishop of Ludlow, the Rt Rev. John Saxbee, an authority on Anglo-Saxon churches and settlements.

The book's well illustrated 272 pages are partly subsidised as a Millennium project. It is published by South-West Shropshire Historical and Archaeological Society, in association with Logaston Press, at £6.95.