has identified 671 new archaeological sites, from the Neolithic through to WWII, in addition to the 267 already known. A number of reports on the archaeological investigations have been published by Historic England. Notable persons Alys Fowler - gardener Earl of Longford - from 1821 peerage of Baron Silchester Thomas Pakenham (historian) Thomas Powys - clergyman William Stewart, 1st Earl of Blessington - buried Silchester James Crowdy (cricketer) Richard Carte - composer Dudley Fishburn Jonathan Shipley - clergyman Victoria Monks - music hall singer See also Ring of Silvianus, an ancient ring that possibly inspired the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings, found near the town in 1785. Silchester eagle, a Roman bronze casting found in Silchester. References Sources and further reading External links Excavations of Roman remains by Reading university Reading Museum web site on Silchester Roman Town British History Victorian account of the village Villages in Hampshire Civil parishes in Basingstoke and Deane