In Roman times there was a Roman Fort at Crab Farm, between Shapwick and Badbury Rings. Just to the west of the fort was a small Romano-British town, believed to be that listed in the Antonine Itinerary as Vindocladia.[3]
Shapwick lay on the important Roman Road from Old Sarum to Durnovaria (now High Street and New Road), and the river Stour was forded here, being a major crossing-point in Roman times. This was the highest navigable point on the river Stour, where boats would anchor, and is therefore the likely origin of the name of the village pub - the Anchor - which is just 200m across the meadows from the river.[4]
House numbers above 200 in the High Street contrast with the smaller number of houses there at present. As the village declined, burnt down thatched cottages were not replaced.
A local legend tells how in the year 1706 a travelling fishmonger was one day passing through the village of Shapwick, when, unbeknownst to him, a crab fell off his cart. The fishmonger continued on his journey, but the local villagers, who had never seen a crab before, gathered around the creature, poking it with sticks, believing it to be a devil or monster. The fishmonger (according to one version of the story) eventually returned looking for his lost crab, and when he saw the commotion, picked up the crab and continued on his way to spread the story about the simple folk of Shapwick.[6]
The story was cemented in verse and pictures in 1841 by the artist Buscall Fox, and today the legend is commemorated on a story board on display at the Anchor Inn, and also in the name of Crab Farm, which has a weathervane showing the crab and villagers.[7]
