From “Companion into Gloucestershire” – R.P. Beckinsale (1947 5th edition Methuen):
“Upper Swell parish has many things of interest for the archaeologist, and for the person who likes rediscovering objects that are not easy to find. The name Swell is probably derived from the O.E. ‘Swelgan’ meaning a spring, and it was to the waters here that the Neolithic herdsmen drove their flocks and herds from the dry pastures near Condicote and Kineton Hill. Buckle Street along the heights is dry as a bone, and the Dickler and Ey afford the only running water on the wolds east of the Windrush. The valleys of these two streams are dotted with Long Barrows and entrenchments, or to be more precise there are thirty Round Barrows, ten Long Barrows, and three camps. Roman remains are equally plentiful, and, although in many cases the barrows are merely grass hummocks, there is much pleasure in coming across these ancient sites.”