Trial trenching and geotechnical test pitting by Britannia Archaeology at Broad Street Road, Heybridge, 2017 - EEX59186

Twenty-seven trenches measuring 50m x 1.8m which were machine-excavated alongside the excavation of five 2m x 2m geotechincal test pits. NRHE data transfer: Site code: HYBS17. From 26th June 2017 to 18th July 2017 Britannia Archaeology Ltd (BA) undertook a trial trench evaluation on behalf of Persimmon Homes Essex, in advance of the erection of a new housing development located at land at Broad Street Road, Heybridge, This took the form of 27 50.00m x 1.80m trenches with an additional geoarchaeological investigation to run concurrently with the evaluation. The evaluation revealed 3 main phases of activity at the site. The first phase relates to the late prehistoric activity on the site in the form of linear ditches on a roughly north to south orientation. The second phase relates to possible Roman agricultural activity in the form of a field boundary ditch and residual Roman finds. The third phase relates to the post-medieval agricultural activity on the site represented by three linear ditches two of which correlate with field boundaries visible on OS maps from 1874. Overall the evaluation was successful in identifying background pre-historic and Roman agricultural activity and later post-medieval agricultural activity on the northern edge of Heybridge. However, despite a high potential for prehistoric and Roman remains based on nearby finds there was a relatively low representation of these periods suggesting this site is on the edge of any prehistoric settlements in the larger historical landscape. Information from OASIS Online Form.