Mid to Late Saxon features, former Croxley Works site, Church Street (EHER 46749)

Evaluation trenches within the footprint of new buildings at the former Croxley Works, Church Street, Maldon revealed mid-to late Saxon occupation. The excavation provided the first instance of stratified Middle Saxon remains within the town of Maldon. These would appear to be part of an area of occupation on the river terraces above what is now the Hythe, perhaps inhabited by fisherman or traders who used the near-by shore to draw up their boats.

June-July 2007. Trial trenching and archaeological excavation. At least two phases of Middle Saxon occupation were identified. Evidence comprised a ditch subsequently backfilled and cut by a series of pits and post-holes. The presence of near-by structures was suggested by the recovery of numerous fragments of baked clay with wattle/wicker impressions. Evidence for craft activities was represented by the recovery of 18 loomweights and a spindle whorl, plus possible metal-working slag and spheroidal hammerscale, while pigs and sheep were the predominant food animals supplemented by domestic fowl, wild oysters and fish. Cereals such as wheat and barley appear to have been brought to the site as processed grain. These remains are significant as they are the earliest Saxon stratified remains so far discovered in Maldon and suggest that the town originated in the Hythe area in the Mid Saxon period. Activity in the Late Saxon period appeared to be less intense with only one gully containing a bone comb firmly dated to the 11th century. Several features were more broadly dated to the Late Saxon/early medieval period including a pit and gully that contained further metal-working evidence. A number of undated post-holes, possibly part of structures fronting onto Church Street, may also have been contemporary. The excavation has provided the first instance of stratified Middle Saxon remains within the town of Maldon. These would appear to be part of an area of occupation on the river terraces above what is now the Hythe, perhaps inhabited by fisherman or traders who used the near-by shore to draw up their boats. This is highly significant as it indicates that the earliest settlement may have been located here and not at the western end of the High Street, close to the postulated site of the Late Saxon burh, as has previously been assumed. The size and nature of this settlement is hard to ascertain from such a small site; however, the lack of stratified Middle Saxon remains from previously excavated sites in the High Street suggests that the area of mid Saxon occupation maybe focused towards the river frontage and as such may be geographically limited. The recovered finds are fairly typical of the Mid-Saxon period, indicating textile manufacture, metal-working and fishing taking place. The faunal assemblage indicates that both marine and land-based food sources were being exploited, with fish and shellfish featuring in the diet alongside sheep, pigs and cereals. <1> - <4>