Roman enclosure and features at former CS Brown Garage, Dunmow Road (EHER 48061)

Roman features were recorded during the 2011 excavation and watching brief.

2011. Watching brief and excavation. A large double ditch dating to the Roman period was located in the north-western corner of the site. This feature is most likely to be an enclosure ditch surrounding an area of Roman habitation. Near to the northern limit of excavation the double ditch appears to be curving, this suggests that the corner of the enclosure is located just to the north of the site. A shallow gully on the outside of the enclosure ditches contained post-holes and may have housed a palisade fence. To the west, a V-shaped ditch dated to the Roman period may define the eastern edge of a track-way that ran alongside the enclosure. Refuse pits and a series of square pits with 'cessy' fills which are probably latrines were located to the north-west of the double ditch within the enclosure. These represent the disposal of human and domestic waste at the periphery of the enclosed settlement. <1>