Post-medieval field boundaries, trackway and agricultural enclosure on land South of Maldon (EHER 48754)

A detailed gradiometry survey in 2015 identified a number of former field boundaries across the entire site. Some of these correspond to mapped boundaries on late 19th century historic maps, whilst others are not mapped. Also identified was a former trackway present on mapping from 1873.

September 2015. Geophysical survey. A detailed gradiometry survey identified a number of former field boundaries across the site which correlate to those present on mapping from 1873, as well as some which are not mapped. An area of linear scattered magnetic debris in the West of the site also related to a former trackway present on mapping from 1873. <1> September 2019-December 2021. Trial trenching and archaeological excavation. Post-medieval boundaries shown on the 1887 OS map were identified in Trenches 3, 19, 24, 44, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56 and 61. A large post-medieval agricultural enclosure with internal furrows was also identified in Area 1. The furrows were linear in plan, E-W aligned and spaced approximately 1m apart from each other. They had gently sloping sides and concave to flat bases. The Western extent of the furrows was defined by a slightly curvilinear ditch which ran roughly NNW-SSE form the Eastern to the Northern limit of the excavation for approximately 93m. A ditch recorded in Trenches 52 and 53 coincides with the former parish boundary ditch, shown on the 1897 Ordnance Survey map. It was about 1.80m wide and 0.50-0.80m deep with stepped, steep, lower sides. To the South and also in Trench 53, a ditch running parallel contained medieval and post-medieval peg tiles, brick and ceramic drainage pipe, a fragment of a colourless bottle neck, a fragment of a potentially medieval window glass quarry, a possible metalworking file dating to the 16th and 17th centuries, a nail and an unidentified iron object. The geophysical survey identified the boundary as "linear scattered magnetic debris, related to a former field boundary present on mapping from 1873" (<1>) and the evaluation confirmed that there was indeed a large boundary ditch present. On the 1897 Ordnance Survey map the feature is marked as a broadway with the lettering: 'Parly. Co. Div. & Mun. Boro. By.' <2>