Medieval to post-medieval farm complex at land west of Hall Road (EHER 49002)

A 2014 excavation revealed evidence of a medieval field system and post-medieval farm complex.

August to October 2014. Excavation. Medieval activity was predominantly focussed in Area A and comprised a series of ditches forming a field system of narrow strip fields. Primary or formative elements of this field system appear to include the relatively large ditches serve to define at least two fields. The intercutting nature of some of these ditches attests to ongoing maintenance and modification of these fields through time. The available dating evidence from these ditches suggests a broad 12th to 13th century date for much of the field system. A further group of ditches on a notably different, broadly east-west, orientation is present towards the east of Area A. All three ditches follow the topography of the hill towards the stream at the base of the slope and it is possible that these ditches, which do not seem to fit in the latticework of field systems observed elsewhere in the area, may represent drainage ditches. Alternatively, it is possible, as the ditches are orientated towards the later, post-medieval farmstead, that they represent a trackway leading to a medieval precursor to the post-medieval farm. The post-medieval farmstead was located in the south-eastern corner of Area A. The earliest phase of the complex comprised the brick foundations of a north-west to south-east aligned rectangular building and associated cobbled surface. The bricks from the foundations of this structure were all unfrogged, and are dated to the 18th century or earlier. Dating evidence recovered from the levelling layer/construction makeup for the building is only very broadly dated to AD 1400-1899. The purpose of the building is still somewhat uncertain but may represent an outbuilding or barn with yard surface. The building was then seemingly demolished and a new structure built in its place on a similar orientation. The bricks from the foundations of this building were also unfrogged and of a similar 18th century or earlier date to the Building 1. This later phase of building seems to be some sort of stable block, based on the size of the internal rooms (around 1.5m wide) and its location so close to a water source in the Stansted brook. A spur of masonry extending from the north-east corner of this building may represent part of some sort of external structure associated with the stable block, such as the supporting structure for a gate or similar. <1>