Late Bronze Age field system, pits and postholes on land West of Fambridge Road (EHER 49566)

Trial trenching and archaeological excavation in 2017 recorded the remains of Late Bronze Age land use, comprising a system of shallow interrupted ditches which probably formed part of an agricultural field system. Whilst a small assemblage of structural daub was recovered, there was not sufficient evidence to conclude the presence of a settlement on the site, however, when considered in conjunction with the evidence from an excavation roughly 100m to the South, points to a probable settlement in the vicinity of the two sites. Furthermore, the small ceramic assemblage recovered from both the evaluation and excavation shows indirect evidence for later Bronze Age salt working in the wider landscape. This is significant as most 'red hill' sites in Essex are thought to be of Late Iron Age/early Roman date.

August 2017. Trial trenching. The evaluation uncovered evidence for a few dispersed later Bronze Age/earliest Iron Age features, possibly located in the hinterland of salt-working activity on the low-lying marsh to the East and West. A two shallow East-West aligned ditches were recorded in Trench 5 and both contained a few sherds of Late Bronze Age/earliest Iron Age pottery. Two pits, in Trench 12 and Trench 21, also contained a few sherds of pottery of the same date, and a third pit in Trench 25 probably also belongs to this period, though it produced undiagnostic worked flint and fired clay. An undated post hole in Trench 42 also produced fire-cracked flint. It is interesting to note that, amongst the very small assemblage of prehistoric pottery, there was some evidence that vessels had been affected by saltworking processes. The pits from this period also contained charcoal and fire-cracked flint, which was probably redeposited from areas where heating processes were occurring. Some structural daub was noted in the probable later prehistoric pit Trench 25, indicating that buildings or light structures were in use somewhere at the site. Although it is unlikely that primary salt-working processes would have been carried out on the relatively higher, drier ground on which the site is located, it does seem likely that this area was situated on land relatively near to a saltern. It is therefore possible that some of the dispersed features dating to this period represent low-level secondary activities associated with salt-working. Current understanding suggests that the majority the 'red hill' sites around the Essex coast and estuaries are of Late Iron Age/early Roman date; though few have been systematically excavated or securely dated, suggesting the possibility that many of these sites could be earlier. Evidence for later Bronze Age salt-working is sparse though not unknown in the wider area of eastern England. <1> August-December 2017. Archaeological excavation. Remains of Late Bronze Age land use activity comprised shallow interrupted ditches that probably formed part of a wider field system, with alignments running NNW/SSE and ENE/WSW, as well as possible pits and tree holes/throws. A small number of generally undated ditches/gullies were attributed to this period of land use based on their alignments and relationships with other dated features. Only a small number of pits were dated to this period; however, it is likely that some undated discrete features recorded across the excavation area were also contemporary. The site appears to have been located within a broad agricultural landscape at this time, with the lack of finds suggesting that any associated settlement lay some distance away. The features were poorly dated, with only occasional pottery, fire-cracked flint and fired clay fragments recovered from the fills. Except for a few fragments of fired clay with flat surfaces and displaying wattle impressions, no significant evidence suggestive of nearby settlement was encountered on site. An un-urned cremation burial and a further token cremation deposit, radiocarbon dated to the end of the Late Bronze Age, were encountered during investigations about 100m to the South of the site, at Manor Farm (see EHER 49485). It is possible that the ditches encountered on site and the cremated remains were both associated with a settlement located within the vicinity of the two sites. The location of such a settlement, however, is unclear, particularly given the very limited Late Bronze Age remains encountered during the evaluation across the remainder of the site. Given the very small quantity of ceramic evidence encountered on site, it likely does not indicate salt working in the immediate area of the site but does provide some slight, indirect evidence for later Bronze Age salt working in the wider landscape. <2>