Late Iron Age to Roman and medieval features at land Northeast of Gleneagles Way, Hatfield Peverel (EHER 80206)

The evaluation identified and recorded nine archaeological features, comprising one Late Iron Age field boundary ditch, a Roman clay extraction pit, two medieval clay extraction pits and undated ditches, pits and postholes. There was no clear spatial distribution to the features; they were distributed across the site with no focus.

December 2020. Trial trenching. The evaluation identified and recorded nine archaeological features, comprising three ditches, three moderately large pits, two small pits/ postholes and a possible natural geological feature. There was no clear spatial distribution to the features; they were distributed across the site with no focus. One of the ditches, in the NW of the site, is a probable Late Iron Age field boundary and was cut by a Roman clay extraction pit. The quantities of cultural material from these features are small, suggesting that they were located some distance from areas of contemporary occupation or other intensive activity. The main London–Colchester Roman road forms the north-western site boundary, so the presence of low-level Roman activity here is not unexpected. Two further shallow clay extraction pits were recorded in the south of the site and may be medieval; one contained a late-13th- to 14th-century Hedingham coarseware sherd. The remaining features were undated, but one excavated ditch corresponds with a recently removed former field boundary shown on modern Ordnance Survey maps. <1>