First World War practice trench at land north-east of Witham (EHER 80369)

A First World War practice trench was located in the south of the site, identified by its characteristic zig-zag outline that was apparent in the aerial photographs.

April to November 2016. Excavation. A First World War practice trench was located in the south of the site. Its characteristic zig-zag outline was apparent in the aerial photographs of the site and its location was corroborated during the evaluation with a segment excavated across a trench. Within the excavation area it was revealed to run for 47m. It was 1.50m wide by 1.10m deep with very steep, almost vertical sides and a narrow, irregular base. Many iron nails and rolls of wire, likely from the dismantling of trench supports, were recovered from the upper fill, which appeared to be backfilled up-cast material. No remnants of a contemporary land surface or associated bank remained on the ground around the feature. The remains of a pond were originally recorded during the evaluation, which was further investigated during the excavation. An additional trench was dug which exposed the edges of the pond. It is estimated to measure 20m by 17m with a depth of 1.68m with an irregular oval shape, steep sides and a flat base. Several boundary and drainage ditches were also identified. <1> June 2018. Trial trenching. The trench plan was set-out in part to investigate cropmark evidence of a field system understood to be of largely post-medieval date. Corresponding below-ground remains of ditches were generally successfully identified. A broadly corresponding ditch was identified running through the trenches. Comparison with historic OS mapping shows that the three identified lengths aligned ditches are all visible on maps from the 1870s through to the 1950s. This is consistent with the finds recovered from the ditch fills, which included late 19th century glass and a range of early 20th century finds, including brick, glass, concrete, a modern agricultural bolt and a brass shotgun cartridge base. <2>