Late prehistoric field system (EHER 80557)

The site is generally characterised by low-level agrarian activity of possible prehistoric and post-medieval date, along with evidence for landscape boundaries and former routeways of post-medieval date.

February 2017. Trial trenching. Overall, the site is generally characterised by low-level agrarian activity of possible prehistoric and post-medieval date, along with evidence for landscape boundaries and former routeways of post-medieval date. The results broadly correspond with the air photo mapping and interpretation (APMI) survey, but the evaluation has not revealed any evidence for Neolithic or Roman activity, as was suggested by the survey. The series of north-east to south-west aligned ditches encountered across the site appear to be aligned on two possible barrow groups to the north-east and southwest, but they also follow the general alignment of the Roman roads that run north-east from Colchester towards the Stour Estuary. It is likely that this correlation is largely coincidental and reflects a shared response to local topographical conditions over time. Post-medieval and modern remains consisted of the possible remnants of a trackway along with field boundaries and drainage ditches aligned north to south. A number of ceramic finds, including jars, clay tobacco pipes and fragments of brick/tile may relate to the use of the former trackway. Notably, the presence of the a clay pipe identified as Oswald form 10 pipe bowl in the fill of ditch, one of the possible trackway flanking ditches, suggests that it was open to the elements and in the process of silting up no earlier than 1700. It is probable that the trackway preserved the boundary of an earlier medieval field system between Mistley and Mistley Heath. However, due to the lack of any medieval dating evidence from the site it is not possible to determine any continuation from an earlier medieval field system. The limited artefactual evidence and cartographic sources suggest that the 18th century layout was replaced during the 19th century by a system of larger units, removing the trackway and replacing it with a footpath. Subsequently, the footpath shown on the 1890 OS map remained in use until the early to mid 20th century. Although there is no definitive evidence it is possible that this replaced the earlier trackway shown on the parish map of 1778. It is considered likely that the linear features recorded within the western part of the site relate to both phases of post-medieval routeways between New Mistley and Mistley Heath. <1>