Roman field system, Passingford Bridge Bund and Widening and Flood Alleviation Area, M25002.09, Junctions 27 to 30 of the M25 (EHER 80930)

The Roman occupation period was primarily demonstrated through the construction of a field system.

2008 to 2011. SMS. The early Roman period was represented by a ditched boundary and three pits. The boundary was located at the western end of the site and extended on a N-S alignment. The absence of other ditches of similar date indicates that it did not form part of a field system and is more likely to represent a boundary that divided the gravel terrace into areas of different use or in different ownership. The ditch had been redefined on at least three occasions, indicating its significance and longevity. An extensive system of rectilinear fields defined by boundary ditches was laid out during the 2nd or early 3rd century. The most substantial field occupied the southcentral part of the excavation area and measured 155m from east to west, extending to the south beyond the edge of the site. It was bounded on its western side by a smaller field that measured 65m from east to west and may have been sub-divided by an internal boundary represented by an insubstantial and intermittent ditch, and was adjoined on its northern side by a similar field. A trackway 4.5-5.0m wide defined by a pair of parallel ditches extended along the western side of these two fields. An L-shaped ditch defined a smaller enclosure against the northern side of the large central field that measured 28m x 18m, and a ditch near the north-eastern corner of the excavation and a linear ditch at the south-eastern limit provided evidence that the complex of boundaries continued to the east of the excavated area. Three discrete pits and a waterhole were also attributed to the middle Roman period. The features that were attributed to the late Roman period on ceramic grounds generally respected the boundaries that had been established during the middle Roman phase, suggesting that these boundaries were still in use and defined by surface features even though the corresponding ditches had silted up. The only alterations to the existing boundaries comprised the creation of a boundary ditch that roughly corresponded with the western side of the large central field, and a rectilinear enclosure in the central part of the site. The latter enclosure was defined by ditches on only three sides, although either of two E-W ditches that produced no dating evidence could have enclosed its northern side. <1> - <4>