Post-medieval ditches at land east and north of Clifford Smith Drive, Watch House Green, Felsted (EHER 81096)

At least five boundary ditches were discovered, indicating an intricate field system.

June 2023. Trial trenching. A number of ditch remains, recorded in Trenches 2, 7, 11, 13, 14, 16 and 20, relate to later post-medieval agricultural land use at this location, defining one or more phases of field system, extending across the site. At least five separate boundaries are defined by these remains, most of which appear to correlate with boundaries shown on either the 1837 Tithe map or the 1875 OS map. Two scales of boundary ditch seem to be represented – a lesser sized measuring around 1m wide by up to 0.7m deep and a larger sized, though the significance of this is not particularly clear. An undated ditch is noted to correspond with a boundary shown on the 1837 Tithe map and is therefore very probably of post-medieval date. <1>