Fifteenth to sixteenth century field system and quarry pit, land off Southminster Road (EHER 81322)

Trial-trenching in 2019 and subsequent excavation in 2020 recorded two large boundary ditches, one of which could be dated to the 15-16th century from a large assemblage of pottery recovered from its fills. Also recorded was the Northern extent of a possible quarry pit which produced a small assemblage of residual pottery (see EHER X).

October 2019. Trial trenching. Ditches and pits of probable 16th century date were encountered in the North-central part of the site. <1> July 2020. Archaeological excavation. The excavation recorded a ditch which extended across almost the full width of the excavation area on a roughly East-West alignment before it was truncated by a later quarry pit. The ditch produced most of the site's post-medieval pottery (15th to early 16th century jug and cup forms; possibly as early as early-mid 15th century) and a large quantity of ceramic building material (CBM). In Area 2, a second dominant boundary aligned SW-NE was excavated and noted to be associated with perpendicular sub-divisions that extended to the NW and SE. Boundary ditches on this orientation were also uncovered by evaluation Trenches 1, 11 and 13. None of these ditch fills produced any datable artefacts which suggests they perhaps represent the former layout and orientation of agricultural fields in this part of Burnham-on-Crouch’s hinterland prior to enclosure in the 18th or 19th century. Also in Area 2 was the Northern extent of a possible quarry pit which produced a small assemblage of residual pottery (see EHER X). <2>