Roman field system on land West of Fambridge Road (EHER 81664)

Trial trenching and archaeological excavation in 2017 recorded the remains of a Roman agricultural field system made up of some substantial East/West aligned ditches and minor North/South subdivisions. It is likely that a number of undated pits (including two large quarry pits), postholes and tree holes/throws were also associated with the Roman use of the landscape. Furthermore, the finds assemblages retrieved from these features were limited in both size and types of finds, and the majority of the pottery assemblage was of broadly Roman date.

August 2017. Trial trenching. A series of fairly substantial and broadly aligned Roman ditches probably represent part of a field-system which was most clearly defined in the SW part of the site, though poorly dated features to the North and East may also be associated. Although closely datable finds were sparse, there is some evidence that the field system was established in the 1st century AD and recut and maintained into the mid Roman period. Individually, most of the pottery sherds can only be broadly dated to the Roman period; however, the overall range of fabrics and forms was considered suggestive of a mid Roman assemblage, probably belonging to the 2nd or 3rd centuries. Nevertheless there is some evidence for sustained activity on site since several of the Roman features appeared to have been recut. There were no discrete features dated to the Roman period and, in general, the relatively low quantity of pottery and other finds suggest that this area may represent an agricultural field system rather than an area of intensive settlement. There was no structural, artefactual or environmental evidence to link the site directly to salt-working activities though it seems likely that saltworking may have been the impetus for establishing communities along the estuaries of rivers like The Crouch. <1> August-December 2017. Archaeological excavation. No evidence of continued land use between the Late Bronze Age (EHER 49566) and the Late Iron Age/Early Roman period was evident within the excavation area, though a single residual sherd of sandy organic-rich pottery may be of Middle Iron Age, or possibly Early Saxon, date, perhaps indicating some form of land use in the intervening period. Roman remains comprised a series of East/West and North/South aligned ditches and a possible quarry pit. In the North of the excavation area, a major East/West aligned ditch was clearly replaced by another ditch of the same alignment, demonstrating several phases of use. Together with a North/South aligned ditch, these ditches likely formed significant field boundaries, dividing the landscape for agricultural purposes. A series of narrower East/West aligned ditches/gullies to the North and South likely represent minor subdivisions, with gaps in the features forming entranceways between fields. Recorded towards the centre of the excavation area, a large possible quarry pit, perhaps for clay extraction, was of possible Roman date and may have been succeeded by a later pit suggesting continued quarrying activities. It is likely that a number of undated pits, postholes and tree holes/throws were also associated with Roman use of the landscape. Finds assemblages retrieved from these features were limited in both size and types of finds. This material comprised small assemblages of pottery, fired clay, fire-cracked flint, animal bone and iron smithing slag. The majority of the pottery assemblage was of broadly Roman date; however, a small number of Late Iron Age/Early Roman sherds and a single sherd of Late Roman pottery were also identified. The distribution of this pottery across the excavation area, however, was varied and so it cannot inform on the more detailed dating of land use evidenced during the Roman period. The assemblage showed no evidence for a saltworking industry. <2>