Late Roman small town at Elms Farm, Heybridge (EHER 81916)

Archaeological excavation in 1993 and 1994-1995 recorded an extensive Late Iron Age to Roman/early Saxon small town at Elms Farm, Heybridge. This record presents the evidence for the Late Roman period (late 3rd to mid 4th centuries AD) at the site. It should be considered alongside the other records for settlement at Elm Farm, especially records EHER 17445, EHER 17446, EHER 81914 and EHER 81915 which record the other Roman evidence.

The following is a brief description of the work which has been undertaken at the site (see note below). 1993. Geophysical survey. Some of the features described below were detected during a geophysical survey, see EHER 81889. 1993 and 1994-1995. Archaeological excavations. The Late Roman settlement continues to contract, and perhaps decline. The main thoroughfare of Roads 1 and 2 remains in use and receives a degree of maintenance early in the Late Roman period before showing signs of neglect and degeneration. Side Roads 3, 4 and 5 all pass out of use in the Late Roman period and signal the gradual fragmentation of the settlement infrastructure, particularly with more conspicuous encroachment by pits and buildings than has hitherto been the case. Despite this perceived decline, the temple precinct persists as a relative constant amid surrounding change. However, its front screening wall is removed by the mid 4th century, thus opening the enclosure and perhaps marking a change in the way the religious focus is regarded and used. Continued deposition of artefacts with likely ritual significance in pits along its northern boundary, and in a pit close to the temple cella doorway, confirms its continued religious function. However, no longer constrained by the precinct wall, such activity now seems to spill out into the open area in front. Further east, this same open space is encroached upon in the 4th century by at least one building and its associated fenced enclosures and pens. Although adjacent and formerly closely associated, Open Areas 18 and 19 endure as tangible entities but the nature of their occupation and use becomes increasingly unclear. No new buildings and relatively few pits occupy their interiors, but their boundaries continue to be maintained and re-affirmed. While the previously suggested division of Open Area 19 is now formally marked by a fence or wall that in essence extends the temple precinct wall northward, both enclosures experience deposition at their boundaries that may be ritual in nature and is probably associated with the temple. Of particular note is the deposition of a service of pewter vessels which, with one vessel bearing a Chi-Rho, gives the first hint of the presence of Christianity in the settlement. Beyond this, the Southern and Northern Zones become less distinct as separate functional areas of the settlement. Indeed, no new buildings occupy the former and it seems to lose all vestiges of its occupation early in the Late Roman period. The siting of a pottery kiln and crop-processing structures suggests this vicinity is becoming increasingly marginal and is now similar in nature to that part of the Mid Roman Northern hinterland closest to the settlement. Similarly, the Northern Zone loses much of its divisions and lacks buildings west of Road 1. The paucity of pits of this date may suggest a change of depositional practice, with middening now being more prevalent. East of Road 1, roadside Building 54 is destroyed and removed and replaced by structures that are more centrally positioned within what remains of the landscape. The field systems of the Northern hinterland also seemingly decline and fragment and there is little evidence of activity such as pit-digging within its marginal areas. The watercourse becomes more-or-less wholly silted up in the Late Roman period - perhaps as a consequence of the Mid Roman wood-lined ditch/channel, which continues to be active and may divert water away from it. On the evidence of other investigations along Crescent Road, it seems likely that there is further Late Roman occupation on slightly higher ground to the north, beyond the Elms Farm development area. <1> <2> 1993. Metal detector survey. Metal detecting of the spoil heaps created by the removal of topsoil recovered a significant quantity of coins and small finds which spanned the Late Iron Age to Roman period. Notable finds include a large quantity of 3rd-4th century coins. Other finds include copper alloy brooches, lead weights and miscellaneous small finds. <3> Note: This record provides a broad summary of the character of the settlement activity at Elms Farm during the Late Roman period. The excavated evidence is vast and cannot easily be summarised in this record. For a more detailed discussion of the excavated evidence from the 1993 and 1994-1995 excavations please refer to the Open Access monograph <2> and <1>. It should also be noted that it is not possible to confidently ascribe a discrete division between each phase of occupation at this site and, as such, the information described here should be considered alongside the other records for Elms Farm (EHER 17444-17446 and EHER 81912-81917). The remaining is a general description of the site gathered from several sources. See also other published works and reports <4> - <9>. See newspaper articles <10> - <14>. See aerial photograph <15>. Area = roughly 13ha.