Prehistoric finds, Lodge Farm, The Chase, Elmstead Market (EHER 81949)

Evaluation at Lodge Farm uncovered finds which could only be loosely dated to the prehistoric period. The majority of the prehistoric pot sherds were not closely datable because they were small and abraded. The worked flint comprised flakes and waste pieces. The only piece of worked flint to be closely datable dated to the Late Bronze Age or later.

An archaeological evaluation by trial-trenching was carried out in advance of a first phase of tree planting at The Chase, Elmstead Market, Essex. The trenching found five undatable ditches, a thin scatter of burnt flint and a small sherd of medieval pottery (EHER 81950). The trenching was preceded by a desk-based assessment and a geophysical survey (Wall 2008) <1>. The archaeological work was recommended by the Essex County Council Historic Environment Management team and was commissioned by The Woodland Trust and Essex County Council. <2> Archaeological trial-trenching was undertaken in advance of a second phase of tree-planting at Lodge Farm Elmstead Market uncovered mostly undatable features and a small quantity of worked flint and prehistoric pottery. It was conjectured that some of the remains represented an Early to Middle Iron Age farmstead. Other remains probably represented post-medieval and modern field ditches (EHER 81950). The majority of the prehistoric pot sherds were not closely datable because they were small and abraded, although two of the sherds dated to the Early to Middle Iron Age (EHER 46845). The worked flint comprised flakes and waste pieces. The only piece of worked flint to be closely datable dated to the Late Bronze Age or later. <3>