Roman finds from the graveyard, south of All Saints Church, Great Chesterford (EHER 83926)

Test pitting in 2011 recovered a Roman finds assemblage which was indicative of domestic occupation outside the area of the Roman town walls (EHER 4915 and within EHER 13922).

2011. Test pitting. The test pits revealed deposits of grave earth more than 1.16m to 1.58m thick. Contained within the grave earth were post-medieval inhumation burials (EHER 83297) and numerous finds, including pieces of Roman pottery. The pot sherds dated to the 3rd and 4th centuries and were an indication that domestic occupation was probably taking place outside the area of the Roman town walls (EHER 4915 and within EHER 13922) during that period. Other finds included lumps of mortar and numerous flint nodules, probably related to the construction and demolition of Roman buildings and/or the construction and modification of All Saints’ Church. The results of the test pitting suggest that the area of the proposed cremation burial ground has been severely disturbed by medieval and post-medieval graves and is consequently unlikely to contain in situ Roman remains. <1>