Iron Age to Roman farms at Nazeingbury, Nazeing Mead (EHER 3424)

An Iron Age and Romano-British occupation site consisting of enclosure ditches. The earliest ditches contain Belgic material and are succeeded by features containing pottery dating from the later 1st to early 2nd century. Pits, two possible ponds and three wells were excavated. Finds included a silver hairpin and a brooch.

A series of Iron Age - Romano-British field enclosure ditches, aligned northwest-southeast and at right angles thereto, was found in a 7 acre gravel extraction site at Nazeing (see EHER 3425). <2> PHASE I (0 – 20 AD): A subrectangular enclosure around 47 x 36m, with the possible site of a house around 7.5m max diameter indicated by a stretch of pennanular gully. PHASE II (20 – 43 AD): A smaller rectangular enclosure around 10 x 14m was later appended to the southeast of this first enclosure. PHASE III (around 43 AD): In the Romano-British period, the first enclosure was superseded by a rectilinear field system (EHER 3425), and ditch 11 (see point on map) silted up and seized use (TL 3862 0657). However, there is some continuity as shown by ditch 12's corresponding northwest-southeast alignment. Wells probably belong to this period. PHASE IV (around 43-100 AD): Occupation moved to the northeast with a new sub-enclosure (enclosure C) dated to the 1st century AD. Evidence of Romanisation in the straightening of the ditch system (exactly 1 actus between ditches 6 and 12). PHASE V (around 101-150 AD): Narrowed ditch 4, postulated latrine pit 1 and the nearby pit 9 are also included in this phase. <5, pp 43-45> By the 3rd-4th centuries, domestic occupation had moved some distance away. In the Saxon period, a total change of population is suggested when all Roman types of pot disappear. Part of the site (enclosure C) was re-used as an Anglo-Saxon cemetery (EHER 3427). <5> Other refs: <1> <3> <4> <6> FINDS: LATE IRON AGE/ BELGIC (~ 1st century BC- 43 AD): POTTERY: The Iron Age pottery is typical of domestic sites in Essex and Hertfordshire, with all the pottery fired in primitive reducing kilns but almost half being very skilfully wheel thrown. The practice of boring holes in pots after firing, usually in the base but also in the sides, was common as on other Belgic sites. Amphora sherds are sometimes rounded and bored with a central hole. These pots with holes imply some specific and widespread use which is not yet understood. Ditch 11 (TL 3862 0657) had significant amounts of solely Belgic pottery. <5 - pp 76-85; see list of fabrics and illustrations in source> CLAY: Nazeingbury loom/thatch weights: Type 1 also reported from elsewhere in Essex and Hertfordshire, Type 4 and 5 also found in Orsett, Type 2 and 3 unique to the site. Other clay objects which could be gaming pieces. <5 pp 98-104> STONE: 1. Small lump of Hertfordshire Puddingstone. Elsewhere this has been used for quernstones in the Belgic period. Belgic ditch 11. Belgic sherds were also found in the fill of nearby Saxon graves (see EHER 3428). COINS: Cunobelinus bronze coin, developed type with Tasciovanus legend (Mack 244 type, possibly minted at Verulamium). Cunobelinus gold coin recorded at Little West Field, lower Nazeing in 1925 (EHER 3423). <5 p 106> ROMANO-BRITISH (~ late 1st century): POTTERY: The rougher band-made wares appear to continue in use into the Roman period, while the wheel-thrown wares are superseded by the better Roman greywares. In the Romano-British period the community was able to benefit from the new culture, acquiring all the new range of table and cooking ware but continuing to use some traditional forms; the shelly ware bowls and large storage jars continued in use into the 2nd century. It should perhaps be remembered that kitchens and cooking are usually a female area of activity, while the Roman, and possibly the Belgic, invasions were mainly a change of male domination. It is not surprising therefore that kitchen equipment shows a gradual change. Assemblage contained mostly weel-thrown Grey Ware, and also included stamped and decorated Samian Ware. See list of fabrics and illustrations in source <5 - pp 77-96> CLAY: Nazeingbury loom/thatch weights: Type 6 <5 - pp 100-104> Possible mouthpiece for a musical instrument (AD 100-160). <5 pp 98-104> STONE: 2. Outer fragment of flat quernsone, lava, c. 66 cm. outer diameter, 2 to 3 cm. thick. Pit 11. 3. Outer fragment of roughly tooled medium grain micaceous sandstone, c. 56 cm. outer diameter, c. 7 cm. thick, remains oflip or flmge around edge. Ditch 6E. 4. Annular fragment of compact fine grained sandstone, possibly part of a quernstone re-used as a whetstone. Ditch 6E. 5. Small fragment as 3. Ditch 4. 6. Edge fragment of millstone grit, 9 cm. thick, approx. 50 cm. outer dia. Pit 1. 7. Fragments of millstone grit. One each in Ditches 1 and 2. 8. Fragment of fine grained, well cemented, meta-standstone, with signs of use as quernstone. Ditch 5. <5> - see p 34 in source for site map IRON: L-shaped key, ~160-190 AD; handle of bucket in Well 2; spike ~150 AD; nails. <5 pp 101-102> BRONZE: Silvered pin (AD 105-130); brooch (Camulodunum type IV, AD 50-65); tweezers (AD 43-150); pin with bionical head (AD 150); other miscellaneous rods and wires. <5 p 103> GLASS: Pale bluish green glass pillar moulded bowl (AD 43-160); glass beads (AD 100-160), one Teutonic (AD 150-200) NRHE data transfer: TL 387 066. A series of Iron Age-Romano-British field and enclosure ditches, aligned north west to south east and at right angles, was found in a seven acre gravel extraction site at Nazeing. The earliest ditches contained late Belgic material; these were superseded by later first-century features containing pottery dating down to the early second century. The Belgic enclosure was sub-rectangular and measured circa 47 by circa 36m. One Roman enclosure was circa 20m wide by over 55m long; another seems to have been circa 60m wide by over 150m. Other features included pits and two possible ponds; there were three wells including one circa 1.5m square and 1.8-2m deep with wattle lining. Finds included a silver hairpin and gilded Camulodunum Type IV brooch. Occupation ceased after the second century until a possibly seventh to eleventh century cemetery grew up. (TL 30 NE 14) <7>