Late Iron Age to Roman settlement, west of Leaden Roding Hall (EHER 4498)

Extensive finds, fieldwalking, and geophysical survey has revealed a late Iron Age to Roman village-type settlement.

Monument description derived from merging EHER 4498, 4499, and 46534. EHER 4498 and 4499 derived from the same record SMR TL51-124. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Site of a late Iron Age to Romano-British settlement at The Rodings. Magnetometer and fieldwalking surveys of the area found an area of occupation of several hectares which, judging from the large number of weights and slag found, probably operated as a district market. Occupation continued from at least 100 BC until the early years of the Saxon period. <1> 1900-1910. Chance finds Roman sherds and coins found by Mr W. Michells. <2> 1955-1956. Chance finds. Deep ploughing brought up quantities of sherds, including Samian, Nene Valley, colour coated and coarse wares, and building material in a 200 x 70ft area. Location of finds not certain from the form. The finds are in Chelmsford Museum. <3> 1966 and September 1979. Field visit Now seen -under stubble- to extend over area of TL 5835 1346, 58501335, 58541355, 58301320 and may also extend further south. Finds: one iron age sherd from the 1st half of the 1st century, Roman brick and tile, Samian ware, and possibly Nene Valley, Henham, Oxford, and Brockley Hill ware of mainly 2nd to 3rd centuries and some of the early 4th century. Material collected 1966 is not in Chelmsford Museum where Mr and Mrs Daynes deposited it. The finds are possibly at Passmore Edwards Museum. Site Assessment = Present location of finds needs to be ascertained and accession numbers added. <2> <4> <5> August 1974. Field survey. No further finds have been reported in the area which is at present under pasture. <6> September 1999. Fieldwalking. 57 pottery sherds found at TL58451330 within 20 x 20m area. Found by Peter Sharp. <7> 1995-2005. Geophysical and fieldwalking survey. Field walking and geophysical survey by Peter Sharp and Peter Morris to establish the missing link in the London – Gt Dunmow Roman road at a point, it crosses the River Roding also identified a village type settlement. The geophysics clearly identified the Roman road leading into a central roughly ovoid open area, probably a market place or green. Radiating out from this central area are possible house-plots, paddocks and fields, covering an extent of about 18 ha. Two further roads or droveways form the northern and southern limits of the central open area, at right angles to the main road were located. In the northern half of the settlement a rectangular enclosure (85 x 65 m) is visible within the geophysics plot, interpreted by the finder as a possible marching-camp. Finds from this site date from the late Iron Age, to the Saxon period; they include brooches, coins, roof tile, brick, hypocaust tile, and tesserae. A wide range of ceramics, spindle whorls and lead weights is suggestive of trading and market function. <1> <8> Dupondius of Trajan found. It is in Colchester Museum. <9> Archaeological record artefact record. <10> A Roman coin of the 2nd century AD was found in a field between the Rectory and the river. <11>