Roman pits, dog burial and structural remains, on the west side of the Roman town, Great Chesterford (EHER 4937)

In 1977 during topsoil stripping in advance of gravel working a Romano-British building, 15 rubbish pits and an infant burial were found. A dog skeleton and a pair of shoes were also found. A 1st to 4th century date is suggested.

1977. Salvage excavation. Prior to M11 gravel extraction, a previously untouched area was examined. Three pits were found, two had domestic Roman refuse of 2nd century date. Below this was a complete skeleton of a small dog, a complete but broken pot, a pair of shoes outlined by studs, and burnt daub. A flint, tile and chalk foundation of an unknown structure 48cm wide, with a remaining length of 2.5m was discovered. In total, fifteen 1st to 4th century AD rubbish pits and an infant burial were examined along the course of the motorway at Great Chesterford. <1> See also <2> and <3>. NRHE data transfer: TL 501433. A pit with a dog skeleton, a complete Roman pot, and a pair of shoes were found in 1977 during topsoil stripping in advance of gravel working for the M11 north-west of the Roman town wall (TL 54 SW14). The flint and chalk foundations of a building were also found. Fifteen 1st-4th century AD rubbish pits and an infant burial were examined along the course of the motorway at Great Chesterford. <4>