Undated skeletons, Danbury Camp, Church Green (EHER 5623)

A watching brief on cable laying along narrow lane uncovered the undated bones of two adult skeletons of unknown date.

Watching brief, 1980 Watching brief on cable laying along narrow lane linking north west corner of Danbury Church Green with the A414 (east of the Almshouses and Co-op store). The trench was only excavated to around 35cm in width and around 45cm in depth. Modern disturbances were noted, also tops of features cut into light, buff clay natural. Finds indicate most features as post medieval. One of the features, F6, at the bottom of the slope of the ground here, contained black soil and could be the top of a substantial ditch. Finds were post medieval (see EHER 5622) but they could represent a final filling. The 'ditch' lay on the line previously suggested by Spurrell for the northern boundary of Danbury Camp (see 5608). The feature could also have been a former roadside ditch. Its full width was obscured. Feature 4 (disturbed ground at entrance to Almshouses) produced undated human bone, representing two adults. Given the close association in a small trench "it is likely that earlier disturbance or redeposition of inhumations had taken place". No explanation could be offered as to why they were found so far from the churchyard <1> Apparently, other inhumations were found near here when a sewer trench was installed to serve the rectory <2> Finds in Chelmsford Museum <3> Site Assessment = Accession numbers? No new information from NRHE