Iron Age gully, Chignall Hall (EHER 7324)

Area of 10,000 sq. m examined after topsoil stripping uncovering an Iron Age gully.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import. 1985. Excavation: an area of 10,000 square metres was examined after topsoil stripping. Although designated for gravel extraction, the subsoil was chalky boulder clay. A small enclosure, defined by ditches, was revealed. A section cut through one of the ditches showed it to have been cut 1.2m into the subsoil; it was 2.5m wide with a symmetrical profile. The latest pottery, present in all fills, was mid-1st century AD. This was mostly in the form of large sherds, accompanied by fragments of burnt daub, animal bone, charcoal and burnt flint. It would appear that this ditch was rapidly filled with domestic debris some time in the mid-1st century AD. Its construction date remains uncertain. The Roman phase is detailed in EHER 7325. A shallow curvilinear gully, only 150mm deep and up to 400mm wide, produced Middle Iron Age pottery, including rim sherds with finger nail decoration along their upper surface (paralleled at Little Waltham). Further work is anticipated. Finds are in Chelmsford Museum. <1> <2> <3> Site Assessment = Accession numbers of finds?