Iron Age or Roman Red Hill, Osea Road (EHER 7818)

A red hill at Osea Road, excavated by K. de Brisay in 1971-1972. It was disturbed by sewer works in 1978. It is of Iron Age or Roman date.

Red hill, excavated by K de Brisay 1971-1972. The mound has been ploughed down and spread over an area approximately 150m across and reduced to approximately 1m high, composed of reddish earth containing much briquetage. In 1971, it was under excavation. The excavator stated that most of the pottery finds indicate its main usage was in the Belgic period. By 1976, the mound had been further reduced by ploughing to approximately 0.6m high. <1> <2> <3> Red Hill at Goldhanger (sited from Wilmer's map to TL 8873 0743). A primitive salt-working residual mound. <3> <4> 1971. Archaeological excavation. The site was examined in 1971. The red hill was cross-sectioned to study its construction, indicating that it began on a sand bank or fairly dry mud flat in salt marshes; the red waste accumulated from this beginning. Briquetage was found and it was possible to define the artefacts more clearly and their usage. The pedestals seem to have been used to support large salt drying vessels, parts of which were found on the site. Perhaps the most important finds were groups of clay lined evaporation tanks, particularly one group with a little gully alongside feeding in salt water. Problems to be clarified included firing methods and the use of the firebars. Belgic pottery was found on the site, mainly from working floors, but only early Roman pottery was found in the gully. <5> July-November 1972. Archaeological excavation. The site was further examined in 1972. Further evaporation tanks, briquetage, pottery, working floors, a clay-packed ditch, and a gully were found. In considering the problem of the production of the red earth of the mound, it is suggested that there were a number of individual working areas, each used for a short time. The working floors were simply pure clay surfaces. The ditch was a puzzling feature, possibly made as a barrier against the sea. It may have originally been a double palisade. Salt working was carried out seaward of the supposed barrier however. <6> <7> Red hill, excavated 1971-1972. Pottery finds seem mostly to have been Late Iron Age, but Roman finds indicate activity continued into this period. A little gully feeding sea water to evaporation tanks produced only early Roman pottery. Pottery from the site included Samian, Oxford or New Forest ware, rim sherd of a Roman spindle amphora (Cam 181). <5> <6> September 1972. Field survey. A ploughed-down Red Hill, spread over an area approximately 150.0m across and reduced to approximately 1.0m high, comprised of reddish earth containing much briquetage. It is in process of excavation under the direction of Mrs K de Brisay, who states that most of the pottery finds indicate its main usage was in the Belgic period. A report is to be published. <8> September 1976. Field survey Field report by <8> correct. The mound has been further reduced by ploughing to about 0.6m high. <9> October 1978. Watching brief. A machine cut trench was observed in October 1978 cutting across the Red Hill at Osea Road. A layer of 1.5m of red infill was noted overlaying 1m of blue clay, which in turn overlay gravel. <10> The site was in operation in the Iron Age, Belgic and 1st century AD periods. Radiocarbon date from a piece of carbonised wood gave a value of 180-140 BC. <11> See also <12>. See aerial photograph <13>.