Early Iron Age to Roman enclosure complex and settlement, east of Hoe Farm (EHER 7859)

Trial trench excavation of an extensive cropmark complex in 1976 recovered a sufficient quantity of Early to Middle Iron Age pottery to suggest the presence of an open settlement of this period. A possible roundhouse gully was tentatively dated to this period, but no archaeological features could be firmly attributed to the occupation. This was succeeded by a small subrectangular enclosure in the Middle Iron Age, which continued in use until the early first century BC. This enclosure produced an important collection of Middle Iron Age pottery, notably a Middle Iron Age-Late Iron Age transitional group, as well as animal bone and a triangular loomweight. In the Late Iron Age, a much larger multi-ditched rectangular enclosure was constructed to the west, which underwent three constructional phases prior to its abandonment in the 1st century AD. It had an entrance to the south and the northern side of the enclosure may have been open, or may have been removed by post-Roman changes in the course of the River Chelmer and does not appear as a cropmark. During the first phase of construction, the two enclosures were in use concurrently, but by the second phase of construction, the Middle Iron Age enclosure was no longer in use. The third phase represents a need to re-strengthen the enclosure earthworks after a century of erosion and a new ditch was dug between the Phase I and Phase II ditches and apparently closed the southern entrance. This enclosure was probably abandoned in the late 2nd century AD and the area passed to agriculture for the remainder of the Roman period. This is evidenced by a rectangular field system which overlay the Middle Iron Age enclosure, and features a linked series of enclosures which are visible as cropmarks and represented by two excavated ditches in Trench B. These may belong to the 3rd century AD or later and are not easily paralleled in Essex. It is possible that the nucleus of the Roman settlement was immediately east of the brook which divides the cropmark site from the old quarry. Roman occupation was found here in 1934 but the evidence for this is limited, see EHER 7757. This sequence of open Early Iron Age settlement to subrectangular enclosure in the Late Middle/Iron Age, and to rectangular enclosure in the Late Iron Age/Romano-British period, followed by a shift in settlement enclosure after the late 1st century AD accords with the general settlement pattern known for the county.

April-May 1976. Trial trenching. An extensive cropmark complex which includes a small subrectangular enclosure and a multi-ditched rectangular enclosure. The majority of the features in the complex, with the exception of the ring-ditches (thought to be Bronze Age, see EHER 7858), were tentatively dated to the pre-Roman Iron Age and Romano-British periods. However, without excavation this interpretation was unsubstantiated. Trial excavations were carried out in 1976 to assess the effect of ploughing, to confirm the Iron Age and Romano-British dates of the main enclosures, and, if possible, to provide a site sequence. The main period represented was Iron Age, beginning in the Early Iron Age with an open settlement, continuing into the Middle Iron Age with the construction of the small subrectangular enclosure and the Late Iron Age with the construction of the multi-ditched rectangular enclosure which was in use until its abandonment in the first century AD and shows evidence of several construction phases. The pre-enclosure activity was evidenced by Early Iron Age and Early-Middle Iron Age pottery. Whilst no features could be firmly attributed to the Early-Middle Iron Age, pottery from this period was recovered from features in Trenches A and C, and there were a sufficient number of these sherds to indicate Early-Middle Iron Age pre-enclosure occupation, possibly an open settlement. One feature is tentatively suggested to be an Early Iron Age roundhouse gully constituting part of this occupation. During the Middle Iron Age a small subrectangular enclosure was constructed and continued in use into the Late Iron Age. The enclosure was dated through the pottery assemblage, though how early in the Middle Iron Age the enclosure was built is not certain. A transitional group of Middle Iron Age and Late Iron Age pottery in the upper levels of the ditch suggests that it was no longer functional by the early 1st century BC. Features within the enclosure were interpreted as the shallow remains of formerly more substantial post holes. No definite structures were discerned but three post holes could be the edge of a structure central to the enclosure. Wattle-impressed burnt daub from the upper ditch levels also suggests the presence of structures. Cattle and sheep bones and a triangular loomweight were also found. Wood species identified from charcoal taken from samples indicate a managed landscape in the area. The enclosure may have continued in use in the Late Iron Age as a 'safe' area for industrial activity - probably bronze or more likely enamel glass production, as indicated by the residues on a crucible recovered by the excavation. The enclosure produced an important collection of Middle Iron Age pottery, notably a Middle Iron Age - Late Iron Age transitional group, and the large quantity of pottery in the upper levels of the enclosure ditch suggests that it was no longer functional by the early first century BC. In the Late Iron Age, a much larger multi-ditched rectangular enclosure was constructed to the west, which underwent several constructional phases prior to its abandonment in the 1st century AD. The northern side of this enclosure may have been open or may have been removed by post-Roman changes in the course of the River Chelmer and does not appear as a cropmark. The first constructional phase can only be postulated by interpretation of the air photographs, as this phase was not tested by excavation. An area at least 120sqm was enclosed immediately to the west of the subrectangular enclosure with an 'annexe' to the east which respected the subrectangular enclosure; the implication being that this earlier enclosure continued in use during the Late Iron Age. The new enclosure had an inturned entrance on the south side and probably incorporated within its internal bank two earlier barrows at the south-western corner. Following the postulated destruction of buildings within the Middle Iron Age enclosure and the final site clearance and backfilling of the ditch, the eastern 'annexe' of the Phase I enclosure was no longer needed. A new enclosure was constructed inside the Phase I ditch with its southern entrance on the same alignment. It seems likely that this enclosure was maintained in use by the re-defining and re-cutting of its ditches. Pottery recovered from the fills of these ditches could be dated to no later than the mid-first century BC and therefore the Phase II enclosure can be seen to have a construction date before the mid-first century BC. The Phase III enclosure represents a need to re-strengthen the enclosure earthworks yet again after something like a century of erosion and accumulation of ditch silts had weakened the structure presumably beyond repair. A new ditch was dug between the Phase I and Phase II ditches and apparently closed the southern entrance. Only a small part of the interior was excavated, revealing a scatter of features, mostly interpreted as shallow remains of post holes. Only one coherent group was identified, and perhaps represented the remains of a timber bridge over the western ditch of the Phase II enclosure. Belgo-Roman pottery was found in the western ditch of the Phase III enclosure. The large, unabraded sherds have a manufacture date of around AD 40-60 and had been deposited not long after this date. Rodwell suggests that the unusually large number of freshly broken vessels could represent a calamity rather than casual breakage of a normal rubbish deposit. Some Belgo-Roman pottery was also found in the eastern ditch of the same phase. The upper fills of this ditch produced mainly pottery of late 2nd-early 3rd century AD, suggesting that the site finally ceased to function as a ditched enclosure around this time, the area being given over to agriculture from then until the present. Following abandonment of the rectangular enclosure system in the late second century AD, the area passed to agriculture for the remainder of the Roman period. A number of field ditches were identified. A ditch recorded in Trench A may be late first century in date, and relates to the rectangular field system which apparently overlay the Middle Iron Age subrectangular enclosure on the evidence of the air photographs. The linked series of enclosures visible as cropmarks and represented by two excavated ditches in Trench B, although not dated with certainty, may be third century or later on the basis of a single sherd of pottery, and are not easily paralleled in Essex. In view of the shallow nature of the features, it is possible that these were palisaded stock enclosures rather than small ditched field enclosures, but no post-pipes were identified. It is likely that the Late Iron Age rectangular enclosure was abandoned as a settlement site in the late second century AD and there is nothing from the excavation to suggest domestic occupation of the site after this time. The thin scatter of abraded debris of late Roman date is consistent with agricultural activity close to a settlement. It is possible that the nucleus of Roman settlement was immediately east of the brook which divides the cropmark site from the old quarry. Roman occupation was found here in 1934 but the evidence for this is limited, see EHER 7757. This sequence of open Early Iron Age settlement to subrectangular enclosure in the Late Middle/Iron Age, and to rectangular enclosure in the Late Iron Age/Romano-British period, followed by a shift in settlement enclosure after the late 1st century AD accords with the general settlement pattern known for the county. <1> - <4> See aerial photographs of the site under excavation, in the HER. <5> Ten photos of the excavation trenches, including three of the unabraded pottery deposit. <6> Two photos of the field surface, LibraryLinked to this record. <7> See also <8> - <11>. See aerial photographs <12> - <26> and cropmark plot <27>. Site Assessment: Site reported ploughed in 1980. <28> An unusual survival of a cropmark complex in Essex as it had not been regularly deep ploughed. The 1976 excavations found that the intensity of ploughing was not then a major threat. It was found that steam ploughing previously had caused disturbance. It was recommended that ploughing be restricted to the 1976 level, with trial excavations monitoring the situation at 10 year intervals. A long term threat from mineral extraction was recognised. <9> <1> The subrectangular enclosure produced an important collection of Middle Iron Age pottery, notably a Middle-Late Iron Age transitional group. <1>