Roman enclosure at St Peter's School (EHER 8729)

Roman rectilinear ditched enclosure at Coggeshall. Excavations at St Peter's School in 1984 and East Street in 1985 have located the east and south sides of an enclosure of about 350 by 300 metres. Although no evidence of built structures has been found, substantial building debris at both sites indicates a high status settlement associated with cattle-rearing activity.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: Roman rectilinear ditched enclosure at Coggeshall. Excavations at St Peter's School in 1984 and East Street in 1985 have located the east and south sides of an enclosure of about 350 by 300 metres. Although no evidence of built structures has been found, substantial building debris at both sites indicates a high status settlement associated with cattle-rearing activity. There are three clear phases: establishment of a de novo villa in the late 1st century to the mid 2nd century; low level activity from then to the end of the 3rd century; and a resurgence of a villa-based economy in the 4th century. <1> Topsoil removal monitored over 0.4 ha, prior to construction of new school. Most features seemed to represent 2 phases of Roman occupation on the east edge of a sizable settlement, probably rectangular in plan, with Stane Street as, on the rear, its south side. In phase 1 (mid 1st to early 2nd century) a substantial north-south ditch crossed the area with a gully parallel to it, about 12m to the east. Gullies and a further major ditch represented internal boundaries and a trackway approached the larger of the two ditches from the west. A relative lack of features east of this ditch, except the gully, an isolated furnished child inhumation and a cremation in a wooden box, demonstrate this to be the east boundary of the settlement. In phase 2 (2nd to early 4th century) the northern part of the east boundary ditch seems to have been replaced by a palisade, and at least two of the east-west internal boundaries were similarly altered. No buildings were found within the excavated area, but the existence of a possible 'mansio-type' structure is inferred from tesserae, wall plaster and box flue tiles from one of the palisade trenches. <2> - <4> In phase 1 the eastern ditch and gully represent a trackway, almost certainly the east boundary of the settlement. In phase 2, about 150-270, the presence of several cremation burials in the southern trench, with a child inhumation burial actually under the phase 1 perimeter trackway, suggest this part of the site was no longer within the settlement. A new ditch in the northern part of the excavated area could be a phase 2 southern boundary ditch. There was some evidence that the phase 1 boundary ditch was recut north of the point where the phase 2 ditch would have cut it. If so, this could be the SE corner of the settlement at this period. In phase 3, AD 270-350, a new east-west ditch and a shallow well to the north were dug. A large irregular hollow east of the ditch probably represents quarrying. This phase may be a re-expansion of the settlement area with probable industrial activity (e.g. quarrying). In phase 4 (AD 350-390+) the backfilled phase 3 ditch was redug as a palisade trench and a pit was dug to the south of the excavated area. When the palisade slot was backfilled in late 4th or early 5th century, the fill included quantities of roof and box flue tile, painted plaster, window glass and mosaic fragments. A ditch parallel to Stane Street on the East Street site seems to be contemporary (see EHER 8730). The settlement area may have expanded further south at this period but the East Street ditch may merely be a roadside ditch. <4> Area = 0.4 See also: <5> <6>