Medieval occupation debris and clay floor, the Old Gasworks site, 139-141 High Street (EHER 14759)

Trial trenching in 1990 recorded a layer of medieval occupation debris dating to the 12th-15/16th century capped by a possible clay floor dating to the very late medieval period.

1990. Trial trenching. A trench, one bucket wide, was dug at right-angles to the frontage, about 6m from the house to the west and 1m behind that buildings frontage. The section revealed yellow-brown natural clay at about 0.6m. Next to this was a blackish layer, becoming greenish with depth, i.e. the typical weathered greenish layer in areas of human occupation at Maldon. At the top of this was a layer of oyster shells in a blackish silty matrix, almost certainly put down to form a surface. It contained very little tile and some medieval pottery including medieval shelly ware, a sherd of Hedingham ware, and an off-white green-glazed fabric, possibly of North French origin. The finds have a date range from the 12th to 15th/16th centuries. Above this was a yellow-brown clay, possibly the remains of a levelling or floor layer. It is suggested that the site did not become built-up until the 15th/16th century and it may be that this side of the street was developed later than the southern side. <1>