Iron Age to Roman enclosure and stuctures, Keeler's Farm, South of Keelers Tye, Wivenhoe (EHER 2595)

Cropmarks of an enclosure, trackway and pits excavated in 1994. The evidence from this field evaluation therefore points to an enclosure of Iron Age/Romano-British date with internal structures represented by post holes. Earlier prehistoric activity on the site is hinted at by the finding of the flint artefacts, residual in later contexts, but likely to have come from the immediate vicinity.

Cropmarks of an enclosure, trackway and pits. <1> <2> <3> In 1994 Tempus Reparatum undertook a field evaluation. Three evaluation trenches were opened by mechanical excavator and investigated. A total of 17 features were revealed. Two sherds of pottery and four flint artefacts were recovered. The features comprised ditches, gullies, pits and post holes; only one of which was ascribed a date (albeit tentatively). The ditch that matched the outline (feature G) was of the cropmark enclosure thought to be of Iron Age/Romano-British date as it had a ditch and slot profile characteristic of this date and produced a single Iron Age sherd. The evidence from this field evaluation therefore points to an enclosure of Iron Age/Romano-British date with internal structures represented by post holes. Earlier prehistoric activity on the site is hinted at by the finding of the flint artefacts, residual in later contexts, but likely to have come from the immediate vicinity. These comprise a small round handaxe of Mousterian or Acheulian tradition and later – Middle Palaeolithic in date c.100,000 – 50,000 bp. Two other flints, both scrapers, could easily be of Mousterian date. The other was fresher and possibly Neolithic – Bronze Age in date. <4>