- 3 The RayleighHilts in south-eastEssex: patterns in exploitation of a woodland by StephenRippon This paper examines certain aspects of landscape evolution Rackham(1986b) and Rodwell (1978; 1993) on thesurviv- in south-east Essex, where three broad topographical areas ing planned landscapesof prehistoric and Roman date, can be identifled: the low-lying London Clay basin east of while researchin south-eastEssex has suggesteda later Basildon, an olltcrop of the Bagshot Beds forming the Saxon origin for a similarly regular pattern of fields and Rayleigh Hills at the centre, and lower-lying gravels and roads(Rippon 1991),a hypothesiswhich hasreceived sup- brickearths to the east.The Rayleigh Hills are curently well port from the publicationof large-scaleexcavations at North wooded and a range of evidence shows this to have been the Shoebury(Wymer & Brown 1995).A nr-rmberof other stud- case since the Saxon period, though later prehistoric and ies havealso shed new light on the medievalfield systemsof Roman settlement had been extensive. Following post- certain Essex parishes,notably Cressing (Hunter 1993b; Roman woodland regeneration and later Saxon clearance, 1995),Havering (Mclntosh 1986),Rivenhall (Rodwell & the establishment of an extensive royal estate,which includ- Rodwell 1985; 1993),Saffion Walden (Cromarty 1966), ed three deer parks, transformed part of the region. In con- Thaxted (Newton 1960),Witham (Britnell 1983; Rodwell trast, the remaining areas were exploited in a piecemeal 1993) and Writtle (Newton 1970). Such work shows a t-ashionas individual smallholders and great monastic land- marked bias towardscentral and northernEssex (seeGray lords alike created a landscape through gradual assarting. 1915and Roden l9l3 for moregeneral discussions of Essex The abundance of woodland and common pasture on the field systems). Rayleigh Hi1ls was in sharp contrast to surrounding. lower- This paperwill examinethe previouslyneglected south- lying areas and, thor-rgh land on the Hills had the lowest eastcorner of the county,in which the role of a numberof value in the 11th century, by 1334 they were more highly major landlordsand the local peasantcommunity in shaping valued than the London Clay area to the west. the landscapecan be compared.It will show how powerfui estate owners could radically reshape the countryside, INTRODUCTION though it was not alwayspossible nor desirablefor them to The medievailandscape of Essexwas very diff-erentfrom do so. This paper will also show how smallholdersin this the open flelds and nucleatedvillages of Midland England, areatended not to cooperatein creatingplanned fietd sys- and during the 16th century the terms 'woodland' (as in 'champion' tems,but worked individually in the clearanceof woodland. south-eastEngland) and (as in the Midlands) - creatingdistinctive, irregular landscapes. were given for thesecontrasting areas (Rackham 1986a, 1- 5; Williamson1988). Essex typifies a 'woodland'landscape: THE STUDYAREA the mainly enclosedfields were often held in severalty,and The RayleighHills, betweenSouthend and Basildon, stretch the abundanthed_eerows gave the countrysidea very bosky from Hockley in the north, through Rayleigh and appearance.The settlementpattern was largely dispersed, Thundersley,to Hadleigh and South Benfleetin the south. with farmsteadsand cottagessprawling aroundgreens and The Hills comprisea complex sequenceof clays, sandsand commonsthroughout the parish. gravelsof the Claygateand Bagshotseries, which in places 'ancient' Rackham(1986a) has usedthe terms country- give rise to podsolized heaths,contrasting sharply with 'planned' side (south-eastEngland) and countryside(the heavy London Clays to the west and lighter terracegravels Midlands)for thesesame two areas,though this broadclas- and brickearthsto the east (Scarfe 1942.448: Wvmer & sificationhas rather misleading chronological overtones and fails to recognisethe wide rangeof processesthat led to the 'ancient' creationof landscapes.Some areas in the 'ancient' zone were in fact planned with great precisionduring the Iron Age (Drury 1916), and the Roman (Rodwell 1978), Saxon(Rippon I99I,55-8), and medievalperiods (Hunter 'ancient' 1995,138), while other areasof countrysidewere created through the gradual and piecemeal assarting of woodland.It is the last processthat is exploredin this paper. While Essexhas benefited from a long historyof archae- oiogical and documentary research on the Saxon and medieval periods, there has been relativeiy little enquiry as to the originsof its presentlandscape. Notable exceptions Fig 17 South-eastEssex: reLief, and loccttionof places referred 'The have included the work of Bassett(1982), Drury (7916), to by Rippon in RayleighHills in south-eastEssex...'. 20 The RayleighHills in south-eastEssex: patterns in exploitationof a woodland 20) and soils were agricr-rlturallyless prodr,rctive than on the adjacentlowlands, such as Shoeburyand Wakering to the east(Table 1). TableI Agriculturalproductivity in HadLeigh,Shoebury and Wakeringin 1795 (basedon VancotwerI795, tablefacing 76). yalue(shillings) yields(bushels per acre) enclosedenclosed parish arable pasture wheat barley oats LONDON GRAVEL ^1 a1 f4 Hadleigh t2s 12s LA JL JL tI E-r= Shoebury 16s l6s 28 34 40 l*l | 0km r,' Wakering 16s l6s 28 34 40 E l* ,l BRICKEARTH ALLUVIUM Fig 18 South-eastEssex: simpLffied geology. THE ANTIQUITY OF 'ANCIENT WOODLAND': PREHISTORIC AND ROMAN SETTLE,MENT Brown 1995,3). The southernedge of the Hiils is markedby The well-woodedlandscape and lower agriculturalproduc- a relativelysteep degraded cliff, fringedby post-glacialestu- tivity in the postmedieval period might lead to the assump- arine alluvium along the margins of the ThamesEstuary tion that the RayleighHills havenever been extensively set- (Figs l8 and 19).The westernand northernedge of the Hiils tled and are a marginallandscape: an areanot ideally suited is marked by a steepscalp slope,with a much gentlerdip to agricultureand only settledat times of high population slopeto the east. pressure(Bailey 1989; Dyer 1990b;Rippon 1997).This Landscapecharacter on the RayleighHi11s was summed impressionis certainlyconfirmed by the reportof the Land 'The up by Woodward( 1903,9): land is lesscultivated than Utilisation Survey carried out in the 1930s,when it was 'much on otherformations, and commons, village greensand much arguedthat of the sandysoil turnedout to be too poor woodland help to diversify the scenes'.At the end of the to cultivateafler clearanceand becameheath and common' 1Sthcentury there was a great abundanceof woodland(Fig (Scarfe1.942,448). SOUTH-EAST ESSEX c181,0 Wickford Fig l9 Field boundcLrvpatterns in south-east Essex (based on theTithe Ayvardmaps of c. 1840). Note the reguLorly Laicl-otLt landscapes on the London Clat (sorah of Wickford) and brickearths and grcnels (north of Southend), which contrast with the more irregular landscape on the Ra.vleigh Hills. 2l -I StephenRippon Bedwin 1989).A substantialRoman settlementexisted to the north of Hadleighat Dawes Heath.at the centreof what is stiil one of the most wooded parts of the Rayleigh Hills (seebelow; Delderfield & Rippon i996; Drury et ttl l98l'5. A number of unstratified finds have also been found throughoutthe parish,including a mortarof Purbeckmarbie tiom GreatWood (SM TQ 88 NW 7, pottery and a bronze statuefrom Hadlei_shCastle (ECC SMR 9533-4,SM TQ 88 NW 13;Drewett 1915,135-8), and coins from six locations: Bilton Road (ECC SMR 9154;SM TQ 88 NW 37). Castle Farm (SM TQ 88 NW 2l), ChurchRoad (SM TQ 88 NW 39), MeadowRoad (SM TQ 88 NW 87), ScrubLane (ECC SMR 9124;SM TQ 88 NW 51) andWest Wood (SM TQ BB Nw 68). The coastlinewas also an important focus of activity (Fig 21). To the southof the RayleighHills lay an extensive areaof saltmarshwhich, in the Romanperiod, was the set- 'red ting for at least three hills' used for salt production (Fawn et al 1990, 52).On the adjacentfen edge Roman material has been found at the easternend of the Castle Saddleback(ECC SMR 9519),while a largeamount of very Fig 20 ExtrctctJ'rom the Ordnance Surveyfirst edition six-inch 'ru ntcLpof south-eastEssex (surveyed in 1876). This forms the basis ' ///t ' '1_ "4(/////////t for the lcLndscctpeanaly.sis in Figure 21. For example,recent // .-'r/u1//' '(/1,.t7 enclosures,such us the woodLandassart from WestWood north- 1 . west of Solby's (compareFig 21) and Hadleigh Common,have ct clrrpci L rnr crrclosurc ,_/(,///,.4,,/////Z Z - %, HAIJL t tC H / ", far more regulur Loyoutthun the earlier fieldsaround the vilLage. ( //12:' O '-*'/ :, SayersFam ta - /'), O double ditched cnclosurc I 2(, Key issues are the date when this clearance was under- (^ \-,\ taken and the age of the surviving woodland. If the Land ,(//\J\'1t'\,_s \--1t^_gi.- __J Utilisation Survey was correct then we shouid expect an \^/\'-, ',- a ,/) \- rorn abundance of woodland and less settlement on the Rayleigh l{l\,-+ L', \ \ --= Hi1ls compared to the adjacent areas (except at times of high population pressure). Unfortunately there has been relative- ly little archaeological work on the Hills, though bearing in mind that the vast majority of archaeological discoveries are, therefore, antiquarian and other chance finds, there is in fact a remarkable number (Buckley 1980; Pollitt 1953). For example, taking just one parish, Hadleigh (Fig21), later pre- historic finds include an Eariy Iron Age enclosure off Chapel Lane (Brown 1987), several Late Iron Age bunal urns trom Sayer's Farm (ECC SMR 1208-9,9610; SM TQ 88 NW 74), and the cropmarks of a substantial