A Late Bronze Age Enclosure at Broomfield, Chelmsford
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ESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE ESSEX SOCIETY FOR ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY VOLUME 26 (Third Series) 1995 Published by the Society at the Museum in the Castle 1995 THE ESSEX SOCIETY FOR ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY The Society was founded in 1852 as the Essex Archaeological Society Its objects are: (1) To promote and encourage the study of the archaeology and history of the historic county of Essex. (2) In furtherance of the above to publish the results of such studies in Transactions and to disseminate information on matters relating to archaeology and history in Essex through appropriate media. (3) To organise conferences, lectures, and visits for the benefit of members and interested members of the public; to educate the wider community in the historical and archaeological heritage of Essex; to co-operate with other bodies on matters of common interest and concern. · , (4) To provide library facilities for Society members and approved members of the public. Publications The articles in its Transactions range over the whole field of local history. Back numbers and offprints are available; list and prices on application to the Librarian. Members receive a quarterly Newsletter covering all aspects of the Society's activities, news of current excavations and fieldwork, and items of topical interest. The Library The library is housed at the Hollytrees, High Street, Colchester, and is extensive. It aims to include all books on Essex history, and has many runs of publications by kindred Societies. Members may use the library on any weekday during museum opening hours (10-1, 2-5, Saturdays, October to March, closes 4 p.m.) on presentation of a signed membership card. Membership Application should be made to the Hon. Membership Secretary for current rates. Articles for Publication are welcome and should be set out to conform with the Notes for Contributors, of which offprints are available. They should be sent to the Hon. Editor. A list of officers, with addresses, will be found in this volume. Subscribing Societies in Essex Billericay Archaeological and History Society; Brain Valley Archaeological Society; Castle Point Archaeological Society; Colchester Archaeological Group; Essex Society for Family History; The Friends of Historic Essex; Great Bardfield Historical Society; Halstead and District Historical Society; Haverhill and District Archaeological Group; lngatestone and Fryerning Historical and Archaeological Society; Maldon Archaeological Group; Saffron Walden Historical Society; Southend-on-Sea and District Historical Society; Waltham Abbey Historical Society; West Essex Archaeological Group; Woodford and District Historical Society; Chigwell School. Amended July 1987. ISSN 0308 3462 Camera-ready artwork by the Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd. Printed in England by Witley Press Ltd., Hunstanton, Norfolk. Essex Archaeology and History Volume 26 (1995) Contents A Late Bronze Age enclosure at Broomfield, Chelmsford 1 MARK ATKINSON Early Iron Age settlement at Southend: excavations at Fox Hall Farm, 1993 24 JO ECCLESTONE Analytical field survey at two Essex 'hill forts': South Weald Camp and Langdon Hills 40 RAPHAEL M.}. ISSERLIN South Weald Camp -a probable late Iron Age hill fort: excavations 1990 53 MARIA MEDLYCOTT, OWEN BEDWIN and STEVE GODBOLD New light on on the salt industry and Red Hills of prehistoric and Roman Essex 65 P.R. SEALEY Roman Coggeshall II: excavations at 'The Lawns', 1989-93 82 RAPHAEL M.}. ISSERLIN Excavations at the rear of 1-5 Sun Street, Waltham Abbey 105 N. BROWN The taking of venison in the forest of Essex 1198-1207 126 DAVID CROOK Settlement and farming patterns on the mid-Essex boulder clay 133 }.M. HUNTER The fortunes of war: the military career of}ohn, second lord Bourchier (d. 1400) 145 MICHAEL }ONES Short studies in topography and family history 162 The late J. HORACE ROUND, revised by W.R. POWELL A detached kitchen at Great Y eldham: excavation and building study at Old Post Office cottages, 1988-89 174 CARL CROSSAN and the late P. CHRISTIE Beyond the 'Morant canon' II: some Essex parish historians 192 W.R. POWELL The life and work ofFred Chancellor 1825-1918 205 ANNEHOLDEN Work of the Archaeology Section 1994 222 A. BENNETT (ed.) Archaeology in Essex 1994 238 P.J. GILMAN and A. BENNETT (eds) Shorter Notes Late Bronze Age hoard from Stumps Cross NIGEL BROWN 259 Archaeological assessment at Gosbecks farm, Colchester 1994 H. BROOKS, S. BENFIELD and S. GARROD 261 A Roman rural shrine at Boreham? A re-interpretation COUN W ALLACE 264 Finds from Stapleford Tawney/Stanford Rivers HILARY MAJOR 269 A supporting-arm brooch from Henham SUSAN TYLER 270 The Barley Barn at Cressing - a possible method of construction CECIL HEWETT 271 A medieval aisled barn at Fryerning J.V.H. KEMBLE 273 A lost Essex hospital; the College of St Mark at Audley End D.D. ANDREWS 276 St Andrew's church, Hatfield Peverel RICHARD HAVIS 277 A late 16th-century gentleman's house at Unlebury, Stanford Rivers D.D. ANDREWS, P. RYAN and D.F. STENNING 279 Archaeology along the Horndon-Barking gas pipeline: the Essex section VAUGHAN BIRBECK and IAN BARNES 285 Book Reviews 288 Essex Bibliography A. PHILLIPS and P .R. SEALEY 295 Cover illustration: St Nicholas' church, Canewdon, showing 15th-century west tower. Drawing by A. B. Bamford (1857-1939) in the Essex Record Office (see 'Short studies in topography and family history' [pp. 162-73]). Essex Archaeology and History 26 (1995), 1-24 A Late Bronze Age enclosure at Broomfield, Chelmsford by Mark Atkinson with specialist contributions by Nigel Brown, Hilary Major, Peter Murphy and Alan Saville Excavation in advance of a housing development revealed location of each area was dictated by the positioning of a sub-rectangular enclosure of Late Bronze Age date. The houses within what is now the Windmill Field residen excavation of the interior revealed a single hut circle with tial development. Approximately one third of the en associated fence lines and pits belonging to a small farm closure interior was left uninvestigated and agreement stead for which a mixed agrarian economy is suggested. made to preserve it under garden plots. Due to plough Occupation is thought to have been shon-lived. disturbance, all deposits overlying natural were removed revealing the features cutting into the gravel, sand and brickearth at a depth of c. 0.3m below Introduction ground surface. Excavation of the enclosure was prompted by residen Excavation, under the directorship of the author, tial development. The work was undertaken by the focused upon the enclosure ditch and its interior as Field Archaeology Group of Essex County Council in there was no opportunity to investigate any of the de December 1991 and January 1992, and funded by the velopment area beyond the immediate vicinity of the developer, Bellway Homes. enclosure. Linear features were sampled by segments, The site was originally identified in the 1970s from and all other distinct features such as post holes and pits were half-sectioned. Natural features were also aerial photographs (TL 7011/4/59). It was evident as a cropmark of a sub-rectangular enclosure with a single sampled. Feature definition was generally good across ditch and entrance. A probable Iron Age date was as the site, although the distinction between archaeologi signed to it. The site is located on the edge of gently cal and natural features was made difficult by the simi larity of their fills and absence of artefacts in many pits sloping terraces of the Chelmer Valley at the north end of Broomfield, Essex at TL 705 114 (Fig. 1), at a and post holes. It is possible that some smaller features may not have been recognised. The relatively acidic height of c. 47.0m OD, on glacially laid gravel and nature of the natural gravel also resulted in very poor sand with irregular patches of brickearth. The site bone preservation. commands extensive views over the terraces and flood plain of the river below. Other linear cropmarks have The investigation produced evidence for a total of also been identified to the east of the site, extending four phases of occupation from the Late Neolithic to beyond the Hospital approach road. Roman periods, of which the Late Bronze Age was the The enclosure is one of a number of Late Bronze most significant and substantial. These phases are dis Age enclosed settlements known in the mid-Chelmer cussed below and their component groups of features Valley and its excavation has produced a further in described. sight into the nature of settlement and economy of the area during this period, previously summarised by Pre-enclosure features Brown and Lavender (1994). The evidence for pre-enclosure activity on the site is in No archaeological work had been undertaken in the form of two Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age pits, this vicinity prior to the excavation although an area of 2004 and 2008, and a linear cut, 2030, tentatively some 2 hectares was later fieldwalked in 1992 at dated to the Early or Middle Bronze Age. Broomfield Hospital only 500m to the north-west The pits were located to the east of the later enclo (Ecclestone 1992). While a number of worked and sure entrance in Area A (Fig. 2). Both were rounded, burnt flints were collected, their small number does though slightly irregular, in plan. Their excavation re not appear to indicate the presence of further prehis vealed moderately sloping sides and flat bases cut into toric features at this location. natural gravel. Each contained dark brown silty fills which yielded Grooved Ware pottery and worked flints, including waste flakes derived from blade manu The Excavation facture and a good example of a knife from 2008 Two areas, A and B, totalling c. 1200 sq m were (Fig. 14, 65).