HATFIELD FOREST, ESSEX REVISED ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORIC LANDSCAPE SURVEY MAY 2017 HATFIELD FOREST, ESSEX REVISED ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORIC LANDSCAPE SURVEY By Maria Medlycott May 2017 Hatfield Forest, Essex – Archaeological and Historic Landscape Survey 2017 Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 8 2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES .................................................................................... 8 3 SITE CONTEXTt ................................................................................................. 8 3.1 Location ......................................................................................................... 8 3.2 Size ............................................................................................................... 8 3.3 General topography, hydrology, soils ............................................................ 8 4 STATUTORY AND NON-STATUTORY CONSTRAINTS .................................. 10 5 NATURE OF THE EVIDENCE .......................................................................... 10 6 SUMMARY HISTORY OF THE ENVIRONS OF HATFIELD FOREST .............. 12 6.1 Palaeolithic Period (700,000-10,000 BC) .................................................... 12 6.2 The Mesolithic Period (10,000 – 4,000 BC) ................................................. 13 6.3 Neolithic Period (4,000 – 2,200 BC) ............................................................ 15 6.4 The Bronze Age (2,200 – 700 BC) .............................................................. 16 6.5 The Iron Age (700 BC – 43 AD) .................................................................. 18 6.6 The Roman Period (43-410 AD) .................................................................. 20 6.7 The Saxon Period (410-1066 AD) .............................................................. 22 6.8 The Medieval Period (1066-1537) ............................................................... 24 6.9 THE Post-Mmedieval Period (1538-1900) .................................................. 27 6.10 THE Modern Period (1901 to the present day) ......................................... 27 7 SUMMARY HISTORY OF HATFIELD FOREST ............................................... 29 7.1 Palaeolithic Period (700,000-10,000 BC) .................................................... 29 7.2 The Mesolithic Period (10,000 – 4,000 BC) ................................................. 29 7.3 Neolithic Period (4,000 – 2,200 BC) ............................................................ 30 7.4 The Bronze Age (2,200 – 700 BC) ............................................................. 30 7.5 The Iron Age (700 BC – 43 AD) ................................................................. 31 7.6 The Roman Period (43-410 AD) .................................................................. 33 7.7 The Saxon Period (410-1066 AD) .............................................................. 34 7.8 The Medieval Period (1066-1537) ............................................................... 36 7.8.1 Forest boundaries ................................................................................. 36 7.8.2 Gates .................................................................................................... 36 7.8.3 Coppices ............................................................................................... 38 7.8.4 Forest Lodge (NTSMR 00110) .............................................................. 57 7.8.5 Possible moat (NTSMR 001714) .......................................................... 58 7.8.6 Portingbury Rings (NTSMR 00113) ...................................................... 60 7.8.7 Doodle Oak (NTSMR 00509) ................................................................ 62 7.8.8 The Plains ............................................................................................. 62 7.8.9 The London Horsepath ......................................................................... 70 7.8.10 Anti-highwayman trench ....................................................................... 71 7.9 Late 16th-17TH Century ................................................................................. 71 7.9.1 The Coppices ....................................................................................... 71 7.9.2 Forest Lodge (NTSMR 00110) .............................................................. 72 7.9.3 The Warren (NTSMR 00112) ................................................................ 74 7.9.4 Warren House or Cottage (NTSMR 00111) .......................................... 74 7.9.5 Gravel-Pits ............................................................................................ 75 7.10 18TH Century ............................................................................................ 75 3 Hatfield Forest, Essex – Archaeological and Historic Landscape Survey 2017 7.10.1 The lake and dam ................................................................................. 76 7.10.2 The Shell House (NTSMR 00491) ........................................................ 76 7.10.3 The Coppices ........................................................................................ 78 7.10.4 The Plains ............................................................................................. 79 7.11 19TH Century ............................................................................................ 80 7.11.1 Forest Lodge (NTSMR 00110) .............................................................. 82 7.11.2 The Doodle Oak (NTSMR 00509) ......................................................... 82 7.11.3 The Coppices ........................................................................................ 82 7.11.4 The Warren ........................................................................................... 83 7.11.5 The Plains ............................................................................................. 83 7.11.6 ‘Public drains’ ........................................................................................ 84 7.12 The Modern Period (1901 onwards) ......................................................... 85 7.12.1 First half of the 20th century................................................................... 85 7.12.2 Second World War ................................................................................ 87 7.12.3 1950s onwards ...................................................................................... 88 8 Other National Trust land-holdings in the vicinity of Hatfield Forest .................. 91 8.1 Wall Wood and Woodside Green ................................................................ 91 8.2 Tile-kiln green .............................................................................................. 95 8.3 Little hallingbury .......................................................................................... 96 9 Bibliography and cartographic sources.............................................................. 97 10 Glossary of terms .............................................................................................. 98 11 List of abbreviations........................................................................................... 99 12 Appendices ...................................................................................................... 100 FIGURE LIST Figure 1 - Location map .......................................................................................................... 7 Figure 2 - Geology ................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 3 - Statutory and non-statutory designations ................................................................ 11 Figure 4 - Computer generated image of the southern edge of the Anglian ice sheet in Essex ................................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 5 - Mesolithic activity in and around Hatfield Forest ............................................ 14 Figure 6 - Neolithic activity in the Hatfield Forest area .................................................... 15 Figure 7 - Large stone potentially used as a Neolithic standing stone but found in a Bronze Age pit at Stansted Airport and now located at the crossroads in Takeley .... 16 Figure 8 - Bronze Age activity in the Hatfield Forest area .............................................. 17 Figure 9 - Iron Age activity in the Hatfield Forest area .................................................... 19 Figure 10 - Roman sites in the Hatfield Forest area ........................................................ 21 Figure 11 - Saxon sites and find-spots in the Hatfield Forest area ............................... 23 Figure 12 - The medieval landscape in the Hatfield Forest area ................................... 25 Figure 13 - Reconstruction drawing of the 12th-14th century farmstead at Roundwood, Stansted Airport .............................................................................................. 26 Figure 14 - Postcard of Barrington Hall .............................................................................. 27 Figure 15 - Aerial photograph taken by the Luftwaffe during World War II of Stansted Airport. The corner of Hatfield Forest is just visible in the bottom left-hand corner ... 28 Figure 16 - Mesolithic find-spot