ESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE ESSEX SOCIETY FOR ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY VOLUME 19 (Third Series) 1988 Published by the Society at the Museum in the Castle 1988 ESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY 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 com­ munity 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 oflocal history. Back numbers and offprints are available; list and prices on ap­ plication 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; Ingatestone 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 Printed in England by Witley Press Ltd., Hunstanton, Norfolk Essex Archaeology and History: Volume 19 ( 1988) Contents A Late Bronze Age settlement on the boulder clay plateau: excavations at Broads Green 1986 7 NIGEL BROWN Late Iron Age enclosures at Kelvedon: excavations at the Doucecroft site 1985-86 15 C.P. CLARKE On the outskins of Roman Chelmsford: excavations at Lasts Garage 1987 40 STEVEN WALLIS Roman Coggeshall: excavations 1984-85 4 7 C.P. CLARKE The Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Prittlewell, Essex: an analysis ofthe grave goods 91 SUSANTYLER Excavations on the nonh side of Sun Street, Waltham Abbey 1974-77: Saxon burials, precinct wall and the south-east transept 117 P.J. HUGGINS The medieval hospitals at East and West Tilbury and Henry VIII's forts 154 W.R. POWELL The fields and pastures of Colchester 1280-1350 159 R.H. BRITNELL Pleshey Castle - the northern bailey: excavations at the village hall site 1987 166 DEBORAH PRIDDY Maiden's Tye: a moated site at High Easter 176 ELIZABETH SELLERS, PATRICIA M. RYAN and HELEN WALKER Excavations in the Market Place, Waltham Abbey 1981: the Moot Hall and Romano-British occupation 196 P.J. HUGGINS A timber-framed building in Bocking 215 DAVID ANDREWS and BRENDA WATKIN The 18th-century attorney as political broker: the case ofFrancis Smythies 223 SHANI D'CRUZE Local government planning papers as sources for the local historian: an Essex survey 231 SHIRLEY DURGAN The work of Essex County Council Archaeology Section 1987 240 DEBORAH PRIDDY (ed.) Excavations in Essex 1987 260 DEBORAH PRIDDY (ed.) Archaeological Notes An enamelled Roman plate brooch from Chelmsford N.P. WICKENDEN 272 The old St. Peter's school site, Coggeshall: excavations 1987 ROLAND FLOOK 272 Facon de Venise glass from Coggeshall and Harlow DAVID ANDREWS 275 Book Reviews An Essex tribute (ed.) K. NEALE 278 Excavation of a cropmark enclosure complex at Woodham Waiter 1976 D.G. BUCKLEY and J.D. HEDGES 279 and an assessment of excavated enclosures in Essex D. PRIDDY and D.G. BUCKLEY 279 Cover illustration: Tilbury Fon from the Thames: an early 18th-century engraving by Johannes Kip (1653-1722). 1988 marks the 300th anniversary of the accession of William Ill. Kip's engraving reflects the complexities of Anglo-Dutch relationships: an English military installation, built in response to Dutch raids up the Thames, to the designs of a Dutchman, Sir Bernard de Gomme, and depicted here by a Dutch engraver who had settled in Westminster (reproduced by kind permission of the County Archivist). The Society is gratefulto the Essex History Fair Trust Fund for a generous grant towards the cost ofproducing this volume. Essex Archaeology and History 19 (1988), 1-14 A Late Bronze Age settlement on the boulder clay plateau: excavations at Broads Green 1986 by Nigel Brown Summary An unenclosed Late Bronze Age settlement was investigated Cremations: Five unurned cremation burials were prior to mineral extraction, on the edge of the boulder clay recovered. Two 40m south east of structure 1, two 25m plateau of central Essex. The site consisted of a scatter of pits south and a further single cremation 85m north east of and post holes around a small rectilinear structure, measuring structure 1 (Fig. 2). Each burial consisted of cremated bone 4m by 2m. Five unurned cremations were also present. placed in a small, steep-sided flat-bottomed pit. Material recovered included a typical later Bronze Age flint assemblage and pottery, which indicate a date early in the first Other features: Four isolated postholes were recorded, one millennium B. C. Metalwork finds have long indicated Late (F4) with a packing of large flints. Fifteen pits were record­ Bronze Age activity on the Essex claylands. However, this is ed. These fall into two groups; shallow scoops and deeper the first settlement of the period to be excavated on the boulder features with basin-like profiles. This broad division into clay. Its peripheral position may indicate exploitation of the two groups is similar to that noted on the LBA site at Alder­ boulder clay by settlements on the fringe of the claylands. maston Wharf, Berkshire (Bradley et al. 1980). At Alder­ maston, the larger pits were interpreted as storage pits and the scoop-like pits as shallow gravel quarries. Similar func­ Introduction tions may be attributed to the Broads Green pits; the larger A watching brief was maintained on topsoil stripping dur­ ones (e.g. F3, 7, 12, 16 Fig. 4) seem likely to be storage pits. ing August and September 1986 at the Redlands Aggregates The scoops (e.g. FlO, 11, 34 Fig. 4) may be the result of ex­ quarry at Broads Green. The site lies on the edge of the traction of boulder clay for use as wall daub, potting clay boulder clay plateau 1.5km west of the Chelmer Valley and etc. 500m south of a small stream, a tributary of the River Chelmer. The Springfield Lyons Late Bronze Age (LBA) enclosure (Buckley and Hedges, 1987) lies 6.5km to the The rmds south east (Fig. 1). The area stripped was restricted to O.S. Field No. 5922 centred on TL 6855 1222, a total of 1.88 Pottery A total of 336 sherds weighing 2.482 kg was recovered. The pottery was hectares (4.65 acres). The topsoil stripping was carried out recorded using the system devised for a number of assemblages in Essex in such a way that the natural boulder clay subsoil was clean (full details in archive). Fabrics present are: enough to afford recognition of features over some 60% of A. Flint, S, 2, well soned. the cleared area. Even in this area it is probable that only B. Flint, S-M, 2, well sorted. the larger features could be seen. Most of the features com­ D. Flint, S-L, 2, poorly soned. F. Sand, S-M, 2-3, with addition of occasional L flints. prising the small rectilinear structure (Fig. 3) were only G. Sand, S, 3. visible after the area had been hoed and trowelled. Despite I. Sand, S-M, 2-3. these limitations some 40 features were recorded, concen­ 0. Quanz and flints, S-L, 2, poorly soned. trated in the south-west quarter of the stripped area (Fig. 2). Where size of inclusions is represented: S = less than 1 mm diameter. M = l-2mm diameter. L = more than 2mm diameter. The excavated features And density of inclusions by: 1 = less than 6 per cm2 • Structure I: Features F22, 30, 43, 17, 40, 18, 19, 39, 28, 41, 2 = 6-10 per cm2• 44, 29, 30, 31 form a rectilinear structure approximately 3 = more than 10 per cm2 • Fabrics containing tempers other than crushed burnt flint (fabric F, 4m long and 1-2m wide (Fig. 3). The structure combines G, I, 0) occur very rarely (Fig. 6). These four fabrics are only represented free standing posts, with post-in-slot and beam-slot con­ by 7 sherds weighing 67 g. This predominance of flint-tempered fabrics is struction. There appears to have been some rebuilding of common amongst LBA assemblages in south-east Britain and typical of the east wall, as indicated by the cutting ofF18 by F40 (Fig.