Excavation of a Cropmark Enclosure Complex at Woodham Walter, Essex, 1976, and An Assessment of Excavated Enclosures in Essex, Together with a Selection of Cropmark Sites

With contributions by Peter Boyd, Caroline Cartwright, John Evans, Elizabeth Healey, Hilary Major, Warwick J. Rodwell, Michael C. Wadhams and Tony J. Wilkins. The programme of cropmark survey and research in Essex has identified many cropmark enclosures, often forming part of complex collections of cropmarks of different periods. Excavation has been used on selected sites to date the cropmarks and place the site into an archaeological context. At Woodham Walter, limited excavation confirmed the postulated Iron Age and Romano-British date for the enclosures and also revealed earlier prehistoric occupation in the area. Although the excavation was small, a tentative series of phase plans have been produced for the cropmark complex. The site is considered in relation to other cropmarks in the Chelmer-Blackwater Valley, as part of the programme of landscape studies in the area. The second part contains a gazetteer of all excavated enclosures in Essex, with a small selection of unexcavated ones. Each type is then discussed and summarised, with the intention of ascertaining how far the excavated sites help interpretation of the unexcavated ones. This is the first stage in the classification of enclosures, where all the evidence is assembled to facilitate a more analytical approach to questions of preservation or excavation. List of Figures vi List of Plates vi List of Tables vi Acknowledgements vii Contributors vii Editorial viii Excavation of a Cropmark Enclosure Complex at Woodham Waiter, Essex, 1976 / David G. Buckley and John D. Hedges Part 1: Introduction I. Summary 1 II. Introduction 1 III. The Site. Topography and geology / Tony J. Wilkinson 1 Description of the monument 1 IV. Objectives of the Excavation 3 Part 2: The Excavations I. Method of Excavation 4 II. Pre-Enclosure Occupation Mesolithic 5 Neolithic 5 Bronze Age 5 III. The Middle Pre-Roman Iron Age Sub-Rectangular Enclosure Enclosure ditch AF1 5 Enclosure interior 8 Dating 8 Function 9 IV. The Late Pre-Roman Iron Age/Romano-British Rectangular Enclosure The ditches 10 Associated features 12 Enclosure phases 12 V. Romano-British Occupation 14 VI. The Post-Roman Period 15 Part 3: The Artefacts I. Objects of Stone Saddle querns 16 Other stone objects 16 II. The Lithic Assemblage / Elizabeth Healey 16 Technology 16 Debitage 16 The retouched flintwork 17 Summary and discussion 19 III. The Pottery and its Implications / Warwick J. Rodwell 20 Fabrics 20 Description 21 Discussion and dating 37 IV. Fired Clay / Hilary Major 39 V. Crucible Analysis / John Evans 39 VI. Loomweights, / Hilary Major 40 VII. Tile / Hilary Major 40 VIII. Objects of Iron / Hilary Major 40 Part 4: The Environmental Evidence I. The Animal Skeletal Remains / Michael C. Wadhams 41 II. Carbonised Seeds / Peter Boyd 41 III. Charcoal / Caroline Cartwright 41 IV. Carbonised Residue Analysis / John Evans 41 Part 5: Discussion Earlier prehistoric activity 42 Later prehistoric and Roman occupation 44 Appendix: Feature Information-Tables 3-5 46 An Assessment of Excavated Enclosures in Essex together with a Selection of Cropmark Sites / Dcborah Priddy and David G. Buckley Summary I. Introduction 48 Cropmark studies in Essex 48 II. Gazetteer Form of gazetteer 48 Classification 49 A. Circular enclosures i. Excavated 50 ii. Cropmarks 51 B. Curvilinear enclosures i. Excavated 53 ii. Cropmarks 55 C. Sub-rectilinear enclosures under 0.25 ha i. Excavated 55 ii. Cropmarks 61 D. Rectilinear enclosures under 1 ha i. Excavated 61 ii. Cropmarks 66 E. Rectilinear enclosures between I and 4 ha i. Excavated 68 ii. Cropmarks 71 F Rectilinear enclosures over 4 ha i. Excavated 71 ii. Cropmark 71 III. Discussion A. Circular enclosures 72 B. Curvilinear enclosures 72 C. Sub-rectilinear enclosures under 0.25 ha 73 D. Rectilinear enclosures under 1 ha 74 E. Rectilinear enclosures between 1 and 4 ha 74 F. Rectilinear enclosures over 4 ha 75 Conclusion 75 Appendix: Photographic References for Cropmark Plots 75 End Notes 77 Bibliography 78 Index 81 List of Figures List of Plates List of Tables