The excavation of Area J1 was undertaken by the Colchester Archaeological Trust in 2004-5, ahead of the development of the Garrison Alienated Land (GAL), Colchester Garrison. The assessment of the excavation is presented in CAT Report 361 and the analysis in CAT Report 412.<1><2> Area J1 comprised a 5.44ha. area located between Butt Road, Le Cateau Road, Circular Road North and the Cavalry Barracks. The area covered the southern half of the Le Cateau Barracks, built in the 1860s. The four excavation areas comprised Areas J1 North (JN), J1 South (JS), J1 East (JE) and J1 West (JW), which totalled a maximum excavation area of 0.98ha. Area J1 North consisted of a 0.37ha. area of unmanaged grass, tarmac parking and a road in the northern corner of the site. Area J1 South consisted of a 0.40ha. area in the southern grassed paddock, Area J1 East consisted of a 0.2ha area in the north-eastern paddock, and Area J1 West consisted of a 100m² area within the grassed western area of the site. A number of features and finds in Area J1 North date to the Late Bronze Age period: three pits (in a cluster), a post-hole and a small gully contained sufficient quantities of Late Bronze Age plain ware to allow secure dating. There was also large quantities of residual pottery in the Roman features. A four-post structure may have been associated with this occupation. The robbed-out remains of the two parallel foundations which supported the inner and outer walls of the south cavea of the Roman circus, were defined in J1 East. The foundations included the remains of a vomitorium (entrance into the cavea) in the form of two short north-south robber trenches and a gravelled surface between the two. The south wall of the cavea incorporated a series of external buttresses set out on a different pattern to either side of the vomitorium. Twenty-one buttresses were found along the southern side of the southern foundation. Parts of some of the buttresses survived in situ, but most of them had been completely robbed out. A V-shaped ditch extended east-west across the full width of the site in almost the same position as the outer foundation of the cavea. 361 burials and burial-related features were found in Area J1 - five in the evaluation trenches, 348 during the J1 North excavation, 5 during the Area J1 South excavation, and 3 during the Area J1 East excavation. In total, there were 204 inhumation burials, 69 urned cremation burials, 2 amphora cremation burials, 11 unurned cremation burials, 5 pyre sites, 4 probable busta, 4 pyre sites/busta, 54 burial pits containing pyre debris, and 8 other burial-related features. The burials ranged in date from the mid 1st to the 3rd century, with only two burials absolutely dating to the late 4th century (an inhumation burial containing a coin dated from AD 350-60 and a late inhumation burial which cut through this feature). The burial site also appears to have been in fairly constant use throughout this period. In contrast to the burials in Area C2, to the east, both the inhumation and the cremation burial rites were in contemporary use. A number of gullies appear to represent the boundaries of burial plots. A wide Roman road or track, defined by two large roadside ditches and several patches of surviving metalled surface, was recorded running through the centre of Area J1 (traversing in a sweeping arc from the north-west to the south-west). Further landscape features associated with a Roman field/plot system were identified in Area J1. Fifteen Roman quarry-pits were also excavated in Area J1. Two related post-medieval features were excavated in Area J1 West. These comprised a narrow road defined by a metalled surface, within an eroded hollow way and a flanking roadside ditch to the west. The road was aligned north to south and was recorded for a total distance of 10m. Five WWII air-raid shelters, four building foundations, four pits, three service trenches, two ditches and a cobbled road were recorded in 11 of the evaluation trenches. All of these military/modern features are probably associated with the military barracks which have been situated on what is now Area J1 since the 1860s. The excavations followed two phases of evaluation: 20 trial trenches were excavated in Area J in June-July 2002 (Stage 1a; ECC2553).<3> 17 trial trenches were excavated in Area J1 in September 2004 (Stage 1b; ECC2982).<4>