Site Event/Activity record ECC3893 - Phase 2 trial-trenched evaluation at Fiveways Fruit Farm, Dyer’s Road, Stanway, 2016

Location

Location Fiveways Fruit Farm, Dyer’s Road, Stanway
Grid reference Centred TL 9565 2342 (640m by 390m)
Map sheet TL92SE
County ESSEX
Civil Parish STANWAY, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Technique(s)

Organisation

Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd

Date

November 2016

Map

Description

A trial-trenched archaeological evaluation (53 trial-trenches, each 18m wide) was carried out across available sections of the 17ha Phase 2 development site at Fiveways Fruit Farm, Stanway, during pre-planning application investigative work. Thirty-six trenches measured 30m long, seven were 20m long, eight were 15m long and two 10m long (1360m linear). The trenches were excavated through modern topsoil/ploughsoil (L1, c.11-34cm thick) onto a sandy-silt subsoil (L2, c.0-36cm thick) sealing natural sands.<1> The evaluation revealed a scatter of archaeological remains. The earliest evidence from the site is a single Early Neolithic flint blade recovered from the topsoil. Small, abraded sherds of Middle Iron Age pottery were recovered from four pits: three pits (F7 in T2, F50 in T23, F76 in T36) contained very small quantities of probable Middle Iron Age pottery with a fourth pit (F57 in T26) containing a single sherd of Neolithic-Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pottery, totalling 6 sherds at 10g. Small sherds of residual Middle Iron Age (1 sherd at 1g) and Late Iron Age (1 sherd at 12g) pottery were also identified residually in F81 and F93. Burnt Stone was recovered from the fill of F31 in T16, which could be prehistoric. A very small quantity of Roman finds (pottery and CBM) were recorded from six features, three of which were of a medieval date (F78, F90 and F93). Erosion hollow F42 (T21) and ditch/pit F64 (T20) may be of a Roman date. A medieval pit (F44 in T27) contained evidence of iron working in the centre of the site, with a small number of medieval ditches and pits in the southeast corner (T42, T44 and T45). Ditch F73 and pit F90 contained pottery of a late 12th-13th/14th century date, and ditches F78 and F93 of a 12th/13th-14th century date, with postholes F94-F96 probably related to F93. Three modern field boundary ditches and the large number of undated irregular linears/agricultural features, tree-throws and pits (the report suggests) were probably all associated with the business of the fruit farm. No significant archaeological remains were identified in trenches T4 (service trench), T6, T8 (service trenches), T9, T10 (service trench), T12, T25 (metal frames), T29, T34, T35, T37, T39, T40, T41 (patch of modern disturbance), T46, T49 (service trenches) and T52 (service trench). Linear/agricultural features and tree-throws were the only features identified in trenches T11 (F35-F36), T15 (F32), T22 (F43 and F47), T33 (F70-F71), T47 (F83-F85), T50 (F88), T53 (F82 plus service trenches).

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1> Evaluation Report: Pooley, Laura. 2017. Archaeological evaluation on Phase 2 land at Fiveways Fruit Farm, Dyer's Road, Stanway, Essex, CO3 0QR. CAT Report 1082.

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Record last edited

May 22 2017 4:25PM

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