Trial trenching was carried out on an area of 6.8ha. at Chitts Hill, Stanway, in February 2017 in advance of the submission of a planning application for residential development. The evaluation consisted of 42 trenches, each measuring 2m wide and 30m long. These were evenly distributed across the accessible area, avoiding an existing attenuation pond and ecological area, which were to be left undisturbed by any development, and a drainage pipe along the northern edge. The trial-trench evaluation revealed the presence of archaeological finds, deposits and features in Trenches 22, 23, 30 and 36, in the west and south-central parts of the site, within the area of sand and gravel. The features cut into the natural deposits and were directly underneath topsoil.<1> The evaluation demonstrated a low incidence of below-ground archaeological remains across the site and showed that the majority of the potential features identified by the cropmark and geophysical surveys are either later post-medieval to modern ditches, or else do not exist as below-ground remains. The excavated ditches relate to the enclosure and management of the post-medieval agricultural landscape, recorded on historic mapping. However, the ring-ditch cropmark was corroborated by the trenching (in T22 and T23), slightly oval in plan measuring c.7.5m E-W x c.8.5m N-S. Ditch [22/012] was a slightly curving cut measuring 1.15m wide and 0.22m deep. It had a gently concave profile and a primary fill of grey/orange-brown stony silt clay [22/013], and a second fill of orange brown clay silt [22/014]. No artefacts were recovered from these fills. Ditch [23/003] was a 1.45m wide and 0.20m deep cut with gradual sloping sides and a slightly concave base. It contained a single fill of pale brownish grey/orange silty sand and grit [23/004] from which numerous fragments (200+, 1576g) of lava quernstone of Roman to Medieval date were retrieved. In addition to the ring ditch, three pits were defined in T22. Pit [22/005], at the south end of the trench, was an elongated oval in plan. It had rounded ends, gradual to moderate sloping sides and a slightly undulating flat base. Its dimensions were 3.38m long x 1.75m wide and 0.24m deep. Its single fill consisted of friable brownish grey/orange gritty clay sand with occasional small gravel stones [22/004]. This pit was excavated in its entirety and its fill bulk sampled. A small amount of burnt bone was retrieved from the processed sample. Although undiagnostic, it has been suggested that the efficiency of burning of this material might be consistent with the cremation of human remains. Radiocarbon dating of a sample of the burnt bone from pit fill [22/004] has produced a Middle or Late Iron Age date (165 Cal BC-20 Cal AD at 95% confidence). Two smaller, rounded, pits [22/007 and 22/009] were cut into the top of infilled pit [22/005] and appeared to be deliberately paired. They had steep sides, concave bases and single fills, that of [22/009] noted to include occasional flecks of charcoal. Bulk soil sampling of both fills, [22/006] and [22/008], recovered pieces of oak wood charcoal, but no other carbonised plant remains. The trial trenching followed a geophysical survey by Magnitude Surveys in 2016 (ECC3889).