Element record MCC3074 - Large post-Roman ditch, 56 Creffield Road, Colchester

Summary

A substantial post-Roman ditch (and also three Roman burials MCC3072 and a Roman pit MCC3073), aligned N to S, was defined during a watching brief for the construction of new dwelling in 2014.

Location

Grid reference TL 9872 2470 (point)
Map sheet TL92SE
County ESSEX
Non Parish Area COLCHESTER, COLCHESTER, ESSEX

Map

Type and Period (1)

Full Description

A substantial ditch (F4), c.3.5m wide, extended roughly from N to S across the centre of the site.<1>
The ditch had a greyish-brown loamy fill, with some orange sandy mottles. The bottom of the ditch was not reached during machine-trenching, so its depth remained unclear. It was not possible to hand dig a section across F4 due to safety concerns. A post-medieval potsherd and a ?peg-tile fragment were recovered during machining, and probably came from the backfill of F4. It seems likely that F4 was a post-medieval field boundary ditch, although a ditch in this position has not been identified on early maps. Another possibility is that F4 was part of a Parliamentary earthwork, dating to the Siege of Colchester in 1648.

Sources/Archives (1)

  • <1> Watching Brief Report: Shimmin, Don (CAT). 2015. An archaeological watching brief at 56 Creffield Road, Colchester, Essex May 2014. CAT report 799.

Finds (0)

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (1)

Record last edited

Jan 30 2018 8:55AM

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