Cuton Hall, Chelmer Village Way, Chelmsford, Essex

An Archaeological Evaluation

for Roseberry Homes

by M J Saunders 

Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd

Site Code SPCH01

March 2001

Summary

Site name: Cuton Hall, Chelmer Village Way, Chelmsford, Essex Grid reference: TL 7358 0802 Site activity: Evaluation trenching Date and duration of project: 27th and 28th February 2001 Project manager: Steve Ford Site supervisor: M John Saunders Site code: SPCH 01 Area of site: c. 0.5 hectares Summary of results: Two ditches, one modern, one probably medieval or later. One sherd of early Saxon pottery and one sherd of either Saxon or Iron Age date, as residual finds. Monuments identified: None Location and reference of archive: The site archive is currently held by Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd, 47–49 De Beauvoir Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5NR and will be deposited with Chelmsford Museum in due course. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford 13.03.01 Melanie Hall-Torrance 15.03.01

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Cuton Hall, Chelmer Village Way, Chelmsford, Essex An Archaeological Evaluation

by M John Saunders

Report 01/16

Introduction

This report documents the results of an archaeological field evaluation carried out at Cuton Hall, Chelmer

Village Way, Chelmsford, Essex (TL 7358 0802) (Fig. 1). The work was commissioned by Ms Kate Ritchie of

Andrew Martin Associates Limited, Croxton’s Mill, Little Waltham, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 3PJ, on behalf of

their clients, Roseberry Homes Ltd.

Planning permission is to be sought from Chelmsford Borough Council to develop the site for housing.

Essex County Council Heritage Group have requested the implementation of a field evaluation prior to the

granting of planning permission in order to assess the archaeological potential of the site. This will provide

information that could be used to draw up an appropriate mitigation strategy prior to groundworks.

This is in accordance with the Department of the Environment’s Policy and Planning Guidance Note,

Archaeology and Planning (PPG16 1990) and Chelmsford Borough’s local plan. The field investigation was

carried out according to a brief produced by Mr P Connell, Archaeologist of Essex County Council, Heritage

Advice Management and Promotion Group (HAMP). The fieldwork was undertaken by M John Saunders and

Sian Anthony on the 27th and 28th of February 2001. The site code allocated by HAMP is SPCH 01.

Location, topography and geology

The site comprises a c. 5 hectare parcel of rough grassland on the north-eastern margins of Chelmsford, a little to

the north of Chelmer Village (Figs 1 and 2). The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation is situated not far to the

east. The site lies immediately to the west of Cuton Hall (a listed building), with a new development, Chancellor

Park, to the south. A footpath runs along the northern boundary and the site rises steeply up from the south-east

to its boundary with Chelmer Village Way. Its height above Ordnance datum varies from 32.09m in the east to

33.83m in the west. According to geological maps (IGS 1979) the underlying geology is London Clay.

Archaeological background

The brief, produced by Mr P Connell of HAMP, has highlighted the potential of the site. The multi-period site of

Springfield Lyons is immediately to the north, comprising deposits of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Roman date.

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An early Saxon cemetery is also known at Springfield Lyons, and evidence suggests the presence of middle

Saxon settlement. To the south and east are cropmarks of enclosures and ditches, together with evidence for later

prehistoric activity and possibly Roman settlement. An early 5th-century copper-alloy brooch has also been

found. Cuton Hall itself was the site of the medieval manor and is referred to in Domesday Book (1086)

Objectives and methodology

The purpose of the evaluation was to determine the presence/absence, extent, condition, character, quality and

date of any archaeological or palaeoenvironmental deposits within the area of development. Specific research

aims of the project were to determine whether any late Saxon precursors to Cuton Hall were present on the site

and whether any medieval deposits reflect ancillary features of Cuton Hall. These objectives were to be achieved

by digging 10 trenches, each 16m long, using a JCB-type machine fitted with a ditching bucket, under constant

archaeological supervision. Where archaeological features were certainly or possibly present the trenches were

to be cleaned using the appropriate hand tools and sufficient features were to be excavated to satisfy the terms of

the brief. All spoilheaps were to be monitored for finds and all trenches were to be metal-detected following

removal of the turf.

A complete list of trenches, giving lengths, breadths, depths and a description of sections and geology, is

given in Appendix 1.

Results

Of the 10 excavated trenches only two (4 and 5) contained cut features of possible archaeological interest. A

modern ditch was discovered in Trench 5 and a medieval or later ditch (1) crossed Trench 4 on an east–west

alignment.

Trench 4 (Plate 1)

Ditch 1 was 1.64m wide and 0.75m deep and was cut from just below the topsoil. It had 45º sides and a flat base

(Fig. 3). It contained a single fill of loosely compacted, mid-greyish brown silty clay, with medium rounded

pebble inclusions (51). Two sherds of pottery were recovered from the feature; one is early Saxon in date and the

other is perhaps early Saxon but could be Iron Age. These are most likely to be intrusive, although from exactly

where they derive is unclear. However, the ditch itself appeared to be of relatively recent origin and is certainly

no earlier than medieval in date and is probably later, as 19 fragments of tile and brick, including one fragment

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of peg tile, were also recovered from its fill. A fragment of daub or brick and a fragment of animal bone were

also recovered.

Finds

Pottery by Jane Timby

Two sherds of pottery were recovered from ditch 1 (51). One piece, a decorated rim sherd, is from an early

Saxon urn. The second piece, a handmade bodysherd, could be of Iron Age or Saxon date. The sherds are

described below:

1) Rimsherd in a fine, black sandy micaceous ware with a dark red-brown core. The sherd is from an urn with a

slightly thickened rolled rim. The exterior is decorated with a vertical sequence of impressed bars. Each bar has

fine diagonal lines and is probably made by impressing a piece of metalwork, possibly the coiled spring of a

brooch, into the clay. None of the impressions is complete but in size they are 3mm wide and in excess of 26mm

long. At least four horizontal lines exist below a slight ridge below the rim.

2) Handmade bodysherd from a thick-walled vessel (12mm). The exterior is mid-brown, the interior dark grey-

brown. The coarse textured paste contains a moderate frequency of fine (up to 2mm) angular grog, mainly dark

grey, and quartz sand in a finely micaceous clay. The sherd is from a large closed form. Its association with the

Saxon sherd and the use of the same kind of micaceous clay might suggest contemporaneity, but the use of grog

as a tempering agent can also be paralleled with late Iron Age material in this area.

Brick, tile and daub by Steve Ford

Seventeen fragments of tile (662gm), including one fragment of peg tile, were recovered from ditch 1 (Trench

4). Two fragments of brick (26gm) and a fragment of flint-gritted daub or brick (22 gm) were also found.

Animal bone by Sian Anthony

One fragment of sheep or goat humerus was recovered from ditch 1 (Trench 4).

Conclusion

From observations made during the evaluation, it appears that much of the site has been subject to considerable

truncation by modern activity and subsequent episodes of dumping (Plate 2). A single archaeological feature

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(ditch 1) was located near the eastern boundary of the development area. The ditch itself may be medieval but is

most probably post-medieval in date. Of some interest are the two residual pottery sherds, one of which is Saxon

and the second is Saxon or Iron Age, although the derivation of this pottery is unknown. It is, therefore,

considered that groundworks associated with the new development will have a minimal effect on any

archaeological features or deposits.

References IGS, 1979, Institute of Geological Sciences, 1:625000, South Sheet , Third Edition (solid), Keyworth PPG 16, 1990, Archaeology and Planning, Department of the Environment Planning Policy Guidance Note 16,

HMSO

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APPENDIX 1: Trench details 0m at south or west end

Trench No. Length (m) Breadth (m) Depth (m) Comment 1 16.80 1.6 1.23 0.18m of turf and topsoil over 0.90m of light brown clay over 0.15m of

black clay. Truncated natural. No archaeology. 2 15.50 1.6 1.64 0.22m of turf and topsoil over 0.95m of light brown clay over 0.48m of

black clay. Truncated natural. No archaeology. 3 16.10 1.6 1.84 0.24m of turf and topsoil over 0.86m of light brown clay over 0.74m of

black clay. Truncated natural. No archaeology. 4 15.90 1.6 0.62 0.12m of turf and topsoil over 0.18m of subsoil onto orange-brown gravel

natural. Water main at north end of trench. Ditch 1. 5 15.10 1.6 1.18 0.20m of turf and topsoil over 0.86m of dark brown/grey gravel onto

orange-brown gravel natural. Modern ditch. 6 15.10 1.6 1.45 0.22m of turf and topsoil over 0.75m of light brown clay over 0.48m of

black clay onto orange-brown gravel natural. No archaeology. 7 16.28 1.6 1.60 0.25m of turf and topsoil over 0.82m of light brown clay over 0.35m of

black silty clay onto orange-brown gravel natural. No archaeology. 8 16.40 1.6 1.24 (NW)

0.82 (SE) 0.19m of turf and topsoil over layers of dumping onto orange-brown gravel natural. No archaeology.

9 14.80 1.6 0.89 0.18m of turf and topsoil over 0.38m of brown/grey gravel onto orange-brown gravel natural. Two modern services. No archaeology.

10 16.10 1.6 0.53 (N) 1.63 (S)

0.14m of turf and topsoil over 0.31m of subsoil onto orange-brown gravel natural. South end of trench cuts through high bank. No archaeology.

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Cuton Hall, Chelmsford, Essex, 2001

Figure 1. Location of site within Chelmsford andEssex.

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Pathfinder 1122 TL60/70 1:25000Ordnance Survey Licence AL52324A0001

SITE

04000

05000

06000

07000

08000

TL72000 73000 74000 75000 SPCH01

SITE

Colchester

Chelmsford

Bailidon

SouthendBrentwood

Harlow

N

0 100m

Cuton Hall, Chelmsford, Essex, 2001

Cuton Hall

Chelmer Village Way

Figure 2. Plan of trenches showing footprint of proposed new buildings and all archaeological features. SPCH01

Site boundary

36

45

7

8

9

10

1 2

08000

73600

08100

TL73500

1

0 1m

1

topsoil

subsoil

naturalnatural

black layer

51

N S

Cuton Hall, Chelmsford, Essex, 2001

Section 1

1

5m 6m

Section 1

SPCH01

N

Figure 3. Plan and section of trench 4 showing ditch 1.

Plate 1. Trench 4 looking east, showing ditch 1, scales: 0.50m and 1m.

Plate 2. Trench 6 looking north-east, showing representative section and dumped layers, scales: 1m and 2m.

SPCH01