Excavation of a Roman small town at Heybridge, Essex

An 11 hectare (27 acre) area of previously undisturbed meadows at Heybridge, near Maldon, Essex, has been the site of one of the largest archaeological excavations in England in recent years. This site has long been thought to be the location of substantial late Iron Age and Roman settlements, and this investigation, precipitated by impending development by Bovis Homes plc, was carried out by the Field Archaeology Group of Essex County Council. The original planning consent for this development was given prior to the publication of PPG16 in November 1990 and did not include appropriate recording conditions. In view of its archaeological significance, English Heritage made available funds in excess of £1 million to allow an extensive sample of the site to be recorded and the results to be assessed preparatory to a programme of analysis.

The site, located at the head of the Blackwater estuary, was first discovered in 1888 during the construction of the railway line across its west side. A local antiquarian noted hundreds of Roman coins and `barrow loads of pottery', including a large amount of pre-Roman late Iron Age and Roman imported vessels, giving rise to speculation about the existence of a port, perhaps trading directly with the continent. Casual finds during the last century and recent excavations on the northern periphery of the site revealed archaeological deposits spanning the late Bronze Age to early Saxon periods with apparent continuity between late Iron Age, Roman, and early Saxon settlements. No excavation had previously been undertaken within the development area, so a geophysical survey was carried out on the whole 11 hectares which confirmed the presence of dense settlement activity, and defined the road layout of the Roman town.

Heybridge, Essex: temple precinct

Excavation revealed a large sprawling pre-Roman late Iron Age settlement, dating to around 50 BC. The evidence for this phase of settlement was largely in the form of enclosure ditches, sporadic clusters of roundhouses, and numerous pits. Some evidence was found for a major north-south trackway which was succeeded by a Roman road. The most notable feature was a probable temple occupying a slightly elevated position on a gravel rise which comprised a circular inner structure within a square with a number of ancillary buildings along its south side. Although much of the Iron Age settlement had been destroyed by later activity, the general layout of the undefended Roman small town was more evident. The onset of Roman activity was marked by the metalling of the road surfaces. Three `side roads' ran off the main north-south road at right angles, quickly degenerating into rough tracks as they left the core of the settlement. The roads also defined areas of zoning of different activities.

The southernmost area was occupied by pits which yielded both manufacturing and domestic waste, and by hearths and kilns. North of this was the temple precinct, its boundary fences running along the roadsides, tapering toward the junction to its west and enclosed to its east by a masonry dwarf wall bearing a wooden fence with the main entrance into the precinct. The temple remained an important focus within the Roman settlement; the original Iron Age structure survived for some time with the addition of an ambulatory and a succession of ancillary buildings. This was succeeded by a replacement temple in the form of a single screening wall, probably of wattle and daub surrounding a small shrine. An expanse of metalled open surface lay to the north of the temple, apparently centred on a large well. This may possibly have been a marketplace located in the core of the settlement, adjacent to the temple area. The centre of the town was surrounded by a mixture of domestic and manufacturing areas in which individual structures and land plots are difficult to identify.

Contemporary with the construction of the roads, large expanses of the settlement were given a metalled surface, most notably across low lying areas, perhaps prone to seasonal flooding, where there was no naturally occurring gravel surface. These metalled surfaces seal late Iron Age settlement features but are also cut by early Roman hut circles, suggesting that the pace of Romanisation was variable and that the occupants of the town continued to build in a traditional style for some time. It is likely that traditional Iron Age roundhouses and Roman rectilinear buildings existed alongside one another. A number of pits contained fragments of mortared brick and opus signinum, indicating at least one substantial masonry structure in the town although its precise location has not been identified. The infill material of a reclaimed watercourse and marshy area on the northern edge of the settlement was found to consist of a large amount of this demolition material along with dumps of domestic rubbish. Several late second-century cremations were cut into this deposit indicating that the building, perhaps a mansio or high status dwelling, was demolished by this date. Even in the core of the town, there was a concerted attempt to raise the land surface during the second century AD, perhaps showing that the rising sea level was also affecting the watertable on this low-lying site.

This zonation deteriorated in the later life of the town with roads ceasing to be repaired and even fourth century AD buildings being constructed on top of the `side streets'. One structure appears to straddle the temple precinct wall, indicating that the religious complex had shrunk, although the later phase of the temple itself does not appear to have been affected.

Owing to the absence of building stone in Essex, the town was almost entirely constructed of wood and the structures have left few traces in the archaeological record. An insight into the building techniques was gained through the investigation of a rectangular structure at one of the road junctions which had been burnt in situ. Excavation revealed charred remains of timber uprights and burnt daub bearing wattle impressions, illustrating its timber-frame construction with wattle and daub infill. The relatively small quantities of roof tile spread across the site suggest that thatch was used. While little survives to attest to the likely sophistication of the buildings themselves, three timber-lined wells were excavated. All were of a box construction with single dovetail jointing on each oak board. A number of wooden objects were also retrieved from their fills, including an unidentified lathe-turned object. All of these attest to the skills of the Roman carpenter and demonstrate that, although few traces of the buildings remain, they may have been substantial, perhaps sleeper-built in the same way as Tudor timber-framed buildings.

Economic activity in the town was undoubtedly as important as religious, and both artefactual and structural evidence indicates the presence of extensive manufacturing processes. Iron, lead, and copper alloys were all being worked, probably to produce small luxury, possibly trade, items. Although significant amounts of imported pottery were recovered, quantities are not sufficient to indicate the presence of port, and no other evidence for a port was recorded. Indeed, there is curiously little evidence for coastal exploitation, such as oyster dumps, within the excavated area.

Heybridge, Essex: simplified plan of site

Early Saxon activity was sparse and short-lived. Two likely sunken-featured buildings were located on the northern periphery of the site, one to the extreme south in association with a reused Roman well, and one on a road junction within the Roman town. Occasional ditches and pits scattered across the site contained small amounts of Saxon pottery attesting to some activity of this date, but it is suspected that the focus of Saxon occupation was probably further north, on a higher gravel terrace. This supports the suggestion that the rising watertable was at least partly responsible for the apparent slow decline of the Roman settlement from the later second century onwards until its abandonment in the fifth century AD.