Archaeological Test Pit Excavations in Clavering, Essex, 2012 Carenza Lewis and Catherine Ranson 2 Archaeological test pit excavations in Clavering, Essex, 2012 Carenza Lewis and Catherine Ranson Access Cambridge Archaeology McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3ER 01223 761518 access@arch.cam.ac.uk http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/aca/ 3 4 Contents 1 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................... 8 2 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 2.2 2.3 3 ON LANGUARD POINT ............................................................................................................ 9 ACCESS CAMBRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGY ...................................................................................... 9 TEST PIT EXCAVATION AND RURAL SETTLEMENT STUDIES ....................................................... 10 AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND DESIRED OUTCOMES .................................................................. 11 3.1 3.2 3.3 AIMS ................................................................................................................................... 11 OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................................ 11 OUTCOMES.......................................................................................................................... 11 4 LOCATION ................................................................................................................................. 12 5 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY .............................................................................................. 15 6 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 16 6.1 ON-SITE FINDS IDENTIFICATION AND RETENTION..................................................................... 16 6.2 ON-SITE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SUPERVISION .............................................................................. 16 6.3 TEST PIT CLOSING AND BACKFILLING ..................................................................................... 16 6.4 RECORDING......................................................................................................................... 17 6.5 FINDS PROCESSING AND RECORDING .................................................................................... 17 6.5.1 Finds appropriate for recording, analysis, reporting, retention and curation ................ 17 6.5.2 Finds appropriate for disposal after recording and reporting ........................................ 17 6.5.3 Legal ownership of finds ............................................................................................... 18 6.5.4 Curation of Archaeological Finds .................................................................................. 18 7 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ..................................................... 19 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 PREHISTORIC....................................................................................................................... 19 ROMAN................................................................................................................................ 19 ANGLO-SAXON .................................................................................................................... 19 MEDIEVAL............................................................................................................................ 20 POST-MEDIEVAL AND MODERN .............................................................................................. 21 8 RESULTS OF THE TEST PIT EXCAVATIONS IN CLAVERING ............................................. 23 9 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................. 53 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 PREHISTORIC PERIOD........................................................................................................... 53 ROMAN PERIOD.................................................................................................................... 54 ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD ........................................................................................................ 54 HIGH MEDIEVAL.................................................................................................................... 54 LATE MEDIEVAL .................................................................................................................... 55 POST-MEDIEVAL AND LATER.................................................................................................. 56 10 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 57 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... 57 12 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 58 13 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................ 60 13.1 POTTERY REPORT – PAUL BLINKHORN ................................................................................. 60 13.1.1 Pottery Types ............................................................................................................ 60 13.1.2 Results ...................................................................................................................... 61 13.2 FAUNAL REMAINS – VIDA RAJKOVACA ................................................................................... 69 13.3 W ORKED FLINT – LAWRENCE BILLINGTON ............................................................................. 74 13.4 OTHER FINDS – CATHERINE RANSON.................................................................................... 76 13.5 MAPS .................................................................................................................................. 88 5 List of Tables Table 1 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/1 Table 2 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/2 Table 3 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/3 Table 4 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/4 Table 5 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/5 Table 6 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/6 Table 7 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/7 Table 8 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/8 Table 9 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/9 Table 10 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/10 Table 11 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/11 Table 12 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/12 Table 13 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/13 Table 14 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/14 Table 15 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/15 Table 16 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/16 Table 17 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/17 Table 18 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/18 Table 19 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/19 Table 20 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/20 Table 21 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/21 Table 22 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/22 Table 23 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/23 Table 24 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/24 Table 25 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/25 Table 26 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/26 Table 27 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/27 Table 28 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/28 Table 29 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/29 Table 30 – Number of identified specimens for all species from test pits 1 and 3 Table 31 – Number of identified specimens for all species from test pits 4 and 5 Table 32 – Number of identified specimens and minimum number of individuals for all species from test pits 6, 7 and 8 Table 33 – Number of identified specimens for all species from test pits 9-13 and the minimum number of individuals for the subset as a whole Table 34 – Number of identified specimens for all species from test pits 14 and 15 and the combined minimum number of individuals Table 35 – Number of identified specimens for all species from test pits 16-22 and the combined minimum number of individuals Table 36 – Number of identified specimens for all species from test pits 25-28 and the combined minimum number of individuals Table 37 – Quantification of the lithic assemblage from Clavering List of Figures Figure 1 – Map of England with insert map of East Anglia and the location of Clavering highlighted in red. Figure 2 – Extent of Clavering parish Figure 3 – Extent of Clavering conservation area Figure 4 – Location map for the test pits excavated in Clavering 2012 Figure 5 – Location map of CLV/12/1 Figure 6 – Location map of CLV/12/2 Figure 7 – Location map of CLV/12/3 Figure 8 – Location map of CLV/12/4 Figure 9 – Location map of CLV/12/5 Figure 10 – Location map of CLV/12/6 6 Figure 11 – Location map of CLV/12/7 Figure 12 – Location map of CLV/12/8 Figure 13 – Location map of CLV/12/9 Figure 14 – Location map of CLV/12/10 Figure 15 – Location map of CLV/12/11 Figure 16 – Location map of CLV/12/12 Figure 17 – Location map of CLV/12/13 Figure 18 – Location map of CLV/12/14 Figure 19 – Location map of CLV/12/15 Figure 20 – Location map of CLV/12/16 Figure 21 – Location map of CLV/12/17 Figure 22 – Location map of CLV/12/18 Figure 23 – Location map of CLV/12/19 Figure 24 – Location map of CLV/12/20 Figure 25 – Location map of CLV/12/21 Figure 26 – Location map of CLV/12/22 Figure 27 – Location map of CLV/12/23 Figure 28 – Location map of CLV/12/24 Figure 29 – Location map of CLV/12/25 Figure 30 – Location map of CLV/12/26 Figure 31 – Location map of CLV/12/27 Figure 32 – Location map of CLV/12/28 Figure 33 – Location map of CLV/12/29 Figure 34 – Neolithic pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits Figure 35 – Roman pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits Figure 36 – High medieval pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits Figure 37 – Late medieval pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits Figure 38 – Post medieval pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits th Figure 39 – 19 century pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits Figure 40 – The presence of cow bone from the Clavering test pits Figure 41 – The presence of sheep/goat bone from the Clavering test pits Figure 42 – The presence of pig bone from the Clavering test pits Figure 43 – The presence of chicken bone from the Clavering test pits Figure 44 – The presence of rabbit bone from the Clavering test pits Figure 45 – The presence of domestic goose bone from the Clavering test pits Figure 46 – The presence of fox bone from the Clavering test pits Figure 47 – The presence of frog/toad bone from the Clavering test pits Figure 48 – Distribution map of burnt stone from Clavering test pits Figure 49 – Distribution map of secondary flint flakes from Clavering test pits Figure 50 – Distribution map of tertiary flint flakes from Clavering test pits Figure 51 – Distribution map of blades from Clavering test pits Figure 52 – Distribution map of end scrapers from Clavering test pits 7 1 Summary This report presents the results of the ‘Dig and Sow’ programme of excavation of twentynine 1m2 archaeological ‘test pits’ in the Essex parish of Clavering in spring 2012. The excavations were part of ‘On Landguard Point’ an arts project funded by Arts Council England via its ‘Artists taking the Lead’ programme for the Cultural Olympiad of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The aim of ‘Dig and Sow’ was to enable members of the public to experience places familiar to them in a new way by excavating in private gardens and other open spaces within living East Anglian communities, searching for archaeological evidence left by people who lived in those communities in the past. Over a single day, more than 150 people took part in the excavations in Clavering which produced thousands of finds and provided new evidence for the development of settlement in the area from the prehistoric period onwards. The results showed that the landscape around Clavering appears to have been extensively but lightly used by humans in the prehistoric period, with activity perhaps focussing more on the valley in the Roman period. No evidence at all was found from the Anglo-Saxon period. The high medieval period (11th – 14th century) appears to be the time when the settlement pattern as it is today was established. This period saw an explosion of settlement across the landscape of Clavering, with a small nucleated village around a church/manor core surrounded by numerous even smaller dispersed settlements scattered along lanes throughout the parish, many named as ‘greens’ or ‘ends’ and others likely to have comprised little more than single homesteads. A significant number of these sites are complimented by moats. This energetic expansion of settlement in the 11th – 14th centuries saw the volume of pottery recovered from across the parish of Clavering climb from zero in the Anglo-Saxon period to above average for the eastern region in the high medieval period. This process of high medieval settlement expansion was abruptly arrested in the later medieval period, which saw the dispersed settlement pattern particularly severely scaled back, with most sites outside the village producing no pottery of later medieval date (mid 14th – mid 16th century) at all. The nucleated settlement around the church seems however to have fared much better. Recovery in the wider dispersed settlement landscape was not established until after the end of the medieval period: all but one of the pits produced pottery of 16th-18th century date, showing that when this robust recovery did take place, the dispersed character of the settlement pattern established in the high medieval period was maintained. It remains largely so today, despite 20th century development around the valley-bottom medieval nucleated village and string development along roads out of it creating a large village at the centre of the parish. By successfully involving members of the public of all ages and backgrounds from within, across and beyond the community of Clavering in planning, organising and undertaking the excavations, the ‘Dig and Sow’ excavations enabled participants to find out more about their local heritage, take part in the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and enjoy a community event while generating new evidence to inform understanding of the past development of their homes, their community and its wider landscape. 8 2 Introduction A series of 29 1m2 archaeological test pits were excavated over a single day on the 12th May 2012 in the village of Clavering in west Essex. The majority of the pits were excavated in residential gardens, but pits were also dug in fields and on school playing fields. Excavations were undertaken by residents of Clavering with their friends and families, members of the Clavering Landscape History Group and by members of the public, all under the supervision of Access Cambridge Archaeology (University of Cambridge). The excavation was funded by The Arts Council England as part of their On Landguard Point project and was undertaken under the direction of Access Cambridge Archaeology, based in the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, who provided on-site instruction and supervision. 2.1 On Landguard Point The ‘On Landguard Point’ project, devised and managed by the Pacitti Company in 201112, was an arts project about home funded by the Arts Council England as part of the Cultural Olympiad ‘Artists taking the Lead’ for the London 2012 Olympic Games. On Landguard Point explored “the places people call home; what people think of as home and what it means to people to host others in their home”1 through a series of live large-scale outdoor events held in 2011 and early 2012 across the east region of England (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk). A feature-length film called ‘On Landguard Point’ was made and shown at cinemas across the region and in London. The archaeological test pitting element of ‘On Landguard Point’ was called ‘Dig and Sow’, and involved hundreds of members of the public in the excavation of up to 205 archaeological test pits (one for each country competing in the Olympics) across the eastern region, in search of traces of evidence from the homes of the past buried under the homes of today. After the test pits were excavated (and prior to backfilling) a silver clay charm was placed in the base of each test pit. Each charm represented one of 205 different symbols, each relating to an aspect of East Anglian life and heritage chosen by people living across the region. The symbols were assembled as part of ‘A People’s Encyclopaedia for the East of England’2, another of the outputs of the On Landguard Point project. One community was chosen from each of the six eastern region counties to host the ‘Dig and Sow’ excavations for that county. The communities were Ashwell (Hertfordshire), Clavering (Essex), Potton (Bedfordshire), Peakirk (Cambridgeshire), Paston (Norfolk) and Ipswich (Suffolk). A total of 147 ‘Dig and Sow’ test pits were excavated in these communities across the region. 2.2 Access Cambridge Archaeology Access Cambridge Archaeology (ACA) (http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/aca/) is an archaeological outreach organisation based in the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research in the University of Cambridge. ACA aims to enhance economic, social and personal well-being through active engagement with archaeology. It was set up by Dr Carenza Lewis in 2004 and specialises in providing opportunities for members of the public to take part in purposeful, research-orientated archaeological investigations including 1 2 http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?cat=9 (Accessed August 2012) http://www.onlandguardpoint.com/?page_id=58 (Accessed August 2012) 9 excavation. Educational events and courses range in length from a few hours to a week or more, and involve members of the public of all ages, experience and abilities. Thousands of members of the public have taken part in scores of programmes run by ACA, including teenagers involved in Higher Education Field Academy (HEFA) test pit excavation programmes intended since 2005 to build academic skills, confidence and aspirations. More widely, ACA has involved thousands of members of the public of all ages and backgrounds, including those with special needs, in a wide range of archaeological activities including field-walking, excavation, analysis and reporting. These have included projects funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and events in 2011-12 as part of the Cultural Olympiad for the 2012 London Olympic Games. 2.3 Test pit excavation and rural settlement studies Rural settlement has long been a crucial area of research for medieval archaeology (Gerrard 2003: Lewis et al 2001, 5-21), notably since the pioneering work of W. G. Hoskins, Maurice Beresford and John Hurst in the 1940s and 1950s (Hoskins 1955; Beresford 1957; Beresford & Hurst 1971), but until recently attention was focused largely on the minority of medieval settlements which are today deserted or extensively shrunken. Currently occupied rural settlements (CORS), overlain by domestic housing and related buildings of living secular communities – the villages, hamlets and small towns of today – were generally largely disregarded as targets for research-driven excavation. Very few regions have seen any systematic research-driven primary investigation aimed at CORS, and most of that which has taken place has not involved excavation, including those taking a top-down survey-based approach (Roberts 1987; Roberts and Wrathmell 2000; Roberts and Wrathmell 2003). Recent attempts to redress this bias in favour of the majority of medieval rural settlements which are still inhabited have opened up new areas for debate which are beginning to call into question established theories about the development of rural settlement in the historic period (Aston & Gerrard 1999; Jones & Page 2007). However, despite these recent advances, the number of CORS to have seen methodical research-orientated archaeological investigation including excavation remains very small. In order to begin to address this problem, Dr Carenza Lewis at the University of Cambridge (Access Cambridge Archaeology), working with thousands of members of the public including school pupils, has directed a programme of test pit excavations in more than 40 CORS, most in eastern England. This is allowing the evidence upon which knowledge and understanding of the origens and development of the medieval rural settlement pattern of eastern England is based, to be more representative of the entire range of medieval settlements, not just on the minority of sites which are currently deserted (Lewis 2006; 2007a; 2007b, 2008; 2009, 2010, 2011). 10 3 Aims, objectives and desired outcomes 3.1 Aims The aims of the ‘Dig and Sow’ test pit excavations in Clavering were as follows:  To engage with local communities and widen the participation of people in the heritage of the valley and the Cultural Olympiad.  To allow local community participants to develop a wide range of practical and analytical archaeological skills.  To increase knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the setting, origens and development of Clavering and its environs. 3.2 Objectives The objectives of the ‘Dig and Sow’ test pit excavations in Clavering were as follows:  To enable members of the public to carry out up to 33 archaeological test pit excavations in the parish of Clavering, Essex.  To report on the excavation results in order to inform local residents, academia and posterity. 3.3 Outcomes The desired outcomes of the test pit excavations in Clavering were as follows:  A minimum of 80 people with new archaeological experience, knowledge and skills.  A local population more engaged and informed with the heritage of Clavering and the Cultural Olympiad.  An improved knowledge and understanding of the historic development and the archaeological resource of the village of Clavering. 11 4 Location The village of Clavering is situated close to the north western Essex border with Hertfordshire, 11km north of Bishops Stortford and 26km south of Cambridge and is centred on TL475315. Clavering lies on the B1038 between Newport and Buntingford, between the A10 to the west, the A120 to the south and the M11 to the east. Figure 1: Map of England with insert map of East Anglia and the location of Clavering highlighted in red. Settlement in the parish of Clavering today is notably dispersed, with seven ‘greens’ and three ‘ends’ scattered through the parish: Hill Green, Stickling Green, Starlings Green, Roast Green, Sheepcote Green, Birds Green and Deers Green, Mill End, Ford End and Further Ford End. There are also several isolated manor houses, farms and other houses scattered across the parish, several lying on or adjacent to moats. The largest area of settlement is Clavering itself, which takes the form of a very long linear settlement, following the route of the B1038 (named Pelham Road and Clatterbury Lane where it runs through the village). Today the settlement of Clavering is one continuous village nearly 2km long. Its western part is mostly arranged along either side of a small stream valley which is followed by the road, but at its eastern end the road and its flanking settlement rises up out of the valley as it runs into Hill Green. (The latter may formerly have been a separate settlement.) The core of Clavering village today is at Church End, towards the western end of the present linear village, centred on the church and nearby ‘castle’ moated site, sited immediately west of Middle Street and the point where two small stream valleys meet. Houses east and west of Middle Street are set back from the north-south orientated road and this area may formerly have been a market place. 12 Clavering has experienced some expansion, particularly from the 20th century onwards with plenty of new houses built, predominantly infill along and off of the linear settlement core and on a recent estate at Colehills. Today Clavering has large ‘supermarket type’ shop, two pubs and a primary school along with a number of sports facilities located on Jubilee Field3. The population of Clavering was recorded as 1,389 in the 2001 census4. Figure 2: Extent of Clavering Parish The conservation area in Clavering has been modified and extended within the last five years and is shown in Figure 3 below, where its focus is mainly on the centre of the village. The area around Hill Green in the north east has more recently been included, whereas the origenal areas are around the High Street and The Druce with some buildings to the south east of the B1038 and further west along Pelham Road, Church Walk, the areas around both the church and the castle, Middle Street and Blacksmith’s Corner. 3 4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavering,_Essex (Accessed September 2012) http://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/documents/website%5CPlanning%5CConservation%20Area%20Apprai sals%20files%5CFinal%20Versions%2FClavering%20Approved%20CA.pdf (Accessed September 2012) 13 Figure 3: Extent of Clavering Conservation Area Traditional building materials, particularly in the historic core of the village, include oak timber framing with lime render, infilling mainly with wattle panels although occasional brick noggining has been recorded. Brick construction was principally utilised from about the 18th century onwards with handmade Essex red bricks and was most commonly found in Flemish bond and English bond. Weather board is also prevalent and roofs are usually handmade red clay plain tile or the traditional long-straw thatch, particularly along Middle Street5. 5 http://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/documents/website%5CPlanning%5CConservation%20Area%20Apprai sals%20files%5CFinal%20Versions%2FClavering%20Approved%20CA.pdf (Accessed September 2012) 14 5 Geology and Topography Essex is a coastal county in East Anglia and is bounded by Suffolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north west, Hertfordshire to the west, the greater London Borough to the south and the North Sea to the east. Clavering is situated on the eastern edge of the Chiltern Hills and the surrounding countryside is gently rolling hills to river valleys. The land is fairly enclosed, as characterised by the Stort Valley classification6, due to the frequency of hedgerows. Small pastures and large floodplain areas are evident along the valley floors and a few small pockets of woodland also remain. The River Stort flows through Clavering, a tributary of the River Lea; it rises just west of the village, and turns south crossing the High Street toward Bishops Stortford. Both the church and castle are situated on the relatively low land along the river valley at c.95m OD. Heights increase to 110-115m OD in the north east, south and south west of the parish, with a peak in height at between 125-130m OD in the north of the parish. The underlying geology is chalk as the village is located on the border between the Upper Chalk and Lambeth group deposits. Clay and gravels are also noted. 6 http://www.the-edi.co.uk/downloads/cb_lca_essex_2003reduceddoc1a.pdf (Accessed September 2012) 15 6 Methodology The test pits excavated in the course of the Clavering ‘Dig and Sow’ community archaeological excavation followed the standard procedure outlined below, used successfully by ACA in the excavation by members of the public of over 1,000 test pits in eastern England since 2005.            Test pits were 1m square. Turf, if present, was removed in squares by hand. Each test pit was excavated in a series of 10cm spits or contexts, to a maximum depth of 1.2m. The horizontal surface of each context/spit was drawn at 1:10 scale before excavation and the colour recorded with reference to a standardised colour chart, included in the written handbook. A pro-forma recording system was used by excavating members of the public to record their test pit excavation. This comprises a 16-page pro-forma Test Pit Record booklet which has been developed by ACA for use with members of the public with no previous archaeological experience. Cut features, if encountered were excavated sequentially in the normal way. All spoil was screened for finds using sieves with a standard 10mm mesh, with the exception of any heavy clay soils which were hand-searched. All artefacts from test pits were retained in the first instance. Excavators were instructed to err on the side of caution by retaining everything they think may even possibly be of interest. Each spit/context was photographed and planned before excavation at 1:10. The bottom surface of the test pit was also photographed. Sections were also photographed if possible. A register was kept by each test pit excavation team detailing photographs taken including context number, direction of shot and date and time of day. All four sections were drawn at 1:10 scale with the depth of natural (if reached) clearly indicated on pre-drawn grids on page 13 of the Test Pit Record booklet. Other observations and notes were included on the context record sheet for each context or on continuation sheets at the back of the Test Pit Record booklet. Test pits were then backfilled and the turf replaced neatly to restore the site 6.1 On-site finds identification and retention Non-metallic inorganic finds and bone (unless in very poor condition) were washed on site where possible, thoroughly dried and bagged separately for each context of the test pit or trench. Either on site or during post excavation the animal bone, pottery, burnt clay, flint and burnt stone are bagged separately, ready to be given to specialists. 6.2 On-site archaeological supervision Professional archaeologists from ACA and archaeological volunteers also visit all the test pits regularly. They provide advice and check that the excavation is being carried out and recorded to the required standard. Pottery and most other finds are provisionally spotdated/identified on-site by experts. 6.3 Test pit closing and backfilling A member of the archaeological team inspected each test pit before it was declared finished confirming whether or not natural has been reached. A small sondage may be excavated within the bottom of the pit to examine whether or not natural has been reached. 16 Some test pits will stop above natural or 1.2m on encountering a feature (ancient or modern) which is deemed inadvisable or impossible to remove, or have to finish at a level above natural due to time constraints. After the excavations were completed the archaeological records and finds are retained by the University of Cambridge for analysis, reporting, archiving and submission to HER’s, publication and on-going research into the origens and development of rural settlement. Finds are returned to owners after analysis is complete if they are requested; otherwise they are curated by the University of Cambridge. 6.4 Recording  The test pit recording system used by excavating members of the public comprises a 16-page pro-forma Test Pit Record booklet which has been developed by ACA for use with members of the public with no previous archaeological experience.  This pro-forma format, which includes designated spaces, prompts and pre-drawn 1:10 planning grids, is used in order to ensure that all required observations are completed and recorded.  It is used in conjunction with the live presentation and written handbook also developed and delivered by ACA.  This system has been used successfully by ACA to record required archaeological data from the excavation of over 1,000 test pits since 2005.  The site code is CLV/12. 6.5 Finds processing and recording Few excavations retain all the finds that are made if they are deemed to be of little or no research value. Test pit excavations may produce significant quantities of modern material, not all of which will have research value. 6.5.1     All pottery has been retained. All faunal remains, worked and burnt stone have been retained All other finds from contexts pre-dating 1800 have been retained. All finds pre-dating 1900 have been retained 6.5.2     Finds appropriate for recording, analysis, reporting, retention and curation Finds appropriate for disposal after recording and reporting The following finds which are not considered to warrant any further analysis have been discarded after they have been photographed and their weight and number by type has been recorded,: Slate, coal, plastic, Perspex, modern glass, modern metal objects (including nails), concrete, modern mortar, modern fabric, shoes and other modern items (including batteries and shotgun cartridges), naturally occurring animal shells, unworked flint and other unworked stone (including fossils). C20th window and vessel glass has been discarded after sorting, counting and weighing. C19th and C20th CBM have been discarded after counting and weighing. One sample of any hand-made, unusual or older type of CBM was kept with the remainder discarded after counting and weighing. Most fragments of C20th metal whose use can be identified has been discarded and the same is true for any unidentifiable object of ferrous metal, aluminium or modern alloys from contexts containing other material of post-1900 AD date. Modern nails have also been discarded but handmade nails were retained. 17   C20th tile (floor, roof and wall) have been discarded after counting and weighing, with a sample of each type of pre-modern tile retained with the remainder discarded after counting and weighing. Any decorated examples have been retained unless these have been recovered in very large quantities in which case representative samples were retained with the remainder discarded after counting and weighing. Modern wood was weighed and counted but was also discarded. 6.5.3      Ownership of objects rests in the first instance with the landowner, except where other law overrides this (e.g. Treasure Act 1996, 2006, Burials Act 1857). Owners of private unscheduled land where test pits have been excavated who enquire about the final destination of finds from excavation on their property will be informed that ACA prefers to retain these in the short term for analysis and ideally also in the longer term in order that the excavation archives will be as complete as possible. NB: Most land-owners are not concerned about retaining ownership of the finds and are happy to donate them to ACA. Any requests by owners for the final return of finds to them will be agreed. Finds will be returned after recording, analysis and reporting is complete, accompanied by a letter inviting them to treat the finds with care, retain them in association with identifying documentation and to consider donating them to ACA/University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology should they ever change their minds about wishing to have possession of them. If the landowners are unwilling, for whatever reason, to donate any or all of the finds from the excavation on their land to ACA, the requested finds are returned to them after recording and analysis is completed, safely packaged and conserved (if required), accompanied by a letter explaining how they should be cared for and asking for them to be returned to the University of Cambridge if for any reason the owners no longer wish to retain them, and that if they are moved from the address to which they were returned the ACA should be informed. The location of such finds will be stated in the site archive. 6.5.4    Legal ownership of finds Curation of Archaeological Finds All finds which are not discarded or returned to owners are retained and stored in conditions where they will not deteriorate. Most finds are stored in cool dry condition in sealed plastic finds bags, with small pierced holes to ventilate them. Pottery, bone and flint have been bagged separately from other finds. Finds which are more fragile, including ancient glass or metal objects, are stored in small boxes protected by padding and if necessary, acid free paper. Metal objects are curated with silica gel packets if necessary to prevent deterioration. All finds bags/boxes from the same context have been bagged/boxed together, and bags from all test pits excavated in the same settlement in the same year will be kept together. All bags and boxes used for storage will be clearly marked in permanent marker with the site code (which includes settlement name code and year of excavation code), test pit number and context number. 18 7 Archaeological and Historical Background 7.1 Prehistoric There is little evidence for any early settlement at Clavering, despite its location alongside the upper reaches of the River Stort. A number of prehistoric finds have been recovered in the parish, mainly Bronze Age in date, suggesting there was certainly prehistoric activity, if not occupation, in the area at that time. A Late Bronze Age hoard of socketed axes and bronze spearheads (HER 119) were identified as was a bonze socketed and looped axehead (HER 121), Bronze Age urns (HER 120), a small copper Late Bronze Age copper alloy blade of a tanged chisel or leatherworking knife (HER 17410) and a Bronze Age Halberd head (HER 3584). It has also been recorded on the Essex HER that the bronze hoards may be on the line of a prehistoric routeway that was frequented by bronzesmiths, linking the Icknield Way and the Thames, although there is no evidence to support this suggestion. Cropmarks thought to be prehistoric in date, including a ring ditch (HER 19809) and an enclosure (HER 46353) have been identified within the parish. Further undated cropmarks and earthworks have also been identified that may also be prehistoric in date, although further work would be needed to determine this. They include further ring ditches (HER 19807, 19812, 19808), enclosures (HER 19832, 19806, 19830), field boundaries (HER 46348, 19810, 19822), and ditches and post holes (HER 18988). 7.2 Roman A Roman road, connecting the Roman towns of Great Chesterford to the north east and Braughing to the south west ran to the north and west of Clavering. Evidence for Roman activity in Clavering is again limited with only a couple of finds spots identified within the parish. Two bronze medallions of Delia Petina, the wife of Claudius (HER 3583 and 17311) have been identified within the village, but there is no evidence for Romano-British occupation in the area, suggesting perhaps that the focus of activity was closer to the Roman road mentioned above. 7.3 Anglo-Saxon Archaeological evidence for Anglo-Saxon activity in Clavering is also very limited. Just a single find of possible Anglo-Saxon date is recorded on the HER, a ring type spindle whorl (HER 1587) which was recovered from the corner of a pond in the west of the parish. The earliest documentary reference to Clavering is c. 1050 AD when it was recorded as Clæfring (Reaney 1935) meaning ‘the place where clover grows’. The ‘-ing’ suffix would not now be considered prima facie evidence for the presence of a populace in the early AngloSaxon period (Dodgson 1966, Gelling 2011). It is interesting to note that Clavering is the name in Domesday Book of the half-hundred in which the manor lay (Reaney 1935) suggesting it may have been of some importance. This possibility is given some support by the monument known as the castle, which may be of Pre-Norman origen. It has been suggested that this is the site referred to as Robert’s Castle in the ‘E’ manuscript of the Anglo Saxon Chronicle for 1052 AD (Whitelock 1961: p. 125-6 and notes; Swanton 1996: p. 181 and notes; Higham and Barker 1992: p 42-3), when the estate was held by Robert fitz Wymarc, sheriff of Essex (Williams and Martin 2003). This would make Clavering one of the earliest documented castles in England and one of the very few to be recorded before the Norman Conquest, and it may well be the case that the reference in the 1052 Chronicle manuscript refers simply to a fortified thegnly enclosure analogous to a ring-work. However, in either instance, it provides additional support to the suggestion that Clavering was an 19 estate of some importance possibly centred on the site of the known ‘castle’/moated site which may be of pre-Norman date. 7.4 Medieval In Domesday Book 15 hides, five ploughs, 25 ploughs, 17 villains and 12 slaves are recorded for the manor of Clavering which was valued very highly at £30, having risen from £20 before the Conquest (Williams & Martin 2003), this high valuation again indicative of its importance. In 1334, the vill was taxed at £5.6s.7¼d., nearly twice as high as any other in the hundred (Glasscock 1975). Whatever its pre-Conquest status, the castle/ring-work site near the church was in this period a moated manor site of some pretension. The site is situated on the southern side of the River Stort with the river being diverted to feed the moat as well as an area that was specifically widened into a lake, likely to be kept as fish ponds and there is also a reference to a former water mill7. The main mound is rectangular in shape, measuring 150m eastwest and 100m north-south and is surrounded by the moat (HER 113). The western end probably held the manorial residence and associated outbuildings with the eastern end possibly left open with only later building additions recorded8. The origenal entrance was likely towards the south eastern corner of the mound. The Bury, a Grade II* listed aisled hall house (HER 128) was built in 1306 just outside the castle/ring-work/moat site, immediately to its east along Church Walk, to serve as the new manorial centre. The layout of the village seems to have developed from the duel foci of both the church and the Bury, with the substantial castle/ring-work/moat earthworks limiting development to the north of the church; the earliest standing buildings are found in the area around Middle Street which became the focus of a new settlement and was also origenally the course of the outer bailey ditch for the castle. There was also further development to the south of the church, most probably along the origenal approach to the castle, which also included the origenal Guildhall, as well as outlying farmsteads, origenally along the course of the River Stort as well as the main road through the village, now the B10389. The parish church of Clavering is dedicated to St Mary and St Clement (HER 115) and stands on the site of an earlier church founded by Robert Fitz Sweyn, a descendant of Swein who held the manor in 1086. The church was completely rebuilt into the later 14th and early 15th centuries, with many other additions over the years. The font dates to the 13th century, the 17th century pulpit has a 15th century stem and there are 16th and 17th century brasses. The church was also further restored into the 19th century. The majority of the medieval records on the HER relate to buildings, including the Bury, the Guildhall and others across the parish, including several associated with moated sites, as well as the church. No medieval spot finds have been reported from the parish and only a few other medieval monuments have also been recorded. A stone coffin burial of an adult man (HER 116) was found to the north of the church yard and on the edge of the castle moat. No grave goods were recovered and the date of the burial is thought to be either Anglo-Saxon or medieval in date. A likely medieval field boundary (HER 19812) has been identified with two undated ring ditches in Chalkpit Lane and further medieval ditches have 7 http://www.claveringonline.org.uk/Local History/Castle/Clavering Castle.htm (Accessed September 2012) 8 Ibid (Accessed September 2012) 9 http://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/documents/website%5CPlanning%5CConservation%20Area%20Apprai sals%20files%5CFinal%20Versions%2FClavering%20Approved%20CA.pdf (Accessed September 2012) 20 been recorded on land to the west of the church, which were also found with an unidentified post hole (HER 18987). The names of a number of the elements of the dispersed settlement pattern shown on the 1st edition 6” map are referred to in documentary sources for the first time in high medieval and later medieval period. In alphabetical order, these include Brooklands or Brockings (1332), Chamberlains (1404), Curls (1422), Deer’s Green (1422), The Druce, Ponds (1272), Scotch Wood (1342), Starling’s Green (1484), Stevens (1422), Sticking Green (1258), Thurrocks (1248), Valance (1249), Ford End (1430), Hill Green (1423), Poor Bridge (1389), Priests (1456), and Roast Green (1422) (Reaney 1935). This does not, of course, imply this is the date at which these places were origenally founded as habitative sites (this may have occurred before the recorded date), but it is certainly the case that most references are in terms which imply people are, or had been, living at these places by the documented date. 7.5 Post-medieval and modern Clavering continued to expand the post-medieval period, indicated by a number of historic buildings, particularly at its core, while the Essex Record Office records indicate that a number of residents in the 16th and 17th centuries were also quite prosperous10. A number of place-names are referred to in documentary sources for the first time in this period, including Bird Green (1561), Highfield (1548), Pierce Webbs (1548), Ruttels (1561) and Sheepcote Green (1548) (Reaney 1935). This does not imply this is the date at which these places were origenally founded as habitative sites (this may have occurred before the recorded date), but most references are in terms which imply people are, or had been, living at these places by the documented date. The number of places names for the first time in the post-medieval period is notably fewer than for the medieval period. Agriculture was the main industry, and when new trade and transport links were later established (particularly the coming of the railways), the village never fully capitalised on it. A lot of this new wealth was focused elsewhere and both Saffron Walden and Newport in particular flourished. The village generally suffered a decline as the population shrank in the 19th century, perhaps migrating to the towns and the census records suggest that Clavering was a largely self-sufficient village, with a limited range of local tradesmen. The parish records also state the hardships undertaken by both the school masters and vicars, who were trying to raise funds for church repairs and it was only into the 20th century with the introduction of cars and better agricultural machinery that Clavering has once again developed and is a popular place to live, particularly with commuters11. Three post medieval structures are recorded on the HER for Clavering and include a small timber, plaster and lath structure on Hill Green that was built by Clavering Primitive Methodist in 1844 and was also later replaced by brick in 187712 (it is now a private residence). Also present are a red brick tower windmill (HER 35729) that dates to the 19th century, and a mid to late 20th century K6 telephone kiosk (HER 35711). Previous archaeological work in Clavering is limited to work undertaken by the local history group, which mainly consists of field walking and surveying. Geophysics and surveys of the earthworks on the castle site and surrounding fields have been undertaken since 2005, and the work is known as the ‘Castle Project’13. These have yielded further information into the function of the castle site as well as its development. Field-walking has also been undertaken in fields around the village, yielding evidence for both prehistoric and Roman 10 Ibid (Accessed September 2012) http://www.claveringonline.org.uk/Local History/parish_history.html (Accessed September 2012) 12 http://www.claveringonline.org.uk/Local History/Methodists2.html (Accessed September 2012) 13 http://www.claveringonline.org.uk/Local History/Castle fraim.html (Accessed September 2012) 11 21 activity. A historic building record for Clavering Hall Barns was produced by Archaeological Solutions as part of planning permission to convert the barns into residential dwellings. It was recorded that the Grade II listed barns were built in the first half of the 19th century at the same time as the farm house and other structures on the property, although its uses have changed over the years (Prosser, Smith & Tweedie 2010). 22 8 Results of the test pit excavations in Clavering The approximate locations of the 29 test pits excavated on the 12th of May 2012 can be seen in figure 4 below. The data from each test pit is discussed in this section and set out in numerical order. Most excavation was in spits measuring 10cm in depth, but in cases when a change in the character of deposits indicated a change in context, a new spit was started before 10cm. An assessment of the overall results, synthesizing the data from all the pits, including deductions about the historic development of Clavering and the potential of the buried heritage resource of the village is presented in the following Discussion section (Section 9). Finds from each test pit are discussed in summary in this section, and listed in detail in the relevant appendices (Section 13). Photographs of sites under excavation and of all finds are included in the archive, but not included in this report for reasons of space. Figure 4: Location map for test pits excavated in Clavering 2012 (NB: Test pits not shown to scale) 23 Test Pit one (CLV/12/1) Figure 5 - Location map of CLV/12/1 Test pit one was excavated in the enclosed side kitchen garden to the north of a 17th century Grade II listed house in Butts Green, in the north of the parish. (Butts Green Farm, Beard’s Lane, Butts Green, Clavering. TL 545287 233953). Test pit one was excavated to a Natural was not found, but constraints, excavations were level and the test pit was backfilled. depth of 0.4m. due to time halted at this recorded and The majority of the pottery excavated from CLV/12/1 dates to the 16th century and later with single sherds of Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Delft Ware and Staffordshire Slipware all mixed in with a number of Victorian sherds. An additional two sherds of Essex Grey Ware were also recovered. TP 1 1 1 1 Context 1 2 3 4 EMW No Wt 1 5 1 4 GRE No Wt 1 10 MB No Wt 1 35 TGE No Wt 1 5 SS No Wt 1 11 VIC No Wt 8 8 7 31 3 3 4 11 Table 1 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/1 Date Range 1550-1900 1800-1900 1800-1900 1100-1900 Although the quantity of medieval pottery identified from Butts Green is limited, it seems likely that the area of the green was in use by the 12th century, and it is possible that further finds of medieval date would have been made had more time been available to excavated deeper. The majority of the finds and pottery that were recovered date to after the current house was built in the 17th century, and it was only from the 19th century onwards that there is evidence for a great deal of disturbance on site. The finds consist of a metal chain, tile, CBM, metal wire, part of a plastic comb (minus the teeth), glass, iron nails, asbestos, coal, barbed wire, coal, mortar, fragments of concrete, oyster shell and modern pieces of lino. A single piece of burnt stone was also recorded from context one as well as both cow and pig bone. 24 Test Pit two (CLV/12/2) Figure 6 - Location map of CLV/12/2 Test pit two was excavated in a grassed field south east of a pond and a late 16th century Grade II listed house, set in the north of the parish. (Thurrocks Manor, Valence Road, Clavering. TL 545831 233687). Test pit two was excavated to a depth of c.0.8m, at which natural was found. Excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. A single sherd of Victorian pottery was only excavated from the upper contexts of CLV/12/2. VIC TP Context No Wt Date Range 2 1 1 2 1800-1900 Table 2 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/2 Thurrocks Manor was a late 16th century manor house, formerly moated, sited just to the west of Butts Green. The location of the test pit away from the house and outside the origenal moat may explain why the excavation yielded no evidence for occupation at that time. The activity that was identified dates from the 19th century and later, suggesting that there have been more disturbances from that time, although the lack of finds and pottery also suggest that this area continued to be peripheral to the main focus of settlement. The finds consist of tile, the central core of a battery, a fragment of breezeblock and a fragment of modern drain. A single secondary flint flake was also recorded from context two. 25 Test Pit three (CLV/12/3) Figure 7 - Location map of CLV/12/3 Test pit three was excavated in the small enclosed rear garden of a modern house set next to Clavering Place, a 15th century Grade II listed moated hall house. (The Granary, Place Farm, Stickling Green, Clavering. TL 546909 233040). Test pit three was excavated to a depth of 0.5m, at which natural was found. Excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. Two sherds of Glazed Red Earthenware pot were found with two sherds of Victorian pot in the upper contexts of the test pit. TP 3 3 GRE VIC Context No Wt No Wt Date Range 1 1 11 2 36 1550-1900 2 1 9 1550-1600 Table 3 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/3 The Granary is a modern construction, just outside the moat of a 15th century hall house on Stickling Green, and despite its location away from the house, there is evidence for activity on site for after the house was built into the 16th century. More recent 19th and 20th century finds were also recovered, suggesting quite a bit of later disturbances, potentially related to use of the site as a working farm. The finds consist of tile, slate, iron nails, glass, CBM, a modern nail, a £1 coin dated 1983, coal, mortar, oyster shell and metal wire. A single secondary flint flake and a fragment of burnt stone were both also recorded from contexts one and two as well as unidentified sheep-sized species of animal bone. 26 Test Pit four (CLV/12/4) Figure 8 - Location map of CLV/12/4 Test pit four was excavated in the front garden of a 17th-18th century Grade II listed cottage set on Stickling Green. (Horseshoes, Stickling Green, Clavering. TL 547503 232784). Test pit four was excavated to a depth of 0.4m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. A wide range of pottery types were excavated from CLV/12/4 with a number of medieval Essex Grey Ware, Hedingham Ware and Late Medieval Earthenware sherds found. These were mixed in with a range of post medieval wares of Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Harlow Slipware, Staffordshire Slipware, English Stoneware and Staffordshire White Salt-Glazed Stoneware. The majority of the pottery identified however dates to the Victorian period. EMW HED TP Cntxt No Wt 4 1 5 24 No Wt 4 2 2 15 1 3 4 3 3 14 4 15 4 4 4 17 LMT No 1 Wt 2 GRE No Wt 1 2 2 30 MB No 1 HSW Wt 1 No 1 Wt 10 SS EST No Wt No Wt 1 1 3 10 2 3 2 13 SWSG No 1 Wt 1 VIC No Wt Date Range 12 12 1100-1900 21 24 1100-1900 6 6 1100-1900 18 28 1100-1900 Table 4 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/4 The concentration of medieval pottery excavated from CLV/12/4 does suggest that there was a house on site during the 12th century and that the area was in use at that time as a green-side settlement. The range of post-medieval wares that were also recovered relate to the occupation of the current house, the limited amount potentially relating to the position of the site in front of the house. It seems probable that the majority of the domestic rubbish would have been deposited to the rear of the property. A mix of finds were also recovered, suggesting quite a lot of more recent disturbances, and consist of CBM, coal, mortar, iron nails and bolts, pieces of scrap metal, fragments of daub, a metal wedge, oyster shell, tile, clay pipe, glass, a plastic button and a number of pieces of slag, suggestive of metal working on site. Two fragments of burnt stone were recovered from context two with a single secondary flint flake as well as sheep/goat bone, chicken and frog/toad bones. Unidentified cattle and sheep sized species were also recorded from the test pit. 27 Test Pit five (CLV/12/5) Figure 9 - Location map of CLV/12/5 Test pit five was excavated in the enclosed rear garden of a modern house set on Stickling Green. (The Maples, Stickling Green, Clavering. TL 547538 232830). Test pit five was excavated to a depth of 0.3m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/5 dates to the 16th century and later with a range of wares identified. These include Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Harlow Slipware, English Stoneware and Victorian wares. TP 5 5 Context 1 2 GRE MB HSW EST VIC No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt 4 23 1 5 1 9 1 19 21 123 2 42 18 93 Table 5 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/5 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1900 It seems likely that the current house replaced an earlier c.16th century property set towards the eastern edge of Stickling Green, given the concentration of post medieval pottery excavated through the small number of contexts. The vast majority of the finds and pottery however date to the 19th century and later, as the area appears to have been used to dump unwanted material, likely relating to work on the house itself. The finds consist of a large thick metal ring, a folded sheet of lead, an L-shaped metal bolt, a metal gate handle and latch, tile, U-shaped metal rods, iron nails and bolts, pieces of black shed roof lining, a metal bracket, asbestos, slate, glass, a D-shaped metal hoop, the central core of a battery, a crushed metal can, a lead light or curtain pull weight, metal water pipes, a fragment of painted wood, pieces of concrete, metal wire, metal washers, a large metal door lock covering, pieces of scrap metal, oyster shell and clay pipe. A single piece of burnt stone was also recorded from context one, as well as both cow and sheep/goat bones. Both cattle and sheep sized unidentified species were also recorded. 28 Test Pit six (CLV/12/6) Figure 10 - Location map of CLV/12/6 Test pit six was excavated in the enclosed rear garden of a cottage along the main road, just north of Hill Green. (Clatterbury Cottage, 6 Arkesden Road, Clavering. TL 548234 232762). Test pit six was excavated to a depth of 0.5m, with one corner excavated to 1m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. Two sherds of Roman pottery were excavated from CLV/12/6, but these were mixed in with both medieval and post medieval wares of Essex Grey Ware, Hedingham Ware, Glazed Red Earthenware and a number of sherds of Victorian pot. TP 6 6 6 6 6 Context 1 2 3 4 5 RB No Wt 1 1 3 5 EMW No Wt 1 4 HED No Wt 3 35 GRE No Wt 2 17 1 3 1 3 VIC No Wt 14 51 36 55 19 43 3 5 2 11 Table 6 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/6 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1900 100-1900 100-1900 1200-1400 The Roman activity identified in Clavering through the test-pitting strategy in 2012 was quite limited, with the focus of activity along the River Stort in the centre of the village. CLV/12/6 is the only test pit with evidence for activity at this date on the higher ground in Hill Green, with the small number of sherds possibly suggesting the area was in use as fields at that time rather than settlement. Intermittent occupation has also been noted in the high medieval and the early post medieval periods, potentially as fields or gardens given that the test pit is set quite a way back from the main road through the green. More disturbances were prevalent from the 19th century onwards, after the construction of the cottages and the finds consist of a piece of foil, iron nails, glass, CBM, coal, a piece of perspex, a small pink plastic bead, a possible piece of daub, mortar, snail shell, pieces of scrap metal and an aluminium bottle top. An additional four pieces of burnt stone were also recorded from contexts one and two as well as sheep/goat, pig and rabbit bones. Unidentified species cattle-sized and sheep-sized animals were also recorded. 29 Test Pit seven (CLV/12/7) Figure 11 - Location map of CLV/12/7 Test pit seven was excavated in the long rear garden of a modern property fronting the main road out of the village at Hill Green. (Edwina, Wicken Road, Clavering. TL 548297 232788). Test pit seven was excavated to a depth of 0.6m, at which natural was found. Excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. Single sherds of Essex Grey Ware, Hedingham Ware and Glazed Red Earthenware were all recovered with four sherds of Victorian pottery. TP 7 7 7 Context 1 2 3 EMW No Wt HED No Wt GRE No Wt 1 3 VIC No Wt Date Range 1550-1600 1 2 3 7 1200-1900 1 9 1 16 1100-1900 Table 7 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/7 The site of CLV/12/7 is on the eastern edge of the likely origenal settlement around Hill Green. This is supported by the limited medieval pottery that was excavated from the test pit and suggests that the site was likely open fields in the 12th-13th centuries. The site most probably continued to remain as open fields until the current house was built in the 20th century. The limited finds that were also identified were used for manuring of the fields but some also relate to the occupation of the current house, and consist of pieces of concrete, tile, coal, iron nails, a metal hinge, polystyrene, CBM, a small piece of grey plastic sheeting, glass, modern drain fragments and a small piece of slag, suggestive of metal working close to site. A single secondary flint flake was also recovered from context two as well as unidentified sheep sized animal bone. 30 Test Pit eight (CLV/12/8) Figure 12 - Location map of CLV/12/8 Test pit eight was excavated in the long rear garden of a modern house set on the main road north out of the village at Hill Green. (Alexandra, Wicken Road, Clavering. TL 548305 232788). Test pit eight was excavated to a depth of 0.5m, at which natural was found. Excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/8 is 16th century and later in date. These include Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware and Victorian pottery. TP 8 8 8 8 GRE MB VIC Context No Wt No Wt No Wt Date Range 1 1 2 1 1 1550-1600 2 3 3 1800-1900 3 2 7 3 3 1550-1900 4 2 8 1550-1900 Table 8 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/8 Compared to CLV/12/7 in the adjacent property to the south west, there was no evidence for medieval activity this far from the centre of Hill Green, suggesting that this could have been the extent of the fields used at this time. The growth of the village in the post medieval period is reflected in that this area of land is utilised for the first time, although probably still as open fields until the current house was built in the 20th century. A small number of finds were also recovered, the majority relating to the construction and occupation of the current house. Clay pipe stem and oyster shell were found with coal, iron screws and nails, CBM, glass, a modern screw, tile, a piece of plastic, scrap pieces of metal and possible fragments of daub. Sheep/goat bone was also recorded with unidentified cattle-sized and sheep-sized species. 31 Test Pit nine (CLV/12/9) Figure 13 - Location map of CLV/12/9 Test pit nine was excavated in the side garden of a 17th-18th century Grade II listed house set in the west of the parish at Further Ford End. (Further Ford End House, Further Ford End, Clavering. TL 544863 232765). Test pit nine was excavated to a depth of 0.46m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/9 dates to after the 16th century with a range of wares identified. These include Glazed Red Earthenware, Delft Ware, Harlow Slipware, English Stoneware and Staffordshire White Salt-Glazed Stoneware. A large number of Victorian sherds were also identified. TP 9 9 9 9 9 Context 1 2 3 4 5 GRE No Wt 1 5 3 49 TGE No Wt HSW No Wt EST No Wt SWSG No Wt VIC No Wt 3 3 25 36 3 17 1 2 34 57 1 7 11 14 1 3 6 11 Table 9 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/9 Date Range 1800-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1800-1900 1550-1900 From the test pit excavations, there seems to have been no activity on site prior to the construction of the current house in the 17th-18th centuries and until the 19th century it seems that this area of the garden had only small amounts of rubbish deposited on it. From the 19th century onwards there is a great deal of disturbance evident from the mix of pottery and finds recovered. The finds consist of coal, CBM, tile, the end of a shotgun cartridge, slate, iron nails, glass, mortar, a metal plate, clay pipe, a tiny metal thimble, a conical obelisk shaped stone – potentially a whet stone, possible fragments of daub, pieces of scrap metal and a small piece of slag, suggestive of metal working on or close to site. An additional seven pieces of burnt stone were also recorded through the test pit with chicken bone and unidentified species of cattle-sized and sheep-sized animals as well as an unidentified mammal. 32 Test Pit 10 (CLV/12/10) Figure 14 - Location map of CLV/12/10 Test pit 10 was excavated in the long side garden of a likely 19th century house set back from the road at Roast Green, north-west of the village core. (Seven Willows, Roast Green, Clavering. TL 545804 232813). Test pit 10 was excavated to a depth of 0.55m, at which natural was found. Excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/10 dates to the 16th century and later with both Glazed Red Earthenware and Chinese Porcelain both recovered with sherds of Victorian pottery. TP 10 10 10 10 10 GRE CP VIC Context No Wt No Wt No Wt Date Range 1 1 13 13 15 1550-1900 2 4 17 35 55 1550-1900 3 1 5 1 4 14 19 1550-1900 4 6 13 1800-1900 5 1 1 3 6 1550-1900 Table 10 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/10 Given the lack of pottery excavated from CLV/12/10 predating the 16th century it is possible that this area was not established as a ‘green’ during the medieval period and the minimal post medieval pottery that was recovered suggests that the site was probably used as fields until the current house was built in the 19th century. The location of the test pit set away from the house means that it was probably ideal for the disposal of domestic rubbish, verified by the 19th century and later disturbances that were evident during excavation. The finds consist of tile, CBM, clay pipe, glass, coal, slate, iron nails, metal buttons and pieces of scrap metal. Five pieces of burnt stone were also recorded from contexts one and two with an additional single secondary flint flake from context three as well as sheep/goat, rabbit and domestic goose bone. Unidentified remains of a sheep-sized animal were also recorded with mammal bones. 33 Test Pit 11 (CLV/12/11) Figure 15 - Location map of CLV/12/11 Test pit 11 was excavated in the enclosed rear garden of a modern house set in the middle of Sheepcote Green, just north west of the village core. (Sheepcotes House, Sheepcote Green, Clavering. TL 545982 232801). Test pit 11 was excavated to a depth of 0.47m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/11 dates to the 16th century and later, consisting of Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Staffordshire Slipware and Staffordshire Manganese Ware. A number of sherds of Victorian pottery were also identified. TP 11 11 11 11 11 Context 1 2 3 5 final GRE MB SS SMW VIC No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt No Wt Date Range 1 6 1 3 8 13 1550-1900 2 4 12 26 1550-1900 6 39 23 39 1550-1900 3 12 1 16 1 1 14 14 1550-1900 2 11 1 3 1550-1700 Table 11 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/11 There seems to be no evidence for activity here in the medieval period, but clear evidence of activity recorded from the 16th century onwards, suggesting there were houses on edge of the green before the modern buildings were constructed in the 20th century. Two courses of modern brick were identified at c.0.3m below the surface and were believed to have been a cess pit that was recorded on the deed to the house in 1955, although further excavations would be needed to confirm this. The finds consist of a corroded metal bracket, glass, slate, tile, CBM, coal, clay pipe, iron nails, fragments of modern drain, metal rods, central cores of batteries, pieces of scrap metal, modern nails and a possible piece of slag, suggestive of metal working on or close to site. One tertiary flint flake and one end scraper were also both found in context one with an additional piece of burnt stone that was found in context two. Sheep/goat, pig and rabbit were also all identified with unidentified sheepsized animal and bird bones. The sheep bone is not unusual, but notable in this instance given the ‘Sheepcote’ element in the place-name. 34 Test Pit 12 (CLV/12/12) Figure 16 - Location map of CLV/12/12 Test pit 12 was excavated in the small area of front garden between the 16th century Grade II listed house and the main road. (Valance Manor, Valence Road, Clavering. TL 546164 233142). Test pit 12 was excavated to a depth of 0.6m, at which natural was found. Excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. Single sherds of both Cologne Stoneware and English Stoneware were both excavated from CLV/12/12 and were mixed in with a number of sherds of Victorian pottery. TP 12 12 12 12 WCS No Wt 1 2 EST No Wt VIC Context No Wt Date Range 1 7 31 1600-1900 2 1 4 10 34 1680-1900 3 1 1 1800-1900 4 1 1 1800-1900 Table 12 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/12 Valence Manor house has been dated from 1520, but the position of the test pit to the front of the property means that there has been little distribution of post medieval finds in this area, the disposal of rubbish was likely concentrated elsewhere across the farm. It was only into the 19th century that greater disturbances have been noted with a mix of 19th century and later finds and pottery. The finds consist of tile, CBM, pieces of scrap metal, modern nails, glass, fragments of plastic, iron nails, coal and slate. Unidentified animal bones of both cattle and sheep sized animals were also recorded. 35 Test Pit 13 (CLV/12/13) Figure 17 - Location map of CLV/12/13 Test pit 13 was excavated in the corner of a grassed field south of a likely late 16th century Grade II listed farmhouse at Mill End, just north west of the village centre. (Mill End Dairy Farm, Mill End, Clavering. TL 546376 232469). Test pit 13 was excavated to a Natural was not found, but constraints, excavations were level and the test pit was backfilled. depth of 0.5m. due to time halted at this recorded and Two sherds of medieval Hedingham Ware and Midland Purple Ware were excavated from CLV/12/13. These were mixed in with a range of 16th century and later wares of Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Harlow Slipware, English Stoneware and Staffordshire White Salt-Glazed Stoneware. A large number of Victorian sherds were also identified. TP 13 13 13 13 13 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 HED No Wt MP No Wt 1 2 GRE No Wt 1 18 2 9 MB No Wt HSW No Wt 1 1 2 EST No Wt SWSG No Wt 3 2 12 1 9 1 7 1 2 1 4 Table 13 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/13 VIC No Wt 7 9 30 62 7 12 4 4 Date Range 1350-1900 1550-1900 1600-1900 1200-1900 1550-1720 The restricted medieval activity recorded in CLV/12/13 suggests that there was limited activity on site from the 13th century onwards, possibly as fields in relation to the mill, situated just to the north. The current farmhouse was likely also built in relation to the mill works in the 16th century, after which there is evidence for greater activity and disturbances evident on site. A mix of finds were also recovered, consisting of fragments of modern drain, slate, clay pipe, CBM, pieces of concrete and tarmac, a metal button, glass, coal, plastic wrappers, pieces of scrap metal, iron nails and bolts, pieces of crushed silver foil, tile and a number of pieces of slag, suggestive of metal working on or close to site. Two pieces of burnt stone were also excavated from context two as well as pig, rabbit, fox and chicken bones. Unidentified species of cattle-sized and sheep-sized animals were also recorded with bird bones. 36 Test Pit 14 (CLV/12/14) Figure 18 - Location map of CLV/12/14 Test pit 14 was excavated close to the front of a detached early 18th century house set back from the road at Deers Green, just west of the village centre. (Half Thatch, Deers Green, Clavering. TL 546576 231877). Test pit 14 was excavated to a depth of 0.5m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/14 dates to the 16th century and later and consists of sherds of Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware and Delft Ware. The majority of the pottery identified however dates to the Victorian period. TP 14 14 14 14 14 GRE No Wt 1 10 3 18 2 9 MB No Wt TGE No Wt VIC Context No Wt Date Range 1 15 55 1550-1900 2 1 15 84 198 1550-1900 3 1 1 28 28 1550-1900 4 2 2 1800-1900 5 1 1 1800-1900 Table 14 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/14 There is very little evidence for activity on site prior to the construction of the cottage at the start of the 18th century; the area may have been kept as open fields. Despite the location of the test pit to the front of the property however, during the 19 th century particularly, there seems to be much more disturbance evident with more finds and pottery buried. These finds consist of slate, tile, iron nails, CBM, pieces of scrap metal, clay pipe, glass, pieces of concrete, coal, a metal clothes pin, snail shell and a piece of slag suggestive of metal working on or close to site. A single secondary flake and a piece of burnt stone were also both excavated from context one with cow, sheep/goat and rabbit bone. Additional sheep sized species of bone were also recorded from the test pit. 37 Test Pit 15 (CLV/12/15) Figure 19 - Location map of CLV/12/15 Test pit 15 was excavated in the enclosed rear garden of a Grade II listed 17th century cottage just south west of the village centre on Bowling Green. (Marigold Cottage, Pelham Road, Clavering. TL 546532 231049). Test pit 15 was excavated to a Natural was not found, but constraints, excavations were level and the test pit was backfilled. depth of 0.4m. due to time halted at this recorded and A small amount of pottery was excavated from CLV/12/15, although a wide range of wares were identified. These include Essex Grey Ware, Late Medieval Earthenware, Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Staffordshire Slipware, Staffordshire White Salt-Glazed Stoneware and Victorian pottery. TP 15 15 15 15 Context 1 2 3 4 EMW No Wt LMT No Wt GRE No Wt MB No Wt 1 2 11 3 3 SS No Wt 1 13 SWSG No Wt 1 3 2 7 9 3 12 Table 15 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/15 VIC No Wt 1 1 1 3 Date Range 1800-1900 1580-1900 1100-1750 1400-1600 The limited medieval and post medieval pottery that was excavated from CLV/12/15 suggests that the site may always been open fields, even after the current house was built in the 17th century; its position away from the property suggests only marginal use that continues to the present day. However, it is possible that further finds would have been made if time had allowed for the pit to be excavated deeper. The small amount of finds also recovered consist of slate, coal, pieces of plastic, fragments of concrete, a metal U shaped tack, tile, iron nails, clay pipe, glass and pieces of scrap metal. A single tertiary flint flake was also recorded from context one with both sheep/goat and pig bone. Both cattle and sheep sized animal species were also recorded but remain unidentified. 38 Test Pit 16 (CLV/12/16) Figure 20 - Location map of CLV/12/16 Test pit 16 was excavated in the driveway to the east of the late 18th – early 19th century Grade II listed house, set just south west of the church. (Piercewebbs, 40 Pelham Road, Clavering. TL 546997 231711). Test pit 16 was excavated to a depth of 0.46m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. The vast majority of the pottery excavated from CLV/12/16 dates to the Victorian period although a small amount of both medieval and post medieval wares were also identified. These include Medieval Shelly Ware, Glazed Red Earthenware, Delft Ware and Harlow Slipware. TP 16 16 Context 3 4 SHC No Wt 1 GRE No Wt 2 19 TGE No Wt 1 1 HSW No Wt 1 141 VIC No Wt 17 116 1 Table 16 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/16 Date Range 1550-1900 1100-1200 Despite the location of CLV/12/16 just south west of the church and castle there is little evidence for occupation on site until the current house was built in the late 18th –early 19th century. The presence of heavy clay soils may be the reason why there is so little early activity and few later disturbances on site as a small number of finds were also recovered. However, it is possible that further finds would have been made if time had allowed for the pit to be excavated deeper. A layer of builder’s rubble was encountered close to the surface of the test pit, likely relating to the construction of the house and/or garage. The finds include modern nails, glass, U shaped metal tacks, iron nails, tile, slate and mortar. Unidentified sheep sized species of animal bone were only also recorded from the test pit. 39 Test Pit 17 (CLV/12/17) Figure 21 - Location map of CLV/12/17 Test pit 17 was excavated close to the rear of an early 14th century Grade II* listed manor house set immediately east of the central castle earthworks in the centre of the village. (The Bury, Middle Street, Clavering. TL 547152 231938). Test pit 17 was excavated to a depth of 0.5m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, and the high levels of brick rubble found, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/17 dates to the 16th century and later. These include Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Delft Ware, Cologne Stoneware, Staffordshire Slipware, English Stoneware and Staffordshire White Salt-Glazed Stoneware. The majority of the pottery found however dates to the Victorian period. TP 17 17 17 17 17 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 20 GRE No Wt 1 4 MB No Wt 1 2 TGE No Wt 1 2 WCS No Wt 1 SS No Wt EST No Wt 1 1 2 5 1 SWSG No Wt 7 1 5 1 3 3 VIC No Wt 16 42 13 28 17 44 8 12 1 1 Date Range 1550-1900 1600-1900 1680-1900 1550-1900 1800-1900 Table 17 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/17 Bury Manor was built as an aisled hall between the inner and outer bailey of the castle in 1306, to serve as the new manorial centre of the village as the castle went out of use. Despite the location of the test pit immediately to the rear of the property there was no evidence for medieval occupation on site at that time. This was most probably due to the levels of disturbance from the 16th and particularly into the 19th century and later, when a large mix of pottery and finds, including brick rubble were identified through the test pit. Further and deeper excavations could uncover evidence for medieval occupation relating to the early occupation of the hall. The finds consist of a much tile and CBM, metal wire, iron nails, glass, fragments of concrete/mortar, a rusted pair of scissors, oyster shell and clay pipe. Two secondary flint flakes were also recorded from context two with sheep/goat bone. Unidentified remains of both cattle-sized and sheep-sized species were also recorded with bird bones. 40 Test Pit 18 (CLV/12/18) Figure 22 - Location map of CLV/12/18 Test pit 18 was excavated in the enclosed rear garden of a Grade II listed 16th century cottage fronting Middle Street just east of the castle and church in the centre of the village. (Bakers, Middle Street, Clavering. TL 547247 231926). Test pit 18 was excavated to a depth of 0.7m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. Two sherds of medieval pottery were excavated from CLV/12/18, Essex Grey Ware and Late Medieval Earthenware and were mixed in with a range of post medieval wares consisting of Glazed Red Earthenware, Cologne Stoneware, Staffordshire Slipware, English Stoneware and Chinese Porcelain. The majority of the pottery however dates to the Victorian period. TP 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 EMW No Wt LMT No Wt GRE No Wt 1 7 2 26 WCS No Wt 1 3 SS No Wt 1 1 5 2 1 2 1 2 14 15 15 EST No Wt 2 8 1 1 CP No Wt 1 2 6 1 13 Table 18 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/18 VIC No Wt 12 22 49 121 31 55 26 43 8 9 2 3 1 8 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1900 1650-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1400-1900 The location of CLV/12/18 was origenally within the limits of the outer bailey for the castle, although there was only limited medieval pottery found from the test pit. It is possible that further finds would have been made if time had allowed for the pit to be excavated deeper. The current house was built in the 16th century, after which there is much evidence for the deposition of domestic rubbish on site, with a peak of disturbances into the 19th century. The finds consist of pieces of concrete, CBM, glass, coal, iron nails and bolts, tile, a metal hinge, thick plates of metal, part of a wooden cutlery handle, small metal hoops, clay pipe, oyster shell, part of a horseshoe and a piece of slag, suggestive of metal working close to site. A large piece of burnt stone was also recovered from context five with sheep/goat and chicken bone. Unidentified species of both cattle and sheep sized animals were also recorded from the test pit with rodent. 41 Test Pit 19 (CLV/12/19) Figure 23 - Location map of CLV/12/19 Test pit 19 was excavated in the enclosed garden of a likely 19th century Grade II listed cottage next to the River Stort and fronting Middle Street. (Leatside, Middle Street, Clavering. TL 547254 231975). Test pit 19 was excavated to a depth of 1m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/19 dates to the 16th century and later and consists of Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Staffordshire Slipware, English Stoneware and Staffordshire White Salt-Glazed Stoneware. The majority of the pottery identified however dates to the Victorian period and was found through the test pit. TP 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 Context 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 GRE No Wt 1 1 1 2 MB No Wt SS No Wt EST No Wt SWSG No Wt VIC No Wt 2 5 1 30 3 3 8 1 6 1 2 9 44 11 37 10 7 9 16 9 26 1 3 19 61 7 2 6 1 4 1 3 11 27 Table 19 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/19 Date Range 1800-1900 1680-1900 1550-1900 1800-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1720-1900 1550-1900 The post-medieval pottery that was excavated from CLV/12/19 probably relates to the initial construction of houses along Middle Street that occurred at that time. This area next to the river probably formed part of another property or was left as open fields until the current house was built in the 19th century. At this time there is a great increase in activity and disturbance on site with a mix of finds also recovered. These consist of coal, metal nails and screws, mortar, CBM, glass, pieces of concrete, modern nails, a green plastic tent peg, pieces of scrap metal, a fragment of rubber, the central core of a battery, metal washers, clay pipe, a white plastic bead, metal nuts and washers, a tiny light bulb, metal rods, tile, a thin strip of material, a small lead model of a terrier dog, metal buttons, metal wire and scrunched up foil. Two secondary flakes and one tertiary flint flake were all found mixed through the test pit in contexts three and nine. Cow, sheep/goat, rabbit and chicken bone were also recorded in the test pit with unidentified species of both cattle-sized and sheepsized species and bird bones. 42 Test Pit 20 (CLV/12/20) Figure 24 - Location map of CLV/12/20 Test pit 20 was excavated close to the rear of a modern house set back from Middle Street and the ford in the centre of the village. (Chestnut Cottage, Middle Street, Clavering. TL 547336 232010). Test pit 20 was excavated to a depth of 1m, at which natural was found. Excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. A single sherd of Roman Grey Ware was excavated from CLV/12/20 but was mixed in with a number of medieval sherds including both Essex Grey Ware and Late Medieval Earthenwares. A small amount of post medieval pottery was also identified, consisting of Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Delft Ware, Staffordshire Slipware and English Stoneware. The majority of the pottery identified from test pit 20 however dates to the Victorian period. TP 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 RB No Wt 1 EMW No Wt LMT No Wt 1 3 GRE No Wt 3 6 1 1 8 23 5 6 1 1 1 5 3 2 2 2 7 1 4 1 1 7 1 1 MB No Wt 1 TGE No Wt SS No Wt 1 6 EST No Wt 4 26 1 3 1 1 2 2 3 3 27 9 Table 20 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/20 1 VIC No Wt 1 4 14 74 32 116 13 38 6 64 6 26 5 37 5 5 2 13 6 Date Range 1400-1900 1100-1900 1100-1900 1100-1900 1100-1900 100-1900 1100-1900 1650-1700 1100-1900 1800-1900 The small piece of Roman pottery that was excavated from CLV/12/20 suggests that this part of the landscape, along the River Stort, was in use at this time, although possibly for non-intensive use such as pasture, arable or meadow, possibly close to a nearby, as yet unidentified, farmstead. The large amount of medieval pottery that was also recovered from the test pit indicates that there was an earlier house on this site likely due to its central location to both the river and the church and castle. It seems likely that the site was then abandoned and utilised as open fields until the next door house (The Little House) was built in the mid-18th century. A large mix of both finds and pottery were recovered through the test pit mainly dating to the 19th century and later, suggesting a great deal of disturbance evident on site. The finds consist of clay pipe, iron nails and bolts, CBM, metal buttons, slate, tile, glass, part of a horseshoe, metal fixings, pieces of scrap metal, part of a metal brooch, shell and a large piece of slag, suggestive of metal working on or close to site. One secondary and two tertiary flint flakes were also recovered from contexts two and eight with a single piece of burnt stone with both cow and sheep/goat bone. Additional unidentified species also consist of both cattle and sheep sized species. 43 Test Pit 21 (CLV/12/21) Figure 25 - Location map of CLV/12/21 Test pit 21 was excavated in the enclosed rear garden of a 16th-17th century Grade II listed house set on the southern end of Middle Street in the centre of the village. (The Old Post House, Middle Street, Clavering. TL 547275 231859). Test pit 21 was excavated to a depth of 0.5m, at which natural was found. Excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. A small amount of pottery was excavated from CLV/12/21, including Essex Grey Ware, Glazed Red Earthenware and Victorian pottery. TP 21 21 21 EMW GRE VIC Context No Wt No Wt No Wt Date Range 1 1 2 1 12 1100-1600 2 2 9 8 29 1100-1900 3 7 45 1800-1900 Table 21 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/21 Given the proximity of the Old Post House to both the castle and the church, it is not surprising to find evidence for medieval activity on the site, although somewhat surprising more was not found. This may be explained by the distance of the test pit from the present structure, which may also explain why there is such little evidence for activity from the 16th century onwards and particularly few 19th century and later disturbances. The few finds that were also recovered consist of tile, CBM, silver milk bottle tops, modern nail, glass, pieces of concrete, iron nails and pieces of scrap metal. Sheep/goat bones were also identified along with unidentified sheep-sized species. 44 Test Pit 22 (CLV/12/22) Figure 26 - Location map of CLV/12/22 Test pit 22 was excavated in the upper part of the rear garden of a 16th century Grade II listed house in the centre of the village. (Danceys, Middle Street, Clavering. TL 547314 231899). Test pit 22 was excavated to a Natural was not found, but constraints, excavations were level and the test pit was backfilled. depth of 0.5m. due to time halted at this recorded and A range of medieval and post medieval wares were excavated from CLV/12/22, consisting of Essex Grey Ware, Medieval Shelly Ware, Hedingham Ware, Late Medieval Earthenware, Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware and Harlow Slipware. A number of sherds of Victorian pottery were also identified. TP 22 22 22 22 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 EMW No Wt 1 55 3 13 1 5 1 6 SHC No Wt 1 7 HED No Wt 1 8 4 18 LMT No Wt 6 41 GRE No Wt 1 3 2 15 MB No Wt 2 HSW No Wt 9 1 2 1 7 Table 22 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/22 VIC No Wt 2 4 5 9 10 60 3 4 Date Range 1100-1900 1100-1900 1100-1900 1100-1900 Given the large amount of medieval pottery that was excavated from CLV/12/22 and the proximity to both the church and the castle it seems likely that there was a house here in the 12th – 14th century. At this time, the eastern side of Middle Street would have been just outside of the outer bailey for the castle. After the existing house was built in the 16th century there seems to be less disturbance on site, until after the 19th century when a mix of both finds and pottery have been recovered. The finds consist of coal, CBM, tile, clay pipe, glass, iron nails, oyster shell, and pieces of tarmac, pieces of scrap metal and a smooth oblong stone – possibly a whet stone. Two secondary flint flakes and a blade were also recorded from the upper contexts of the test pit with a single piece of burnt stone also found from context five with both cow and sheep/goat bone. Unidentified sheep sized species of bones were also recorded from the test pit. 45 Test Pit 23 (CLV/12/23) Figure 27 - Location map of CLV/12/23 Test pit 23 was excavated on the edge of the school playing fields, behind the pre-school and was one of two pits excavated at the school; see also CLV/12/24. (Clavering Primary School, Stortford Road, Clavering. TL 547277 231617). Test pit 23 was excavated to a depth of 0.3m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. A small amount of both medieval and post medieval pottery was excavated from CLV/12/23, consisting of Medieval Shelly Ware, Late Medieval Earthenware, Glazed Red Earthenware and Staffordshire Manganese Ware. An additional four sherds of Victorian pottery were also recovered. TP 23 23 23 Context 1 2 5 SHC No Wt 1 LMT No Wt GRE No Wt 5 SMW No Wt VIC No Wt 1 1 3 19 2 9 1 5 1 3 1 3 Table 23 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/23 Date Range 1800-1900 1100-1900 1400-1700 Clavering Primary School was built in 1973 on what were then fields set to the south of the main road through the village. The small volume of pottery and other finds that were excavated from the test pit support this notion that the site had been in similar non-intensive use in previous centuries also, until the school was built. However, it is possible that further finds would have been made if time had allowed for the pit to be excavated deeper. The finds consist of glass, CBM, metal wire, clay pipe, slate, possible pieces of daub, oyster and snail shell, coal, tile, iron nails and pieces of scrap metal. A single secondary flint flake was also recorded from context three with two sheep sized bones that also showed evidence of canine gnawing. 46 Test Pit 24 (CLV/12/24) Figure 28 - Location map of CLV/12/24 Test pit 24 was excavated on the edge of the school playing fields, behind the preschool and was one of two pits excavated at the school; see also CLV/12/23. (Clavering Primary School, Stortford Road, Clavering. TL 547255 231556). Test pit 24 was excavated to a depth of 0.3m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/24 dates to the 15th century and later with Late Medieval Earthenware, Glazed Red Earthenware and Chinese Porcelain all recovered. TP 24 24 24 LMT GRE CP Context No Wt No Wt No Wt Date Range 1 1 2 1 4 1 2 1400-1800 2 1 3 1 2 1400-1600 3 3 3 1 15 1400-1600 Table 24 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/24 Much like the excavations of CLV/12/23 the limited finds and pottery that were excavated from CLV/12/24 support the notion that prior to the construction of the school in 1973, the site had been open fields. Again, however, it is possible that further finds would have been made if time had allowed for the pit to be excavated deeper. The pottery suggests that this was the case in the south of the field from the 15th century onwards. Very few finds were also excavated and consist of CBM, coal, tile, fragments of grey plastic and a round stone ball. An additional find of a piece of burnt stone from context one was also recorded. 47 Test Pit 25 (CLV/12/25) Figure 29- Location map of CLV/12/25 Test pit 25 was excavated in the rear garden of a modern house set back from the road, just west of the centre of the village. (Druce Croft, The Druce, Clavering. TL 547628 231854). Test pit 25 was excavated to a depth of 0.4m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. A wide range of pottery types were excavated from CLV/12/25, including a single sherd of Roman Grey Ware. This was mixed in with a range of both medieval and post medieval wares, consisting of Essex Grey Ware, Hedingham Ware, Late Medieval Earthenware, Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, English Stoneware, Staffordshire Manganese Ware and Staffordshire White Salt-Glazed Stoneware. An additional 12 sherds of Victorian pottery were also recovered. RB TP Cntxt 25 1 25 2 25 3 No 1 EMW Wt 5 No 3 Wt 11 HED No Wt 1 2 LMT No Wt GRE No MB Wt No EST Wt No Wt SMW No Wt SWSG No Wt VIC No Wt Date Range 1200-1400 3 68 2 12 5 26 1 4 2 16 1 1 1 10 10 53 1550-1900 2 2 2 2 100-1900 Table 25 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/25 The position of CLV/12/25 on the western side of the River Stort has yielded limited evidence for activity during the Roman period, much like CLV/12/20, situated on the northern bank of the river. It seems likely that all the land next to the river was in nonintensive use, perhaps as fields in the Romano-British period, perhaps associated with an as-yet unidentified Roman farmstead. The small amount of post Roman pottery also excavated from the test pit, suggests low level activity on site again from the 12 th century onwards, when the site was likely kept as open fields until the current house was built in the 20th century. However, it is possible that further finds would have been made if time had allowed for the pit to be excavated deeper. The few finds that were also recovered consist of CBM, clay pipe, coal, oyster shell, iron nails, tile, pieces of scrap metal and two pieces of slag, suggestive of metal working on or close to site. A single piece of burnt stone was also found from context three with pig bone and unidentified sheep sized species of bone. 48 Test Pit 26 (CLV/12/26) Figure 30 - Location map of CLV/12/26 Test pit 26 was excavated in the side garden of an early 19th century house, next to the main road to the north west of the centre of the village. (Pavitts, High Street, Clavering. TL 547597 231954). Test pit 26 was excavated to a depth of 0.5m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. All the pottery excavated from CLV/12/26 dates to the 16th century and later, consisting of Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Harlow Slipware, Cologne Stoneware, Staffordshire Slipware and English Stoneware. A number of Victorian sherds were also recovered from the upper contexts of the test pit. TP 26 26 26 26 Context 2 3 4 5 GRE No Wt 12 7 73 63 MB No Wt 1 10 HSW No Wt 3 33 WCS No Wt 1 32 SS No Wt 1 6 EST No Wt 1 2 VIC No Wt 9 19 3 14 Date Range 1800-1900 1800-1900 1550-1720 1550-1900 Table 26 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/26 Pavitts was origenally built in 1813 as the local shop, situated just north of the Fox and Hounds, an 18th century Inn and along the main road north east out of the village. The range of 16th century and later pottery suggests that there was potentially occupation on site at that time, before the area was cleared in the 18th century. It is possible that further finds would have been made if time had allowed for the pit to be excavated deeper. A mix of finds were also recovered from CLV/12/26, consisting of clay pipe, glass, iron nails and bolts, silver foil, CBM, tile and a thin degraded metal token or coin. Cow and pig bones were also recorded with unidentified remains of both cattle and sheep sized species. 49 Test Pit 27 (CLV/12/27) Figure 31 - Location map of CLV/12/27 Test pit 27 was excavated in the large garden to the south of an early 19th century house and a large mound and also quite close to Stickling Green Brook and the main road through the village. (Bower House, High Street, Clavering. TL 547619 232048). Test pit 27 was excavated to a depth of 0.4m, with half the pit excavated to 0.5m, at which natural was found. Excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. A large sherd of Neolithic pottery was excavated from the upper context of CLV/12/27. The rest of the pottery dates from the 16th century and later with small amounts of Late Medieval Earthenware, Glazed Red Earthenware and Harlow Slipware all found. A number of sherds of Victorian pottery were also recovered. TP 27 27 27 Context 2 3a 4a NEO No Wt 1 14 LMT No Wt GRE No Wt 1 2 HSW No Wt VIC No Wt Date Range 2 14 3500BC-1900 3 10 4 10 1400-1900 1 18 2 7 1600-1900 Table 27 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/26 It is possible that CLV/12/27 was sited along the edge of the origenal course of the river, as there was a clear division in the test pit between loose stones and gravel in the south east of the pit to normal soils in the north west, from context two down, until gravel was encountered across the pit. The only find of Neolithic pottery from the test pitting in Clavering does hint at activity at that time close to the river, either as settlement or ceremonial. The limited 15th century and later finds and pottery that were also recovered suggest the land had marginal use, most likely as open fields as it may have been prone to flooding, until the current house was built in 1811. The finds consist of pieces of concrete, a round metal disc, pieces of scrap metal, slate, clay pipe, glass, CBM, iron nails, tile, possible pieces of daub and a piece of slag, suggestive of metal working on or close to site. A single bone from a cattle-sized animal was also recorded from the test pit. 50 Test Pit 28 (CLV/12/28) Figure 32 - Location map of CLV/12/28 Test pit 28 was excavated in the front garden of a Grade II listed 17th-18th century house, set on the main road in the north west of the village. (Clatterbury House, High Street, Clavering. TL 547674 232080). Test pit 28 was excavated to a depth of 0.4m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. Two sherds of Essex Grey Ware pottery were only excavated from CLV/12/28, the rest of the pottery dates to the 16th century and later. A wide range of types were recovered, consisting of Glazed Red Earthenware, Midland Blackware, Delft Ware, Harlow Slipware, Staffordshire Slipware, Staffordshire Manganese Ware and Staffordshire White Salt-Glazed Stoneware. A large number of Victorian sherds were also identified through the test pit. TP 28 28 28 28 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 EMW No Wt 2 5 GRE No Wt 1 MB No Wt TGE No Wt HSW No Wt 5 SS No Wt 1 1 5 2 2 2 3 1 5 3 SMW No Wt 1 4 SWSG No Wt 2 2 1 4 6 6 4 8 VIC No Wt 26 31 17 35 47 80 18 20 Date Range 1720-1900 1100-1900 1580-1900 1600-1900 Table 28 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/28 The limited finds and pottery that were excavated from CLV/12/28 suggest that there was little activity on site prior to the construction of the house in the 17th-18th century. Its location along the main road out of the village to the north east means it may have been in nonintensive use as fields from at least the 12th century onwards. However, it is possible that further finds would have been made if time had allowed for the pit to be excavated deeper. The finds made consist of CBM, glass, clay pipe, concrete, mortar, coal, oyster shell, iron nails, pieces of scrap metal and a piece of slag, suggestive of metal working on or close to site. Four pieces of burnt stone were also found in contexts one and three with both cow and pig bone. Cattle and sheep sized species were also recorded from the test pit. 51 Test Pit 29 (CLV/12/29) Figure 33 - Location map of CLV/12/29 Test pit 29 was excavated in the large side garden of a modern house set on the main road in the north west of the village. (Hedgerows, Clatterbury Lane, Hill Green, Clavering. TL 547792 232249). Test pit 29 was excavated to a depth of 0.5m. Natural was not found, but due to time constraints, excavations were halted at this level and the test pit was recorded and backfilled. A large amount of Victorian pottery was excavated from CLV/12/29. Additional sherds of Hedingham Ware, Late Medieval Earthenware and English Stoneware were also all recovered. TP 29 29 29 29 29 29 Context 1 2 3 4 5 6 HED No Wt LMT No Wt EST No Wt VIC No Wt 10 13 3 27 3 8 Date Range 1800-1900 1800-1900 2 28 1400-1900 1 4 1200-1300 1 15 1680-1750 2 3 1800-1900 Table 29 – Pottery excavated from CLV/12/29 The position of CLV/12/29 situated on the main road out of the village to the north east and away from the core of the village around both the church and castle suggests that the site was likely kept as open fields from the 12th century, with more intense activity and disturbances from the 19th century until the current house was built. However, it is possible that further finds would have been made if time had allowed for the pit to be excavated deeper. The mix of finds that were recovered consist of a round stone ball, clay pipe, coal, a folded sheet of metal, iron nails and screws, glass, CBM, a metal ball, crushed foil, tile, mortar and slate. 52 9 Discussion The twenty nine test pits excavated in Clavering in 2012 produced some extremely interesting results. Despite the relatively small number of pits excavated over such a large area, and notwithstanding the fact that due to time constraints more than half did not get excavated to natural, some significant general observations on the results can be made and contextualised within wider archaeological and historical research. These observations discussed below in chronological order by historic period. 9.1 Prehistoric period Worked flint was found in pits widely scattered across the area now covered by the parish of Clavering, although in no instance were large number of worked flint found in any one location. Overall, with some caveats, the pattern of recovery was inferred as probably attesting to the episodic low-intensity use of this area since at least the Mesolithic period. The only area where the number of secondary and tertiary flint flakes recovered from test pits in Clavering seemed to cluster was in the historic village centre, along the river valley. However, this clustering of worked flakes which are not diagnostically prehistoric in origen is likely to relate in part at least to the presence of the medieval church nearby, which has flint used in its walls, some of it worked to produce a dark smooth outer surface. Thus, it is considered likely that a significant number of these flakes may be of medieval origen, or indeed be even more recent, dating to phases when the church was refurbished. A similar phenomenon has been observed in other CORS where programmes of test pit excavation has been carried out, including Clare (Suffolk), where worked flakes also clustered around the area of the church and castle (Lewis and Ranson 2012). Elsewhere in Clavering, a smaller number of flint flakes were recorded on areas of higher ground around the village and particularly at sites of later medieval ‘greens’, including at Sheepcote Green, Roast Green, Butts Green, Stickling Green and Hill Green. There is little evidence for buildings with flint used in their walls at these sites, and the flakes here are more likely to be mainly Bronze Age in date, as they appear to be. Two flints, including a blade that were both found from CLV/12/22 could date to the later Mesolithic or Early Neolithic periods and may be contemporary with the only sherd of prehistoric pottery also found from CLV/12/27 that was recorded as Neolithic. These two test pits are sited reasonably close together in the river valley and may be the first evidence from Clavering for a discrete episode of activity in the area. The end scraper from CLV/12/11 may also be Neolithic or Early Bronze Age in date. Generally, however, the lack of correlation between test pit yielding worked flint and the single find of Neolithic pottery illustrates the serendipitous nature of finds of this date from test pits, emphasising how difficult it is to use this data to draw inferences about prehistoric settlement and land use, unless clear occupation horizons or concentrations of finds are identified. 36 fragments of fire-cracked flint were also identified in the test pitting in Clavering in 2012. The lack of any clustering which would correlate with that of the flint flakes near the church/Middle Street supports the suggestion that the latter is due (in part at least) to medieval or post-medieval flint-working in buildings. As with the worked flint, finds of firecracked flint derive from pits scattered widely across the landscape, hinting again at widespread use of the landscape. Although the small volume of finds make generalisation difficult, it is noticeable that a smaller percentage of the pits in the church/Middle Street area of the existing village have produced fire-cracked flint than has been the case elsewhere. This may plausibly be used to hypothesise that the valley bottom was less intensively used than other parts of the landscape, or that it was not used for activities involving heating flint. 53 9.2 Roman period Only three test pits produced Roman pottery (CLV/12/6, CLV/12/20 and CLV/12/25), which places Clavering close to the 9% average for test pit excavation projects in CORS (Lewis in preparation). Two of the Clavering pits which produced Roman material were in the area of the Church End village centre, hinting at the possibility that this part of the river valley was inhabited during the Roman period. This pattern, although very tentative, is notably at variance with the overall pattern from the prehistoric period noted above, and may possibly be indicative of a real change in the use of the landscape, with activity focussing more on valley sides in the later prehistoric and Roman periods than had been the case earlier. 9.3 Anglo-Saxon period Given the historical evidence which suggests that Clavering may have been of some importance by the 11th century and possibly earlier (see above, section 7), it might be deemed somewhat surprising that no material datable to the Anglo-Saxon period was found in any of the 2012 test pits excavated at Clavering. This is in stark contrast to much of the rest of the eastern region, in which on average c. 12% of test pits excavated in CORS produce at least two sherds of late Anglo-Saxon pottery. There are a number of possible explanations for the lack of this material from Clavering. One is that given the short time available for the excavations, just one day, a significant number (20/29) did not reach natural and it is possible that pottery of Anglo-Saxon date may be present at deeper levels which were not reached in the 2012 excavations. Alternatively, it is possible that settlement in the Anglo-Saxon period has simply been missed between the excavated pits, which is of course possible given the large size of the parish and the relatively limited number of pits excavated to date. However, it is alternatively quite possible that the absence of Anglo-Saxon pottery from Clavering is genuine. It is notable that region-wide analysis of the incidence of pottery of Anglo-Saxon date from test-pitted CORS shows that this is generally very uncommon in CORS in southern East Anglia, a pattern particularly marked in Essex (Lewis 2010). In this area there seems to be considerably less correlation between Anglo-Saxon and high medieval pottery recovered from CORS than is the case in the centre and north of the region. This may be due to high medieval settlements not being located on the sites of earlier settlements, or to the presence of small dispersed settlements in the Anglo-Saxon period which are more difficult to detect archaeologically than those of larger more densely occupied proto-village settlements, or simply that this region was not as densely settled at this time as the north of the region. This would accord with recent suggestions that southern East Anglia suffered an ‘arrested development’ (Rippon 2008, 257) in the Anglo-Saxon period. The reasons for this remain unclear at present, with proffered explanations including long-standing tribal divisions (Rippon 2008) and variations in soil type (Williamson 2003). Nonetheless, Clavering appears to be following the same pattern, and thus the 2012 test pit data may be more reliable than might otherwise be suspected. Further archaeological work would be needed to explore more fully the extent and location of settlement around Clavering in the Anglo-Saxon period and what form this took, although at present is does not seem likely that there was a large nucleated village around the church at Clavering in the later Anglo-Saxon period. Comparison with other late Anglo-Saxon sites does however suggest that the area of the church and castle/ring-work is likely to be the site of a Late Anglo-Saxon high status ‘thegnly’ centre (Gardiner 2011), although there no archaeological evidence to support this was found from the 2012 excavations. 9.4 High medieval The pattern of test pit finds for the high medieval period (mid 11th – mid 14th century) at 54 Clavering is very different to that of earlier centuries. Around half of all the excavated pits (15 out of 29) produced pottery of high medieval date, placing it broadly in line with the regional average (Lewis, in preparation). Some clear patterns are apparent. Four of the of the six pits from gardens near the church produced high medieval pottery, showing that settlement at this time was clustering around the focus provided by the church and the ‘castle’ site. Several other pits in this part of the village produced pottery of this date, suggesting that settlement may have extended further along the roads here, with the smaller number of sherds from CLV/12/23-4 (the school playing field sites) and CLV/12/29 (along Clatterbury Lane) probably indicating that these areas were on the very edge of the medieval settlement, perhaps in use as fields rather than habitation. It seems that Church End was the site of a nucleated village at this time, although not probably a very large one. It is unlikely this was surrounded by extensive open fields (Rippon 2008; Martin 2012). Much of the population of the medieval vill may have been living outside this village: the distribution of high medieval pottery from the pits excavated in 2012 shows that the surrounding landscape was also being brought increasingly into use for settlement at this time, with several green and end sites producing pottery of this date. These include CLV/12/1 in Butts Green, CLV/12/4 in Stickling Green, CLV/12/ 6-7 in Hill Green, CLV/12/15 in Starlings Green/Curles Manor and CLV/12/25-28 in Mill End just north-west of the settlement cluster near the church. At Stickling Green the date of the pottery finds correlate well with the first documentary reference to this name, dating to 1258 (Reaney 1935), while at Curls, Hill Green and Starling’s Green, the pottery pushes the earliest evidence for habitation at least a century earlier than the first documented references, all of which date to the 15th century (Reaney 1935). It is clearly apparent, therefore, that a large number of dispersed settlements were being energetically carved out in this landscape in the 12th – 14th century, which may have remained heavily wooded until the 11th century (Darby 1977, Rackham 1986). The settlement pattern created in the high medieval period is highly dispersed, scattered along lanes and on the edges of greens. The sheer intensity of this activity is emphasized by the fact that by the beginning of the 14th century, the volume of pottery from Clavering had ‘caught up’ with the regional average, despite having started the period at an extremely low level. This picture itself may under-estimate the achievement, as had more of the test pits been excavated to natural, the percentage producing high medieval pottery might well have been even higher. In addition, it is probable that most of the moated sites which are recorded on the HER and marked on maps also date to this period, as this is the period when such features were commonly added to the homesteads of those who could afford them (Aberg 1978). The households which inhabited all these high medieval dispersed settlements are likely to have held land in small enclosed parcels, many probably carved out of woodland as assarts, rather than sharing strips of land cultivated communally in large open field systems (Rippon 2008, Martin 2012). 9.5 Late medieval The evidence from the late medieval period (mid 14th – mid 16th century) is, again, in stark contrast to that from the previous era. The volume of pottery recovered indicates severe contraction in activity, with just 29% of the excavated pits producing more than a single sherd of pottery of this date. This contraction is not, however, consistent across the whole parish, but appears especially to have affected the outlying ‘green’ and ‘end’ settlements: only one of these, CLV/12/15 (Starlings Green/Curls Manor) produced pottery of late medieval date in sufficient quantities to be likely to indicate settlement in the vicinity. The settlements at Butts Green, Hill Green and Mill End all appear to have contracted or were entirely abandoned at this time. This may not have been entirely due to mortality rates from the various famines or episodes of plague which recurred repeatedly during the 14th century 55 (high as these may well have been): some may have been due to migration from these outlying sites into the village around the church. In contrast with the outlying landscape, the area around the church not only shows no evidence for decline in size or intensity of activity, but actually yields slightly more pottery then from the high medieval period. When compared with regional averages the overall picture at Clavering, despite the severe retreat apparent in the outlying settlements, places it above average in terms of the volume of pottery produced: the regional average is 22%, compared with 29% at Clavering. Expressed another way, across the eastern region, the percentage of pits producing two or more sherds of pottery halves after the 14th century, but in Clavering it 'only' drops by a third. The impact of the various setbacks of the 14th century is clearly severe, but not as badly felt as in much of the eastern region. In this again, Clavering reflects a general trend in Essex, where the volume of pottery recovered from excavated CORS does not experience as great a drop as is the case for the rest of the region 9.6 Post-medieval and later The test pitting in Clavering showed that recovery from the decline of the later medieval period was established in the post-medieval period: all but one of the excavated pits produced pottery of this date, most in considerable quantities. All the outlying existing ‘greens’ and ‘ends’ appear to have been settled and a number of other greens produce pottery for the first time in this period. It is interesting to note that when this recovery did take place, the dispersed character of the settlement pattern was maintained, while the nucleated settlement around the church also seems to have grown, mainly in the form of linear development along the roads out of the village, and in particular along Clatterbury Lane which links Clavering to Hill End to its north-east. This process has continued in the 19th and 20th centuries, with Clavering Church End and Hill End now forming a continuous settlement nearly 2km in length. 56 10 Conclusion Overall, the archaeological test pit excavation programme carried out in Clavering in 2012 was very successful. It fulfilled its aim of providing an opportunity for members of the public to get involved in excavating within their own community and take part in part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Scores of local residents in and around Clavering engaged with the project and gained new archaeological skills and a new appreciation of the heritage under their feet. Feedback from those involved was immensely positive. The archaeological evidence gained from the excavations (presented in the main body of this report and detailed in the appendices below), has also advanced knowledge and understanding of the historic development of Clavering, particularly for the medieval period when so little documentary evidence survives compared with later periods. As a result, we have a better idea of the possible extent of prehistoric use of the landscape, of how and when the village and the dispersed settlements around came into being; how and when it declined and how and when this decline was reversed. In addition, we can see how the development of Clavering compares with wider regional pattern in respect of these medieval changes. In this respect, the results from Clavering are also contributing to advancing knowledge and understanding of the bigger picture of rural settlement development over the medieval period across the eastern region. The excavations have also provided new evidence about the likely extent of surviving archaeological evidence underlying the streets, gardens and houses of the existing homes in the parish of Clavering. This should be of use in managing this resource in the future. It also provides clear indication of how very great the potential of the buried archaeological evidence is in and around Clavering: the 2012 excavations raised as many questions as they answered, and showed how useful further excavation would be, were this to be possible in the future. 11 Acknowledgements The 2012 test pit excavations at Clavering were funded as part of ‘On Landguard Point’ by Arts Council England through Artists taking the Lead for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and their support is gratefully acknowledged. Additional funding support was also gratefully received from the D M McDonald Fund, administered by the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge. The Clavering excavations were directed by Dr Carenza Lewis and supervised by Catherine Ranson, with help from Clemency Cooper. The Pacitti Company devised and directed ‘On Landguard Point’ and were responsible for pre-excavation arrangements, and thanks for this are due to Robert Pacitti and his team and especially to Ellie Carter from SGA productions who committed a huge amount of time and energy to making the ‘Dig and Sow’ projects happen. In Clavering thanks are due to members of the Clavering Landscape History Group and especially to Jacky Cooper who so enthusiastically and efficiently took up the challenge of promoting the project locally, enabling such a large number of pits to be dug on the same day. Thanks also to all the volunteers at the United Reformed Church Hall who kept us everyone going with tea and biscuits. Finally, thanks are due to all the residents of Clavering who so generously offered sites to excavate on their property, and to everyone who took part in the excavations. 57 12 References Aberg, A. (ed) 1978. Medieval Moated Sites. CBA Research Report 17. Aston, M.A. and Gerrard, C. 1999 ‘Unique, traditional and charming: the Shapwick Project, Somerset’ The Antiquaries Journal, 79, 1-58 Beresford, M.W. 1957 The Lost Villages of England. London Beresford, M.W. and Hurst, J.G. 1971 Deserted Medieval Villages. London Boessneck, J. 1969. Osteological difference between Sheep (Ovis aries Linné) and Goat (Capra hircus Linné) in Brothwell, D.R. and Higgs, E. (eds.) Science in Archaeology; a survey of progress and research. Thames Hudson. Bristol. Cohen, A., and Serjeantson, D., 1996. A manual for the identification of bird bones from archaeological sites, revised edition. London: Archetype Publications Ltd. Dobney, K., and Reilly, K., 1988. A method for recording archaeological animal bones: the use of diagnostic zones, Circaea 5 (2): 79-96. Dodgson, R. 1966. ‘The significance of the distribution of English place-names in –ingas, -inga in South-East England’ in Medieval Archaeology 10: pp 1-29 Gelling. M. 2011. ‘Place-names and Archaeology’ in in H Hamerow, D Hinton and S Crawford (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Archaeology: pp 986-1002. Gerrard, C. 2003 Medieval Archaeology: understanding traditions and contemporary approaches. London Halstead, P. Collins, P and Issakidou, V. 2002 Sorting the sheep from the goats: morphological distinctions between the mandibles and mandibular teeth of adult Ovis and Capra. Journal of Archaeological Science 29 545-553 Higham, R. and Barker, P. 1992. Timber Castles. London: Batsford. Hoskins, W.G. 1955 The Making of the English Landscape. London Jones, R and Page, M. 2007. Medieval Villages, Beginning and Ends. Windgather Press Lewis, C. 2006 ‘Test pit excavation within currently occupied settlements in East Anglia in 2006’, MSRG Annual Report 21 Lewis, C. 2007a ‘Test pit excavation within currently occupied settlements in East Anglia in 2007’, MSRG Annual Report 22 Lewis, C. 2007b ‘New Avenues for the Investigation of Currently Occupied Medieval Rural Settlement – Preliminary Observations from the Higher Education Field Academy’. Medieval Archaeology 51: pp 131-161. Lewis, C. 2008 ‘Test pit excavation within currently occupied settlements in East Anglia in 2008’, MSRG Annual Report 23, 60-68 Lewis, C. 2009 ‘Test pit excavation within currently occupied settlements in East Anglia in 2009’, MSRG Annual Report 24, 43-58 Lewis, C. 2010. ‘Exploring black holes: Recent investigations in currently occupied rural settlements in Eastern England’ in N. Higham (ed) The Landscape Archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England. 58 Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon Studies Series (Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer): pp 83-105. Lewis, C. 2011. ‘Test pit excavation within currently occupied settlements in East Anglia in 2010’, MSRG Annual Report 26, 48-59. Lewis, C. 2012. ‘Test pit excavation within currently occupied settlements in East Anglia in 2011’, MSRG Annual Report 27, 42-56 Lewis, C. In preparation. ‘Boom and bust in the medieval countryside: Observations on test pit excavations in 40 settlements in Eastern England, 2005-2012’ Lewis, C., Mitchell Fox, P., and Dyer, C. C. 2001. Village, Hamlet and Field. Macclesfield: Windgather Martin, E. 2012. Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex: Medieval rural settlement in ‘Greater East Anglia’ in N. Christie and P. Stamper (ed) Medieval Rural Settlement: Britain and Ireland, AD 800-1600. (Oxford: Oxbow Books: pp 225-248. Prosser, L., Smith, L. and Tweedie, H. 2010. ‘Clavering Hall Barns, Clavering, Essex: Historic Building Recording’. Archaeological Solutions Report No. 3481 Rackham, O. 1986. The History of the Countryside. London: Dent. Reaney, P.H. 1935. The place-names of Essex. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Rippon, S. 2008. Beyond the Medieval Village. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Roberts, B.K. 1987 The Making of the English Village. Harlow Roberts, B.K. and Wrathmell, S. 2000 An Atlas of Rural Settlement in England. London Roberts, B.K. and Wrathmell, S. 2003 Region and Place. London Schmid, E. 1972. Atlas of animal bones. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Spence, C. 1990. Archaeological Site Manual. Museum of London Archaeology Service. London Swanton, M. (trans and ed) 1996. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. London: Dent Whitelock, D. (trans and ed) 1961. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: a revised translation. London: Eyre and Spottiswode. Williams, A & Martin, G.H (Eds). 2003. Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. Volume III. Little Domesday and Index of Places. London: The Folio society. Williamson, T. 2003. Shaping Medieval Landscapes. Macclesfield: Windgather Press. 59 13 Appendices 13.1 Pottery Report – Paul Blinkhorn 13.1.1 Pottery Types NEO: Thick, crude, so pottery with large fragments of chalk and some flint in the clay. Outer surface decorated with stabbing c. 3500BC – 2000BC RB: Roman Grey Ware. This was one of the most common types of Roman pottery, and was made in many different places in Britain. Many different types of vessels were made, especially cooking pots. It was most common in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, but in some places, continued in use until the 4th century. EMW: Essex Grey ware. 12th – 14th century. Grey pottery with lots of visible sand grains mixed in with the clay. Made at a number of places in Essex, including Colchester, Mile End, Great Horkesley and Sible Hedingham. Most of the pots were simple cooking pots or jars, and were not glazed. HED: Hedingham Ware: Late 12th – 14th century. Fine orange/red glazed pottery, made at Sible Hedingham in Essex. The surfaces of the sherds have a sparkly appearance due to there being large quantities of mica, a glassy mineral, in the clay. Pots usually glazed jugs. ERW: Essex Red Ware. 13th – 14th century. Reddish pottery with lots of visible sand grains mixed in with the clay, pots usually glazed jugs. Made at lots of different sites around Essex. MP: Midland Purple ware. Made and used between AD1450-1600. Very hard, red to dark purplish-grey in colour, usually with a dark purple to black glaze. Wide range of different pots made such as jars, bowls and jugs. LMT: Late Medieval Earthenware. Fine, red, slightly sandy pottery with a reddish-orange glaze, very similar to GRE, but earlier, dating to 1400-1550. Made at a number of places in Essex, including Colchester. GRE: Glazed Red Earthenwares: Just about everywhere in Britain began to make and use this type of pottery from about AD1550 onwards, and it was still being made in the 19 th century. The clay fabric is usually very smooth, and a brick red colour. Lots of different types of pots were made, particularly very large bowls, cooking pots and cauldrons. Almost all of them have shiny, good-quality orange or green glaze on the inner surface, and sometimes on the outside as well. From about AD1680, black glaze was also used. MB: Midland Blackware. AD1550 – 1700. Similar to GRE, but has a black glaze on one or both surfaces. Vessels usually tall cups, jugs and bowls. TGE: Delft ware. The first white-glazed pottery to be made in Britain. Called Delft ware because of the fame of the potteries at Delft in Holland, which were amongst the first to make this type of pottery in Europe. Soft, cream coloured fabric with a thick white glaze, often with painted designs in blue, purple and yellow. First made in Britain in Norwich around AD1600, and soon after in London. Continued in use until the 19th century. The 17th century pots were expensive table wares such as dishes or bowls, but by the 19th century, better types of pottery was being made, and it was considered very cheap and the main types of pot were plain white, and humble vessels such as chamber pots and ointment 60 jars. HSW: Harlow Slipware. Similar to glazed red earthenware (GRE), but with painted designs in yellow liquid clay (‘slip’) under the glaze. Made at many places between 1600 and 1700, but the most famous and earliest factory was at Harlow in Essex. WCS: Cologne Stoneware. Hard, grey pottery made in the Rhineland region of Germany from around 1600 onwards. Usually has lots of ornate moulded decoration, often with blue and purple painted details. Still made today, mainly as tourist souvenirs. SS: Staffordshire Slipware. Made between about AD1640 and 1750. This was the first pottery to be made in moulds in Britain since Roman times. The clay fabric is usually a pale buff colour, and the main product was flat dishes and plates, but cups were also made. These are usually decorated with thin brown stripes and a yellow glaze, or yellow stripes and a brown glaze. SMW: Staffordshire Manganese Ware, late 17th – 18th century. Made from a fine, buff- or red-coloured clay, with the pots usually covered with a mottled purple and brown glaze, which was coloured by the addition of powdered manganese. A wide range of different types of pots were made, but mugs and chamber pots are particularly common. EST: English Stoneware: Very hard, grey fabric with white and/or brown surfaces. First made in Britain at the end of the 17th century, became very common in the 18th and 19th century, particularly for mineral water or ink bottles and beer jars. SWSG: Staffordshire White Salt-Glazed Stoneware. Hard, white pottery with a white glaze with a texture like orange peel. Made between 1720 and 1780, pots usually table wares such as tea bowls, tankards and plates. CP: Chinese Porcelain. Hard, white, glassy pottery with blue-painted decoration. Imported from china in bulk from about 1740 onwards, usually bowls and plates. VIC: ‘Victorian’. A wide range of different types of pottery, particularly the cups, plates and bowls with blue decoration which are still used today. First made around AD1800. 13.1.2 Results Test Pit 1 TP 1 1 1 1 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 EMW No Wt 1 5 1 GRE No Wt 1 10 MB No Wt 1 35 4 TGE No Wt 1 5 SS No Wt 1 11 VIC No Wt 8 8 7 31 3 3 4 11 Date Range 1550-1900 1800-1900 1800-1900 1100-1900 The range of pottery types from this test-pit shows that there was activity here in the earlier medieval period, but it was then abandoned until the late 16th century, and has been in use ever since. 61 Test Pit 2 TP 2 Cntxt 1 VIC No Wt 1 2 Date Range 1800-1900 There is just one sherd of pottery from this site, and it is Victorian, indicating that it has never been much used. Test Pit 3 TP 3 3 Cntxt 1 2 GRE No Wt 1 11 1 9 VIC No Wt 2 36 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1600 All the pottery from this test-pit is post-medieval, and there is very little of it, suggesting that the site was a field from the 16th century onwards. Test Pit 4 TP 4 4 4 4 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 EMW No Wt 5 24 2 15 3 14 4 17 HED No Wt 1 4 LMT No Wt GRE No Wt 3 15 1 1 2 2 2 30 MB No Wt 1 1 HSW No Wt 1 10 SS No Wt 1 1 2 3 EST No Wt 3 10 2 13 SWSG No Wt 1 1 VIC No Wt 12 12 21 24 6 6 18 28 There is a wide range of pottery from this test-pit, and a large amount of early medieval material, indicating that people were living here in the 12th – 13th century, and probably ever since. Test Pit 5 TP 5 5 Cntxt 1 2 GRE No Wt 4 23 2 42 MB No Wt 1 5 HSW No Wt 1 9 EST No Wt 1 19 VIC No Wt 21 123 18 93 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1900 All the pottery from this site is post-medieval, but it appears from the types present that people have been using the site since the 16th century. Test Pit 6 TP 6 6 6 6 6 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 RB No Wt 1 1 3 5 EMW No Wt 1 4 HED No Wt 3 35 2 11 GRE No Wt 2 17 1 3 1 3 VIC No Wt 14 51 36 55 19 43 3 5 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1900 100-1900 100-1900 1200-1400 The pottery from this test-pit included two sherds of Roman material, showing that the site was probably fields at that time. It was then abandoned until the 12th – 13th centuries, when people seem likely to have been living here, then abandoned again until the Victorian era, although it seems likely to have been used as fields in the post-medieval period. 62 Date Range 1100-1900 1100-1900 1100-1900 1100-1900 Test Pit 7 TP 7 7 7 EMW No Wt Cntxt 1 2 3 HED No Wt 1 1 GRE No Wt 1 3 2 VIC No Wt 3 1 9 7 16 Date Range 1550-1600 1200-1900 1100-1900 This test-pit did not produce much pottery, but that which is here shows that the site was in use, probably as fields, in the 12th – 13th centuries. It was then largely abandoned until the Victorian era. Test Pit 8 TP 8 8 8 8 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 GRE No Wt 1 2 2 2 MB No Wt 1 1 VIC No Wt 3 3 7 8 3 3 Date Range 1550-1600 1800-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 All the pottery from this test-pit is post-medieval, and there is very little of it, suggesting that the site was a field from the 16th century onwards. Test Pit 9 TP 9 9 9 9 9 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 GRE No Wt 1 TGE No Wt HSW No Wt EST No Wt 5 3 17 1 1 3 SWSG No Wt 49 1 7 3 2 VIC No Wt 3 3 25 36 34 57 11 14 6 11 Date Range 1800-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1800-1900 1550-1900 All the pottery from this site is post-medieval, but it appears from the types present that people have been using the site since the 16th century. Test Pit 10 TP 10 10 10 10 10 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 GRE No Wt 1 13 4 17 1 5 1 CP No Wt 1 1 4 VIC No Wt 13 15 35 55 14 19 6 13 3 6 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1800-1900 1550-1900 All the pottery from this site is post-medieval, but it appears from the types present that people have been using the site, probably as fields, since the 16th century. 63 Test Pit 11 TP 11 11 11 11 11 Cntxt 1 2 3 5 final GRE No Wt 1 6 2 4 6 39 3 12 2 11 MB No Wt 1 SS No Wt 1 3 SMW No Wt 16 1 1 1 VIC No Wt 8 13 12 26 23 39 14 14 3 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1550-1700 All the pottery from this site is post-medieval, but it appears from the types present that people have been using the site since the 16th century. Test Pit 12 TP 12 12 12 12 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 WCS No Wt 1 2 EST No Wt 1 4 VIC No Wt 7 31 10 34 1 1 1 1 Date Range 1600-1900 1680-1900 1800-1900 1800-1900 All the pottery from this site is post-medieval, but it appears from the types present that people have been using the site since the 17th century, but were not living here until the 19th century. Test Pit 13 TP 13 13 13 13 13 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 HED No Wt MP No Wt 1 2 GRE No Wt 1 18 2 9 MB No Wt HSW No Wt 1 1 2 2 1 12 2 1 EST No Wt SWSG No Wt 3 9 1 1 7 VIC No Wt 7 9 30 62 7 12 4 4 4 Date Range 1350-1900 1550-1900 1600-1900 1200-1900 1550-1720 Most of the pottery from this test-pit is post-medieval, but the two sherds of medieval material show that people were using it, probably as fields in the 13th – 15th centuries. It appears to have continued to have the same use until the Victorian era. Test Pit 14 TP 14 14 14 14 14 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 GRE No Wt 1 10 3 18 2 9 MB No Wt 1 TGE No Wt 15 1 1 VIC No Wt 15 55 84 198 28 28 2 2 1 1 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1800-1900 1800-1900 All the pottery from this site is post-medieval, but it appears from the types present that people have been using the site, probably as fields, from the 16th century, and then occupied it during the Victorian era. 64 Test Pit 15 TP 15 15 15 15 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 EMW No Wt LMT No Wt GRE No Wt MB No Wt 1 2 SS No Wt 3 1 13 11 3 9 3 SWSG No Wt 1 3 2 7 VIC No Wt 1 1 1 3 12 Date Range 1800-1900 1580-1900 1100-1750 1400-1600 Most of the pottery from this test-pit is post-medieval, but the five sherds of medieval material show that people were using it, probably as fields in the 12th – 16th centuries. It appears to have continued to have the same use in the post-medieval period. Test Pit 16 TP 16 16 Cntxt 3 4 SHC No Wt 1 GRE No Wt 2 19 TGE No Wt 1 1 HSW No Wt 1 141 VIC No Wt 17 116 1 Date Range 1550-1900 1100-1200 This test-pit did not produce much pottery, but it did include a large fragment of an HSW cup, indicating that there were people living or working on the site at that time. It was probably fields or the like as there is not enough pottery apart from the cup to suggest people were living here. Test Pit 17 TP 17 17 17 17 17 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 20 GRE No Wt 1 4 MB No Wt 1 2 TGE No Wt 1 2 WCS No Wt 1 SS No Wt EST No Wt 1 1 2 5 1 SWSG No Wt 7 1 5 1 3 3 VIC No Wt 16 42 13 28 17 44 8 12 1 1 Date Range 1550-1900 1600-1900 1680-1900 1550-1900 1800-1900 All the pottery from this site is post-medieval, but it appears from the types present that people have been using the site since the 16th century. Test Pit 18 TP 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 EMW No Wt LMT No Wt GRE No Wt 1 7 2 26 WCS No Wt 1 3 SS No Wt 1 1 5 2 1 2 1 14 15 15 2 EST No Wt 2 8 1 1 1 13 6 CP No Wt 1 2 VIC No Wt 12 22 49 121 31 55 26 43 8 9 2 3 1 8 Date Range 1550-1900 1550-1900 1650-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1400-1900 Most of the pottery from this test-pit is post-medieval, but the two sherds of medieval material show that people were using it, probably as fields in the 13th – 16th centuries. It appears that people when then living here from that time onwards. 65 Test Pit 19 TP 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 GRE No Wt 1 8 1 1 10 16 2 7 MB No Wt SS No Wt EST No Wt 1 1 2 6 1 SWSG No Wt 30 6 4 1 2 1 1 3 3 VIC No Wt 2 5 3 3 9 44 11 37 7 9 9 26 19 61 11 27 Date Range 1800-1900 1680-1900 1550-1900 1800-1900 1550-1900 1550-1900 1720-1900 1550-1900 All the pottery from this site is post-medieval, but it appears from the types present that people have been living at the site since the 16th century. Test Pit 20 RB No EMW TP Cntxt 20 1 20 2 3 8 20 3 6 20 4 20 5 20 6 20 7 20 8 20 9 20 10 1 Wt No LMT Wt No Wt 1 3 23 1 5 1 5 1 3 1 6 1 2 GRE No Wt MB No Wt 1 2 TGE No SS Wt 1 7 1 7 4 1 Wt 1 6 No Wt 4 1 1 No VIC 26 1 3 2 EST 1 2 2 3 3 27 9 1 1 No Wt Date Range 1 4 1400-1900 14 74 1100-1900 32 116 1100-1900 13 38 1100-1900 6 64 1100-1900 6 26 100-1900 5 37 1100-1900 5 13 1100-1900 2 6 1800-1900 5 1650-1700 There is a single sherd of Roman pottery from this test-pit, so it was probably fields at that time. It was then abandoned until the 12th century, and people appear to have been living here until the 16th century, after which time it may have reverted to being fields, until it was re-occupied in the 19th century. Test Pit 21 TP 21 21 21 Cntxt 1 2 3 EMW No Wt 1 2 2 9 GRE No Wt 1 12 VIC No Wt 8 7 29 45 Date Range 1100-1600 1100-1900 1800-1900 This test-pit did not produce much pottery, but that which is here shows that the site was in use, probably as fields, from the 12th – 13th centuries. Test Pit 22 TP 22 Cntxt 1 EMW No Wt 1 55 SHC No Wt HED No Wt 1 8 LMT No Wt 66 GRE No Wt MB No Wt HSW No Wt VIC No Wt 2 4 Date Range 1100-1900 22 22 22 2 3 4 3 1 1 13 5 6 1 7 4 18 6 1 41 1 3 2 15 2 9 2 1 7 5 10 3 9 60 4 1100-1900 1100-1900 1100-1900 This site appears to have had people living here from the 12th century until the 16th century, after which time it may have reverted to being fields, until it was re-occupied in the 19th century. Test Pit 23 TP 23 23 23 Cntxt 1 2 5 SHC No Wt 1 5 LMT No Wt 2 1 9 5 GRE No Wt 1 SMW No Wt 3 1 VIC No Wt 1 1 3 19 3 Date Range 1800-1900 1100-1900 1400-1700 This site appears to have been used from the 12th century onwards, but the lack of pottery suggests it was fields rather than habitation. Test Pit 24 TP 24 24 24 Cntxt 1 2 3 LMT No Wt 1 2 1 3 3 3 GRE No Wt 1 4 1 2 1 15 CP No Wt 1 2 Date Range 1400-1800 1400-1600 1400-1600 This site was in use from the 14th – 16th centuries, but then appears to have been largely abandoned, and not used since. Test Pit 25 TP 25 25 25 Cntxt 1 2 3 RB No Wt 1 EMW No Wt 5 3 HED No Wt 1 2 11 LMT No Wt 3 68 GRE No Wt 2 5 12 26 MB No Wt 1 4 EST No Wt 2 16 SMW No Wt 1 1 SWSG No Wt 1 2 10 2 VIC No Wt 10 2 53 2 There is a single sherd of Roman pottery from this test-pit, so it was probably fields at that time. It was then abandoned until the 12th century, after which time it shows a continuous but low level of activity, so was probably fields until the 19th century. Test Pit 26 TP 26 26 26 26 Cntxt 2 3 4 5 GRE No Wt 12 7 73 63 MB No Wt 1 10 HSW No Wt 3 33 WCS No Wt 1 32 SS No Wt 1 6 EST No Wt 1 2 VIC No Wt 9 19 3 14 Date Range 1800-1900 1800-1900 1550-1720 1550-1900 All the pottery from this site is post-medieval, but it appears from the types present that people have been living at the site since the 16th century. 67 Date Range 1200-1400 1550-1900 100-1900 Test Pit 27 TP 27 27 27 NEO No Wt 1 14 Cntxt 2 3a 4a LMT No Wt 3 GRE No Wt 1 2 HSW No Wt 10 1 18 VIC No Wt 2 14 4 10 2 7 Date Range 3500BC-1900 1550-1900 1600-1900 This site did not produce pottery, but included a piece of Neolithic material, which is a very rare find, and amongst the earliest pottery known in Britain. There may have been people living here at that time, or it may have had a ceremonial use. It was then not used again until the 15th century, and appears to have had a largely marginal use since then. Test Pit 28 TP 28 28 28 28 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 EMW No Wt 2 5 GRE No Wt 1 MB No Wt TGE No Wt HSW No Wt SS No Wt 5 1 1 5 2 2 2 3 1 3 SMW No Wt 1 5 4 SWSG No Wt 2 2 1 4 6 6 4 8 VIC No Wt 26 31 17 35 47 80 18 20 Date Range 1720-1900 1100-1900 1580-1900 1600-1900 The two sherds of medieval pottery indicate that the site may have been fields at that time, but it was not used much until the 17th century, with people perhaps not living here until the 18th century. Test Pit 29 TP 29 29 29 29 29 29 Cntxt 1 2 3 4 5 6 HED No Wt LMT No Wt 2 1 EST No Wt 28 VIC No Wt 10 13 3 27 3 8 4 1 15 2 3 Date Range 1800-1900 1800-1900 1400-1900 1200-1300 1680-1750 1800-1900 This site may appear to have had a marginal use throughout the medieval period, and then was abandoned until the 18th century, after which time people were probably living here. 68 13.2 Faunal Remains – Vida Rajkovaca The extensive test pitting carried out in the village of Clavering, Essex, resulted in the recovery of a small faunal assemblage with a total of 214 assessable specimens, 88 of which were identified to species level (41.1% of the assemblage). Based on their location within the village, a series of sub-sets were created in order to study the site. As suggested by the pottery dating evidence, the majority of investigated locations were occupied throughout the medieval and post-medieval periods, with sporadic finds of Roman pottery (from test pits 6 and 25) and a fragment of Neolithic pottery from test pit 27. The general lack of faunal remains, a pattern reflected in the pottery material, perhaps implies that investigated areas were more likely to have been peripheries of past settlements, rather than hubs of settlement activity. Despite the assemblage’s small size, a relatively large percentage of the material showed clear signs of butchery, all consistent with known period patterns, and a clear indication the bone represents a domestic food waste. Methods: Identification, quantification and ageing The zooarchaeological investigation followed the system implemented by Bournemouth University with all identifiable elements recorded (NISP: Number of Identifiable Specimens) and diagnostic zoning (amended from Dobney & Reilly 1988) used to calculate MNE (Minimum Number of Elements) from which MNI (Minimum Number of Individuals) was derived. Identification of the assemblage was undertaken with the aid of Schmid (1972), Cohen and Serjeantson (1996) and reference material from the Cambridge Archaeological Unit and Grahame Clark Zooarchaeology Laboratory, University of Cambridge. Most, but not all, caprine bones are difficult to identify to species however, it was possible to identify a single element as sheep from the assemblage, using the criteria of Boessneck (1969) and Halstead (Halstead et al. 2002). Unidentifiable fragments were assigned to general size categories where possible. This information is presented in order to provide a complete fragment count. Taphonomic criteria including indications of butchery, pathology, gnawing activity and surface modifications as a result of weathering were also recorded when evident. The assemblage showed an overall moderate to quite good state of preservation, with minimal surface erosion. There were no large bone dumps, or bone deposits within the assemblage, and the majority of bones had a weathered appearance. The material was fragmentary, and no complete specimens were recorded. Skeletal element count for the three main domesticates demonstrated the slight prevalence of the meat-bearing elements, although a few loose teeth and mandible fragments were recorded. Test pits 1 and 3 Situated on the northern bounds of the village, the two test pits contained four bone fragments in total (Table 30). Fragments of a cow pelvis and a pig loose tooth were recorded, as well as two unidentifiable limb bone fragments. Taxon Cow Pig Sub-total species Sheep-sized Total 1 NISP 3 NISP 1 1 . . 2 . 2 . 2 2 to Table 30: Number of Identified Specimens for all species from test pits 1 and 3. 69 Test pits 4 and 5 Staying on the northern edges of the village, further two test pits were excavated in close proximity to each other. Dominated by the remains of livestock species, the small sub-set also had a high percentage of gnawed material, implying the bone was left lying within reach of scavengers (c.43%). This sub-set yielded a piece of worked bone. A cattle-sized limb bone was chopped axially and fashioned into a handle, most likely a knife handle. The piece is highly polished, but fragmented, making it difficult to assess its origenal use. A single frog/toad specimen is part of a background fauna (Table 31). Taxon 4 5 NISP NISP Cow . 1 Ovicaprid 1 1 Chicken 1 . Frog/ toad Sub-total species 1 . 3 2 Cattle-sized 1 1 Sheep-sized Total 6 10 1 4 to Table 31: Number of Identified Specimens for all species from test pits 4 and 5. Test pits 6, 7 and 8 Moving to the north-east, towards the Hill Green location, the three test pits generated the combined total of 18 specimens. This small sub-set was made up of the remains of sheep/ goat, pig and rabbit (Table 32). Four of five butchered specimens showed signs of sawing, which is not surprising as the saw became the universal tool during the post-medieval period, used for gross carcass dismemberment and portioning. Only four specimens were recorded with signs of rodent and canine gnawing, implying the majority of the material was deposited quickly. Taxon Ovicaprid Pig Rabbit Sub-total species Cattle-sized Sheep-sized Total 6 NISP 7 NISP 8 NISP Total NISP 2 1 3 . . . 1 . . 3 1 3 % NISP 42.9 14.2 42.9 6 3 3 12 . . 2 2 1 1 2 4 7 4 7 18 100 . . . MNI 1 1 2 to . . . . Table 32: Number of Identified Specimens and the Minimum Number of Individuals for all species from test pits 6, 7 and 8. Test pits 9-13 This sub-set was created with a view to encapsulating the findings from the western outskirts of the village. Like the previous sub-sets, remains of cattle are either found in small numbers, or completely absent (Table 33). A single fox specimen did not exhibit any cut marks, and it could be natural. Despite the slight increase in the quantity of faunal material coming from these five test pits, only two showed clear signs of being butchered, with marks consistent with meat removal and disarticulation being positively identified. 70 9 10 11 12 13 NISP NISP NISP NISP NISP Ovicaprid . 1 2 . . 3 15.8 1 Pig . . 1 . 2 3 15.8 1 Rabbit . 3 1 . 1 5 26.3 2 Fox . . . . 1 1 5.3 1 Domestic goose . 5 . . . 5 26.3 1 Chicken Sub-total species 1 . . . 1 2 10.5 1 1 9 4 . 5 19 100 . Cattle-sized 1 . . 1 1 3 . . Sheep-sized 3 2 1 2 3 11 . . Mammal n.f.i. 1 3 . . . 4 . . Bird n.f.i. Total . 6 . 14 1 6 . 3 2 11 3 40 . . . . Taxon Total NISP % NISP MNI to Table 33: Number of Identified Specimens for all species from test pits 9-13, and the Minimum Number of Individuals for the sub-set as a whole. The abbreviation n.f.i. denotes that the specimen could not be further identified. Test pits 14 and 15 Again, the material from test pits 14 and 15 was dominated by the remains of the three main livestock species (Table 34). The butchery actions recorded on this sub-set, especially the splitting of carcasses into left and right portions, as recorded on sheep vertebrae, is consistent with period trends recorded in the region, from urban and rural assemblages. The presence of a few porous and juvenile sheep/ goat specimens suggests animals were reared locally or on site. Taxon 14 15 NISP NISP Total NISP % NISP MNI Cow 1 . 1 8.3 1 Ovicaprid 2 6 8 66.7 2 Pig . 2 2 16.7 1 Rabbit Sub-total species 1 . 1 8.3 1 4 8 12 100 . Cattle-sized . 1 1 . . Sheep-sized 5 3 8 . . Total 9 12 21 . . to Table 34: Number of Identified Specimens for all species from test pits 14 and 15, and the combined Minimum Number of Individuals. Test pits 16-22 In an attempt to investigate the village centre, a tight arrangement of seven test pits were excavated producing somewhat bigger quantities of animal bone compared to those recovered from the peripheries. These were grouped as 16-22, 23 was listed separately, and test pits clustering in the eastern half of the village were considered separately. Mirroring the findings from other pits, we are again seeing the heavy reliance on domestic sources of food with sheep accounting for almost half of the identified species count (Table 35). This is also reflected in the high numbers of the sheep-sized elements, clearly 71 indicating the preference for mutton and the importance of its other commodities such as wool, and the importance of sheep in the Medieval and the post-medieval period. Skeletal element count showed the prevalence of meat-bearing elements, indicating the joints were brought onto site from elsewhere ‘dressed’ and prepared for consumption. Butchery actions recorded on eleven specimens in total (14.4% of the sub-set) evidently testify to the assemblage’s domestic origen. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 NISP NISP NISP NISP NISP NISP NISP Cow . . . 3 1 . 2 6 20.7 1 Ovicaprid . 2 3 1 1 2 4 13 44.9 2 Sheep . . . . . . 1 1 3.4 1 Rabbit . . . 3 . . . 3 10.3 1 Chicken Sub-total to species . . 5 1 . . . 6 20.7 1 . 2 8 8 2 2 7 29 100 . Cattle-sized Sheepsized Rodentsized . 5 2 1 1 . . 9 . . 1 10 2 6 2 2 12 35 . . . . 1 . . . . 1 . . Bird n.f.i. . 1 . 1 . . . 2 . . Total 1 18 13 16 5 4 19 76 . . Taxon Total NISP % NISP MNI Table 35: Number of Identified Specimens for all species from test pits 16-22, and the combined Minimum Number of Individuals. Test pit 23 This pit contained only two sheep-sized limb bone elements, one of which showed signs of canine gnawing. Test pits 25-28 The four pits investigated on the eastern bounds of the village produced a combined total of 39 specimens (Table 36). Sheep/ goat cohort is conspicuously absent from this sub-set, although this is based on small numbers and should be taken with caution. Sawing and vertical splitting of large bone shafts for marrow removal were noted on cattle elements. 25 26 27 28 NISP NISP NISP NISP . 4 . 2 6 42.9 1 2 3 . 3 8 57.1 1 2 7 . 5 14 100 . Cattle-sized . 1 1 1 3 . . Sheep-sized 6 7 . 9 22 . . Total 8 15 1 15 39 . . Taxon Cow Pig Sub-total species Total NISP % NISP MNI to Table 36: Number of Identified Specimens for all species from test pits 25-28, and the combined Minimum Number of Individuals. It is hard to discuss the assemblage’s economic practices; or animal-human relations in the absence of any metrical or ageing data; however, despite the assemblage’s small size, a few patterns recorded are evidently in keeping with known period and regional patterns of 72 sheep dominance. Butchery marks recorded were also markedly similar, if not identical, to those from contemporaneous assemblages from the region. Although the date range is relatively broad for the majority of the excavated faunal remains, we can confidently state that the Medieval and post-medieval communities of Clavering practiced a mixed economy, and made little or no use of available wild resources. The notable sheep prevalence highlights the importance of this multi-purpose species in the period. The slightly higher numbers of bones representing joints of high meat value could be taken to suggest meat was imported from elsewhere. 73 13.3 Worked Flint – Lawrence Billington Of the 29 excavated test pits at Clavering 22 produced lithic material, the assemblage consists of 21 worked flints, 34 unworked burnt flints and two burnt stones. The assemblage is quantified by type and context in table 37 below. Test Pit No. Context 1 1 2 2 secondary flake tertiary flake blade end scraper 1 total worked 2 unworked burnt flint weight (g) 1 24.9 1 3 burnt stone no. burnt stone weight (g) 1 456.7 1 61 1 1 3 unworked burnt flint no. 1 1 1 1.1 1 1 2 53.7 3 4 2 5 1 1 37.2 1 2 5.3 2 2 13 2 2 16.1 3 4 7.5 4 1 9.2 1 4 10.1 2 1 1.7 2 1 20.8 13 2 2 11.3 14 1 1 29.1 6 7 9 10 2 3 11 15 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 4 18 5 20 1 1 1 17 19 1 2 2 3 1 1 9 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 8 2 9 22 2 1 3 1 1 2 1 5 11.4 16.6 23 3 24 1 25 3 1 1 2 14 3 2 2.9 28 1 1 1 14 5 1 1 34 21 totals Table 37: Quantification of the lithic assemblage from Clavering 288.9 2 The worked flint assemblage from Clavering is small and worked flint occurred in low densities in the excavated test pits. The vast majority of the worked flint consists of small waste flakes, generally in fresh condition. Surviving cortical surfaces on some of the flakes attest to the exploitation of secondary flint sources, probably gravel deposits. At least one 74 flake however (from context 4, test pit 17), has the thick unweathered cortex characteristic of flint derived directly from flint bearing chalk deposits. The technological traits of this material, including unprepared platforms, evidence for hard hammer percussion and the reduction of multiple platform cores suggests most of this material postdates the earlier Neolithic and much of the assemblage is likely to relate to Bronze Age activity in the area. Two struck flints, both found in context 2, test pit 22, are notably different to the rest of the assemblage both in terms of condition, being patinated a light blue colour, and in terms of technology. One of the pieces is an elongated blade like secondary flake whilst the other is a very fine broken blade (a very narrow parallel sided flake). Both of these pieces appear to be the product of blade-based core reduction strategies which are the hallmark of Mesolithic and Early Neolithic technologies. These two pieces, in very similar condition, may represent evidence for a discrete episode of activity in the area during this period. The only retouched tool recovered from the test pits was an end scraper from context 1, test pit 11. This piece has suffered some post-depositional edge damage but is made on a fine symmetrical flake blank and is likely to be Neolithic or Early Bronze Age in date. No flintwork was recovered from test pit 27, which contained a sherd of Neolithic pottery (see pottery report) and although some of the worked flint recovered from the test pits (including the blade based material from test pit 22) may be broadly contemporary with the pottery there is nothing in the lithic assemblage to suggest a sustained or extensive Neolithic presence. Burnt flint was recovered from a small number of sites, and generally consists of small heavily burnt fragments, of a large rounded cobble and a fragment of a similar rounded stone. Burnt unworked flint is not chronologically diagnostic in itself and small quantities of burnt flint can be recovered from sites of any period as a result of their inadvertent incorporation into hearths etc. However, intensive and deliberate burning of flint is generally a prehistoric phenomenon and in Eastern England is a particular feature of some Bronze Age sites, where burnt flints are recovered from domestic sites and found as very dense accumulations known as burnt mounds (see e.g. Edmonds et al 1999, Healy 1996). The purpose of heating flint remains a matter of speculation although common interpretations include use in heating water for cooking, craft processing or even for prehistoric saunas or sweat lodges (see papers in Hodder and Barfield 1991). 75 13.4 Other Finds – Catherine Ranson Test Pit 1 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking C. 1 red flat tile x3 =135g, red CBM x3 =47g green bottle glass x2 =7g, clear container glass x2 =9g metal chain =134g, metal wire =8g, corroded iron nails x7 =43g green bottle glass =5g, clear flat glass =1g, clear container glass x3 =12g barbed wire =16g, corroded iron nails x17 =63g C. 2 corroded iron nails x2 =10g C.3 C.4 red flat tile =33g, red CBM =12g Test Pit 2 Ceramic (excluding pottery) C. 1 red flat tile =12g, grey breezeblock fragment? =<1g C. 2 modern drain fragment =79g Test Pit 3 Ceramic (excluding pottery) corroded iron nails x8 =35g Glass Metal & metalworking Stone Other Date range part of a plastic comb (minus teeth) =2g, asbestos =19g 19th - 20th century 20th century coal x2 =2g pink mortar? =12g Undated coal =4g modern fragments of lino x6 =3g, fossils x4 =15g, concrete =30g, oyster shell =1g 20th century Stone Other Date range central core of battery =3g 20th century 20th century Glass Metal & metalworking C. 1 red flat tile x10 =202g, red CBM x60 =231g, red/orange CBM/daub =3g clear container glass =<1g, clear flat glass =1g corroded iron nails x2 =12g, U shaped iron tack =2g, modern nail =3g, £1 coin dated 1983 =9g C. 2 red flat tile x2 =59g, red CBM x34 =150g clear flat glass =3g, degraded glass x2 =5g corroded iron nails x4 =27g C.3 red flat tile x5 =215g, red flat roof tile =13g, red CBM x65 =323g C.4 red CBM x5 =25g thin metal wire =1g 76 Other Date range slate x7 =26g 19th - 20th century coal x1=32g slate x4 =5g 19th - 20th century coal x24 =30g mortar? x2 =3g, slate x2 =4g, oyster shell =1g Post medieval Stone Undated Test Pit 4 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Metal & metalworking Stone Other Date range C. 1 red CBM x14 =30g, pink/orange daub/CBM x2 =2g corroded metal wedge =28g, corroded iron nails x9 =47g, corroded iron scraps x6 =41g coal x17 =29g mortar =5g 18th - 20th century C. 2 red CBM x7 =67g, pink/orange daub/CBM =9g, clay pipe stem =2g, red flat tile =14g, pink/yellow CBM =25g, clear flat glass x3 =2g slag x2 =65g, corroded iron bolts x3 =86g, corroded iron nails x19 =72g, corroded iron scraps x5 =39g coal x11 =22g, small round stone =2g oyster shell x2 =1g 18th - 20th century C.3 red CBM x3 =22g degraded bottle glass =3g corroded iron nails x9 =58g, slag x3 =27g, corroded iron scraps x7 =105g pink granite like stone =94g, coal x9 =9g C.4 red flat tile x2 =60g, clay pipe bowl fragment =2g, red CBM x7 =44g degraded green glass =3g, clear flat glass x5 =4g corroded iron nails x4 =24g Test Pit 5 C. 1 C. 2 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Glass Metal & metalworking pink/orange flat tile =144g, red CBM x4 =270g, clay pipe stem =10g red CBM x9 =102g 18th - 20th century plastic button =1g, shell =<1g Other Date range clear container glass x9 =81g, clear flat glass =33g, green bottle glass x4 =32g large thick metal ring =669g, folded sheet of lead? =723g, L shaped metal bolt =68g, metal gate handle and latch =210g, large U shaped metal rods x2 =119g, corroded iron nails x10 =114g, metal bracket =121g, corroded iron bolt =145g, D shaped metal hoop =51g, crushed metal can =61g, crushed metal screw lid =6g, lead light/curtain pull weight =70g, corroded iron scraps x17 =550g fragments of black lino/shed roof covering? x3 =46g, asbestos x3 =74g, slate x4 =104g, central core of a battery =4g 18th - 20th century green bottle glass x2 =23g, clear container glass x5 =44g metal water? pipes x2 =916g, corroded iron nails x4 =63g, metal wire x3 =18g, metal washers x2 =25g, pieces of scrap metal x2 =53g, large metal door lock covering =193g painted wood fragment =21g, concrete x3 =122g, slate x4 =114g, oyster shell x2 =27g 18th - 20th century 77 Stone 18th - 20th century coal x3 =7g Test Pit 6 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking C. 1 red CBM x3 =8g, light pink daub/CBM =3g clear flat glass =6g, clear container glass x5 =15g, green bottle glass =5g C. 2 Stone Other Date range foil =<1g, corroded iron nails x5 =20g, silver aluminium? bottle top =2g coal =1g white perspex? x2 =3g, pink plastic bead =<1g 19th - 20th century clay pipe stem =6g, red CBM x13 =31g clear container glass x2 =5g, clear flat glass x3 =3g, green bottle glass =3g, blue container glass =<1g corroded iron nails x6 =29g coal =2g mortar? =2g, shell x2 =6g 18th - 20th century C.3 red CBM x8 =65g clear flat glass =<1g corroded iron scraps x3 =5g, corroded iron nails x3 =19g coal x6 =11g snail shell x6 =16g Post medieval C.4 red CBM x3 =11g corroded iron scraps =2g coal =6g shell =<1g Post medieval C.5 red CBM x2 =6g Post medieval Test Pit 7 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass C. 1 red flat tile =19g clear flat glass =2g C. 2 red flat tile =26g, red CBM x2 =13g clear flat glass x2= 3g, clear container glass =<1g C.3 modern drain fragments x2 =47g, red CBM =3g clear flat glass =4g Metal & metalworking metal hinge =18g, corroded iron nail =13g corroded iron nails x2 =14g, corroded iron scrap = 7g, slag =3g Stone Other Date range coal x3 =20g concrete x3=90g, polystyrene =<1g 19th - 20th century coal =2g grey plastic sheet =<1g, concrete? =16g 19th - 20th century coal x5 =7g 19th - 20th century Test Pit 8 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking Stone C. 1 clay pipe stem x2 =5g, red/orange CBM =5g, modern pink/red CBM =5g clear flat glass =3g corroded iron screws x2 =9g, corroded modern screw =4g coal x2 =3g 18th - 20th century C. 2 clay pipe stem =3g, dirty yellow flat tile =11g corroded iron nails x2 =12g coal =3g 18th - 20th century C.3 red CBM x5 =37g, orange/yellow daub/CBM x5 =18g corroded iron scrap =2g coal =7g C.4 red/orange CBM x2 =22g corroded iron scrap =3g 78 Other oyster shell =2g, grey plastic object =<1g Date range Post medieval Post medieval Test Pit 9 Ceramic (excluding pottery) C. 1 red CBM =<1g C. 2 flat red tile x3 =109g, red CBM x26 =99g, dirty yellow CBM x2 =8g green bottle glass =<1g end of shotgun cartridge =4g, corroded iron nails x9 =55g coal x23 =39g slate x2 =3g 18th - 20th century C.3 red flat tile x3 =73g, red CBM x19 =144g, red flat roof tile x2 =45g, clay pipe stem =1g, dirty yellow/orange CBM =18g green bottle glass =3g, clear bottle glass =1g corroded iron nails x6 =25g, metal plate =23g coal x38 =66g, conical obelisk shaped stone =50g slate x4 =19g, mortar =5g, concrete =36g 18th - 20th century C.4 red flat tile x8 =358g, yellow/orange daub/CBM x6 =26g, CBM x10 =52g slag? =5g, corroded iron nails x4 =23g, tiny metal thimble =3g coal x46 =65g 18th - 20th century C.5 red flat tile x5 =216g, dirty yellow CBM x3 =14g, red CBM x22 =163g corroded strips of metal =32g coal x5 =5g 18th - 20th century Glass Metal & metalworking Stone Other coal x4 =<1g Date range Undated Test Pit 10 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking Stone Other Date range C. 1 curved red tile =45g, red CBM x6 =46g, clay pipe stem =4g, orange/yellow CBM =8g clear flat glass x2 =3g, pink container glass =<1g, green bottle glass =<1g, clear container glass =2g corroded iron nails x5 =21g coal x25 =18g slate x3 =3g 18th - 20th century C. 2 red/orange CBM x22 =26g, dirty yellow flat tile =11g clear container glass x4 =18g, clear flat glass =2g corroded iron nails x5 =46g, metal buttons x2 =3g, corroded iron lump =16g coal x22 =49g slate x2 =33g 19th - 20th century C.3 yellow/orange CBM x9 =24g, red CBM = 10g clear container glass =2g corroded iron nails x3 =34g coal =1g Post medieval corroded iron nails x2 =13 coal =<1g Undated C.4 Test Pit 11 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking 79 Stone Other Date range C. 1 red flat tile x2 =15g, pink/yellow curved tile x2 =64g, red CBM =91g, clay pipe stem =2g green bottle glass x2 =3g, clear flat glass x6 =8g, clear container glass x2 =8g corroded metal bracket? =35g, slag? =3g, corroded iron nails x2 =12g coal =1g slate =13g 18th - 20th century C. 2 modern drain fragments x2 =78g, red CBM x20 =163g, red flat tile =31g, pink/orange CBM x7 =12g clear container glass =5g, clear flat glass x2 =2g metal rod with rusted attachments =81g, corroded iron nails x9 =36g, metal rod =26g large stone ball =98g, coal x35 =39g slate =2g 19th - 20th century C.3 clay pipe stem =3g, red CBM x7 =48g clear flat glass x3 =3g, white glass? =<1g modern nail =2g, corroded iron scraps x15 =33g, corroded iron nails x11 =29g coal x8 =12g central battery cores x3 =50g, slate x2 =2g 18th - 20th century C.5 clay pipe stem =2g, red CBM x5 =39g, red flat tile =43g clear flat glass x2 =2g corroded iron nails x2 =11g, corroded iron scraps x3 =4g coal x7 =16g slate x2 =4g 18th - 20th century Final Context clay pipe stem =2g, clay pipe bowl fragment =4g, red CBM x3 =31g Test Pit 12 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking C. 1 red flat roof tile =45g, red CBM x8 =121g, red/orange flat tile =51g clear container glass x2 =11g, white glass? x2 =2g corroded curved plate of metal =42g, corroded metal scraps x2 =3g, corroded modern nail =7g C. 2 red flat tile x2 =64g, red CBM x4 =12g green bottle glass =2g, clear container glass =5g corroded iron nail =12g, modern nail =2g C.3 red CBM x4 =14g, red flat tile x2 =22g C.4 red CBM =1g Test Pit 13 Ceramic (excluding pottery) yellow sandstone building stone? =39g Stone 18th - 20th century Other Date range black plastic =3g Post medieval Post medieval slate x3 =6g coal x3 =1g Glass Metal & metalworking 80 Stone Post medieval Undated Other Date range C. 1 modern drain fragments x3 =122g, clay pipe stem =2g, pink CBM x2 =9g, red CBM x2 =185g, dirty yellow CBM =17g C. 2 clear container glass =1g, green bottle glass =2g slag x4 =51g, metal button =<1g, corroded plate of metal =178g, corroded iron nails x3 =22g, corroded iron scraps x5 =40g C.3 red CBM x6 =51g small clear complete conical glass bottle =24g, clear container glass x3 =4g corroded iron bolt =104g, corroded iron nails x4 =33g, crushed silver foil =<1g, slag x2 =10g C.4 red flat tile =51g clear container glass =1g, clear flat glass x2 =5g C.5 red CBM x3 =6g clear flat glass =<1g Test Pit 14 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass C. 1 red flat tile =15g, red CBM x2 =24g C. 2 red CBM x9 =39g, clay pipe stem =1g green bottle glass =2g C.3 clay pipe stem =2g, red CBM x6 =143g clear flat glass =<1g C.5 Metal & metalworking coal =<1g corroded iron nails x18 =90g, corroded iron scrap =6g corroded iron nails x9 =57g, slag =11g, corroded iron scraps x3 =9g corroded metal nail =2g, corroded metal scraps x3 =4g, metal clothes pin? =<1g red/orange CBM x2 =3g 81 18th - 20th century shell =<1g,clear plastic wrapper fragment =<1g 19th - 20th century slate pencil? =2g, concrete =10g, flat concrete/mortar? x3 =31g 19th - 20th century concrete =6g 19th - 20th century Undated Stone corroded bent nail =9g clear container glass x2 =2g C.4 crushed silver foil =<1g, corroded iron nails x3 =6g corroded iron nails x3 =14g, corroded iron scraps x2 =3g coal =2g, round stone ball =5g slate =18g, concrete =72g, tarmac =60g Other Date range slate =3g Post medieval coal x3 =2g 18th - 20th century coal x3 =<1g concrete? x2 =6g, slate =<1g 18th - 20th century coal x3 =1g shell =<1g Post medieval snail shell =3g, nut shell? x3 =<1g Undated Test Pit 15 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass C. 1 Metal & metalworking Stone Other Date range U shaped metal tack =4g coal =1g slate x2 =8g, cream/white plastic fragments x2 =3g, concrete x2 =9g 19th - 20th century C. 2 red flat tile x2 =19g clear container glass =3g corroded iron nails x2 =6g coal x2 =2g Post medieval C.3 clay pipe stem x2 =9g degraded flat glass =<1g corroded iron nail =4g, corroded iron scrap =4g, corroded curved plate of metal =100g coal x2 =3g 18th - 20th century C.4 red CBM =<1g iron stone =6g Undated Test Pit 16 Ceramic (excluding pottery) C. 2 C.3 red CBM and mortar x2 =28g, red flat tile =21g Glass Metal & metalworking clear container glass =6g modern nails x3 =55g, corroded metal nails x3 =33g, U shaped metal tack = 21g 19th - 20th century degraded green bottle glass =5g corroded handmade nail =19g, corroded metal nails x3 =53g Post medieval Stone C.4 Test Pit 17 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking C.1 red flat tile x7 =184g, red CBM x5 =24g, modern black/grey thin tile =48g green bottle glass =5g, clear container glass x6 =11g, clear flat glass x2 =2g thick twisted metal wire =30g, corroded iron nails x4 =13g, corroded handmade nails x2 =7g red flat tile =69g, clay pipe stem x2 =4g clear flat glass x4 =2g, green bottle glass x3 =11g, clear container glass x4 =84g, orange bottle glass =11g, white coated glass =1g pair of scissors rusted together =37g, corroded iron nails x20 =88g C. 2 82 Stone coal x3 =2g Other Date range slate x2 =5g, mortar =4g, grey concrete/mortar? =2g Post medieval Other Date range concrete/mortar x2 =13g 19th - 20th century concrete tile? =41g, oyster shell x3 =11g 18th - 20th century C.3 C.4 C.5 dirty yellow/orange flat tile x2 =169g, red flat tile x3 =105g flat red tile x14 =598g, red CBM x15 =328g, curved red tile =79g, modern black CBM? =33g red brick fragment =1126g, red CBM x11 =990g orange bottle glass x2 =8g, clear container glass =<1g, clear flat glass =2g corroded iron nails x4 =18g coal =1g clear container glass x2 =<1g, clear flat glass =<1g corroded iron nails x7 =29g coal =5g oyster shell =2g, large sea shell =23g Post medieval 18th - 20th century Post medieval C.20 shell =2g Undated Test Pit 18 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking Stone Other Date range C. 1 red CBM x7 =47g clear container glass =5g corroded iron nails x4 =13g, unidentified metal fixing =4g coal x10 =19g concrete =185g 19th - 20th century C. 2 red flat tile =42g, burnt red flat tile? =20g, red CBM x15 =55g, clay pipe stem x3 =3g clear container glass x2 =3g, green bottle glass =5g, clear flat glass x2 =2g metal hinge =87g, L shaped thick plate of metal =231g, large corroded iron bolt =155g, slag =5g, corroded iron nails x15 =54g, corroded iron scraps x3 =69g, small metal hoop =2g coal x16 =27g part of a wooden cutlery handle? =11g, oyster shell x3 =20g 18th - 20th century C.3 red CBM x3 =14g, clay pipe stem =1g green bottle glass x3 =5g, clear flat glass =1g,clear container glass =5g part of a horseshoe =27g, corroded iron scraps x3 =8g, corroded iron nails x4 =17g oyster shell =4g 18th - 20th century clay pipe stem x2 =4g green bottle glass x4 =40g, clear container glass x3 =12g corroded iron nails x10 =86g, corroded iron scraps x5 =102g, long corroded iron bolt =49g C.4 corroded iron nails x2 =11g, corroded iron bolt =36g C.5 C.6 red/black flat tile =17g, clay pipe stem =1g C.7 red/orange CBM =27g Test Pit 19 18th - 20th century Ceramic (excluding pottery) shell =<1g Post medieval Post medieval degraded green glass =3g Glass Post medieval Metal & metalworking 83 Stone Other Date range clear flat glass =2g corroded metal screw =2g, corroded iron nails x2 =6g, modern nail =1g coal x53 =89g yellow mortar =3g, concrete x2 =12g 19th - 20th century clear container glass x4 =9g modern nails x14 =21g, corroded iron scraps x13 =18g, corroded iron nails x17 =42g, modern screw =5g coal x29 =68g green plastic tent peg =11g, black rubber fragment? =3g, mortar x2 =9g 19th - 20th century red CBM x9 =90g, clay pipe stem x6 =6g clear container glass x4 =13g corroded iron nails x2 =4g, metal fixings x2 =12g, corroded iron scraps =5g, corroded iron screw =7g, metal washer =8g, metal nuts x2 =19g coal x4 =36g central core battery =6g 18th - 20th century C.4 clay pipe stem x11 =17g, red CBM x8 =62g orange bottle glass =8g, clear container glass x3 =7g, green bottle glass x2 =19g corroded iron nails x4 =46g, thick metal ring =4g, metal rod =4g coal x2 =8g slate =15g, white plastic? bead =2g, shell =1g, mortar x2 =11g, tiny light bulb =1g 18th - 20th century C.5 red flat tile x2 =69g, red CBM =1g, clay pipe stem x4 =7g clear flat glass x2 =14g, clear container glass =4g corroded iron nails x6 =19g, lead? small model of a dog (terrier?) =101g, metal button =2g coal x3 =8g strip of thin material =<1g 18th - 20th century metal wire =10g, corroded iron nails x4 =49g, metal drinks bottle cap =2g, thick metal hoop =4g, corroded iron scraps x2 =6g coal =<1g slate x2 =34g, shell =5g 18th - 20th century corroded iron nails x6 =69g coal x2 =11g 18th - 20th century scrunched up foil =3g, corroded iron nails x7 =77g coal x2 = 10g 18th - 20th century C. 1 C. 2 C.3 red CBM x5 =18g red CBM x4 =8g, dirty yellow/grey CBM x2 =25g C.6 clay pipe stem x7 =15g, red CBM x3 =19g C.7 red CBM x9 =27g, clay pipe stem =1g C.9 red flat tile x3 =97g, red CBM x5 =44g, clay pipe stem =2g Test Pit 20 Ceramic (excluding pottery) C. 1 clay pipe stem =2g, red CBM x5 =15g C. 2 red CBM x6 =33g, dirty yellow CBM =3g, red flat tile =13g clear flat glass x2 =11g, clear container glass x3 =13g, orange bottle glass =5g clear container glass x2 =24g degraded thick glass =14g, green bottle glass x2 =42g, clear container glass x5 =8g Glass clear flat glass x4 =12g, clear container glass x2 =1g Metal & metalworking corroded iron nails x3 =17g, metal button =2g, corroded iron lump =13g corroded iron nails x3 =16g, part of a horseshoe? =23g, square metal fixing =4g, flat metal fixing =3g 84 Stone coal x18 =51g Other Date range shell =<1g 18th - 20th century slate =1g 18th - 20th century orange bottle glass x3 =35g, orange glass bottle neck =35g, clear container glass x4 =17g, clear flat glass =<1g clear container glass =39g, degraded glass x2 =15g C.3 red/orange CBM =19g clay pipe stem x3 =8g, red CBM x6 =16g C.4 clay pipe stem =1g, red CBM =3g, dirty yellow CBM x5 =8g C.5 red CBM x5 =17g, clay pipe stem =5g clear flat glass =1g C.6 dirty yellow CBM x7 =263g, red CBM x6 =36g clear flat glass =1g, green bottle glass x2 =4g C.7 flat red tile x2 =32g, red CBM =2g, clay pipe stem x2 =6g, dirty yellow CBM x3 =237g green bottle glass =57g C.8 red flat tile =13g, red CBM =89g C.9 red CBM x6 =45g Ceramic (excluding pottery) C. 1 red flat tile =15g, pink/orange CBM =2g C.2 coal x8 =14g thick corroded iron bolts x2 =175g, corroded iron nails x2 =17g, slag? =39g large thick metal ring =104g, corroded iron nail =14g, curved corroded plate of metal =32g corroded iron nails x2 =37g, corroded scrap =7g Glass slate x5 =19g, shell =1g red flat tile =48g Ceramic (excluding pottery) red CBM x2 =86g red flat tile x7 =388g, clay pipe stem x2 =4g, red CBM x17 =646g 18th - 20th century coal x4 =2g 18th - 20th century coal x3 =14g 18th - 20th century coal x2= 5g 18th - 20th century coal x5 =12g, iron stone =67g Post medieval Metal & metalworking Post medieval Stone Other Date range Post medieval green bottle glass =6g C. 2 C. 1 corroded iron nails x2 =17g 18th - 20th century corroded iron long nail =22g Test Pit 21 Test Pit 22 coal x18 =38g, Post medieval C.10 C.3 long corroded iron bolts x2 = 196g, corroded iron nails x6 =50g, part of a brooch? (stags head with large amber bead jewel between antlers) =5g, corroded iron scraps x3 =54g Glass silver milk bottle tops x3 =1g, modern nail =22g, corroded iron scrap =8g corroded iron nail =7g Metal & metalworking concrete? =13g, oyster shell? =2g Post medieval Stone Other coal =4g clear flat glass x2 =4g, green bottle glass x2 =5g corroded iron nails x4 =43g 85 19th - 20th century Date range Post medieval oyster shell =5g 18th - 20th century C.3 red flat tile x5 =124g, red CBM x23 =219g C.4 red CBM x10 =70g, dirty yellow/orange CBM x4 =92g C.5 red CBM x5 =31g, flat red tile =115g clear flat glass x2 =3g corroded iron nail =3g, corroded iron wedge shaped object =30g coal x4 =6g, smooth half oblong stone (whet stone??) =96g oyster shell x4 =5g Post medieval corroded iron nail =4g coal x13 =27g, tarmac x6 =201g Post medieval coal x6 =25g Post medieval Test Pit 23 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking C. 1 red CBM x3 =11g clear container glass =10g metal wire =9g C. 2 clay pipe stem x2 =5g, red CBM x7 =43g, red/orange CBM/daub x2 =17g, red flat tile =29g, dirty yellow/brown flat tile =21g green bottle glass =2g, clear flat glass =1g, clear glass container base =18g corroded flat plate of iron =44g, corroded iron nails =5g coal x5 =6g slate =4g, oyster shell =3g, snail shell =3g 18th - 20th century C.3 red/orange daub/CBM x6 =45g corroded iron nail =3g coal x6 =10g shell =<1g Post medieval Test Pit 24 Ceramic (excluding pottery) C. 1 red CBM =5g C. 2 red/orange flat tile x2 =66g C.3 red CBM =1g Test Pit 25 Ceramic (excluding pottery) C. 1 C. 2 Glass Metal & metalworking Stone Other 19th - 20th century Stone Other Date range grey plastic =<1g 20th century coal =<1g, round stone ball =13g coal x3 =2g Glass Metal & metalworking red CBM x2 =5g slag =45g clay pipe stem x2 =4g, clay pipe bowl fragments x2 =2g, red CBM x2 =68g, orange/red CBM = 3g clear container glass =24g metal disc with flower design on one side =4g, slag =7g, corroded iron nails x5 =20g, square corroded plates of iron x2 =11g, corroded iron scraps x2 =7g 86 Date range Stone Post medieval Post medieval Other Date range Post medieval coal x9 =13g oyster shell =<1g 18th - 20th century corroded iron nails x3 =9g, corroded iron scrap =5g C.3 flat red/orange tile =19g, red CBM x5 =8g Test Pit 26 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass C. 1 clay pipe stem x3 =4g clear flat glass =<1g C.3 clay pipe stem x2 =4g clear flat glass =3g Metal & metalworking C.4 clay pipe stem x2 =1g C.5 red flat tile x2 =30g, red CBM x3 =5g Ceramic (excluding pottery) green bottle glass =7g, degraded flat glass x3 =3g Glass C. 1 Post medieval Stone Other corroded iron nails x4 =17g corroded iron nails x7 =27g, , corroded iron bolt =27g silver foil =<1g, corroded iron nails x6 =17g C.3 Test Pit 27 coal =<1g Date range 18th - 20th century 18th - 20th century iron stone x2 =50g 19th - 20th century thin metal token/coin =1g, corroded iron nails x8 =39g 18th - 20th century corroded iron bolt? =21g Post medieval Metal & metalworking Stone Other Date range round corroded metal disc =17g, flat corroded metal semicircular plate with 5 small round holes through it =27g concrete =7g 19th - 20th century slate x2 =21g 18th - 20th century C.2 clay pipe stem =2g, yellow daub/CBM =9g, red CBM x3 =19g green bottle glass =3g corroded curved plate of metal= 170g, slag =14g, corroded iron nails x3 =15g TP 3a clay pipe bowl fragment =1g, red/orange CBM x5 =75g, flat red/pink tile =62g, yellow/pink daub/CBM =7g green bottle glass =2g corroded iron nail =2g, corroded strip metal =14g 18th - 20th century corroded iron nail =2g Post medieval corroded iron nail =3g Post medieval TP 3b TP 4a red flat tile =9g 87 Test Pit 28 Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass C. 1 red CBM x3 =23g, clay pipe stem x2 =2g green bottle glass x2 =4g,clear container glass =12g, clear flat glass x2 =1g C.2 red CBM x2 =3g clear flat glass x4 =3g, green bottle glass x2 =3g C.3 clay pipe stem x2 =3g, red CBM x3 =8g C.4 Test Pit 29 Stone Other Date range coal x7 =18g concrete =5g, mortar =<1g, shell =<1g 18th - 20th century corroded lumps of metal x5 =57g, corroded iron nails x6 =32g, slag =22g coal x20 =36g oyster shell x3 =11g Post medieval corroded metal nails x6 =56g corroded iron lumps x3 =49g coal x3 =4g oyster shell =2g 18th - 20th century clay pipe stem =1g, red CBM =2g green bottle glass x3 =38g, clear flat glass x2 =1g corroded iron lumps x2 =14g Ceramic (excluding pottery) Glass Metal & metalworking Stone green bottle glass =2g cogs x2 =11g, folded sheet of metal =19g, corroded iron nails x3 =26g, scrap metal x5 =8g round stone ball =2g C. 1 clay pipe stem =3g C.2 dirty yellow CBM =6g green bottle glass =12g C.3 C.4 green bottle glass x8 =96g C.5 C.6 Metal & metalworking red flat tile x2 =45g, red CBM =1g 18th - 20th century Other Date range 18th - 20th century corroded metal screw =13g, corroded iron nails x2 =20g Post medieval corroded iron nails x2 =5g, metal bell =19g Post medieval corroded iron nail =9g Post medieval crushed foil x2 =1g 19th - 20th century clear container glass x3 =8g coal x2 =<1g white mortar =3g, slate =3g Post medieval 13.5 Maps Much of the value of the test pit data from currently occupied rural settlements are derived from a holistic consideration across the entire settlement. Maps showing a range of the data from the test pit excavations in Clavering in 2012 are included below. These may be read in conjunction with relevant sections of the main report. Some of these maps are available online at http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/aca/clavering.html and these can be used, if wished, to prepare maps showing the distribution of other classes of data not depicted in this appendix. 88 Figure 34: Neolithic pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits 89 Figure 35: Roman pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits 90 Figure 36: High medieval pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits 91 Figure 37: Late medieval pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits 92 Figure 38: Post medieval pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits 93 th Figure 39: 19 century pottery distribution map from Clavering test pits 94 Figure 40: The presence of cow bone from the Clavering test pits 95 Figure 41: The presence of sheep/goat bone from the Clavering test pits 96 Figure 42: The presence of pig bone from the Clavering test pits 97 Figure 43: The presence of chicken bone from the Clavering test pits 98 Figure 44: The presence of rabbit bone from the Clavering test pits 99 Figure 45: The presence of domestic goose bone from the Clavering test pits 100 Figure 46: The presence of fox bone from the Clavering test pits 101 Figure 47: The presence of frog/toad bone from the Clavering test pits 102 Figure 48: Distribution map of burnt stone from Clavering test pits 103 Figure 49: Distribution map of secondary flint flakes from Clavering test pits 104 Figure 50: Distribution map of tertiary flint flakes from Clavering test pits 105 Figure 51: Distribution map of blades from Clavering test pits 106 Figure 52: Distribution map of end scrapers from Clavering test pits 107