Colchester Archaeological Trust

CAT Report 794: summary

Archaeological trial-trenching evaluation at Sturrick Farm, Sturrick Lane, Great Bentley, Essex: October 2014
by Howard Brooks (with contributions from Stephen Benfield)

Date report completed: November 2014
Location: Sturrick Farm, Sturrick Lane, Great Bentley, Essex
Map reference(s): TM 10856 22213
File size: 3,174 Kb kb
Project type: Archaeological trial-trenching evaluation
Significance of the results: *
Keywords: prehistoric, ?droveway, ditches

Summary. An evaluation of this 2 ha site revealed two parallel field ditches which may be part of a droveway. A number of other ditches at right angles may be interpreted as fragments of adjacent field boundaries. Together, these may be part of a field system. Finds were very scarce. There were only two sherds (plus a few sherd flakes) in the field ditches, both Bronze Age. There were four burnt flints in the ditches, generally supportive of the prehistoric date proposed for this field system. There was one stratified Neolithic/Bronze Age flint (possibly slightly residual), and three unstratified Bronze Age flints. There were no later finds. This proposed droveway is a new addition to the cropmark complex more strongly represented to the north and west of Sturrick Farm. Excavation has shown that not all these cropmarks are prehistoric, but there are sufficient prehistoric burial sites and a potential living site (approximately 700m NW of Sturrick Farm) to give a prehistoric context to the Sturrick Farm features.