Digital Archive from an Archaeological Strip, Map and Record Excavation at Dawes Lane, West Mersea, Essex, November - December 2021

This collection comprises images, survey drawings, site records and project brief from an archaeological strip, map and record excavation at Dawes Lane, West Mersea, Essex. Work was carried out by Colchester Archaeological Trust during November and December 2021, in advance of the construction of a new residential development. An area measuring 0.79ha centred over the area of evaluation trenches T21, T22, T23, T28, T29 and T30 (CAT Report 1499) was mechanically-stripped under the supervision of a CAT archaeologist. The trial-trenching evaluation revealed a possible prehistoric ditch, a Roman pit, a medieval/post-medieval pit, five post-medieval/ modern field boundary ditches, six drainage gullies and fifteen undated features. During the excavation 63 features were identified: three ditches, 41 pits, two pit/tree-throws, a pit/post-hole, seven post-holes, a post-hole/tree-throw, three tree-throws, a plough scar and four natural features. Twelve of the pits were of a prehistoric date, with one closely-dated to the Early to Middle Neolithic and four others to the Bronze Age, particularly the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, representing small-scale and sporadic use of the site in these periods. Two field boundary ditches aligned north-north-west by south-south-east dated to the medieval and post-medieval/modern periods, with five pits and a land drain also dating to these periods. Also present was an undated four-post structure which could represent a small grain store.