In order to characterise the archaeological potential of the site of a proposed new development on land to the rear of Belmont House, Newport, Essex, the Heritage Network was commissioned by Archers Developments Ltd to undertake an archaeological field evaluation. This work was a requirement of the planning consent granted by the local planning authority. The site is located in the grounds of Belmont House, on the east side of Belmont Hill, towards the northern end of Newport. The site lies within a sensitive archaeological area of Newport focused on the Saxon and medieval town. The current investigation revealed two features of medieval date, These were north-south aligned ditch 110 and 122 that may represent the rear property boundary to a habitation fronting Belmont Hill, and a elongated water filled feature 117 which could be interpreted as the eroded remains of an unlined well. Truncating the medieval ditch was a series of pit cuts 103, 105 and 106 of post-medieval and early modern date that are probably extraction pits similar to those revealed closer to Belmont House in earlier investigations. Another extraction pit 114 was recorded at the south-western end of the trench.
J Snee (Sat,) studied this question.