Land East of High Lane, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex

The evaluation fieldwork comprised the excavation of 17 trenches, each measuring 30m long by 1.8m wide. The trenches were located to target the development footprint, in particular the foundations of the residential properties. Trenches were set out on and overburden was stripped from the trenches by a mechanical excavator fitted with a toothless grading bucket. All machining was conducted under archaeological supervision to the top of the natural substrate. Archaeological features/deposits were investigated, planned and recorded. Deposits were assessed for their palaeoenvironmental potential and samples were taken. In November 2024, Cotswold Archaeology carried out an archaeological evaluation of land consented for residential development to the east of High Lane, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex. Seventeen trenches, each measuring 30m long by 1.8m wide, were excavated across the 3.4ha site, targeting the development footprint. The evaluation revealed only two features. An undated possible ditch affected by high levels of root disturbance was identified in Trench 3, while the partial, articulated remains of a modern animal burial were encountered in Trench 15, alongside late-18th to 20th century pottery. No archaeological remains were identified in the remaining trenches, although high levels of root disturbance were evident across the site, owing to its use as a woodland plantation since the early 2000s. Historic Ordnance Survey mapping depicts the site as undeveloped agricultural land and the evaluation results suggest it has formed part of the agricultural hinterland to Stansted Mountfitchet for much of its history.