Archaeological Evaluation. Land North-east of Thaxted Road, Saffron Walden, Essex

The evaluation comprised 24 trenches each measuring 30m by 2m, deployed across the 3.3ha site, some of which were positioned to investigate the results of a preceding geophysical survey. A low incidence of below-ground archaeological remains was identified, comprising four pits and one posthole that were found in trenches in the north-eastern and southern parts of the site. A modest degree of correspondence between anomalies and below-ground archaeological features was demonstrated, with most of the discrete anomalies corelating with the recorded pits. Most of the identified pits and possible posthole were of probable Early/Middle Iron Age date. These were mostly situated in the north of the site and, on the basis of the range and quantity of finds and environmental remains retrieved from them, may constitute settlement evidence here. It is unclear if and how these remains relate to the Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age pit scatter recorded on the site directly to the north-west.