Essex Archaeol Hist 25

Records the discovery of these gold fragments by metal detection in 1991. It appears that the torcs were cut into pieces of equal size and weight and deposited as units of equal value, which is unusual for this period. Further examination also provided details of their manufacturing technique, particularly with relevance to the amount of soldering used. The torcs appear to have been made from single solid rods which were soldered at points needing strengthening.

This report covers the results to date of the 20m-grid fieldwalking system being used in Essex. Some 1,156 hectares have been walked and 160 new sites located. These are discussed by period, some case studies are examined in more detail and conclusions are drawn.

Rescue excavation of an extra-mural site revealed structural remains of Roman, medieval and later date by St Botolph's Street and Stanwell Street frontages. Floors from a probable late-first- or second-century Roman building were uncovered in a trench (site A) at the eastern end of the site. These were sealed by a series of well-preserved wicker-lined drains and fences of late-twelfth- to fourteenth-century date, although elsewhere much of the site was covered by a thick layer of post-Roman topsoil or dark earth. Building remains, probably outbuildings, extended back from the St Botolph's Street frontage over site A in the late medieval period, and rebuilding of the plot continued into the nineteenth century. A shoemaker's workshop may have existed on or near the site in the late-twelfth to mid-thirteenth centuries. The well-preserved foundations and tile floors of a building of sixteenth-seventeenth-century date, which fronted onto Stanwell Street, were uncovered at the western and of the site. This had been destroyed by fire, probably during the seige of Colchester in 1648. `The finds' by N Crummy & J Hind (57-9) include coins, pottery, clay pipes, glass, tile, organic remains, and metalwork.

This paper analyses the building fabric and concludes that it was built in 1623 as a maltings with a granary at the upper floor. It is also argued that it was one of a pair of similar buildings flanking the approach to the now demolished Great House at Cressing. The reused timber in the granary is shown to be of considerable interest for both the history of the site and the surrounding landscape. There is an appendix giving `A note on the special kiln floor tiles found at Cressing and elsewhere' (104).

The paper is based on an earlier work and interpreted with information from the tithe maps and surviving estate maps transferred onto the first edition 6'' Ordnance Survey. Considerable information must lie in the estate and manorial records and this paper should be regarded as no more than a base for further work. Pleshey Great Park, Pleshey Little Park, Absol Park, and the Leighs Parks; Pond Park; and Little Leighs Hall, are considered. The high density of deer parks in the valley probably results from the status of Pleshey as the seat of High Constables of England, and the later status of Richard, Lord Rich, who established his seat at Leez Priory. By 1777 all had been disparked and the park boundaries mostly survive as hedges. It is still possible to appreciate something of their former extent and topography.

Details Leez Priory, Crowgate Cottage, and Littley Park complex, united by the causeway running through Littley Park.

Details the sixteenth-century range, including timber framing, roofing, and brick nogging.

Annual report detailing items of note from sites across the county followed by `Aerial survey 1993' by Steve Wallis (233) and `National Mapping Project 1993' by Caroline Ingle & David Strachan (233-7).

Reports the discovery of a palstave butt end probably attributable to the Type Wantage/Variant Blackstock classification.

Two sections of road build-up were observed during pipe laying, however, no positive evidence of a Roman road came to light.

The digging of a dry area around the church in 1991 provided an opportunity to examine the church foundations. What has always been thought to be a largely fourteenth-century church was revealed to incorporate earlier fabric. In the light of these observations, the account of the church given by RCHME can be amended, and it is proposed here that the earliest church dates to the Norman period.

When the north doorway of the church was unblocked, a door and door surround, both dating to the mid-fourteenth century were revealed. The construction techniques of the door shed valuable light on medieval carpentry.

Records known archives dealing with the architecture of the Essex gentry etc.