Farthings, Rectory Road, Orsett, Essex: December 2007

The three trenches were excavated through three horizons: topsoils (L1) subsoil (L2), and natural sand (L3). The sandy loam topsoil contained modern building material and domestic waste across the site. Peg-tile and modern china were observed in the sandy silt subsoil layer. The trenches were excavated onto the natural sand at depths of between 480mm and 530mm. Two features were identified: a shallow post-hole in the eastern end of T1 (F1), which contained a fill very similar to the topsoil and no finds, and a pit in the western end of T3 (F2) which contained modern pottery, coal, peg-tile, clay pipe, animal bone and a large piece of corroded iron. Both features are beleived to be modern add no archaeolgical deposits were found which relate to the cropmarks complex or the development of the historic settlement of Orsett.