Site data from Excavations at Princes Road, Chelmsford, Essex 1996-97 relating to the Gardens of Moulsham Hall
Archaeology South-East, 2021. https://doi.org/10.5284/1084795. How to cite using this DOI
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Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 3890
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1084795
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
This collection comprises the Digital Archive (reports, finds data, site drawings and GIS data) from excavations at Princes Road, Chelmsford.
Archaeological investigations were carried out in 1996-97, in advance of development of a strip of land to the north of Princes Road, now the site of Fortinbras Way, Chelmsford. Historical, cartographic and aerial photography evidence suggested that Moulsham Hall, the seat of the Mildmay Family from the 16th to 19th centuries, lay in close proximity. Trial trenching and excavation were undertaken to establish if any archaeological remains were present. The investigation identified the remains of construction and demolition layers, wall foundations and robber trenches, garden features and ditches. The majority of these were indeed associated with Moulsham Hall and its Estate. built in the mid 15th century and rebuilt between 1728 and 1742 before being demolished in 1809. Some finds also date from the medieval period 13th and 14th centuries.
The site lies along the northern edge of Princes Road in Moulsham, to the south-east of Chelmsford, and is currently under grass or in use as allotments. Archaeologically the area is sensitive as both cartographic and documentary evidence indicate that Moulsham Hall, the seat of the Mildmay family, was located on or near the site. Parchmarks plotted from aerial photographs suggest the presence of at least two buildings as well as several linear features on the site. A total of twenty-nine trenches were excavated, of which seven contained no archaeological features.
