Day 10
Saturday, 4th September

Thirteen dedicated people turned up to work this bright, hot Saturday morning. We were clearing the first section of Trench A to a sensible level, so that next week could be dedicated to ‘the features’.

Pieces of pot turned up on a slow but regular basis, and Anna continued to work at a possible new post hole.

Conversation was desultory, but centred around theories about what the site had been. Maybe we were working at the ferryman’s hut. The Roman road comes down to the river at Sudbourne on the other bank, and there are Roman finds in plenty at Knodishall, a possible site for Sito Magnus (although this could also be in Wenhaston, which is the same distance from London – a known determinator). So our ferryman sat on Barber’s Point and made his money from bridging the gap for travellers. He of course had a nice little side-line in smoked oysters and salted herring. The better class of customer was served on Samian ware.

Richard’s theory, which he has held for some time, is that we are working at a customs post. There are at least five salt workings up river, and the island of Barber’s Point is ideally situated to check the salt going to Colchester. Salt was very valuable in the ancient world, for food and the dying processes in use. (The word ‘salary’ echoes this importance). Of course, the ferryman could still have worked, alongside the excise men.

Anyway, whatever the site was, we worked hard on it this morning and enjoyed the natural beauty. The river was so low, and the mudflats glistened. As Chris Johnson proved yesterday, it is possible at this state of the tide to walk right out to the main channel and over to the jetty up river.