Chadwell St Mary is a village in the unitary authority of Thurrock, in southern Essex. This part of the county contains a high proportion of prehistoric settlement. This volume describes the archaeological excavation of a site to the east of Chadwell St Mary and the late Bronze Age and Anglo-Saxon settlements that were recorded there. The Bronze Age settlement contains a ringwork or ‘Springfield style enclosure’, relatively rare sites with a restricted geographical distribution, and is significant because of its proximity to the similar site at Mucking. This volume examines the function of such enclosures, their significance in the landscape of southern Essex, and looks, in general, at our current understanding of the utilisation of the Bronze Age landscape. The small Anglo-Saxon settlement is of significance due to its potential relationship with the larger contemporary settlement at Mucking. The book examines Anglo-Saxon structures and settlement form and layout.

AUTHOR
Andrew A. S. Newton studied archaeology at the University of Bradford , carrying out an MPhil on the relationship between politics and archaeology at the same institution. He has worked for Archaeological Solutions since 2005, contributing to numerous post-excavation projects in East Anglia and the south-east of England.

Contributors: Nicholas J. Cooper, Julie Curl, Danielle Hall, Kathren Henry, Simon G. Lewis, Thomas Light, Andrew Peachey, Adam Stanford, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC), John R. Summers, Peter Thompson.

REVIEW
‘The Chadwell St Mary Ringwork is a strong contribution to a major class of Late Bronze Age monuments (ringworks) whose purpose is still debated and only a few of whom have been properly investigated. The book will be of key interest to prehistorians across northwest Europe.’ Dr Ben Roberts, Durham University