Dowsing Archaeological Features;
An empirical study at Cressing Temple, Witham, Essex.
(TL799187).
22. Comparative Studies.
4.0 Tudor brick culvert. (CT 31). (Figure. 36).
36. Resistivity survey showing the line of the culvert in
the south-west corner of the site. Overlaying the dowsing plot gives a good
correlation.
4.1 In 1994 Colin plotted a linear anomaly running east to west in the south-west corner of the scheduled area marking it as carrying a waterflow to the east. The linear anomaly corresponded admirably with a Tudor brick culvert which , like most of the others, had been robbed of its capping before being forcibly backfilled. (Figure. 37).
37. Sections through the Tudor culverts that cross the site.
The sequence of dismantling is similar for all of them. It may be that they
collapsed when they fell out of use and had to be backfilled for safety. It
was not to rob the bricks as they are mostly still in-situ.
Colin's first plot showed the anomaly as being quite wide, close to four metres and was done in the winter after long rains. A subsequent plot carried out shortly after the excavations were opened in the summer of 1995 when the ground was very dry and had to be cut by machine (CT31) narrowed the feature to about two metres. The original emplacement followed by robbing out and levelling would account for this misleadingly wide reading.
4.2 At the same time he attempted to show that the west moat continued south to join the road. He was unable to detect this as a strong response but plotted a linear feature, the width of the moat continuing southwards. The excavation CT 31 showed conclusively that the moat did not continue but that the area was in fact a flood plain and not suitable for building upon. This indicates that the buildings served by the brick culvert must lie outside the scheduled area.
Barry Hillman-Crouch. MSt PA, Dip FA, BSc, HND. Written 1999 Published on the web June 2005.