206
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
soil. We therefore should expect to find radical differences in
the situations of many of the sites of the Belgic people as their
agricultural adaptability was notably higher than that of their
predecessors, and in fact Pedestal urns—a fair criterion of
settlement—are of frequent occurrence throughout Essex,
not only on the three areas of light soils, but also beyond them.
Some of these latter sites occur on the Boulder Clay region, but
the majority are to be found on the eastern London Clay areas.
Those of the former region are mainly upon that part of the
Boulder Clay that is adjacent to the north-western chalk district.
Obviously the Boulder Clay in this vicinity will be highly charged
with chalk, its constitution appearing not unlike the soil of this
neighbouring chalk-land region. Ploughs of the coulter type,
stated to be of Belgic manufacture, have been found at Chester-
ford, near the junction of the two soils, and further to the
south-east at Gestingthorpe.3 When compared with similar
implements found in light soils to the west of the county, the
progressive increase in the dimensions of the ploughs appears
to indicate a purposeful clearing of the country fringing the
northern Boulder Clay area, and the beginning of the effective
cultivation of this heavier soil. Other sites in the Boulder Clay
region may usually be ascribed to settlements along river valleys
where gravelly patches exist.
The more interesting feature of the distribution of Pedestal
urns in Essex is the number of urns found in the eastern
London Clay area. Even here many of the urns of these Belgic
people occur on soils lighter than the surrounding London Clay,
but certain sites exist which cannot be explained in this fashion.
It is on these sites, occurring on the main mass of the heavy
London Clay, that full emphasis should be laid. Their im-
portance will be again discussed in considering the Romano-
British agriculture.
We may therefore conclude that by the time of the Conquest
the Belgic, or Iron Age C people, had made some progress
in the clearing and cultivation of new soil areas. They were
able to carry out this important change by means of their
coulter plough, which made the initial expense of woodland
clearing economically sound in view of the greater crop produced
3 Antiquaries Journal, 1933. The Coulter Plough, Karslake.