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Cheshunt's early history
Created 21 June, 2008
To understand anything of Cheshunt's early history it is essential to know a little of the geography of the area. The town is situated in the valley of the River Lea, the hills of Essex rising fairly sharply to the east, whilst the ground takes a more gentle rise towards the western boundary. Goffs Oak is about 300 feet above sea level, compared to 60 feet at Waltham Cross.
The lower western slope are terraced gravels due to the action of the various Ice Ages and the intervening recessions of the flood plains of the River Lea. These terraces may be said to lie roughly north to south on the following lines. Firstly, from Flamstead End through Churchgate to Theobalds and Bulls Cross; secondly, the present course of the Great Cambridge Road (A10); and thirdly, the course of the old north road (A.121 and B.176). The present flood plain of the Lea is about half a mile wide.
This picture of the shaping of the landscape is perhaps a little over-simplified, but these terraces are significant in pre-history.
Other notable features include glacial deposits, notably at Broadfield Farm, and large deposits of brickearth on the line of the Great Cambridge Road. The higher ground at Goffs Oak is mainly boulder clay. It is likely that the slopes west of Churchgate were heavily frosted up to comparatively recent times. Until this century this part was known administratively as Woodside Ward.
The remains of prehistoric animals are remarkably common in the gravels of the Lea Valley - so common, in fact, that they occur in excavated gravel almost every day. Prominent among them are the bones, teeth and tusks of the woolly mammoth, wolly rhinoceros and the bones and antlers of the red deer. It will be noted that these animals were equipped for life in near arctic conditions: borings in Grundy Park have revealed the remains of artic tundra at a depth of 8 feet below the modern surface.
The earliest remains of prehistoric man occur on the line of the earliest gravel terraces. When gravel was being excavated at Flamstead End in 1890, on a site now occupied by playing fields, abundant palaeolithic flint flakes and occasional hand axes were found. Similar tools were found in a gravel pit on the west side of Bulls Cross at about the same time. At Churchgate in 1880 three hand axes were recovered from minor gravel workings. In 1934 a polished hand axe was recovered from a gravel pit near Robert Dewhurst School. Bronze Age relics have been less plentiful; but recently, however, a fine Bronze Age sword and three bronze spearheads were recovered from gravel workings on Waltham Marsh.
Evidence seems to suggest that the valley floor was the settlement of Iron Age people. At Fishers Green it is probable that a lake village existed. Post holes were discovered in the vicinity by visiting geological students in 1954. A cloak toggle of carved antler with a curvilinear design and similiar to one found at Glastonbury was found near Turnford. A dugout canoe was excavated by a mechanical grab east of Waltham Cross railway station. It is likely that these primitive fisher-folk existed along the valley until well into Roman times.