Mersea Island: the Anglo-Saxon Causeway

T h e S t r o o d a t M e r s e a i s an artificial c a u s e w a y a b o u t ha l f a mile long which links the m a i n l a n d to t he i s l a n d (F igs . 1 a n d 2 ) . I t s s t r a igh t c h a r a c t e r a n d the p resence o f extensive R o m a n r e m a i n s on the i s l a n d h a v e p r o m p t e d the long-he ld belief t ha t the S t rood was p r o b a b l y o f R o m a n origin ( C h r i s t y , 1921 , 2 1 1 ) . H o w e v e r scientific d a t i n g m e t h o d s app l ied to some subs t an t i a l oak piles d i s c o v e r e d b e n e a t h t h e c a u s e w a y in 1978, w h e n a w a t e r m a i n was be ing laid, ind ica te t h a t the s t r u c t u r e w a s p r o b a b l y bu i l t be tween A . D . 684 a n d 702.