  We present continuum observations of the Perseus B1-E region from the
Herschel Gould Belt Survey. These Herschel data reveal a loose grouping of
substructures at 160 - 500 micron not seen in previous submillimetre
observations. We measure temperature and column density from these data and
select the nine densest and coolest substructures for follow-up spectral line
observations with the Green Bank Telescope. We find that the B1-E clump has a
mass of ~ 100 solar masses and appears to be gravitationally bound.
Furthermore, of the nine substructures examined here, one substructure (B1-E2)
appears to be itself bound. The substructures are typically less than a Jeans
length from their nearest neighbour and thus, may interact on a timescale of ~
1 Myr. We propose that B1-E may be forming a first generation of dense cores,
which could provide important constraints on the initial conditions of
prestellar core formation. Our results suggest that B1-E may be influenced by a
strong, localized magnetic field, but further observations are still required.
