Portingbury Hills
Encyclopedia
Portingbury Hills or Portingbury Rings is a hill in Hatfield Forest
, Little Hallingbury
, Hatfield Broad Oak
, Essex
, suggested to date to the Iron Age
or Bronze Age
. It consists of a 3 features, a hill and mound connected by a zig-zag causeway formed by 2 almost parallel ditches to another rectangular enclosure measuring 30 x 21 metres (100 x 70 ft) surrounded by a large ditch with a suggested bank up to 11 metres wide (35 ft). It is located in the northwest of Hatfield Forest in Beggarshall coppice. It has been considered to be an ancient defensive enclosure, but is too small to be a hill fort
and is not in a defensible position.
Archaeological excavations were carried out in 1964-1965 with recovered evidence including a small flint blade 4cm long, animal bones, flints, and charcoal with very slight dating evidence suggesting Iron Age
construction. The archaeologists suggested that the initial, ‘V’ shaped, ditch surrounding the mound would have been approximately 2 metres in depth suggesting it once had earth ramparts supported by timber. Smaller banks have been noted to cross Shermore Brook to Spittlemore coppice.
In 1975 retired geologist and researcher Christian O'Brien
suggested that Portingbury Hills had a purpose in archaeoastronomy
and was constructed in the Bronze Age
which gave it some brief coverage in the Sunday Telegraph
. O'Brien suggested that the mound was aligned astronomically with Wandlebury Hill
via a series of equally-spaced, hand-carved, stone monoliths forming a Loxodrome. Eleven of the original twenty-six markers are still in situ, such as the Leper Stone
, with several of the other distinctive stones lying nearby. O'Brien's theory met with mixed reviews from astronomers and archaeologists. Glyn Daniel, Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge University dismissed the paper as "nonsense" and Alexander Thom
could find nothing in it to revise the documented view of Wandlebury as an Iron Age
Fort. Archie Roy, Professor of Astronomy at Glasgow University commented that "in the absence of a more convincing explanation, this conclusion also has to be taken very seriously.”
Hatfield Forest
Hatfield Forest in Essex, England lies between the parishes of Little Hallingbury and Takeley, and covers 1,049 acres of woodland, grassland with trees, lake and marsh. It is approximately 40 minutes north east of London by car, just off Junction 8 of the M11 motorway. Bishop's Stortford and...
, Little Hallingbury
Little Hallingbury
Little Hallingbury is a village located in Essex, UK. It is between river and forest, on a high rise of ground, near the main railway at Bishop's Stortford and the M11 motorway.It is located in the Uttlesford district of North West Essex....
, Hatfield Broad Oak
Hatfield Broad Oak
Hatfield Broad Oak is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, about five and a half miles south-east of Bishop's Stortford...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, suggested to date to the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
or Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. It consists of a 3 features, a hill and mound connected by a zig-zag causeway formed by 2 almost parallel ditches to another rectangular enclosure measuring 30 x 21 metres (100 x 70 ft) surrounded by a large ditch with a suggested bank up to 11 metres wide (35 ft). It is located in the northwest of Hatfield Forest in Beggarshall coppice. It has been considered to be an ancient defensive enclosure, but is too small to be a hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
and is not in a defensible position.
Archaeological excavations were carried out in 1964-1965 with recovered evidence including a small flint blade 4cm long, animal bones, flints, and charcoal with very slight dating evidence suggesting Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
construction. The archaeologists suggested that the initial, ‘V’ shaped, ditch surrounding the mound would have been approximately 2 metres in depth suggesting it once had earth ramparts supported by timber. Smaller banks have been noted to cross Shermore Brook to Spittlemore coppice.
In 1975 retired geologist and researcher Christian O'Brien
Christian O'Brien
Christian Arthur Edgar "Tim" O'Brien C.B.E was a British exploration geologist and author. In 1936 he was also involved in the discovery of the Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat in Southern Iran...
suggested that Portingbury Hills had a purpose in archaeoastronomy
Archaeoastronomy
Archaeoastronomy is the study of how people in the past "have understood the phenomena in the sky how they used phenomena in the sky and what role the sky played in their cultures." Clive Ruggles argues it is misleading to consider archaeoastronomy to be the study of ancient astronomy, as modern...
and was constructed in the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
which gave it some brief coverage in the Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
. O'Brien suggested that the mound was aligned astronomically with Wandlebury Hill
Wandlebury Hill
Wandlebury Hill is a hill in the Gog Magog Downs, a ridge of low chalk hills extending for several miles to the southeast of Cambridge, England. The underlying rock is present in a number of places on the hill...
via a series of equally-spaced, hand-carved, stone monoliths forming a Loxodrome. Eleven of the original twenty-six markers are still in situ, such as the Leper Stone
Leper Stone
The Leper Stone or Newport Stone is a large sarsen stone near the village of Newport, Essex. The name Leper Stone probably derives from the hospital of St. Mary and St. Leonard , a nearby hospital for lepers...
, with several of the other distinctive stones lying nearby. O'Brien's theory met with mixed reviews from astronomers and archaeologists. Glyn Daniel, Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge University dismissed the paper as "nonsense" and Alexander Thom
Alexander Thom
Alexander "Sandy" Thom was a Scottish engineer most famous for his theory of the Megalithic yard, categorization of stone circles and his studies of Stonehenge and other archaeological sites.- Life and work :...
could find nothing in it to revise the documented view of Wandlebury as an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
Fort. Archie Roy, Professor of Astronomy at Glasgow University commented that "in the absence of a more convincing explanation, this conclusion also has to be taken very seriously.”
Papers
- O'Brien, C.A.E., 1975, The Wandlebury-Hatfield Heath Astronomical Complex, Thaxted.