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HER:  Essex 5328 (None)
NMR:  TQ 69 NE 8 (415631)
SM:  1019485
NGR:  TQ 6864 9540
X:  568644  Y:  195409  (OSGB36)
Situated on the N outskirts of Billericay, Norsey Wood contains an extensive range of archaeological evidence of many periods. Until the 1930s the Wood was almost completely enclosed by perimeter earthworks, enclosing 66ha, perpetuating a boundary unchanged since the Wood was first mapped in 1593. Finds include a range of Late Iron Age material including cremation burials in urns. The earthworks visible today are probably medieval, shown in places by excavation (Kimball 1938; Hull 1939) and represent various phases of woodland management and deer park although there is the possibility that earlier earthworks were incorporated into these (Cunliffe and Rowley 1976, 326). Included here as a possible oppidum.
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed
X:  48465  Y:  6733887  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  0.4353702829094065  Latitude:  51.632162096086894  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  England
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Essex
Historic County:  Essex
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Billericay
N/A as not a hillfort
| Extant   | ✗ |
| Cropmark   | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed   | ✗ |
None
| Woodland   | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
| Parkland   | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing)   | ✗ |
| Arable   | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
| Heath   | ✗ |
| Built-up   | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
N/A as not a hillfort
| Contour Fort   | ✗ |
| Partial Contour Fort   | ✗ |
| Promontory Fort   | ✗ |
| Hillslope Fort   | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort   | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort   | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort   | ✗ |
| Hilltop   | ✗ |
| Coastal Promontory   | ✗ |
| Inland Promontory   | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom   | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   | ✗ |
| Ridge   | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   | ✗ |
| Hillslope   | ✗ |
| Lowland   | ✗ |
| Spur   | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature:  None
| North   | ✗ |
| Northeast   | ✗ |
| East   | ✗ |
| Southeast   | ✗ |
| South   | ✗ |
| Southwest   | ✗ |
| West   | ✗ |
| Northwest   | ✗ |
| Level   | ✗ |
Altitude:  Nonem
N/A
N/A as not a hillfort
Reliability:  None
| Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC   | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC   | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50   | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400   | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800   | ✗ |
| Post AD800   | ✗ |
| Unknown   | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort:   | None |
| Post Hillfort:   | None |
N/A as not a hillfort
N/A as not a hillfort
None
| None   | ✗ |
| Spring   | ✗ |
| Stream   | ✗ |
| Pool   | ✗ |
| Flush   | ✗ |
| Well   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
None
| No Known Features   | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures   | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures   | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms   | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence   | ✗ |
| Pits   | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
None
| No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
| Pits   | ✗ |
| Postholes   | ✗ |
| Roundhouses   | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
| Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics   | ✓ |
| Pits   | ✗ |
| Roundhouses   | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
| Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
| No Known Finds   | ✓ |
| Pottery   | ✗ |
| Metal   | ✗ |
| Metalworking   | ✗ |
| Human Bones   | ✗ |
| Animal Bones   | ✗ |
| Lithics   | ✗ |
| Environmental   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
NO APPARENT FEATURES
| APs Not Checked   | ✓ |
| None   | ✗ |
| Roundhouses   | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
| Pits   | ✗ |
| Postholes   | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
N/A as not a hillfort
| None:   | None |
| 2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
N/A as not a hillfort
| Area 1:   | Noneha. |
| Total:   | Noneha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
| ✗   | None |
| ✗   | None |
| NE Quadrant:   | None |
| SE Quadrant:   | None |
| SW Quadrant:   | None |
| NW Quadrant:   | None |
| Total:   | None |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Unknown   | ✓ |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
None
| None   | ✓ |
| Earthen Bank   | ✗ |
| Stone Wall   | ✗ |
| Rubble   | ✗ |
| Wall-walk   | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber   | ✗ |
| Vitrification   | ✗ |
| Other Burning   | ✗ |
| Palisade   | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank   | ✗ |
| Berm   | ✗ |
| Unfinished   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
None
| None   | ✓ |
| Earthen Bank   | ✗ |
| Stone Wall   | ✗ |
| Murus Duplex   | ✗ |
| Timber-framed   | ✗ |
| Timber-laced   | ✗ |
| Vitrification   | ✗ |
| Other Burning   | ✗ |
| Palisade   | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank   | ✗ |
| Berm   | ✗ |
| Unfinished   | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
| ✗   | None |
| ✗   | None |
Number of Ditches:  None
| ✗   | None |
Cunliffe, B. and Rowley, T. 1976. Oppida: the beginnings of urbanisation in barbarian Europe. Papers presented to a conference at Oxford, October 1975. Oxford: BAR supplementary series 11.
Doubleday, H.A. and William Page, W. (eds) 1903. The Victoria history of the county of Essex, volume one, 49 and 284.
Hull, M.R. 1939. Norsey Wood, J Brit Archaeol Ass, 3rd Series, 4,189-91.
Kimball, D. 1938. Norsey Wood. J Brit Archaeol Ass, 3rd Series, 3, 139-149.
RCHME, 1923, An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex, Vol 4, 57-58.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and should be cited as:
Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk
Document Version 1.1