The Gatehouse website record for Portingbury Hills

In the civil parish of Hatfield Broad Oak. In the historic county of Essex (Modern Authority of Essex, 1974 county of Essex).

King records as a possible castle a 'low squarish mound'. Consists of 3 main elements- a mound and ditch, a near rectangular enclosure with surrounding ditch and probably an external bank, the two being connected by a causeway formed by a pair of near parallel ditches. The first element appears to be iron age in date (see Essex SMR 4583). No dating evidence has been found for the enclosure or the causeway. Finds in excavations included: animal bone, calcined flint, charcoal, a small flint blade 4cm long, retouched along one edge. Isolated from settlement. Seems to be generally accepted as Iron age on very slight dating evidence, would be a very unusual form for a medieval castle but some form of 'hunting lodge' must remain an outside possibility.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL53222040

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 373553
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 4583; 4584 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
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