Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Park Wood: a ringwork 75m north-east of Holy Trinity Church

A Scheduled Monument in Chrishall, Essex

We don't have any photos of this monument yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 52.0281 / 52°1'41"N

Longitude: 0.1153 / 0°6'55"E

OS Eastings: 545219.892996

OS Northings: 238747.741675

OS Grid: TL452387

Mapcode National: GBR L9F.S06

Mapcode Global: VHHL1.Y9B2

Entry Name: Park Wood: a ringwork 75m north-east of Holy Trinity Church

Scheduled Date: 18 September 1992

Last Amended: 5 January 1993

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1010229

English Heritage Legacy ID: 20666

County: Essex

Civil Parish: Chrishall

Traditional County: Essex

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Essex

Details

The monument comprises a ringwork in Park Wood, situated on a west-facing
slope 75m north-east of Holy Trinity Church. The monument includes a raised
area of ground which measures 53m east-west by 60m north-south and is c.1.5m
high. Surrounding the raised area is a ditch with a maximum width of 20m and
which measures c.3m in depth. The ditch is mainly dry except on the western
side where it is seasonally waterfilled. The interior of the monument is
mainly level except for an amorphous raised area in the south-east corner. On
the northern side of the ditch is a prominent mound of spoil 65m in length, 5m
in width and c.1m in height which is not considered to be part of the
monument. Access to the interior is across a modern causeway, 3m wide, on the
south side of the ditch. The causeway is included in the scheduling.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late
Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended
area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a
substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a
stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure, the
bailey, adjoined the ringwork. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military
operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements.
They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples and less than 60
with baileys. As such, and as one of a limited number and very restricted
range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular
significance to our understanding of the period.

The ringwork at Park Wood is essentially undisturbed and will retain
archaeological information pertaining to the occupation of the site and
environmental evidence relating to the economy of its inhabitants and the
landscape in which they lived.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
SMR No: 3910, Information from SMR (No 3910),

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.