Ambresbury Banks is the name given to the remains of an Iron Age hill fort in Epping Forest, Essex, England. It lies in 'Long Running & Ambresbury Banks', south of Bell Common and north of Loughton and its neighbouring hillfort Loughton Camp. [1] It is a Scheduled Monument. [2] Its surrounding forest is a Special Area of Conservation [3] and Site of Special Scientific Interest. [4]
The first dig at Ambresbury Banks was initiated by the Essex Field Club in 1881, under general Augustus Pitt Rivers. [5] Another dig under Hazzeldine Warren in 1933 found sherds of pottery. [6] In 1971 & 2 Iron Age gold coins were found near the Banks using a metal detector. [7] Flints and an arrowhead have also been found at the site [8] [9] Materials including a clay smoking pipe and a horseshoe have been recovered at the site. [10]
The univallate fort encloses an area of roughly 5 hectares. [2] In the Middle Ages it was "used for quarrying". [10]
According to legend, it is the site of the last stand by Boudica against the Romans in the year 61.[ citation needed ] There is no evidence to support this.[ citation needed ] Another legend contends that the construction and name derive from the fifth-century hero Ambrosius Aurelianus, so contradicting the supposed connection to the first-century battle; [11] other theories for the location of the battlefield include Mancetter in Warwickshire and Kings Cross in London. [12] Nevertheless, Ambresbury Banks forms, along with Loughton Camp, Wallbury Camp, Little Hadham, Barkway and Littlebury, a line of hill-forts that arguably delineate the disputed territories of the warring Trinovantes and Catuvellauni. [13]
In June 2006 Loughton Camp, Loughton Brook, and Ambresbury Banks were "designated as out of bounds to cyclists" due to damage to the sites. [14]
