Maldon Mountfield mound (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Maldon.
In the historic county of Essex.
Modern Authority of Essex.
1974 county of Essex.
Medieval County of Essex.

OS Map Grid Reference: TL83830723
Latitude 51.73369° Longitude 0.66090°

Maldon Mountfield mound has been described as a Timber Castle but is rejected as such.

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains.

Description

Maldon. A tumulus situated in Mountfield is described by Mr. E. A. Fitch, who says it is ' doubtless Saxon or Danish, and stands in a commanding position between the Saxon camp at Maldon, and within sight of the Danish camp and settlement at Danbury (Danes' town) ; it is probably contemporaneous with these and with Purleigh Mount.' Other tumuli which existed in this part of the county have been ruthlessly destroyed, though traces of some are indicated on the 25-inch Ordnance Survey map while one on Northey Island in the parish of St. Mary, Maldon, remains intact. (Gould, 1903)

Bowl barrow, approximate diameter 36.0 metres and 1.2 metres high. Under plough; no trace of ditch. The barrow was deep ploughed in 1964 and many flints were brought to the surface, indicating a stone-built cairn in the centre. A few pieces of Late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age and Roman pottery were also found. A protection order has been placed on the site. Crop marks seen from the ground, may indicate three more barrows and rectangular enclosure. Excavated 1966 by Ian Robertson. Results inconclusive. A mound consisting of layers of clay with late Medieval green glazed ware just under the surface. No evidence to support the classification as a barrow; thought to be a mill mound. (Excavation report unlikely to be published) The mound lies in an exposed position on a north slope. It has been spread by ploughing and now measures about 30.0m in diameter and 0.8m high, without trace of a ditch. The classification (as mill mound) appears to be correct though no mill is shown by Chapman and Andre. No ground evidence of further features was seen in the surrounding field. (PastScape)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 380789.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 7765.

Books
- Gould, Chalkley, 1903, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Doubleday, Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Essex Vol. 1 p. 305 online copy
  Fitch, E.A., 1898 (3edn), Maldon and the River Blackwater (Gowers) p. 37
Periodical Articles
- Rodwell, W.J., 1976, 'Some Unrecorded Archaeological Discoveries in Essex, 1946-75' Essex Archaeology and History Vol. 8 p. 246

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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.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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