Ambresbury Banks
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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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is a Scheduled Monument.<ref name=":0">Template:NHLE</ref> Its surrounding forest is a Special Area of Conservation<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Site of Special Scientific Interest.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Investigation
The first dig at Ambresbury Banks was initiated by the Essex Field Club in 1881, under general Augustus Pitt Rivers.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Another dig under Hazzeldine Warren in 1933 found sherds of pottery.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1971 & 2 Iron Age gold coins were found near the Banks using a metal detector.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Flints and an arrowhead have also been found at the site<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Materials including a clay smoking pipe and a horseshoe have been recovered at the site.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Description
The univallate fort encloses an area of roughly 5 hectares.<ref name=":0" /> In the Middle Ages it was "used for quarrying".<ref name=":1" />
Legend
According to legend, it is the site of the last stand by Boudica against the Romans in the year 61.Template:Citation needed There is no evidence to support this.Template: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;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> other theories for the location of the battlefield include Mancetter in Warwickshire and Kings Cross in London.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Ellis, Peter Berresford A Guide to Early Celtic Remains in Britain. London: Constable. 1991</ref>
Access to the site
In June 2006 Loughton Camp, Loughton Brook, and Ambresbury Banks were "designated as out of bounds to cyclists" due to damage to the sites.<ref name="CofL22">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
References
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