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Loughton Camp is an
one mile (1.6 km) northwest of the town of
. Eppingforestdc.gov.uk (2008-02-27). Retrieved on 2011-08-28. Its elevation suggests that the camp was possibly once a lookout post. However, it may have simply been used as fortification for protection of cattle. A stone Iron Age grain millstone (quern) was found close by. More colourfully, local legend has it thatB H Cowper ''Ancient Earthworks in Epping Forest'' The Archaeological Journal Volume 33 (1876)
Archive.org (2001-03-10). Retrieved on 2011-08-28. The first archaeology carried out was by General Pitt-Rivers in 1881. In 1882 the Essex Field Club further excavated the banks. Roger Nolan, in his ''Julius Caesar's Invasion of Britain'' (2018) says there is no doubt that Loughton Camp was the third marching camp used by Caesar in his invasion of 54BC, en route from Kent to the defeat of the British tribes at
A corresponding camp Ambresbury Banks exists closer to the town of Epping. Both are Scheduled Ancient Earthworks and, as such, must only be explored on foot.City of London Protect Ancient Trees
cityoflondon.gov.uk. 8 June 2006
Location of Loughton Camp within Epping Forest – map imageDetailed plan of Loughton Camp, Essex Field Club, 1882
{{Iron Age hillforts in England Loughton Iron Age sites in England Hill forts in Essex
Loughton Camp is an Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
(~500 BC) Hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
in Epping Forest
Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...
,City of London – Epping Forestone mile (1.6 km) northwest of the town of
Loughton
Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
.
The camp's earthworks cover an area of approximately 10 acres (4 hectares) and are visible today as a low bank and ditch encircling the main camp. The banks were most probably once a single high rampart, used for defence and the appearance of the ditch suggests it was once very wide and deep in places.
The camp lies on one of the highest points in the surrounding area, on a ridge of high ground, likely to have once been strategic. It is speculated that the camp was used by the Trinovantes
The Trinovantēs (Common Brittonic: *''Trinowantī'') or Trinobantes were one of the Celtic tribes of Pre-Roman Britain. Their territory was on the north side of the Thames estuary in current Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk, and included lan ...
in defence against the Catuvellauni
The Catuvellauni (Common Brittonic: *''Catu-wellaunī'', "war-chiefs") were a Celtic tribe or state of southeastern Britain before the Roman conquest, attested by inscriptions into the 4th century.
The fortunes of the Catuvellauni and their k ...
.Epping Forest District Council – Museum. Eppingforestdc.gov.uk (2008-02-27). Retrieved on 2011-08-28. Its elevation suggests that the camp was possibly once a lookout post. However, it may have simply been used as fortification for protection of cattle. A stone Iron Age grain millstone (quern) was found close by. More colourfully, local legend has it that
Boudica
Boudica or Boudicca (, known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh as ()), was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She ...
used the camp, and that Ambresbury Banks was the site of her defeat in AD61 however there is no evidence to corroborate this. City of London – Ancient Forst / Iron Age Camps
The southwestern edge of the camp falls away sharply to an area known as Kate's Cellar (a hermit who reputedly once lived in this area of the forest). An early 19th Century map shows Dick Turpin's hideout here (there are a number of locations within Epping Forest's which claim the same).
The camp was 'discovered' by Mr Benjamin Harris Cowper in 1872.Archive.org (2001-03-10). Retrieved on 2011-08-28. The first archaeology carried out was by General Pitt-Rivers in 1881. In 1882 the Essex Field Club further excavated the banks. Roger Nolan, in his ''Julius Caesar's Invasion of Britain'' (2018) says there is no doubt that Loughton Camp was the third marching camp used by Caesar in his invasion of 54BC, en route from Kent to the defeat of the British tribes at
Wheathampstead
Wheathampstead is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, north of St Albans. The population of the ward at the 2001 census was 6,058. Included within the parish is the small hamlet of Amwell.
History
Settlements in this area were ...
(Devil's Dyke). The Loughton site has never been comprehensively excavated; any proof of this might be apparent from such an excavation.
A corresponding camp Ambresbury Banks exists closer to the town of Epping. Both are Scheduled Ancient Earthworks and, as such, must only be explored on foot.City of London Protect Ancient Treescityoflondon.gov.uk. 8 June 2006
References
Kate's Cellar , historical fictionExternal links
Images
{{Iron Age hillforts in England Loughton Iron Age sites in England Hill forts in Essex