EXPLORATION OF SOME " RED-HILLS " IN 

 ESSEX, WITH REMARKS UPON THE 

 OBJECTS FOUND. 



By WILLIAM COLE, F.L.S., F.E.S. 



( With Plates x.xviii. and xxix. and other Illustrations') 



[Read at Spains Halt, July 2W1, 1906.] 



I HAVE been recently occupied in examining and re-arrang- 

 ing in the Museum the specimens from the Red-hills, 

 obtained during several years' attention paid by myself and my 

 brothers to the subject, and it seems well to place on permanent 

 record the results of our work and observations so far obtained, 

 small though they may be. The main facts were given in 

 spoken communications to the Club, at a meeting held in 

 Colchester, March 30th, 1889 (Essex Naturalist, iii., pp. 

 163-4), and again at a meeting held at Virley on April 13th, 

 1903 (E.N., xiii., 243), but the full details of these communica- 

 tions have not been hitherto published. 



My practical experiences of Red-hills yielding any special 

 results are mainly confined to one at Burnham and several in 

 Mersea. 



The exploration at Burnham was made as long ago as 1888, 

 and was rendered possible by the great courtesy and hospitality 

 of our late member, Mr. John Rogers, and of our Vice-President, 

 Mr. E. A. Fitch, F.L.S. 



This particular Red-hill is at Little West Wick, Burnham 

 Marshes (called " Lower Westwick '' on the one-inch Geological 

 Survey Map). 1 It is situate immediately to the S.E. of the 

 cottage, shown in H. A. Cole's drawing (" Exploring the Red 

 Hill, Burnham, Essex," Plate xxviii.), which probably stands on 

 part, and the posts of an old ox-house were still standing about 

 the centre of the hill. The hill is two miles east of Burnham 

 Church, and two miles south-east of Southminster Church, 

 5^ miles west of the sea-wall, and 1^ miles north of the wall on 

 the River Crouch. The distance from the sea and river is 

 noteworthy. 



The cuttings were made on the 20th and 21st of September, 

 1888. The working party consisted of Mr. Fitch, Mr. H. C. 

 Snell, Messrs. W., B. G., and H. A. Cole, while Mr. Rogers 

 kindly allowed us the assistance of David Barber, one of his men, 



1 Sheet (Esses) lxiii south-east of the 1S97 six-inch Survey, and No. 245 Sheet 63— 15 of 

 the 25-inch Ordnance Survey. 



