A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



in 1631, says, ' Swein de Essex . . . built the ruined castle in this 

 towne, in the raigne of Edward the Confessor.' l 



Mr. J. H. Round has expressed the view that the Domesday words 

 ' in hoc manerio Suenus fecit suum castellum,' imply, though they may not 

 prove, that Suene raised the mound in William's reign. 2 



We think however that the words would equally apply though 

 Suene had simply utilized the site of already existing but ruined works 

 for his castellum. No sign of the use of stone is apparent on any part 













RAYUEIGH MOUNT, ESSEX. 



of the site, though one may speculate that Weever's reference to the 

 ruined castle implies an existence of masonry at his time. 



RICKLING MOUND. In the pages of Morant's History is a short 

 pleasing description of Rickling Hall, which we would quote, but that 

 our section of the Victoria History deals with earlier work than the 

 remnants of this once important mansion, which, by the way, is well 

 described and illustrated by Mr. C. R. B. Barrett. 3 



Traces of extensive moating remain around the hall, suggesting the 

 existence here of some earlier well-defended abode. 



Our concern however is with the mound adjoining the hall enclo- 

 sure on the south, for though the moats of the hall may have existed 

 contemporaneously with the mound, we are inclined to think the latter 



1 Weever, Ancient Funeral! Monuments, p. 603. 



2 See pp. 3456 below. 



3 Barrett, Essex : Highways, Byways, and Waterways, ser. 2, p. 21, 



300 



