THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
217
(C.C.) said no doubt that was so, but some time ago resolutions were passed in seven
out of eight Essex parishes in favour of the change. The result had been that by
the casting vote of the Chairman a resolution had been carried by the Joint Com-
mittee of the Herts and Essex County Councils in favour of the change. Now
the matter had to go before the Local Government Board.—Mr. Walter Crouch
suggested that the Club should make a crusade in the parishes.—Mr. J. C.
Shenstone and Mr. F. H, Meggy were strongly of opinion that the Field Club
should hold a meeting in the district ; and after the resolution had been heartily
accepted by the large meeting, and carried by acclamation, the matter was referred
to the Council of the Club.
[Note.—The resolution was extensively circulated, and met with very general
approval by members of Parliament and others, but happily further action was
rendered unnecessary, as at a meeting of the Districts and Parish Councils Com-
mittee of the Essex County Council, held on July 30th, after an emphatic protest
had been read from nine of the ten parishes concerned, the following resolution
was unanimously adopted : "That this committee, having received the report of
the Joint Committee with respect to the Bishop's Stortford Onion area, emphatically
protests against the proposed transference of the parishes of Berden, Birchanger,
Farnham, Great and Little Hallingbury, Henham, Manuden, Stansted Mount-
fitchet, Elsenham, and Ugley from the county of Essex into Herts."—The Clerk
was directed to send a copy of the resolution to the Local Government Board,
together with a copy of the memorials against the proposals, and the Essex
delegates were authorised to take such further action as they may consider
advisable. At the next meeting of the County Council this resolution was con-
firmed, and the danger of this most ill-advised and pernicious proposal was
avoided.]
A walk through the park and fields of about a mile brought the party to
"Fortification Wood," near Bois (or Boys) Hall. The name "Fortification
Wood" is that on the Ordnance Map, but it was formerly known as the "Defence
of Navestock." Within the wood is an ancient Earthwork, which has fortunately,
as Prof. Meldola observed, been preserved in consequence of the thick overgrowth,
which was evident to the visitors, who had to bend their way along as if in a dense
plantation. Prof. Meldola described it as a well-defined oblong "camp" which
had long been known, and which was entered on the Ordnance Map, and judging
from the sketch on the 6-inch map, it would appear to be about half the size of
Ambresbury Banks, in Epping Forest, and therefore about six acres in extent,
As is the case in similar ancient Earthworks, nothing is known concerning its
age ; tradition is silent, and no systematic excavations have ever been made to
ascertain the probable date of the "camp."
From Fortification Wood the drive was continued in a westerly direction,
towards the valley of the Roding, which was reached at Shonks Mill (a pic-
turesque corner of bygone Essex), and so on, following the south side of the
river, to Curtis Mill (or Court Mill) Green, which was the extreme north-eastern
limit of the Great Forest of Essex (or Waltham Forest) in the time of James I.
Here an interesting examination was made of one of the old boundary stones,
known as "Richard's" stone, which was put up at the time of the perambulation
of 1641. The eastern boundary was marked by seven stones, five of which have
been discovered. The "Havering stone" is now let into the wall of the garden
of a house facing Romford Road. Rubbings were exhibited of "Mark's" stone
and the "Warren" stone. The last-named stone had been found by Prof.
Meldola and Mr. Cole lying in a ditch, some hundred of yards away from its
original position.
Q