Essex erratic boulders: a gazetteer
Compilation of the Gazetteer
The following list of the natural erratic boulders in Essex is the first to be published since Salter in
1914. No gazetteer of sites can ever be comprehensive and Salter's certainly wasn't, he simply
noted doyn the examples he came across during his travels. Similarly this account is in no way
comprehensive. A demonstration of this is the puddingstone on Clatlerbury Lane in Arkesden,
which, despite being one of the largest Puddingstones in Essex and right on the roadside, was
completely invisible until cleared of its cloak of Ivy and Brambles. Many fine erratics must still lay
unrecorded in the Essex countryside and I hope that Illis paper will encourage a revival of the Essex
Field Club tradition of members reporting unusual boulders whenever they come across them. The
Essex Field Club Newsletter is an excellent vehicle for such short communications. Of particular
interest would be new records of igneous or metamorphic rocks. Further records of such boulders
would be welcome and should be forwarded to the Geology Recorder.
Notes on Using the gazetteer
Salter's measurements of boulders were in feet and inches. The measurements in this gazetteer arc
in centimetres unless otherwise stated. A 5'x3'xl'6" boulder in Salter's paper would therefore be
listed here as 150x90x45. Sizes are approximate and intended only to give an indication of the size
of the stone. The size given is only the size of the part that is visible; most stones arc partly buried
and the complete stone is likely to be considerably larger than this. There are amusing stories of
landowners spending much time and effort trying to move a stone only to find that it is like an
iceberg, with the bulk of it hidden beneath the surface.
With a few exceptions this gazetteer only lists the larger Essex boulders that are visible from the
public highway. Generally only boulders 90 centimetres (3 feet) or more across are listed although
if the boulder is an unusual rock type or is in an unusual place, smaller examples arc included.
Mention is made of notable walls or pavements of erratics.
Some boulders are on private land and under no circumstances should they be visited without first
obtaining the permission of the land owner.
The references given in the gazetteer are to identify' the stones that were recorded by early authors
such as Salter or to indicate where further information on the stone or its history may be found.
Acknowledgements
I am grateful to the many people who have brought stones to my attention, particularly the members
of the Bishop's Stortford and District Natural History Society for providing a list of boulders in
west Essex, and Tony Charlton, a fellow boulder enthusiast. Thanks arc also due to Graham Ward,
an authority onEssex erratics, for help and assistance and to Bill George for providing the historical
background to the discovery of some stones. I acknowledge the hard work of previous authors in
tracking down boulders. I am also grateful to Eva Wilson whose note in the Geologists' Association
Circular brought the existence of puddingstone in Sir Hans Sloane's collection to my attention.
Finally, no publication on Essex erratics would be complete without acknowledging the work of
Bob Burton, whose collecting and lapidary7 skills have brought some remarkable specimens,
particularly of puddingstone, to a wide audience.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)
119