To find Hockley's most ancient relic of the past follow Plumberow Avenue almost to its end. On the left hand side you will find a large public open space maintained, by Hockley Parish Council, at the top of which is an large mound of earth (a tumulus) known locally as Plumberow Mount. We know that the Plumberow area has a long history for it is mentioned twice in the Domesday Book and was a small settlement in medieval times .

Unfortunately the Domesday Book throws no light on the origins of Plumberow Mount.

In 1913 an archaeological excavation was undertaken by an enthusiastic, although amateur, group of local antiquarians calling themselves the Morant Society. The Society hoped to uncover a rich royal burial similar to the one recently excavated on Mersea Island. Three trenches were cut into the mound meeting at the centre, where a wooden post was discovered. Unfortunately there was no rich treasure, only some shards of Roman and Saxon pottery and a single Roman coin dated AD48.Disappointed, the Morant Society filled in their trenches and went home.

Ever since then the true purpose of the Mount has been the subject of great speculation. It has been suggested that with its fine views over the Crouch valley it was one of the Romano/British signalling stations set up to protect the Saxon Shore after the Romans left Britain. Or maybe it was a pagan religious site, as it was not unusual for heathen altars to be set up on hills. It is a fact that the early Christian missionaries were instructed to build their churches on the sites of heathen sanctuaries. It is very noticeable that, with the exception of Hawkwell and Rochford, all the ancient churches in the area are built on hills!

What the builders of Plumberow Mount intended when they toiled away with their primitive tools to erect this great mound of earth, we shall probably never know. But its importance to the people of Hockley and south east Essex cannot be denied. Being a little worst for wear after nearly two thousand years, Hockley Parish Council, with support from English Heritage and Essex County Council, are undertaking measures to protect it to ensure that it remains the subject of speculation and intrigue for many more years to come.

Lesley Vingoe March 2002