Cissbury Ring is owned by the National Trust and has views of Beachy Head and the Isle of Wight. It is the second largest hill fort in the country and was the site of Neolithic flint mining. Its abundance in wildlife draws people in from all around for nature walks.

Cissbury has a long and interesting history that has been well recorded. The hill surrounded by the hillfort was the most important flint mining area in Sussex during the Neolithic era. The hillfort was constructed during the Iron-Age where it became the largest hillfort in Sussex. The fort was later reinforced at the end of Roman occupation of the area. It was used to defend against the invading Saxons, but was then overrun by them. It is thought that the Saxons may then have used the fort to house a mint.

Cissbury was used as a beacon, just like many other hillforts, before being used again for military purposes. During World War II, the camp was fortified with gun emplacements. Eventually, the site’s ownership was turned over to the National Trust. The Ring became a Scheduled Ancient Monument and was important for its rich wildlife. In spite of this, some politicians tried to get permission to build a road though Cissbury Ring. Fortunately, their attempts failed and the site remains untouched.

Just as with Chanctonbury Ring, Cissbury Ring is thought to have been created by The Devil. The same folklore surrounds the two Rings, stating they were made whilst The Devil was digging Devil’s Dyke. He supposedly threw clods of earth around and, where they landed, various earthworks in Sussex, including Mount Caburn, were created. The local population has named Caesar himself as the creative force that built the fort at Cissbury Ring. Whether this is true or not remains unknown. It could be true folk memory of the later Roman occupation of the site, or merely an interpretation of the name, though what is sure is that in 1663 the fort was recorded as being called ‘Caesar’s Bury’.

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