Walton Castle, Suffolk
| Walton Castle | |
|---|---|
 Walton Castle stood on the cliffs at Felixstowe | |
  Location within Suffolk | |
| Type | Saxon Shore fort |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 51°58′20″N1°22′48″E/ 51.972151°N 1.380014°E |
| County | Suffolk |
| Country | England |
| Reference | |
| UK-OSNGreference | TM32253580 |
Walton Castlewas aSaxon ShoreFort in theRoman provinceofBritannia.The fort was reused by theNormanswho used it as thebaileyfor a castle. It stood 30 metres above sea level but was destroyed bycoastal erosionin the 18th century. It was located in the village ofWalton, Suffolk,now part ofFelixstowe(grid referenceTM32253580).
Name
[edit]It is uncertain if Walton Castle is one of the Saxon Shore forts listed in the 5th centuryNotitia Dignitatum.It has sometimes been identified with thePortus Adurniwhich appears in the list.[1]In the modern era though it has become more common to identifyPortus Adurniwith theSaxon Shore Fort at Porchester.[1]
History
[edit]Roman era
[edit]
Walton Castle was aSaxon Shoretype fort, probably built in the late 3rd century.[2]Much of our knowledge of the fort derives from an outline drawing and plan of 1623, as well as some 18th-century literary accounts.[2]The 1623 drawings show a plan similar toBurgh Castleto the north.[3]Forward projecting curvilinear towers are present at the corners of the fort.[3]The walls have flint facing with brick bonding courses.[3]The presence of forward-projecting towers with rounded corners is thought to be good evidence for a construction date contemporary with other Saxon Shore forts such as Burgh Castle andOthona.[3]
In 1722 the remains were described as:[4]
"'Tis 100 yards long, five-foot above ground, 12 broad at each end and turned with an angle. Its composed of Pepple and Roman bricks in three courses, all round footsteps of buildings, and several large pieces of Wall cast down upon the Strand by the Seas undermining ye Cliff all which have Roman brick. At low water mark very much of the like is visible some distance in the Sea. There are two entire pillars with Balls, the Cliff is 100-foot high."
In an account of 1754 the length of the west wall is given more accurately as 187 yards, and it is described as being "nine feet thick".[4]
Roman finds found in the vicinity of the fort suggest the existence of an extensive Roman settlement occupied over a long period.[2]It was probably avicus,and a port[2][5]
There may have been a second fort on a promontory around six miles south of Walton Castle. The location, on West Rocks, is now about three miles out to sea.[6]
Viking / Saxon period
[edit]According toBede,a place calledDommocoften linked withDunwichon theSuffolkcoast was the seat ofEast Anglia'sfirst bishop,Felix of Burgundy,in the 7th century, from whomFelixstowetakes its name. There is some evidence that Walton Castle was the location of Dommoc, where there appears to have been a church dedicated to St Felix inside the walls in the 12th century.[7]
Medieval period
[edit]
The fort was subsequently reused by theNormanswho used it as thebaileyfor a castle built there by one of the Bigod earls, probablyRoger Bigodwho died in 1107.[2]The castle was strengthened byHugh Bigod,Roger's son, but was confiscated and garrisoned byHenry IIin the 12th century, following Hugh's involvement in theRevolt of 1173–1174.[4]In 1175-6 the castle was dismantled (slighted) by Henry andused in the construction ofOrford Castle[dubious–discuss].[2]It was one of at least twenty cases belonging to the rebels to be slighted in the aftermath of the conflict.[8]The walls of the Roman fort survived this demolition, and the plan of 1623 shows ruins in the northeast corner which presumably were the remains of the castle.[2]
Erosion and loss to the sea
[edit]
Although the fort was still standing in 1623, it is clear by the account of 1722 that by that date at least one wall had fallen over the eroding cliff. In Kirby'sSuffolk Traveller(2nd edition, 1754) it is stated that around 1740 the west wall of the fort was still standing, but that by 1754 "the Sea hath washed away the remainder of the Foundation."[4]WhenFrancis Grosepublished hisThe Antiquities of England and Walesin 1786, he included a picture drawn in 1766 which shows the slumped ruins of the wall lying on the beach below the cliff. He stated that it was "only visible at near low water".[4]
In the modern era, it is said (correctly) that remnants of the walls can still be seen at some distance from the beach during exceptionally low tides at Felixstowe.[9]
The ruins of the fort are visible (May 2020) at very low spring tides when the tidal height is less than 0.2 metres. Spring tides occur on full or no moon. In February 2024, with a tide of 0.2 metres, some ruins were visible.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abA. Rivet, C. Smith, (1979–1982),The Place-names of Roman Britain,,page 442. Batsford Ltd. London.
- ^abcdefgHistoric England."Walton Castle (391161)".Research records (formerly PastScape).Retrieved26 September2014.
- ^abcdFields, Nic (1996).Rome's Saxon Shore: Coastal Defences of Roman Britain AD 250–500.Osprey. p. 29.ISBN1846030943.
- ^abcdeThe Victoria history of the county of Suffolk, Volume 1,page 37.Published 1907.
- ^John Fairclough (2014),Felixstowe Roman Port,Proc. Suffolk Inst. Archaeol. Volume XLII Part 3
- ^John Fairclough (2014),Felixstowe Roman Port,Proc. Suffolk Inst. Archaeol. Volume XLII Part 3, page 267
- ^St Felix Minster, Walton Castle,The Suffolk Churches Site. Retrieved 31 July 2015
- ^Brown, R. Allen (1959)."A List of Castles, 1154–1216".The English Historical Review.LXXIV(291): 252.doi:10.1093/ehr/LXXIV.291.249.ISSN0013-8266.
- ^Fields, Nic (1996).Rome's Saxon Shore: Coastal Defences of Roman Britain AD 250–500.Osprey. p. 59.ISBN1846030943.
External links
[edit]
Media related toWalton Castle, Suffolkat Wikimedia Commons- St Felix Minster, Walton Castle,The Suffolk Churches Site
