History Walton Castle, Suffolk

1 history

1.1 roman era
1.2 viking / saxon period
1.3 medieval period
1.4 erosion , loss sea

history
roman era

walton castle, drawn in 1623

walton castle saxon shore type fort, built in late 3rd century. of our knowledge of fort derives outline drawing , plan of 1623, 18th-century literary accounts. 1623 drawings show plan similar burgh castle north. forward projecting curvilinear towers present @ corners of fort. walls have flint facing brick bonding courses. presence of forward-projecting towers rounded corners thought evidence construction date contemporary other saxon shore forts such burgh castle , othona.

in 1722 remains described as:

tis 100 yards long, five-foot above ground, 12 broad @ each end , turned angle. composed of pepple , roman bricks in 3 courses, round footsteps of buildings, , several large pieces of wall cast down upon strand seas undermining ye cliff have roman brick. @ low water mark of visible distance in sea. there 2 entire pillars balls, cliff 100-foot high.

in account of 1754 length of west wall given more accurately 187 yards, , described being 9 feet thick .

roman finds found in vicinity of fort suggest existence of extensive roman settlement occupied on long period. vicus, , port

there may have been second fort on promontory around 6 miles south of walton castle. location, on west rocks, 3 miles out sea.

viking / saxon period

according bede, place called dommoc seat of east anglia s first bishop, felix of burgundy, in 7th century. there evidence walton castle location of dommoc, there appears have been church dedicated st felix inside walls in 12th century.

medieval period

1623 plan of walton castle

the fort subsequently reused normans used bailey castle built there 1 of bigod earls, roger bigod died in 1107. castle strengthened hugh bigod, roger s son, confiscated , garrisoned henry ii in 12th century, following hugh s involvement in revolt of 1173–1174. in 1175-6 castle dismantled henry , used in construction of orford castle. walls of roman fort survived demolition, , plan of 1623 shows ruins in northeast corner presumably remains of castle.

erosion , loss sea

remains of walton castle on beach, 1766

although fort still standing in 1623, clear account of 1722 date @ least 1 wall had fallen on eroding cliff. in kirby s suffolk traveller (2nd edition, 1754) stated around 1740 west wall of fort still standing, 1754 sea hath washed away remainder of foundation. when francis grose published antiquities of england , wales in 1786, included picture drawn in 1766 shows slumped ruins of wall lying on beach below cliff. stated visible @ near low water .

in modern era, said remnants of walls can still seen @ distance beach during exceptionally low tides @ felixstowe.