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some fragments of them are to be met with in all. At the same time the castle of Ipswich was demolished,

Walton castle stood upon a high cliff in Felixstow, at the distance of about one mile from the mouth of Woodbridge river, and two miles from Orwell haven; part of the foundation of the west-side of it, is still to be seen; being now one hundred and eighty-seven yards in length, and nine feet thick; it is called by the country people, Stone-works. How much longer it was we cannot judge, part of the southend being washed away; and the sea, which is daily gaining upon this coast, having swallowed up the ruins.

Such was the condition of it, about the year 1740; but since then, the sea hath washed away the remainder of the foundation. There can be no doubt but Walton castle was a Roman fortification, as appears from the great variety of Roman urns, rings coins, &c. that have been found there. It is thought to have been built by Constantine the great, when he withdrew his legions from the frontier towns in the east of Britain, and built forts or castles to supply the want of them. The coins that have been lately taken up here, are of the Vaspasian and Antonine families; of Severus, and his successors to Gordian the third; and from Gallienus, down to Arcadius and Honorius. It is certain, the castle had the privilege of coining

money; for several dies have been found for

that purpose.

Roger Bigod had a grant of a market at Walton, 17 Edward 1. or 1288. The market cross was standing long after the market had been disused.

In the parish of Felixstow, about a quarter of a mile north of Felixstow High-street, and at the same distance east from Walton bounds, are some ancient and considerable ruins of a magnificent building, which goes by the name of Old-Hall. This probably was erected for the manor-house soon after the castle was demolished, and was the place where Edward III. laid some time at his manor of Walton before his enterprize into France; wherein he gained that victory over the French king near Cressey, 1338; and dispatched many considerable things there, as appears from Rymer's Fœdera, vol. 5. and here he confirmed the charters granted to the corporation of Ipswich, by an Inspeximus, dated at Walton in his twelfth

year.

In a survey of the manor of Felixstow priory, made in 1613, we find a close of arable land called great Long-dole, in which close are the ruins of Walton castle, and the close is described as lying between the Old Abbey and the cliff east. The close next mentioned is called the Old Abbey, lying between the cliff, east and south; and great Long dole, west, containing six acres, Also a close of fenn ground, called Old

Abbey-pond, lying open to the old abbey, south. From these descriptions it is plain, that the priory dedicated to St. Felix, the first bishop of the East Angles, was founded, and probably very early, in this place; though now no remains are to be seen, save only the site of the Ponds. The Bigods, Earls of Norfolk, were great benefactors to this house; and it is very likely, that soon after the castle was demolished it was by them removed into a field abutting on Walton church, north; from whence you have a delightful sea prospect, and a view of Orford church and castle, The monks were called monks of Rochester, because Roger Bigod gave it as a cell to the monks of Rochester. He endowed it with the small manor of Felixstow priory, taken out of his manor of Walton, and with the churches of Walton and Felixstow. Some ruins of this priory are still to be seen. The site of it with the great tithes of Walton and Felixstow, and the advowson of the vicarages, were given at the dissolution to Cardinal Wolsey, 26 Henry VIII. But long after his fall, in 19 queen Elizabeth, they were granted to Thomas Seckford; and are now with the other estates of that family in chancery; but the small manor of Felixstow priory, as also the large manor of Walton with Trimley, and Russels in Falkenham, are in the heirs of sir John Fytch Barker, bart. The tower of Walton church has been demolished, but the nave

has been rebuilt for the use of the parishioners. Walton contains 783 inhabitants.

LANGER-FORT,-And not Land-guard, as it is corruptly and vulgarly called, takes its name from Langer-common in Felixtow, upon which it stands, on the south-east corner of it, two miles from the cliff. It is not exactly known when the first fort was built. Cambden takes notice of Langer-stone as a place where fishermen dried their nets, but makes no mention of any fort. The old fort had four bastions (with fifteen very large guns upon each,) which were called the King's, the Queen's, Warwick's and Holland's. These names shew that it was erected after queen Elizabeth's time; and probably it was in the beginning of Charles I. who in the grant of his manor of Walton with Trimley, calls it a fort newly built, viz. excepto toto illo solo & fundo jaxta mare prope predictum de Wallon maneruim cum Trimley, super quad fortilagium pro defensione patriæ ibidem nuper ædificatum existit. The old one was demolished by act of parliament, and this present fort built in the room of it, in 1718.

The Orwell here though two or three miles over, is not deep enough to admit the passage of ships, except by a narrow and deep channel, on the Suffolk side. The sea which now runs up to Ipswich on the southside of the fort, ran formerly on the north of it, where now is Langercommon. Whoever observes the soil and situ

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The

ation of Langer-common and marshes, will
acknowledge that they have been formerly co-
vered by the sea; and the sea must then have
extended from the Suffolk to the Essex cliff.
How long this common and level of marshes has
been gained from the sea, we cannot precisely
determine. But that the sea had not its channel
on the north-side of the fort, is demonstrable
from the court-rolls of the manor of Walton,
which make frequent mention of Langer-com-
mon in Felixtow for upwards of two hundred
years before any fort was built there.
very learned editor of Cambden, from the simi-
larity of the words, was led to think that Lan-
ger-fort was a contraction of Land-guard-fort;
but it appears from what has been said concern-
ing the antiquity of Langer-common, that the
truth is the reverse of this; for Land-guard-fort
is a corruption of Langer-fort. It is true, every
fort must be supposed to guard the neighbou-
ing country; but the fort we are speaking
of, could never without an irony be called
Land-guard-fort; for upon sight of it every
man of common sense must see, that it could
never be intended to guard the land; the
use of it must be to guard the haven. Even
the old fort, which was far more commodious
and useful than this, could never be supposed
to guard the land; since any number of forces
may evidently land at Felixstow ferry, without
the knowledge, or with it, in spite of

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