Wallingford Town Defences

In the civil parish of Wallingford. In the historic county of Berkshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

Rectangular earthwork remains of burh of Wallingford and Medieval borough. The town and burh is first known from the Burghal Hideage. Wallingford was a major borough. Excavations discovered two saxon phases of defences, the first as earthworks, the second in stone. The medieval defences were probably slighted by 1300. Earthen banks remain intact. The original earth bank was probably constructed in the reign of Alfred. There has been some suggestion this was revetted with vertical timbering, This was strengthened and, at least in some parts, a stone wall was built on top in the C11. Further repairs and slight alterations continued through to C13. Underwent, along with the castle (qv), a prolonged series of sieges and blockades from 1139 to 1153.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU610897

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 241741; 917665; 917675; 241752; 241668; 241671; 241665
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 7797 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.ogdoad.force9.co.uk/alfred/alfhidage.htm
    http://www.le.ac.uk/ar/njc10/wallingford_project/
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p18, 24, 40, 47, 57, 60, 68, 70, 157, 178, 197, 222, 223, 225, 234, 258
    Hill, David and Rumble, Alexander R., 1996, The defence of Wessex: the Burghal Hidage and Anglo-Saxon fortifications p220-221
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p6
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    Astill, G., 1984, in Haslam, J. (ed), Anglo-Saxon towns in southern England p61-3,67,73,75-9
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p13
    Beresford, W.M. and St Joseph, J.K.S., 1979, Medieval England : an aerial survey p179-181
    Biddle, M., 1976, in Wilson, D.M. (ed), The archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England p124-34
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) p57-71 plan p67
    Airs, M., Rodwell, K., and Turner, H., 1975, 'Wallingford' in Rodwell, K. (ed) Historic Towns in Oxfordshire: A survey of the New County (Oxford: Oxfordshire Archaeological Unit) p155-62
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p122
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1923, VCH Berkshire Vol3 p517-23 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43256
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p28
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1906, VCH Berkshire Vol1 p216, 264-5
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p53
• Journal Articles
  • Bradley, J and Gaimster, M. (eds), 2004, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 2003' Medieval Archaeology Vol48 p284-6 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    2004, South Midlands Archaeology Vol34 p94-6, 101
    2003, South Midlands Archaeology Vol33 p105-12
    2002, South Midlands Archaeology Vol32 p43
    Creighton, O. [et al], 2002, 'The Wallingford burgh to borough research project' Medieval Settlement Research Group Annual Report Vol17 p43-6
    Durham, B., Hassall, T.G., Rowley, T. and Simpson, C., 1972, 'A cutting across the Saxon defences at Wallingford' Oxoniensia Vol37 p82-5
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1972, Medieval Archaeology Vol16 p148 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1971-2, 'Archaeological Notes' Berkshire Archaeological Journal Vol66 p133 [download via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?berks_bas_2007]
    Wilson, D.M., 1968, Medieval Archaeology Vol10 p168 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Wilson, D.M., 1967, Medieval Archaeology Vol9 p262-3 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Brooks, N.P., 1965-6, 'Excavations at Wallingford Castle, 1965: An Interim Report' Berkshire Archaeological Journal Vol62 p17-21 [download via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?berks_bas_2007]
    Leeds, E.T., 1938, 'An Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Wallingford' Berkshire Archaeological Journal Vol42 p93-101 [download via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?berks_bas_2007]
    Chalkley Gould, 1906, Journal British Archaeological Association [new series] Vol12 p119-21
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rot. Litt. Claus., I, 199 [order to repair defences] (? page ref)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/barkseng.html#berks6]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p30
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p118 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl01