Ipswich Town Wall

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Gippewico

In the civil parish of Ipswich. In the historic county of Suffolk (Modern Authority of Suffolk, 1974 county of Suffolk).

No remains of medieval town wall. Salter (2002) writes rampart not stone wall. There certainly was a ditch but the evidence for a wall is less clear and it may never have a complete circuit even if it was built in C14 as is suggested by some evidence. Encrouchment on the ditch was extensive by C15 and there is no real trace of a ditch on Speeds map of 1610. The ditch may predate 1203 when they are recorded as being dug (or possible enlarged). PastScape records ditch with suggestion of some remains but does not give accurate location. Five years murage granted in 1299. Licence to crenellate issued in 1352 along with six years murage, although this murage was revoked in 1354.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TM164437

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
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 388302
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular '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, or elsewhere.

• Web site links
  • http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/culture/towns/ipswich1.html
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p60, 72, 156, 179, 264
    Salter, Mike, 2002, Index and Amendments to Mike Salter's English Castles Books (Malvern) p9
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p80
    Wade, Keith, 1999 [3edn], 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Ipswich' in Dymond, David and Martin, Edward (eds) An Historical Atlas of Suffolk (Lavenham) p158-9
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p239 [slight]
    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
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p461
    Dunmore, S. et al, 1976, Ipswich Archaeological survey; second interim report (Dereham: East Anglian Archaeology 3) p135-40
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p126
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p226
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p297
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol5 p72-3
• Journal Articles
  • Owles, E.J., 1973-6, ‘Archaeology in Suffolk, 1975’ Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol33 p325-6
    Owles, E.J., 1973, 'The west gate of Ipswich' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol32 p164-7
    West, S.E., 1963, 'Excavations at Cox Lane (1958) and at the Town Defences, Shire Hall Yard, Ipswich (1959). (with reports by G.C. Dunning, R.H.M. Dolley and D. Charman)' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol29 pt3 p233-303
    (West), 1960, Medieval Archaeology Vol4 p150 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1350-54) p314 [licence to crenellate]
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1292-1301) p421; (1350-1354) p314; (1354-58) p144 [murage grants]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#suff8]