MONUMENT NO. 389670

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Site of Town defences, including 13th century quays, jetties and gate. The town was walled in the 16th century following a visit by Henry VIII in 1543. There are no extant remains today.

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Approximate site of Town Gate with lighthouse over it (at TM 26103244). Lighthouse sited from OS 1:500 at TM 26113243. (1)

The town defences appear to consist of moat flanked by an earthen rampart with inner berm or walk (plotted on record 6"). A gate is depicted as an arched structure north of a bridge crossing the moat at the south end of west street - approximating to the above site. (2)

Foundations of Harwich Castle and other fortifications were revealed by an extraordinary ebb tide in 1784. (3)

Excavations in 1972 at the Quay Pavilion, Harwich, located a
succession of medieval and later quays and jetties; the earliest dated 13th century were of masonry. (4)

No extant remains of Harwich town defences survive today, though the course of the fortifications can be traced from early maps (auth 2). Cox's Pond (TM 26083231) is said to represent the remains of the moat (a) though this was not confirmed. The town was walled in the 16th century (b) and probable wall foundations were found by excavation at TM 25903277 (auth 4 report). See illustration card (c). (5)

In 1539 it is reported that with encouragement from the towns people of Harwich were strengthening their medieval walls with tranchets and earthern bulwarks. In 1543 the king visited Harwich and a decision was made to fortify the town. A total of £21300 was made available for the king's fortresses at Harwich. Three Bulworks were built - `the tower house', `middle house' and `the house upon the hill'. They were described by Edward VI in 1553 as `bulworkers of earth and board'. They had a short life and by 1588 two of them had been `pulled down' by a local inhabitat. In the year of the Armada (1588) £21000 was allocated towards the fortification of Harwich, but there is no evidence that any permanent defences resulted. (6)

Additional references to town's history. (7-8)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) General reference

Hist & Ants of Harwich and Dovercourt 1732 (S Taylor)

( 2) General reference

Map of Harwich c 1720 AO 2051

( 3) General reference

Topo Dict 2 1845 427 (S Lewis)

( 4) Department of the Environment Archaeological excavations

(SR Bassett) 1972 Page(s)80-81

( 5a) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

(6) by H M Colvin ... [et al] 1982 The history of the King's Works, volume 4 : 1485-1660 (Part 2)

1982 Page(s)470-1

( 5b) General reference

Map Orwell Haven 16th cent Orwell Estuary 1954 f8 (WG Arnott)

( 5c) General reference

A Season at Harwich 1851 (WH Lindsay)

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 PAS 05-MAY-75

(7) Council for British Archaeology CBA research reports

Schofield J, Pallisar D and Harding Recent Archaeological research in English towns Page(s)44-5

(8) complied by M R Eddy and M R Petchey 1983 Historic towns in Essex : an archaeological survey of [24] Saxon and medieval towns, with guidance for their future planning

4 - 1983 Page(s)57, 60

(9) Council for British Archaeology CBA research reports

Page(s)58-9

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HALF MOON BATTERY
HARWICH

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The site of Harwich Castle built in 1399, one of the Henrician blockhouses of 1543-7, probably the `tower house', and the Half Moon Battery of 1626. T...

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