Stone+Street

The orgin of the modern A144 road between Bungay and Halesworth is key to the historical settlement of the landscape which it traverses. The earliest map of this landscape is the map of Suffolk produced by the pioneer cartographer Hodskinson in the latter half of the 18th century (Fig 1). Here Stone Street is marked as the short dead straight stretch of road that branches (by the Triple Plea pub) at a tangent from a tortuous country road from Halesworth to Great Redisham. The obvious explanation for its appearance in this map is that it was a specially built section to speed traffic between Halesworth and Bungay. From this point of view, it joins Halesworth to a pre-existing road running east-west between Great Redisham and Rumburgh. At this junction Stone Streets joins up with a pre-existing road to Bungay. It is probably very significant that the Redisham/Rumburgh road defines the boundary between the Hundreds of Blything to the south and Wangford to the north. In other words Stone Street allows traffic to pass more through the Hundreds.

When the A144 road gets closer to Bungay on Hodskinson's map it meets another east-west road connecting Ilketshall St Andrew and St John. Today, road improvements have virtually eliminated evidence of this being a junction of, rather than a continuation of a road from Halesworth.

This discussion does not provide any evidence of the actual origins of Stone Street, but it does suggest that the straightest run of the A144 from 'The Triple Plea' to Ilketshall St Lawrence was the latest addition to an already ancient road system of Wangford Hundred connecting up the Ilketshall communities with Bungay.

Fig 1 Part of Hodskinson's map of Suffolk: Coloured to show drainage (blue) and selected roads (red and pink)



Descripton of Roman Road from Wainford to Dunwich

"The passage of the Waveney was the most critical point in the road, and at no place are the conditions more favourable than at Wainford, or Wanney-ford, already mentioned, there being an especially strong glacial deposit on the Suffolk side. Afterwards the name passed on to the hundred of Wangford, the ford, as a place of common concourse, being suitable for the hundred mote.

The extent of marsh is here reduced by the presence of a twofold patch of higher ground, called Pirnough Street. Below Wainford the Waveney is not fordable. On August 2, 1889, I examined the way between Ditchingham Station and the church of Ilketshall St. John's. The turns in the road at first are quite accounted for by the advantage of keeping on these patches of gravel in the marsh. The second of the two patches ends a little more than 100 yards before the first of the two present bridges ; but everything here has been cut about for milling and malting. The old road ran to the east of the malthouses, and here in 1856 were found Roman coins and a flint arrow-head.

Moreover, in 1893, two coins were discovered, one of Philip the Arabian-sen., obv., IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG.; rev., PAX AETERNA, with a standing figure of Peace bearing olive branch and caduceus between the letters s c. This reverse, which seems to have indicated the Emperor Philip's discreditable peace with Sapor, resembles one of Alexander Severus, struck after a genuine victory over the Persians. The other coin was a large brass of T. Antoninus Pius. Rev, SALVS .., a sitting figure.

Very likely, if the mill were ever to be pulled down, we might have a second edition of the Bassingbourne discovery. The gravel on the south side of the river is about 5 feet from the surface, so that the little bit of marsh could not have been very formidable. I have little doubt that the present nearly-deserted road which continues the route straight away indicates Iter IX. It is a watercourse road, and probably the Roman road lay just to the east of it, detail being thus arranged for carrying off the water. On the top of the ridge there is a welldefined double elbow, the middle about 50 yards long, quite level, and at right angles to the general course of the road. This way is described as the Packway, between Wangford Cross and Wangford Green. It seems to be an excellent instance of the method called 'doublespanning' so well known to colonists. Waggons bound for Sitomagus, en route perhaps for Colchester or London, would be halted after crossing the river, and a double service of beasts would be put on to tug the first waggon to this level, at the further end of which it would be left while the animals returned for the next, and so on, till the troublesome hill was worked. ` Wangford ' Green, between Mettingham Castle and the slope of the hill, was all open common till the enclosure of 1817. No trace therefore can be found here, save that land between Mettingham Castle and Wainford Bridge is described as ` abutting on a certain street called Wangford Street.' I think, however, that at the north-west corner of the Mettingham Castle property the Roman road appears again, and goes away for Ilketshall St. John's Church, with another double elbow before the dip for the little stream which has there to be crossed. There are some suspicious-looking pieces of brick in the outer wall of this church. Here the road assumes its most important aspect, and begins to bear the high title of Stone Street.

The church and churchyard of Ilketshall St. Laurence, on the left of the road, stand on an artificially-raised platform, At St. Laurence's Green the road is crossed by another, leading to Rumburgh, westwardly, which westward road is called St. Margaret's Street; and eastwardly, avoiding all brooks in a truly British fashion, coming out on the piece of ` corduroy road,' described by Mr. Edwards in his pamphlet dealing with the question whether the Waveney ever reached the sea at Lowestoft. The name of Stone Street belongs to the road, even after passing the Triple Plea, when it turns towards the right for Halesworth. The farm called Harley Archer's lies on the left after this turn. Part of it is described in the titledeeds as abutting 'upon the Queen's Highway and turnpike road leading from Halesworth aforesaid to Bungay, formerly called Stone Street, or the Broadway, towards the south.' Broadway Farm is on the right of the road. On the other side the road turns eastward for Holton, but the name of Stone Street no longer belongs to it, a piece of copyhold land hard by being described in the court books of the manor of Dame Margaries, in Halesworth, as situate in Holton, and 'abutting upon the common way, leading from Holton towards Stone Street.'

This, however, may have been part of Iter IX. leading down to Holton, and so by the present road, nearly parallel to the river, to Blythford. Or it may be that the road worked more easterly from the Triple Plea, by the village of Wangford-not to be confounded with Wainford. Here the names of 'Streetwalk Corner,' `One Mile Field,' and ` King's Lane' are noticeable.

At Blythford the circumstances of crossing are most favourable. I am convinced that I thought too well of Blythburgh. For the rest of the way there would be an easy course over the heaths to Dunwich.

It appears to me that great efforts were made to deal effectively with the worst parts of the road.

Sticking in the mud time after time, between Holton and Ilketshall St. John's, and attacked by parties of plunderers when in these straits, the great necessity was to get clear of this middle section of the stage. Hence not only was this grand Stone Street laid down, but little redoubts were thrown up at some distance from the route, not as summer camps, but rather to be occupied occasionally, when some baggage train was to pass to or from Norwich. Such was Rumburgh, a highly suggestive name. There seem to have been earthworks here, but I am not bold enough to discriminate between them and the foundations of the house of the Augustinian canons. Such was Mells, a little scarped position guarding a ford just above Blythford. Such was the little square rampart in which stands that venerable building known as the Old Minster, while Alburgh, the great mounds at Bungay, and others of British origin, may have been turned to useful account. I have a first-brass Clodius Albinus dug up in Mr. Lait's garden at the ` back of the hills,' at Bungay, and a good Vespasian with incuse reverse, found near that town, is in the possession of Mr. R. Walesby.

Passing out of the first stage, we must not linger on the ruins of Dunwich, where, though the sea has destroyed the old town, Roman coins, pins, etc., are found in abundance, but pursue our journey over the little Minsmere stream at Fordley, probably by Kelsale and Saxmundhazn, to Stratford St. Andrew, where the name reassures us. Once more probability has to be our guide, as to the road originally passing close to Glemham Hall, and being turned northward for the improvement of that park. We leave Wickham Market on the left, and are on what looks like a British track straightened out, with Charsfield on the right and Debach on the left, till we strike into the valley of one of the Deben feeders just above Clopton, which seems to be the Com, or hollow, pointed out by Combretonium. On the east side of this little ravine stand within a very short distance of each other the churches of Clopton and Burgh; the former just to the north of a square camp, and the latter within it".

J.J.Raven (1907) //The History of Suffolk//, Elliot Stock, London.

Part of Mettingham showing relationship (dotted red line) of supposed Roman Road between Wainford crossing and Mettingham Castle.