Mentions Deben, Woodbridge, Landguard.
But when the Normans had pos∣sess’d themselves of England, they built here a Castle; which Hugh Bigod held for some time against Stephen the usurping King of England; but at last surren∣der’d it. Now ’tis so entirely gone to decay, that there is not so much as the rubbish left. Some are of opinion that it stood in the adjoyning parish of West∣feld, where appear the remains •f a Castle; and tell you, that was the site of old Gippwic. I fancy it was demolisht, when Henry the second levell’d Waleton,* a neighbouring Castle, with the ground. For this was a harbour for the Rebels, and here the three thousand Flemings landed, who were invited over by the Nobility to assist them against him, when he had fell upon that unlucky design of making his son Henry an equal sharer with him in the Government; and when the young man, who knew not how to stay at the top without running headlong, out of a mad restless desire of reigning declar’d a most unnatural war against his own father. Though these Castles are now quite gone, yet the shore is very well de∣fended
Page 373-374 by a vast ridge (they call it Langerston*) which for about two miles, as one observes, lays all along out of the Sea, not without great danger and terrour to Mariners. ‘Tis however of use to the Fishermen for drying of their fish; and does in a manner fence the spacious harbour Orwell. And thus much of the south part of this County.
From hence a crooked shore (for all this Eastern part lyes upon the Sea) running northward, present∣ly opens it self to the little river*Deben. It rises near Mendlesham, to which the Lord of the place H. Fitz-Otho, or the son of Otho† the Mint-master, procur’d the privilege of a Market and Fair of Edward the first. By his heirs a considerable estate came to the Boutetorts* Lords of Wily in Worcestershire; and from them afterwards, in the reign of Richard the scond, to Frevil,14Burnel, and others. From hence the ri∣ver Deben continues its course, and gives name to Debenham a small Market-town (which others will have call’d more rightly Depenham) because the soil being moist and clayie, the roads all round about it are deep and troublesome. From thence it runs by Ufford, formerly the seat of Robert de Ufford Earl of Suffolk, and on the opposite bank is Rendilis-ham,* i.e. as Bede interprets it, the home or mansion of Rendilus, where Redwald King of the East-Angles commonly kept his Court. He was the first of all that People that was baptiz’d and receiv’d Christianity; but af∣terwards, seduc’d by his wife, he had (as Bede ex∣presses it) in the self same Church, one Altar for the Re∣ligion of Christ, and another for the Sacrifices to Devils. Suidhelmus also, King of the East-Angles, was after∣wards baptiz’d in this place by Cedda the Bishop.
From hence the river Deben runs on to Woodbridge, a little town beautify’d with neat buildings, where at certain set times is the Meeting for the Liberty of S. Etheldred; and after the course of a few miles is receiv’d by the Sea at Bawdsey-haven.
Then the shore steals on by little and little towards the East,* to the mouth of the river Ore, which runs by Framlingham,* formerly a Castle of the Bigods15, and presently upon the west side of it spreads it self into a sort of Lake. This is a very beautiful Castle, fortify’d with a rampire, a ditch, and a wall of great thickness with thirteen towers: within, it has very convenient Lodgings. From this place it was, that in the year of our Lord 1173. when the rebellious son of King Henry the second took up Arms against his father, Robert Earl of Leicester with his Stipen∣diaries from Flanders, harrass’d the Country all round.
