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'''Wixoe''' is a village and [[civil parish]] in the [[St Edmundsbury (borough)|St Edmundsbury]] district of [[Suffolk]] in eastern [[England]]. Located on the northern bank of the [[River Stour, Suffolk|River Stour]], two miles south-east of [[Haverhill, Suffolk|Haverhill]], in 2005 its population was 140.<ref name=population/> It consists largely of Victorian cottages along a narrow lane. There is church of 12C origin, St Leonard's, much restored in the 1880s<ref>[http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/wixoe.htm Suffolk Churches website: Simon Knott]</ref>. It was recorded in the Domesday Book<ref>http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TL7142/wixoe/ Online copy</ref>, at 600 acres one of the smallest parishes in the hundred of [[Risbridge_Hundred|Risbridge]]. There are some 13 listed buildings, including a 19c bridge and a water mill<ref>[http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/suffolk/wixoe British Listed Buildings website]</ref>. |
'''Wixoe''' is a village and [[civil parish]] in the [[St Edmundsbury (borough)|St Edmundsbury]] district of [[Suffolk]] in eastern [[England]]. Located on the northern bank of the [[River Stour, Suffolk|River Stour]], two miles south-east of [[Haverhill, Suffolk|Haverhill]], in 2005 its population was 140.<ref name=population/> It consists largely of Victorian cottages along a narrow lane. There is a church of 12C origin, St Leonard's, much restored in the 1880s<ref>[http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/wixoe.htm Suffolk Churches website: Simon Knott]</ref>. It was recorded in the Domesday Book<ref>http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TL7142/wixoe/ Online copy</ref>, at 600 acres one of the smallest parishes in the hundred of [[Risbridge_Hundred|Risbridge]]. There are some 13 listed buildings, including a 19c bridge and a water mill<ref>[http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/suffolk/wixoe British Listed Buildings website]</ref>. |
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The Great Eastern Railway ran through the village, part of the [[Stour_Valley_Railway|Stour Valley line]] from 1865 until its closure in March 1967 under the [[Beeching_cuts|Beeching 'axe']]. The nearest stations were [[Sturmer,_Essex|Sturmer]] to the west and [[Stoke-by-Clare]] to the east<ref>Any Wallis, Stour Valley Railway Part 2 Through Time Clare to Shelford and Audeley End, Amberley Publishing 2011 ISBN 978 1-4456-0473-2, pp 13-24</ref>. The track and embankments remain clearly visible. |
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==== The Roman town ==== |
==== The Roman town ==== |
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Roman remains have been frequently located in the vicinity and a settlement has long been proposed<ref>http://www.roman-britain.org/places/wixoe.htm Roman British Organisation</ref>. Recent archaeological digs and magnetic survey, as part of the [http://oxfordarchaeology.com/case-studies/27-archaeology-utilities-renewables/56 Abberton pipeline installation], have revealed a small town occupied from 100-400AD. The [[Via Devana]] from [[Chester]] to [[Colchester]], a military track, passed through. Another road led east from Wixoe, on the north side of the Stour, passing through [[Long Melford]], before heading north-east to [[Baylham]] and possibly to [[Dunwich]]. A third road led north, probably towards [[Icklingham]] and the [[Icknield Way]]. No clear trace of these latter |
Roman remains have been frequently located in the vicinity and a settlement has long been proposed<ref>http://www.roman-britain.org/places/wixoe.htm Roman British Organisation</ref>. Recent archaeological digs and magnetic survey, as part of the [http://oxfordarchaeology.com/case-studies/27-archaeology-utilities-renewables/56 Abberton pipeline installation], have revealed a small town occupied from 100-400AD, occupying a position of some local strategic significance because of its road connections. The [[Via Devana]] from [[Chester]] to [[Colchester]], a military track, passed through. Another road led east from Wixoe, on the north side of the Stour, passing through [[Long Melford]], before heading north-east to [[Baylham]] and possibly to [[Dunwich]]. A third road led north, probably towards [[Icklingham]] and the [[Icknield Way]]. A fourth, close to the Ains Ford, is surmised towards [[Great_Chesterford|Great Chesterford]], on a more southerly section of the Icknield Way. No clear trace of these latter three roads outside Wixoe can now be seen: the [[agger]] in the form of valley side terraces has either been eroded by ploughing or incorporated into field boundaries, as is typical across East Anglia<ref>Ivan Margary, Roman Roads in Britain, John Baker 1973, 3rd ed. ISBN 0-212-97001-1 pp 243-277</ref>. |
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Other features and artefacts date from the IstC, increasing in the 3rdC and declining in the early 5thC (when [[End_of_Roman_rule_in_Britain|Rome withdrew from Britain]]): a range of domestic buildings and courtyards, boundary ditches, industrial ovens and hearths with evidence of copper, lead and iron workings, pits for quarrying and storage<ref>Oxford Archaeology Report No 1283: Excavations at Wixoe Roman Town (Wix 022), September 2012 update</ref>. It is possible that the Stour was navigable as far as Wixoe by flat-bottomed boats; a wharf area may be surmised. Parts of the town lay on the western bank within Essex. An enclosure was found there in 1803, suggesting a Roman military base. Over 4,000 coins have been found by metal detector, most from the 3rd and 4th C<ref>Jane Plouviez, ‘A hole in the distribution map: the characteristic of small towns in Suffolk’, in Brown, AE (ed), Roman Small Towns in Eastern England and beyond, Oxford: Oxbow Books 1995, pp69-90</ref>. |
Other features and artefacts date from the IstC, increasing in the 3rdC and declining in the early 5thC (when [[End_of_Roman_rule_in_Britain|Rome withdrew from Britain]]): a range of domestic buildings and courtyards, boundary ditches, industrial ovens and hearths with evidence of copper, lead and iron workings, pits for quarrying and storage<ref>Oxford Archaeology Report No 1283: Excavations at Wixoe Roman Town (Wix 022), September 2012 update</ref>. It is possible that the Stour was navigable as far as Wixoe by flat-bottomed boats; a wharf area may be surmised. Parts of the town lay on the western bank within Essex. An enclosure was found there in 1803, suggesting a Roman military base. Over 4,000 coins have been found by metal detector, most from the 3rd and 4th C<ref>Jane Plouviez, ‘A hole in the distribution map: the characteristic of small towns in Suffolk’, in Brown, AE (ed), Roman Small Towns in Eastern England and beyond, Oxford: Oxbow Books 1995, pp69-90</ref>. |
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Revision as of 23:42, 17 December 2012
| Wixoe | |
|---|---|
 St Leonard's Church, Wixoe | |
| Population | 140 [1] |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Suffolk |
| Fire | Suffolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
Wixoe is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the northern bank of the River Stour, two miles south-east of Haverhill, in 2005 its population was 140.[1] It consists largely of Victorian cottages along a narrow lane. There is a church of 12C origin, St Leonard's, much restored in the 1880s[2]. It was recorded in the Domesday Book[3], at 600 acres one of the smallest parishes in the hundred of Risbridge. There are some 13 listed buildings, including a 19c bridge and a water mill[4].
The Great Eastern Railway ran through the village, part of the Stour Valley line from 1865 until its closure in March 1967 under the Beeching 'axe'. The nearest stations were Sturmer to the west and Stoke-by-Clare to the east[5]. The track and embankments remain clearly visible.
The Roman town
Roman remains have been frequently located in the vicinity and a settlement has long been proposed[6]. Recent archaeological digs and magnetic survey, as part of the Abberton pipeline installation, have revealed a small town occupied from 100-400AD, occupying a position of some local strategic significance because of its road connections. The Via Devana from Chester to Colchester, a military track, passed through. Another road led east from Wixoe, on the north side of the Stour, passing through Long Melford, before heading north-east to Baylham and possibly to Dunwich. A third road led north, probably towards Icklingham and the Icknield Way. A fourth, close to the Ains Ford, is surmised towards Great Chesterford, on a more southerly section of the Icknield Way. No clear trace of these latter three roads outside Wixoe can now be seen: the agger in the form of valley side terraces has either been eroded by ploughing or incorporated into field boundaries, as is typical across East Anglia[7].
Other features and artefacts date from the IstC, increasing in the 3rdC and declining in the early 5thC (when Rome withdrew from Britain): a range of domestic buildings and courtyards, boundary ditches, industrial ovens and hearths with evidence of copper, lead and iron workings, pits for quarrying and storage[8]. It is possible that the Stour was navigable as far as Wixoe by flat-bottomed boats; a wharf area may be surmised. Parts of the town lay on the western bank within Essex. An enclosure was found there in 1803, suggesting a Roman military base. Over 4,000 coins have been found by metal detector, most from the 3rd and 4th C[9].
References
- ^ a b Estimates of Total Population of Areas in Suffolk Suffolk County Council: this page is no longer available - update from Census 2011 when available
- ^ Suffolk Churches website: Simon Knott
- ^ http://domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TL7142/wixoe/ Online copy
- ^ British Listed Buildings website
- ^ Any Wallis, Stour Valley Railway Part 2 Through Time Clare to Shelford and Audeley End, Amberley Publishing 2011 ISBN 978 1-4456-0473-2, pp 13-24
- ^ http://www.roman-britain.org/places/wixoe.htm Roman British Organisation
- ^ Ivan Margary, Roman Roads in Britain, John Baker 1973, 3rd ed. ISBN 0-212-97001-1 pp 243-277
- ^ Oxford Archaeology Report No 1283: Excavations at Wixoe Roman Town (Wix 022), September 2012 update
- ^ Jane Plouviez, ‘A hole in the distribution map: the characteristic of small towns in Suffolk’, in Brown, AE (ed), Roman Small Towns in Eastern England and beyond, Oxford: Oxbow Books 1995, pp69-90
External links
