Wallingford Town Defences

In the civil parish of Wallingford.
In the historic county of Berkshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

Rectangular Earthwork remains of burh of Wallingford and Medieval borough. The town and burh is first known from the Burghal Hideage. Wallingford was a major borough. Excavations discovered two saxon phases of defences, the first as earthworks, the second in stone. The medieval defences were probably slighted by 1300AD. Earthern banks remain intact. Underwent, along with the castle (qv), a prolonged series of sieges and blockades from 1139 to 1153.

This site has been described as a;
Urban Defence.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Earthworks remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU610897

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 241741, 917665, 917675, 241752, 241668, 241671, 241665

• Web site links
  • http://www.ogdoad.force9.co.uk/alfred/alfhidage.htm
    http://www.le.ac.uk/ar/njc10/wallingford_project/
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p18, 24, 40, 47, 57, 60, 68, 70, 157, 178, 197, 222, 223, 225, 234, 258
    Hill, David and Rumble, Alexander R., 1996, The defence of Wessex: the Burghal Hidage and Anglo-Saxon fortifications p220-221
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p6
    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) Vol1 p13
    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 plan p67
    Airs, M., Rodwell, K., and Turner, H., 1975, 'Wallingford' in Rodwell, K. (ed) Historic Towns in Oxfordshire: A survey of the New County (Oxford: Oxfordshire Archaeological Unit) p155-62
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p122
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1923, VCH Berkshire Vol3 p517-23 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43256
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p28
    Page, Wm and Ditchfield, P.H. (eds), 1906, VCH Berkshire Vol1 p216, 264-5
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p53
• Journal Articles
  • Bradley, J and Gaimster, M. (eds), 2004, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 2003' Medieval Archaeology Vol48 p284-6
    Creighton, O. [et al], 2002, 'The Wallingford burgh to borough research project' Medieval Settlement Research Group Annual Report Vol17 p43-6
    Durham, B., Hassall, T.G., Rowley, T. and Simpson, C., 1972, 'A cutting across the Saxon defences at Wallingford' Oxoniensia Vol37 p82-5
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1972, Medieval Archaeology Vol16 p148
    1971-2, Berkshire Archaeological Journal Vol66 p133
    Wilson, D.M., 1968, Medieval Archaeology Vol10 p168
    Wilson, D.M., 1967, Medieval Archaeology Vol9 p262-3
    Brooks, N.P., 1965-6, Berkshire Archaeological Journal Vol62 p17-21
    Leeds, E.T., 1938, Berkshire Archaeological Journal Vol42 p93-101
    Chalkley Gould, 1906, Journal British Archaeological Association [new series] Vol12 p119-21
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/barkseng.html#berks6]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p30
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p118