Late
in the 3rd century AD a chain of forts was built around the east and
south coasts of Britain, for protection from invaders from the sea.
Near Yarmouth is Burgh Castle (Gariannonum) which was built to
protect the estuaries of the River Yare and River Waveney. Here the
four sides of a large fortress have been preserved beside the River
Waveney, and the walls of flint and brick are some 3m thick and stand
5m high. In places the walls have crumbled away, but the six
remaining round bastions would have housed the ballistal or spring
guns to repel invaders. Today Burgh Castle stands four miles inland
but in Roman times there was a harbour just outside the western wall.
Further
down the coast was Portus Adurni (Walton, near Felixstowe) and Othona
(Bradwell, Essex), but a Roman document the 'Notilia Dignitatum'
refers to another fort which was built about 32 miles from Caistor.
This is most likely to be where the two Roman roads converge at
Dunwich, and the fort was named Sitomagus ... but due to the
continual erosion by the seas the fort would now be 11 miles from the
coast, buried under the waters, if it still survives.
The
Roman road nearest to Halesworth was this Caister/Dunwich road which
follows the Stone Street to Broadway (near the Triple Plea public
house - IP19 8QW )
and then carried across country to ford the Blyth River at Blyford.
It then continued to the larger Roman settlement known to have
existed at Wenhaston.
At
Bungay it also connected with the camp at Tasburgh and ran via the
Wainford Bridge on the outskirts of Bungay to Halesworth. It is
thought that there was a military position at this point in Bungay,
while a substantial building, perhaps a farmstead or villa, was built
on the south side of Bungay.
There
may have been a farmstead or small settlement at Halesworth, as a
number of small villas or farm sites have been discovered on the
higher ground of the river valley. From the large number of items
collected by Gilbert Burroughes, it seems probable that there was a
Roman site at Chediston. This appears to have been inhabited early in
the Roman period in the 1st
century AD, and is indicated by the early forms of pottery, in
particular the Belgic ware which is of Claudian date, about 43-54 AD.
There are indications that bronze casting was also taking place on
the site, as numerous mould fragments have been found during the
excavations. Among the items located was a lead balance from a
steel-yard set of scales, a brass pin, two complete pots and other
partly completed pieces of pottery in Belgic, Samian and Roman grey
ware.