Lowestoft Coastal Battery: South End (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Lestoffe

In the civil parish of Lowestoft.
In the historic county of Suffolk.
Modern Authority of Suffolk.
1974 county of Suffolk.
Medieval County of Suffolk.

OS Map Grid Reference: TM553927
Latitude 52.47337° Longitude 1.75816°

Lowestoft Coastal Battery: South End has been described as a certain Artillery Fort.

There are no visible remains.

Description

The earliest references to artillery defences at Lowestoft are to three batteries built in the reign of Henry VIII in 1540. These were simple earthworks revetted with gabions and boards, armed with three or four guns each, and sited at the south end of the town to cover the Stanford Channel, on the Ness to defend the anchorage, and the third a little way to the north. When the Duke of Norfolk arrived in 1545, he was little impressed by their state of readiness,, nor by their siting, which was too far from the town. The latter point was demonstrated in 1549 when some members of Kett's Rebellion captured six guns, dragging them off to train on the town. They were beaten off and the guns recaptured. The batteries were improved in 1588, that on the Ness being the principle battery. This was destroyed by the sea after the Civil War, rebuilt, but again succumbed to the sea after 1715. The defences of Lowestoft were not improved until 1781. (PastScape)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 1394907.
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record.

Books
- Kent, Peter, 1999 (3edn), 'Coastal Fortifications, 1500-1900'' in Dymond, David and Martin, Edward (eds) An Historical Atlas of Suffolk (Lavenham) p. 184-5
  Kent, Peter, 1988, Fortifications of East Anglia (Lavenham: Ternence Dalton) p. 157-60
  Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works Vol. 4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p. 371, 389

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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