Lowestoft Old and Now
Celebrating Heritage, Promoting Our Future
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Index to LO&N Historical Articles (David Butcher)

Pic The work carried out on Lowestoft, listed below, is an attempt to reconstruct the community by showing various aspects of its history in earlier times - mainly during the Late Medieval and Early Modern periods, but with a small number of departures from these into both the 19th and 20th centuries. The method has been to use a multi-source approach, whereby study and interpretation of the local surface geology and topographical features combine with a wide range of available documentation to produce as detailed a picture as possible of the town and its inhabitants during different phases of its past. The work is ongoing, even after more than fifty years of study, and can therefore be adjusted or added to as new information comes to light.
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1. Lowestoft Timeline (c. 700,000 BC/BCE – 1524-5) lithub.com
2. Founding of Lowestoft as Hluda’s toft (mid-late 500s) history
3. Name change…(Danish) – late 9th century history
4. Domesday Survey (1086) Domesday
5. Lowestoft and Akethorp (1086-1955) King John Hunting CREDIT:magnacarta.cmp.uea.ac.uk
6. St. Margaret’s Church (c. 1130-1567) St.Margaret’s Church southern aspect, captured by Richard Powles in his ink-and-wash study of 1785. His meticulous attention to detail gives a real sense of the building’s architectural splendour and quality of construction. Image taken from the Isaac Gillingwater collection of local illustrations (c, 1807) - Suffolk Archives (Ipswich), Acc. No. 193/2/1.
7. Markets and Fairs in Lothingland & Lowestoft (1208-1703) fair
8. Lothingland-Lowestoft-Great Yarmouth Disputes – Part 1 (1211-1334) Great Yarmouth Borough Arms (awarded in 1357)
9. Hundred Roll of 1274-5 Leathes Ham - a flooded Late Medieval peat-digging
10. Good Cross Chapel (Late 13th-Late 18th Century?) Pot
11. Relocation of the Township (c. 1300-1350) CREDIT - John Speed, Suffolk
12. Compass Street (14th-19th century) Compass st
13. Historical Account of the Denes (14th-18th Century) 1870 Denes
14. Illegal Goings-on in Kirkley Roads (14th & 15th Centuries) The “Ubena von Bremen” (built 1991) - a modern construction of a 14th century Hanseatic cog, found buried in the River Weser’s mud in 1962.
15. Lowestoft Town Hall (Site and Buildings – 14th -19th Century) Town Chamber & Town Chapel (Richard Powles - 1784)
16. Old Lowestoft – A Case For Heritage Status and Funding (14th – 19th Century) A panoramic view of Lowestoft, taken by Richard Powles from the North-east Gun Battery in 1790
17. Old Town of Lowestoft (High Street HAZ – 14th-19th Century) high st
18. Three Key Buildings: Domestic, Religious & Industrial (14th-19th Century) pic
19. Lowestoft Market and Fairs (1308-1890) fair
20. Lay Subsidy (1327) The meeting of roadways near the original Lowestoft township
21. Lothingland-Lowestoft-Great Yarmouth Disputes – Part 2 (1355-1729) Corton-Gunton beach area, to the north of Lopham Score (now,Tramp’s Alley) - half a mile or so wider during the 1660s than it is now. Location of the post which marked the limit of Yarmouth's trading jurisdiction, established in 1663
22. A Lowestoft Deer Park (1377) Deer CREDIT:Bodleian Library
23. High Street Buildings & Surviving Timber-Framing (15th-17th Century) pic
24. Lowestoft Listed Buildings – Historic England (15th-19th Century) church
25. No. 67 High Street (15th-17th Century) 67
26. Recorded Immigration Into Lowestoft  (1436-1544) nationalarchives.gov.uk
27. The Gentle Shining of a Lesser Light (1461) CREDIT: lithub.com
28. Lowestoft Almshouses (c. 1464-1964) CREDIT: Jack Rose Collection
29. House Design and Interior Arrangements (16th-18th Century)  pic
30. Interior Décor, Fittings and Possessions (Houses, 16th-18th Century) Late 17th century cane work chair
31. Lowestoft Inns and Shops (16th-18th Century)   Richard Powles’s ink-and-wash view of the High Street in 1784, looking straight down Crown Score. Note the humber of premises with shop fronts. The inn sign on the left, with its portrait of Queen Anne (reigned 1702-14) advertised the “Queen’s Head” premises, halfway down Tyler’s Lane (Compass Street) on the south side. Taken from the Isaac Gillingwater collection of illustrations (c. 1807): Suffolk Archives (Ipswich), 192/3/1.
32. Merchant Fleet Details (16th Century) pic
33. North Denes Liver Trench (1600s & 1700s) North Denes, published by Rock & Co. of London in 1872
34. Occupied Ground Space – Nos. 5-25 High Street Plots (1600s to 1700s) ogs
35. Lay Subsidy (1524-5) – Part 1 Stamp
36. Lay Subsidy (1524-5) – Part 2 Stamp
37. Lowestoft Timeline (1535 - 1974) history
38. Muster Roll (1535) An English longbow and arrows, as found on the iStock website
39. Lowestoft Rental (1545) buildings
40. Fishing Seasons, Catching Methods & Curing (Mid 16th-Early 18th Century) pic
41. Manorial courts of Lothingland Half-hundred (Mid-16th to mid-18th Century) An ink-and-wash study of the Mutford Bridge area, created by Richard Powles in 1787. This view forms one of the items in the Isaac Gillingwater collection of local illustrations (c. 1807) - Suffolk Archives, Ipswich - 193/2/1.
42. Regulation of the Lowestoft Community (1550-1750) town Chapel
43. Beacon Stones (1552) Beacon Stones CREDIT:The Lowestoft Archaeological & Local History Society
44. Bequests for the Relief of Poverty, 1560-1730 poor
45. Brewing in Lowestoft (1560-1760) Beer
46. Literacy Rates in Lowestoft (1560-1730) 18th and 19th Century Horn Books CREDIT:Welcome Collection
47. Lowestoft Religious Affiliation (1560-1790) St. Margaret’s Church (1785) - ink-and-wash study by Richard Powles, present in the Isaac Gillingwater collection of local illustrations (c. 1807) - Suffolk Archives, Ipswich (Acc. No. 193/2/1).
48. Lowestoft Occupations (1561-1750) trades
49. Lowestoft Population Statistics (1561-1750) An ink-and-wash study created by Richard Powles in 1785, which is present in the Isaac Gillingwater collection of illustrations (c. 1800) held by Suffolk Archives (acc. ref. no. 193/2/1).
50. Outsider Presence in Lowestoft (1561-1730) Hall
51. Parish Register Data (marriages, baptisms and burials, 1561-1750) RESEND
52. Recorded Illegitimacy in Lowestoft (1561-1730) pic
53. Lay Subsidy (1568) coin
54. Lowestoft Schools (1570-1730) The grave-slab of Thomas Annot in St. Margaret’s Church, the surviving upper part of which was relocated to the far end of the south aisle behind the organ. Shown in full here, with brass removed, but with the sculpted stone figure of Death holding its dart (arrow). Image to be found in Edmund Gillingwater’s history of the town, p. 299.
55. Fishing and Maritime Trade (Late 16th-Early18th Century) Graphically enhanced images of trading and inshore fishing craft which feature on the “Martin Map” of c. 1580, showing the local coastline from Pakefield to Gorleston - Suffolk Archives (Ipswich), Acc. No. 368.
56. Freshwater Fishery (Late 16th-mid 17th Century) Mitford Bridge
57. Lowestoft Manorial Governance (c. 1580-1730) Part of St. Margaret’s Plain (taken in 2009) - this area being the surviving remnant of the Goose Green/Fair Green area referred to in text, once smallest of the town’s seven areas of common land
58. The Scores (1582-1756) CREDIT:Karen High FB Mariners score
59. Lothingland Invasion Scare (1584) pic
60. Muster Roll (1584) Italian matchlock firearm of caliver/musket type, c. 1540. Royal Armouries Collection
61. Before There Were Banks (Credit Provision 1585-1730) 62 High St
62. Inventory of Roger Hill (1588) – Probate Record 31 32 High Street
63. Animal Husbandry in Lowestoft (17th & 18th century) Animal husbandry
64. Industries Related to Farming – 17th & 18th Century Site of Lowestoft’s first windmill: top of the slope in the Hill Road/Halcyon Crescent area.
65. Land-use in Lowestoft Parish – 17th & 18th Century  A view across Normanston Park - a substantial surviving piece of the medieval South-west Common Field (sometimes found referred to as the West South Field).
66. Lowestoft Agriculture (17th & 18th Century) Barn
67. Lowestoft’s Famous Five (Naval Heroes – 17th-18th Century) Sir Thomas Allin, Vice-Admiral of the Red, as depicted by Peter Lely in his “The Flagmen of Lowestoft” - a series of thirteen portraits of leading Naval commanders involved in the Battle of Lowestoft victory over the Dutch (13 June 1665). Allin's ship, the “Plymouth", is shown flying its red flag below his right hand. Samuel Pepys. saw the overall work of portraiture under way in Lely's studio during April 1666
68. Nature of Farming in Lowestoft (17th & 18th Century) The St. Margaret’s Plain area (image taken, some time ago) - once forming part of Lowestoft’s soft, rural, western edge. The southern sector, between Dove Street and St. Peter’s Street, formed Goose Green. The northern part was the town's Fairstead - Dove Street itself once being known as Fair Lane
69. Three Dwelling Case Studies (1602, 1682 & 1711) pic
70. Great Plague of Lowestoft (1603) Death’s Dart - part of the grave memorial of Thomas Annot in St. Margaret’s Church, drawn and engraved by John Sell Cotman.
71. Sorting Out the Sinners in the 17th Century (Diocesan Visitations 1606-39) sinner
72. Lowestoft Lighthouses (1609-1975) Lowlight (1820) - Isaac Johnson
73. Properties on West Side of High Street (1618) CREDIT: thelandmagazine
74. Accounts of the Administration of Thomas Mighells (1636-9) Thomas Snr., the father, was the son of James and Katherine Mighells
75. Ship Money Levy (1636) English Warship 1640 CREDIT:Alamy
76. The Day That Cromwell Came to Town (14 March 1643/4) Somerleyton Hall - built c. 1610-20
77. Historic Lowestoft Fires (1645, 1670, 1717 & 1780) fires
78. Missing Brasses of St. Margaret’s Church (1645) brass
79. Inventory of Josiah Wilde (1656) – Probate Record No 2
80. Lowestoft Overseers of the Poor Accounts (1656-1712) The home of Benjamin Ibrook (Overseer of the Poor, 1682 &1692) - a merchant recently arrived in Lowestoft from Southwold, whose main business interests were in fishing and fish-curing.
81. Battle of Lowestoft Medallion (1665) Medal
82. Death on the Denes (1666) St Margarets church
83. Hearth Tax of 1674 hearth tax image
84. Maritime Trade and the Granting of Port Status (1679) 1780s ink-and-wash view of Lowestoft from the sea, by Richard Powles, with Revenue Cutter “Argus” very much to the fore. To be found in the Isaac Gillingwater collection of illustrations (c. 1807) - Suffolk Archives (Ipswich), 193/2/1.
85. Let This Be a Warning to You (Quarter Sessions Punishment, late 17th Century) pic
86. Relief of Distress in Other Communities (1681-1698) St. Margaret’s parish church, where appeals made for the relief of distress in other places would have once been made at Sunday services.
87. Inventory of Elizabeth Pacy (1682) – Probate Record Nos. 81-83 High Street, a view taken some years ago. Once home of the Pacy family, this mid-late 16th century merchant’s house is one of the most interesting in what is now the old part of town.
88. Inventory of James Wilde (1684) – Probate Record 80
89. Human Migration into Lowestoft (1696-1735) boats
90. Subscription List for Rebuilding of Town Chamber and Chapel (1698) An ink-and-wash study of the Town Chamber, with Chapel to the rear, executed by Richard Powles in 1784. To be found in the Isaac Gillingwater collection of local illustrations c. 1807 - Suffolk Archives, Ipswich, 193/2/1.
91. Apprenticing of Poor Children (1699-1730) Doc
92. Churchwarden Accounts (1714-36) An ink-and-wash study of the Town Chamber (with Town Chapel to the rear), executed by Richard Powles in 1782. This was the town’s multi-purpose civic HQ until the Town Hall was built (1857-60), with the curfew bell hung in the cupola surmounting the roof. Suffolk Archives (Ipswich), 193/2/1 - the Isaac Gillingwater collection of illustrations (c. 1807).
93. An Unexpected Royal visit (1737) Portrait of George II by Thomas Hudson (1744).
94. A Short-lived Parish Workhouse (1739) Two of the former almshouses in Dove Street, which stood next to the Workhouse and were demolished during the 1960s. Jack Rose Collection.
95. Lowestoft Porcelain: Aspects of Origins, Factory & Workforce (1757-c. 1800) Illustration 4 - Polychrome jug CREDIT: Norfolk Museums Service.
96. Early Modern Lowestoft (Mid 18th Century) Ink-and-wash study of the High Street, produced in 1784 by Richard Powles, looking down Crown Score and revealing extensive east-side frontages to either side. One of the illustrations to be found in the Isaac Gillingwater collection of local views (c. 1807) - Suffolk Archives (Ipswich), 193/2/1.
97. A Notable Rescue at Sea (1785) An original water-colour of John Money and his balloon in the North Sea’s waters was produced by Philip Reinagle. This was turned into an engraving, which was then printed in both colour and monochrome for general circulation. The image is accurate in its portrayal of the balloon's lines and the gondola’s boat-shape.
98. A Seaside Excursion (1797) front cover of Robert Paul’s little booklet
99. Artillery Drill Hall, Arnold Street (19th century) Artillery Drill Hall
100. Samuel Morton Peto and the Wider European World (1830-60) peto
101. Dickens, Lowestoft and David Copperfield (1849) Blundeston Church
102. Kirkley Cemetery (1880) CREDIT:David Butcher and The Lowestoft Archaeological and Local History Society
103. Local Fishing Industry (c. 1910-60) Tape-recording Index CREDIT:PineappleMetro
104. Superstition and the Fisherman (c. 1910-1960) Wooden steam drifter
105. Sinking of the Armed Smack Nelson (LT 649) – 15 August 1917 CREDIT: Port of Lowestoft Research Society
106. Town Hall Raid (8 May 1933) Lowestoft Town Hall c. 1910. Prominent in the fore-ground are the tracks of the Town’s tram system, which opened in July 1903.
107. The Cocos Island Treasure Hunt (1935) Veracity 1
108. Lost End of High Street (East Side) – WW2 bomb damage map