In Search of Leiston Gibbet, Friday Market Heath and St Andrews Green ~ Griffmonsters Great Walks

A 6 mile walk around the heaths and commons of Coldfair Green

This walk follows an investigation to seek out the location of the Leiston Gibbet and an area of heathland that was known in the 1600's as Friday Market Heath. The only reference to these places comes from an old book from 1910 entitled 'The Chronicles of Theberton' which details the route past the gibbet. This walk attempts to retrace this route by navigating along the heathland and footpaths around the River Hundred which marks the boundary between the hundreds of Blything and Plomestead. Extensive research which has been undertaken and documented in the feature of this walk with some revealing insights to long forgotten places.

In search of Leiston Gibbet - Essential Information

Walk Statistics:

Start location: Leiston
Distance: miles ( km)
Total Gain: ft ( metre)
Total Descent: ft ( metre)
Min Height: ft ( metre)
Max Height: ft ( metre)
Walk Time:
Walk type: Circular
Walk Grade: Easy
Terrain: Footpaths

Maps:

The following maps and services can assist in navigating this route. There are links to printed maps and links to downloadable GPX route data for importing into navigational software and apps.

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map: OS Explorer 212 - Woodbridge & Saxmundham
GPX Route File

Route Verification Details

Date of Walk: 2021-03-06
Walk Time: 10:30 to 16:00
Walkers: Griffmonster, Kat
Weather Conditions: Dull and overcast day followed by a second walk in sunny conditions

Walk Notes

This walk was put together after reading an old book entitled 'The Chronicles of Theberton' which gave a reference to both Leiston Gibbet and Friday Market Heath, names and locations of which I have not heard before despite living in the area since the late 90's and reading a lot of local history during that time. These names seem to have disappeared from the local memory and folklore with no-one being able to offer any words of wisdom as to the whereabouts of these places. This lack of knowledge thus provided a good opportunity for a quest of discovery in an attempt to find more about Leiston Gibbet and Friday Market Heath.

The internet is probably the best place to start on any quest these days. There is a wealth of resources, particularly vast amounts of historic out-of-copyright books that are available on both Google books and archive.org together with old mapping sites such as oldmapsonline.org and the Visions of Britain website. This modern method of research is both intense and challenging but is much quicker than locating resources from county libraries. It also benefits the preservation of the actual historic articles and documents from the lack of fingers and thumbs flicking through historic pages and adding to their degradation.

I will readily admit that I am no expert of history, local or otherwise, and certainly no antiquarian therefore this research was done purely from a layman's perspective and as such the old texts are open to misinterpretation as they are never in modern English. Having said this, I have tried to research anything that isn't obvious and am confident with the conclusions drawn from this research with the information available. More time could be spent in researching this and if any more information comes to light then I will certainly update this page accordingly.

The discoveries that were made are both revealing and enlightening and are presented in the feature below entitled 'The Leiston Gibbet'. Even the fact that the locality known as Coldfair was part of Leiston parish up until the 1980's was a surprise. At this point in time a boundary change transferred it to the parish of Knodishall but locals have always referred to the village as Knodishall. Even the village sign quite clearly declares Knodishall albeit with both Buxlow (an ancient parish which included Knodishall) and Coldfair on its upright.

Apart from the discovery that St Andrews Fair is the origins of the name of the hamlet of Coldfair due to the fair being held in the cold winter month of December, plus the possible locations of Friday Market Heath and the Gibbet, probably the most enlightening fact from the may documents that I have referenced are indications that the River Hundred's was originally named the River Alde, the present day Alde taking the name of the Ore throughout its course.

The River Hundred, whose present name is taken from the southern boundary of the Blything Hundred, is no more than a brook that trickles down from Knodishall, through an area known as The Fens and historically drained into the sea at Thorpe at the area known as the Haven. Over the centuries the mouth of the river has migrated southwards and in more recent times has been hidden from view through a sluice and tunnel.

The fact that this present day brook used to be navigable is indisputable and there are also references to anchorages at Aldringham as well as speculation that during Roman times the river was capable of carrying barges at high tide up to the Roman town of Cogimagus where Knodishall church now stands.

Now onto the walk that accompanies this research. This ramble is a gentle perambulation around Leiston, Aldringham and Knodishall and presents a worthy amble for anyone of reasonable fitness and ability to undertake. The area has its own notable present day features such as Haylings Pond and the old water tower in Leiston, now a private residence. There is also a mysterious monument at the bottom of a turfed field in Aldringham, close to the river crossing - this is a recent construction but little is known about why it is there and for what purpose or commemoration the monument has been placed. A fence bars the way to take a closer inspection but hopefully some revelations may be forthcoming in the future.

Coldfair Green is a pleasant Suffolk hamlet adorned with heathland and commons that present some very pleasant walking. On one of the heaths was the site of the old Knodishall windmill which can be seen in the background of old photos that are on display in the Butchers Arms pub. The historic interest is an added bonus to this walk, and hopefully this research will be appreciated and add to the fascination of this area.

Maybe in the future I will attempt to trace the full route taken in the survey described in the old book entitled 'Sucklings Suffolk' which encompasses the parishes of Theberton, Eastbridge, Thorpe, Aldringham and Coldfair.

Return to top

View southwards across Knodishall Common

Directions

A simple walk using existing footpaths, lanes and tracks all of which are well defined.

From the park at Victory Road, head out of Leiston on Haylings Road. Just past a road on the left named Fridays Orchard is a footpth. Take this and then go through the gap in the hedg eon the right to Haylings Pond. Take a diagonal across the grass and back onto the footpath at the far edge. This leads out onto Goldings Lane. Cross the road and through the gap in the head and over the field. A track then leads into Aldringham. At the road head diagonally right to take Mill Lane, a residential cul-de-sac. At the end a footpath leads between the houses and down to the brook. Cross the footbridge and take the footpath that bears right. Continue through the woodland. Eventually, by the school on the right, the path will fork. Take the right fork which leads out onto the Snape road. The pub is a hundred yards down the road towards Leiston. St Andrews road is on the opposite side of the road. This track leads through to Aldringham road from where a return to the pub can be made along the Leiston Road.

From the pub take Post Office Road and then take the footpath onto the heath by the side of a house. This leads onto a gravel track. Keep to this until there is a hedge with a path that follows the brook. This meets up with another path that joins from a footbridge. Turn left and follow this footpath through the gorse and then out alongside a hedge. This comes to a junction with a bridleway and is the point at which it is thought Leiston Gibbet was located. Beyond the path cuts across a field to the track to Friston - ignore this and take a right turn and follow the bridleway. Keep to this path until another path leads around the perimeter of the field and returns at the heath where one emerged. REturn along the footpath and over the footbridge and up to a road. Follow the road round to the right then cut across more heathland in front of the houses and up to another road. Turn left and then take a right into a little cul-de-sac. At the end a footpath leads off on the right. This leads down to the main road into Leiston. Take a short walk back towards LEiston until there is a footpath on the left. Take this through to where it meets a road by the yard where a fairground lorries are parked up. Turn right and follow the path out onto Victory Road to return to the starting point.

Return to top

Possible location of Leiston Gibbet

Pubs

Butchers Arms, Knodishall View in OS Map | View in Google Map

Address: Leiston Road, Knodishall

Brick building on the main road through Knodishall. It is interesting to note that several of the early landlords during the 19th century were also butchers which is probably where the pub takes its name from. Originally a Lacons house, the building still retains two of the ceramic Lacons falcons on the exterior of the building. After a period of closures the pub has now reopened and is becoming a popular local renowned for it good food. There are usually three ales on offer with Adnams and Woodfordes being on regularly together with a guest ale. Regular live music, quiz nights and the occasional beer festival are also hosted here.

Review

In recent years this pub has had numerous periods of closure so it is good to see it back open and long may it last. A difficult decision to choose the Bure Gold from Woodfordes or Ghost Ship from Adnams, both very worthy drinks. A cosy wood burner and friendly locals and staff provides a good reason to give this place a visit.

Return to top

Possible location of Friday Market Heath

Features

Leiston Gibbet, Friday Market Heath and St Andrews GreenView in OS Map | View in Google Map

A reference to Leiston Gibbet is made in the book 'The Theberton Chronicles' by Henry Montagu Doughty, an English author born at Theberton Hall in 1841. Published in 1910 the book details the history of the Suffolk parish of Theberton in which there is an extract concerning the family of Robert Browne, a tenant of the lands of Leiston Abbey. The text in the 'The Chronicles of Theberton' states:

In 1606, there was a tragedy in the Browne family. Agnes the wife of John Browne son or grandson of Robert Browne, murdered her husband ; and, Suckling says that one Peter their servant was gibbeted for the crime. What happened to Agnes we do not know; we have depositions, taken upon an enquiry as to the King's right to her goods, which shows that she had been condemned as a felon. The gibbet on which Peter was executed was the manorial gibbet of the manor of Leiston, the site of which according to a perambulation of that manor, made in 1620, may be found : — by following "the brook between Thorpe and Haslewood manors, until you come unto Friday Market Heath, and then, leaving the water-course, following the hedge south-west until you come next a green way," which will be "beyond the gibbet." I hope this may make the position clear to my local readers. It is not at all clear to me.

The original text of the passage concerning the perambulation is taken from an earlier work referred to in this publication as 'Sucklings Suffolk'. The full title of this book is 'The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk Vol. II', written by the Rev. Alfred Suckling who was born in Norwich in 1796, eventually becoming Rector of Barsham before passing away in 1856. The book was published in 1848 and contains the details of a survey of the 'lands and tents'[tenements] of Leiston. This passage is itself taken from an earlier unnamed publication by MSS. Jermyn and Davy, two Suffolk antiquarians from the late 18th century. Even this reference is almost certainly not the original as the date of the survey is given as the 24th April 1620. The survey includes a so called perambulation following the boundary of the parishes of Leyston, Sizwell, Aldringham, and Thorpe and it is from this that the extract has been taken for use in 'The Chronicles of Theberton'. Reading the account in full provides additional detail beyond the gibbet which is very revealing in determining its exact location along with the whereabouts of Friday Market Heath. The passage concerning this particular area states:

... untill you come unto Thorpe fens, where the brooke divideth between Thorpe and Haselwood manors, and soe following that brooke between Thorpe and Haselwood manor untill you come unto Friday Market Heath, and then leaving the water course following the hedge south-west untill you come unto a green way beyond the Jebott, and so following that way north-west over the heath untill you come unto a tenement called Dearing's, which lyeth in Knoddishall, excluding the same tenement on the left hand going between the heath and inclosiers untill you come unto a cross at St. Andrewes Green, which is made between the manor of Leiston and Knodeshall, and from that cross turning up northward between the copyhold lands called Owen's and Feriby's ...

It would appear from speaking with local folk that Leiston Gibbet has long been forgotten, as is any the knowledge of the whereabouts of Friday Market Heath which is also referred to here. The directions in the 1620s perambulation also generate a few questions. The fact that it mentions the brook separating Thorpe and Hazlewood parishes with the reference to the gibbett being located south west of the river course appears to place the gibbet not only outside of the parish of Leiston but beyond the Hundred boundary as marked by the river and this does not make particular sense. The brook in question is undoubtedly the Hundred River as it is the only water course in the area and it forms a natural boundary between the parishes of Thorpe and Hazlewood as well as the the old boundaries of the hundreds of Blything and Plomestead, from whence its name is taken. Thorpe parish is still present and better known as Aldringham and Thorpe and includes the village of Thorpeness. Hazlewood parish no longer exists and is now incorporated into Aldeburgh parish although features on the landscape still remind us of its existence. Hazlewood common and Hazlewood Marshes are alongside the Alde estuary. Hazlewood Hall Farm is on the main road into Aldeburgh from Snape, the A1094, and the remains of Hazlewood church are located in a field between Aldeburgh and Aldringham. According to the genuki.org website this church is said to have closed before 1740 (see here) but an archaeological report states that this 11th century church was in ruins by 1600.

With the 'brook' now defined we need to locate Friday Market Heath. From its name it is almost certainly an area of heathland or common but it is not mentioned on any old maps of the area going back to the early 1800's. There are references stating that Knodishall Common was shared with both Knodishall and Leiston. The area known as Coldfair Green, these days more commonly referenced as Knodishall, was part of a finger of land that was held within the Leiston parish boundary right up until the 1980's. The extent of Knodishall Common during the 1600s is unknown but may well have extended beyond its present boundaries which are limited on its poresent day eastern extent to the Snape road. No doubt many land enclosures impinged upon this former common land, and now a housiing estae around Judith Avenue is located on much of this land. The OS maps of the late 1800s certainly indicate the Common crossing the Snape road and although it is limited in extent, this does suggest that it may well have covered much more of the area alongside the river before enclosures claimed the land..

The publication The History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Suffolk, and the Towns Near Its Borders from 1844 also mentions that both a market and a fair were granted to Aldringham by a charter from 12th year of Edward II, which would be 1319, and this text also states the market had long been obsolete. We could easily speculate that Friday Market Heath was where this market was held purely by association of its name and location. The directions imply that this is somewhere between Thorpe and Knodishall. We know it is beyond the Fens and the next reference is the hedgerow that runs south west from Friday Market Heath which means it diverges away from the water course and therefore would impinge into what we would assume to be Hazlewood parish. We also know that there was a delimitation order for Friday Market Heath in the 6th regnal year of James 1 (1609) (see here), which basically legally fixes the boundaries to the land. Interestingly, in this account it is associated as being in Knodishall parish so may also indicate that this was part of the common shared between Leiston and Knodishall.

With this information, a good guess for the location of the heath would therefore be the present woodland that borders the southern side of the Hundred River between Aldringham and the present day hamlet of Coldfair Green. There is a river crossing at the bottom of Mill Lane in Aldringham, although the history of this crossing is not known. If we take this crossing and follow a route south west along the present day footpath, it will lead through to Fitches Lane, which was certainly there in the early 1700s. Although this is now no more than a narrow footpath, it was a principle route through to Aldeburgh as mentioned by John Kirby in his Suffolk Traveller publication of 1735 and could easily be construed as an ancient track which are often referred to as "green ways". Fitches Lane follows a course that roughly runs north west to junction the Snape road south of the river, and taken together, these directions fall into line with the directions described in 1620. It may be argued that the footpath linking Mill Lane and Fitches Lane is a more modern creation, but it should be noted this connects with a path that runs across to Hazelwood, specifically to a point close to the old Hazelwood chapel whose ruins now stand isolated in a field. Could this have been an old route through to that chapel?

To clarify, the suspected area of Friday Market Heath was possibly an extension of Knodishall Common following the southern side of the Hundred river and extending across to where the present day Judith Avenue housing exists and the area of woodland up to the crossing at the bottom of Mill Lane. This being the case then the Gibbett would have been along the border of this land between the present day bridge at the bottom of Mill Lane and Fitches Lane.

An additional observation from the parish boundaries during the late 1800s is that the parishes of Hazelwood, Friston, Leiston and Aldringham all met at the area we are referencing as Friday Market Heath. Could this have been a common area shared by all the parishes? This may well explain why the boundary in the perambulation was not restricted by the river at this point.

One final piece of intrigue with respect to the gibbett is the use of the word 'gibbeted' in the text from the 'Chronicles of Theberton'. This term is used for the practice of 'Hanging in chains' on a gibbet. This was very rarely used as a method of execution but was a method of inserting the already executed body into an iron cage and then hanging this from the gibbet as a lesson for others against committing similar crimes. The fact the extract contains the phrase 'The gibbet on which Peter was executed' is dubious as although the word gibbet appears to be interchangeable with the word gallows the term gibbeted implies that the execution was prior to this. Even in the 1600s there was a trial before an execution and this and the execution may have been carried out at Ipswich Gaol.

Now, continuing following the directions ...north-west over the heath untill you come unto a tenement called Dearing's, which lyeth in Knoddishall, excluding the same tenement on the left hand going between the heath and inclosiers untill you come unto a cross at St. Andrewes Green, which is made between the manor of Leiston and Knodeshall, and from that cross turning up northward between the copyhold lands called Owen's and Feriby's. This indicates a route between the heath (most likely Knodishall Common) and enclosed lands on the Aldringham side to a cross at St Andrews Green where the boundary turns to the north. If we look at the parish boundary as defined in the late 1800s we find that it follows the road through the hamlet of Coldfair to a point close to the junction with the Aldringham road, aka Coldfair Lane, where it turns to follow a northly direction. It is assumed the main road through the hamlet of Coldfair is a more modern construction although I have yet to find a specific date this was put in. Historically the route through the hamlet would have been St Andrews Road which as the name itself would suggest leads to St Andrews (green) where a cross once existed, presumably a stone cross that has since been lost.

St Andrews Green is well referenced historically and is the former name of Coldfair Green. An example of such references comes from a book by the title of 'A topographical dictionary of England' by Samuel Lewis and published in 1848, whose entry for Aldringham states that the parish had a market that had fallen into disuse and it also had a small fair on St Andrews day, which it records as December 11th and which was held at a place called Coldfair. The name of Cold fair being adopted due to the winter month that it was held. One exception is the late 18th century map from Hodkinson who uses the name of Coldford Green which may have been a misconception. He was not a local man and may have equated the name with reference to the ford which existed prior to the bridge construction on the main road.

More importantly Coldfair Green is a referenced by local surveyor John Kirby in his 1st edition of The Suffolk traveller: or, A journey through Suffolk which was published in 1735, where he states

Coldfair-Green, where there is a Fair kept yearly on the Feast of St Andrew and the day following.

. Kirby was meticulous in recording mileages of landmarks and road junctions throughout all of his travels and this acts as a veritable source of information in order to place long lost landmarks. From undertaking much research on the recorded mileages against present day landmarks, his figures appear to be very precise, therefore we can give great weight to the distance he provides between Leiston White Horse and what he refers to as Coldfair Green. This he records as 1 mile and 1/2 furlong (1 mile, 110 yards or 1.06 miles) and this coincides with the junction with the Aldringham Road. The actual words he uses are At 1m. 1/2f. is Coldfair-Green, where there is a Fair kept yearly on the Feast of St Andrew and the Day following. These words have great significance as he does not mention the junction whereas in all other locations he records the junction related to the landmark and the destination of the adjoining road. Looking on both Kirbys maps from the 2nd edition of his book (1764) and the maps of John Carey (1789), the Aldringham road is not depicted. Therefore could the road date from a later time and this is the location of Coldfair Green itself? If he was to reference the hamlet of Coldfair then surely it would be at the centre of the community, not a point on its extremities. So is this a reference to Coldfair Green itself, a piece of common land upon which the original fair was held?

This is a good proposition as we have the 1620 perambulation which details the directions from the south with the first mention of the green being the cross at St. Andrews Green where the parish boundary turns northwards and Kirbys mileage from the north which claims Coldfair Green is at the same location as the cross once stood, namely the junction at which point the boundary turns north. Was this therefore the entrance to the Green?

It would seem obvious that St Andrews Green would be within the bounds of Aldringham parish, which itself was the parish of St Andrew rather than in the finger of land where the present day hamlet exists which was within Leiston parish. The obvious insight here is that the green would then extend eastwards towards the village of Aldringham. This conclusion is against many common local assumptions that the hamlet of Coldfair Green was where the original Green lay that hosted the fair, which some have suggested to have been held on Knodishall Common. But such a location makes no sense. Suffolk Heritage list the year of the last fair being held in 1881. This is within the time constraints of the early OS maps which depict the land we are suggesting as being the Green clearly showign as marked out fields. It could be that once this land was enclosed the fair had to move to a more suitable area and with the connection of St Andrews lost then there was no reason why it should not have been relocated to Knodishall Common. Even the church of St Andrew during the Victorian period was no more than a ruin.

If we take our proposition of the Green being on the land following Coldfair Lane, then it may well have joined up with Aldringham Green which we know was centred around the present day cross roads by the Parrot pub in Aldringham. This speculation has recently been boosted by recent archaeological discoveries, trading tokens and other artefacts have been recovered from this land dating from medieval times through to the middle ages. Even Roman items had been unearthed, and this is all around this land we are suggesting as being the Green with little discoveries on the opposite side of Coldfair Lane. It is also noticeable that later artefacts are not on preponderance suggesting trading had ceased after the 1700s. This certainly suggests that the land was used for some kind of trading or community events. Could the hamlet we know in present day as Coldfair merely have taken its name from its proximity to the green and being at the Coldfair Green end of Leiston parish?

Going back to Kirbys reference of Coldfair Green where he makes no mention of the road junction, which agrees with both Carys and his own maps. Was this merely a path across common land that was known as Coldfair Green? It is noted that close to the junction is a farmhouse that is named Cherry Tree Farm which faces Aldringham. Suffolk Heritage does not give a definitive date to this house but Historic England lists this as a late 17th century farmhouse so would presumably have been there when the green was still unenclosed. We now add some wild speculation about the landscape, which may be dubious but which I offer up for debate and discussion. What is noticeable to anyone who walks the road between Aldringham and Coldfair is that the southern side of this lane is lined with, amongst the apple and oak, a profusion of cherry trees as if these formed an avenue to Cherry Tree farm. The pavement is separated from the road by a broad grassed verge as if it was once a separate entity. As one wanders towards the junction at the Coldfair end, it does appear as if the pavement aims to the door of the farmhouse. At this point the road kinks around the building and the pavement becomes a narrow edge. It is as if the buidling was constructed out into the road. Or.... could the path have originally been an access route across the common to the farmhouse and the road came at a much later date after the lands had become enclosed, being constructed alonside the original route and then kinking around the farmhouse to link it to the Snape road? Like I say, this is wild speculation but could be the reason the junction is not mentioned by Kirby or referenced on maps of the period.

Possible locations of Friday Market Heath and Coldfair Green

Conclusion

Although there have been several ambiguities rising from the research I am confident that the site of Leiston Gibbet must be on the south side of the River Hundred, probably alongside the footpath beyond Mill Lane in Aldringham and before this path meets with Fitches Lane. This does place it in what would have been Hazelwood parish but we cannot escape that fact because the directions distinctly state the route is south west of the water course which can only lead into Hazelwood parish. If Friday Market Heath was indeed part of an extensive Knodishall Heath then we know from historic documents that this was shared between Leiston and Knodishall and would provide an explanation for the boundary going beyond the expected course of the river. We can only speculate that the disuse of the Heath and land enclosure forced a boundary change down to the river.

St Andrews Green is most certainly an earlier name for Coldfair Green and derived from the winter fair held on St Andrews day which occurred in the winter month of December. References to the original name can easily be found in the landscape with St Andrews Road leading through the present day hamlet and St Andrews cottage. Aldringham was the parish of St Andrew, the church still dedicated to the saint. Therefore it follows that the original St Andrews fair would be held within the boundaries of the parish. It has always been assumed that this must have been where the present day hamlet exists, or even on Knodishall Common. Neither are in Aldringham parish and the location of St Andrews Green as deduced by both the 1620 perambulation and John Kirbys records indicates it to be at the point where the present day junction is with Coldfair Lane. Recent discoveries would support this conjecture that this green which held the original fair was on the land between the Leiston road and Aldringham village and would have been common land. It may well have been relocated once the land had become enclosed and the association with St Andrew was lost, which would explain why this assumption is held locally. More research is required to fully substantiate these propositions.

The Cross at St Andrews Green that is mentioned in the 1620s perambulation seems to have been moved or destroyed and thus far no documentation has been discovered as to what happened to this. It is intriguing that it is not mentioned in John Kirbys 1735 publication and this could suggest that it had already been displaced by this date. It is known that William Dowsing, the puritan iconoclast, born in Suffolk and appointed 'Commissioner for the destruction of monuments of idolatry and superstition' in 1643 performed many acts of religious destruction throughout this area and may have destroyed the structure in passing through the village. It was his task to abolish and remove all Monuments of Superstition and Idolatry including fixed altars, altar rails, chancel steps, crucifixes, crosses, images of the Virgin Mary and pictures of saints or superstitious inscriptions. If this was the case it was not recorded in the publication The journal of William Dowsing of Stratford, parliamentary visitor, appointed under a warrant from the Earl of Manchester, for demolishing the superstitious pictures and ornaments of churches but then this only references church buildings.

Finally, more investigation is required, specifically it would be good to find details of land enclosures for Aldringham, Knodisall and Leiston to attempt to deduce the former common lands around these villages.

References

Return to top

Map from the early 1800s

Gallery

Below are a selection of images taken from from the photo album for this walk. Feel free to browse through these or click on an image to view a larger version in the Gallery.