The History of Ipswich, Suffolk, England

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Ipswich, County town of Suffolk, England

Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk, England. In 2015 it was home to around 134,000 people ^[1], but when it was first seen on the map in the early 7th century it was a small trading settlement, nestled on the banks of the River Orwell. Ipswich derived its name from the word Gippeswyk, which in those times meant corner port. Corner being where the settlement was based and port for the area where small ships would dock. Present day Ipswich spans both sides of the estuary and is about 15.22 square miles in size.^[1] The ancient spelling of Gippeswyk is kept in history as there is still park land of that name in Ipswich. A roman Villa, thought to be the largest in Suffolk stood on Castle Hill. That name is still in use for NW Ipswich.^[2]

Ipswich was ideally situated for trading, mostly with Germany, where millstones and whetstones where shipped in. Wool was in abundance, so Ipswich began trading wool. The town began to flourish and grow, and craftsmen began to settle in Ipswich. Wool weavers and Frisian potters from the Netherlands who had settled there had plenty of work.

Being situated in a prominent position for trading had its downfalls. In 869 the Danes invaded and occupied Ipswich. The earth ramparts which circled the town centre were probably raised by the Vikings around 900 in a vain attempt to prevent its recapture by the English in 917. The town operated a mint under royal licence from King Edgar in the 970s, which continued through the Norman Conquest until the time of King John, in about 1215. The abbreviation 'Gipes' appears on the coins. By now Ipswich had a population of about 2000.

In the year 1200, King John granted Ipswich it's first Charter. A charter is "a written grant by the sovereign or legislative power of a country, by which a body such as a borough, company, or university is created or its rights and privileges defined." This laid the Medieval foundations of todays modern civil government.

Five large religious houses were soon to appear on the Ipswich skyline. Two Augustinian Priories, St Peter and St Paul, and Holy Trinity, were both built mid-12th century. The Franciscan Greyfriars Friary was built before 1298, Ipswich Whitefriars (Carmelites) was built 1278–79 and Ipswich Blackfriars (Dominicans), before 1263. There are still streets named after the friars in present day Ipswich. The last Carmelite Prior of Ipswich was the celebrated John Bale, author of the oldest English historical verse-drama (Kynge Johan, c.1538). Several hospitals, including the leper hospital of St Mary Magdalene, (founded before 1199) were also built.

Around 1380, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales, and the merchants of Ipswich were satirised in it. Thomas Wolsey, the future cardinal, was born in Ipswich about 1475. The son of a wealthy landowner, he was to become one of Henry VIII's closest political allies. He founded a college in the town in 1528, which was for its brief duration one of the homes of the Ipswich School. He remains one of the town's most famed figures. By now Ipswich boasted a population of over 3000.

During the 14th to 17th centuries Ipswich was a kontor for the Hanseatic League, the port being used for imports and exports to the Baltic. The Hanseatic League was a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their market towns.^[3]

Queen Mary was now on the throne, and the Ipswich Martyrs were burnt at the stake on the Cornhill for their Protestant beliefs. A monument commemorating this event now stands in Christchurch Park.

Between 1611 to 1634 Ipswich was to become a major centre for emigration to New England. Tthe Town Lecturer, Samuel Ward, encouraged the emigration and his brother Nathaniel Ward was first minister of Ipswich, Massachusetts. A promontory there was named 'Castle Hill', after the place of that name in north-west Ipswich. Ipswich was also one of the main ports of embarkation for puritans leaving other East Anglian towns and villages for the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the 1630s and what has become known as the Great Migration.

Thomas Gainsborough FRSA was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. He surpassed his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds to become the dominant British portraitist of the second half of the 18th century. Although he was born in Sudbury, Suffolk, he chose to live and work in Ipswich. One of his most famous paintings was "The Blue Boy" which he painted in 1770.^[4]

In 1835, Charles Dickens stayed in Ipswich. The hotel where he resided first opened in 1518. It was known as The Tavern, but later changed its name to The Great White Horse Hotel. It was here that he drew inspiration for his book "The Pickwick Papers". He was so inspired by the corridors and stairs that he made the Hotel famous when he vividly described them in chapter XXII of the novel. The Great White Horse Hotel remained as a hotel until it closed in 2008. It still sits at 43 Tavern Street, the street named after the original Tavern. The building now houses shop units on the ground and first floors.^[5]

In 1797 Ipswich saw the arrival of Lord and Lady Nelson. In 1800 Lord Nelson was appointed High Steward of Ipswich.

Dr George Birkbeck is another Historical figure in the history of Ipswich. In 1824, with support from several local businessmen, he founded one of the first Mechanics' Institutes which still survives today. The independent Ipswich Institute Reading Room and Library is situated in the elegant building, at 15 Tavern Street.

The mid-19th century saw fossilized animal dung (Coprolite) being discovered. The material was mined and then dissolved in acid. The mixture that resulted from this process was to form the basis of Fisons fertilizer business.

The Tolly Cobbold brewery, which was originally built in the 18th century, was rebuilt between 1894 & 1896. It is known as one of the finest Victorian breweries in the United Kingdom. There was a Cobbold brewery in the town from 1746 until 2002 when Ridley's Breweries took Tolly Cobbold over. Felix Thornley Cobbold, another notable business man, presented Christchurch Mansion to the town in 1896. The Mansion was turned into a museum. It still stands within it's own grounds situated inside Christchurch Park. ^[6]

During WWI Ipswich saw the Zepplin attacks, but WWII saw the greatest devastation. The Docks area was targeted frequently by the German bombers, the last bombs falling on Seymour Street in 1945. Eighty civilians died by enemy action in the Ipswich county borough area during WWII.

in 1974, Ipswich saw the arrival of the Willis building, then know as Willis Coroon. The building was clad in Black Glass. It was designed by Norman Foster and he saw it become the youngest Grade I listed building in Britain in 1991. At the time one of only two listed buildings to be under 30 years of age.

In September 1993, Ipswich and Arras, Nord Pas-de-Calais, France, became twin towns. To mark the relationship, a square in the new Buttermarket development was named Arras Square.

The face of Ipswich changed dramatically as it moved into the 21st century. The once prominent docks were turned into residential areas and leisure pursuits. Trades and businesses moved beyond the Wet dock.

The history of Ipswich can't leave out their famous football club. Ipswich Town, nicknamed the tractor boys were established in 1878. Two managers of notable fame managed Ipswich Town. Sir Alf Ramsey led them to win the League Championship in 1961–62. He is buried in the Old Cemetery in Ipswich. Bobby Robson was the 2nd Manager to take Ipswich into the spotlight. They won the 1978 FA Cup and the 1981 UEFA Cup with Robson as manager. Their Portman Road stadium holds 30,300.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Ipswich Star
2. ↑ Wikipedia
3. ↑ Hanseatic League
4. ↑ wikipedia
5. ↑ CAMRA
6. ↑ First hand knowledge