National Gazetteer, 1868

WALTON

"WALTON, a parish in the hundred of Colneis, county Suffolk, 10 miles S.E. from Ipswich, its post town, and 4 from Harwich. The parish is bounded on the N.E. by the river Deben, on the S.W. by the harbour of Harwich, and on the S. by the North Sea. The village is situated betwixt the rivers Deben and Orwell. The surface is flat, and the soil generally a rich loam with patches of sand and crag. There is a ferry across the river Orwell, plying to and from Harwich and Shotley. Languard Fort is situated in this parish, as also some small remains of Walton Castle, a stronghold of the Bigods. The living is a vicarage,* with that of Felixstow annexed, in the diocese of Norwich, joint value £290. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, was restored in 1857. The interior contains two brasses bearing date from 1459. The register dates from 1550. The parochial charities produce about £1 per annum. There is a school for both sexes. The Duke of Hamilton is lord of the manor. There are considerable remains of a Benedictine priory, founded as a cell to the monastery of Rochester in the reign of William Rufus, which continued till 1528, when it was given to Cardinal Wolsey towards the endowment of his intended colleges. Many Roman coins have been found here, and in the adjoining parish of Felixstow, where was a Roman station and mint."

"LOWER STREET, a hamlet on the river Orwell, in the parish of Walton, county Suffolk, 7 miles S.E. of Ipswich."

From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)