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Erosion of our Coastal Heritage - Background Information -Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex
~ Naze Notes - Timeline ~
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SITE MAP | COAST WALK | NPS CAMPAIGN | NAZE NEWS | SHOP | ACCOUNTS | AGM | HERITAGE PROJECT | NPS APPEAL | LATEST UPDATE
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~ Formation of the Naze ~
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NAZEMAN EDUCATION TRUST
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125 million years ago - Mesozoic Era
This was known as the Cretaceous Period. A shallow sea covered the county of Essex. On the seabed, the remains of myriads of sea creatures formed a 900-foot-thick band of chalk on the Gault or Upper Greensand sea floor.
55 million years ago – Eocene Epoch
The chalk’s eroded surface was overlaid with London Clay - formed from seabed debris in tropical conditions that was characterised by mangrove swamps, palm trees, vines, and ferns. In the waters of the estuary lurked crocodiles while further out to sea swam sharks. Overhead flew a primitive sea bird that had teeth. The skeletons of these creatures formed lumps of clayey limestone that eventually weathered into ‘septaria’ – an early form of building stone.
35 – 2 million years ago
All the deposited rock and some of the London Clay was systematically eroded away prior to Red Crag being laid down. This happened during warm periods in the Pleistocene Glaciation [2.5m – 1.8m yrs ago]. It was laid on the then seabed - that predates the modern North Sea - near the shoreline and pushed westwards by fierce prehistoric storms.
Red Crag can be up to 40 feet thick and underlies an area bounded by Walton, Beaumont, Little Oakley, Wrabness and Dovercourt. It is composed of sand with shells plus the remains of sponges coral and barnacles. It contains phosphatic nodules that occur at the base of stratum and which is the raw material for the copperas production of the 18th & 19th centuries for dying. The distinctive red colour is the result of the oxidation of ferrous salts in ironstone bands that occur at intervals within the strata. By studying the changes in species of the remains of creatures - shellfish especially – there is clear indication of dramatic cooling processes prior to another Ice Age advance. The final retreat of this – our most recent ice age period - left the Naze Red Crag above high water sea level, hence the formation of the cliffs. VIDEO
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~ The Arrival of Man ~
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90.000 years ago – Stone Age Man
During the last hundred years several thousand flints flakes & cores have been discovered around Walton Hall & on Stone Point. The evidence indicates prehistoric settlement on the Naze itself when it was several miles further out to sea than it is today. The oldest flints are a side scraper and two ‘Acheulian’ hand axes.
16,000 – 12,000 years ago
From the later Palaeolithic period there has been found a ‘Magdalanean’ knife from c16k years ago - plus some material from c12k years ago.
10,500 – 5,500 years ago
From the Mesolithic nearly 200 items have come to light. These include a ‘Franchet’ axe or adze, a pick, 50 scrapers, 100 blades or flakes and 20 cores – evidence of possible flint manufacture at Walton. [Objects are in British Museum].
5,500 – 3,800 years ago
The Neolithic period has produced the majority of the flints found at Walton – arrowheads, spear points, scrapers, microliths and also considerable production debris from the manufacture thereof, strongly indicating that there was a flint tool factory at Walton at this time. There are also stone axes - now in Colchester Museum - apparently made from Cornish rock, which would indicate a diverse and complex prehistoric trading set-up. The possible local production would have been sourced partly from flint nodules in the Red Crag but more extensively from bands of flint in the underlying Cretaceous Chalk, which was available much closer to the surface then – and in habitation sites that were several miles to seaward of today’s coastline. In September 1910, the grave of a 20 –30 year old woman was discovered in mud flats bordering the estuary of Hamford Water. The grave was dug approximately 70mm into clay from a layer which produced Neolithic flints. Although there were no artefacts to be found in the grave itself, it is generally assumed to be a Neolithic burial.
3,800 – 2,000 years ago
From the Bronze Age to the Romans there is much less material from the Walton area. A barbed and tanged flint arrowhead from about 2000 BC has been discovered, but no metal tools, nor early Iron Age implements. There appears to be a gap in development until about 100 BC. In 1928-9, some ‘Belgic’ pottery from about this date was found on the beach near the Naze Tower. [This type of pottery was extensively used to boil brine in order to obtain salt.] Evidence of Roman occupation is shown in only a small number of finds – a glass bottle in 1839 and a bronze head in 1848 – both found in the Naze cliffs. Building foundations were found in 1923 in cliff slumps south of the Naze. Some of the septaria from Colchester’s walls and buildings most likely came from the Walton cliffs. [septaria was also burnt to produce lime for mortar]. In 2005 the remains of a mid-Bronze Age urn burial was discovered on the Naze – a perforated rimmed bucket about 30cm in height containing cremated remains.
1,500 – 200 years ago
It is possible that with the arrival of the Saxons around 400 to 600 AD, they found a Romano-British settlement in Walton. The evidence for this is in the town’s name, which comes from the Anglo-Saxon words ‘weala’ and ‘tun’ meaning ‘farms of the Britons’. There was possible coexistence between the Romano-British & Saxon settlements for some time. The ’Naze’ is from ‘Eadwulfesness’, meaning Eadwulf’s Promontory. Edwulf was probably a local tribal chief in Ancient Britain. A theory exists that over time the name became shortened to Altun’s Naze from which the modern name has come [adding a ‘w’ and putting an ‘o’ for the ‘u’]. After the Norman Conquest, the Doomesday Book has ‘Aelduluesnasa’ down for 40 smallholders, 86 villagers and six slaves. [Seven hundred years later, as the Late Georgian seaside resort of Walton-on-the-Naze started to develop, the population was still less than 300 inhabitants]. The Naze was also the name of a large manor and area of special jurisdiction comprising the parishes of Walton Kirby & Thorpe. Kirby and Thorpe are both Danish place names from the Viking invasions around 800 to 1000 AD. The medieval parish church collapsed c1800 - then part of the old village that was sited well to seaward of the present location. In pre-1700's Walton, old maps show that buildings on the Naze itself were limited to just Walton Hall, Naze Tower, plus a few cottages. The rest was farmland. VIDEO
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~ Recent Events ~
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200 years ago - present time
This 'blog' site gives more information up to the present time - and comments upon future projects and strategies for the preservation of the Naze peninsula. VIDEO
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Last 700 Years - Changing Shape of the Naze
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Continuity of settlement
Speculation exists as to whether the Hall represents the last of the original settlement of Walton before the move south to the location of the present town. Currently, there is no documentary evidence that the Hall existed earlier than about 1200 AD. [However, it is quite likely that at least the house of a headman of the village existed from the earliest days of an English settlement.] Neither is there evidence, to date, of Saxon occupation. There is no certainty, therefore, of continuous settlement here despite the discovery and dating of human artefacts going back 90,000 years.
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counter reset:
June 2007
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NAZE 2000: AERIAL PHOTO GALLERY
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2007: STORM SURGE PHOTO GALLERY
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