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When you look out of the windows of Jude's Ferry try to imagine the scene in pre-Roman times, a vast inland Fen Sea surrounded this area. An elongated peninsular with Mildenhall at is base and West Row at its apex protruded from the tidal water that stretched twenty miles across and as far as the Isle of Ely. The water level was a man's height above its present level and the highest point was at West Row which was 24ft above the sea-mean.
Here at Jude's Ferry, the Iceni discovered a natural cove and had created a chalk bar across its mouth to protect it forming a harbour. When the Romans came, they guarded the Fen Sea from invasion with their fleet rather than with fortresses, so they greatly enlarged the harbour and made it a port for their fleet. There were two landing/mooring places. The westerly one was known as Staphen Ho where Jude's Ferry is now situated and was the market area and the easterly one was known as Cloves Ho, where Bargate Farm is situated today. The Celtic and Roman name for harbour is Bar and the Saxon name is Gate; hence Bargate - The Charnock Way leading eastward to Mildenhall "Soilders Way" skirted the harbour wall and a Celtic fortress was built at Chair Reach to the west of the port. Mildenhall became a famous fish and timber market in those days. In the years 365-367 AD there was a complete collapse of the Roman defence system in Britain and the Picts and Scots overwhelmed the area. During this period of fear, hoards of silver tableware were hurriedly buried and some have never been recovered. In January 1942, in a field behind the agricultural workshop of Messrs Ford and Son, ploughman Gordon Butcher and farmer Sydney Ford unearthed the fabulous hoard of Roman silver tableware now in the British Museum and known as the Mildenhall Treasure. It was declared a Treasure Trove at a Coroners Court at Mildenhall on 1st July, 1946. |