Monument record RMS 048 - A Post Medieval sea bank on the eastern side of the Deben estuary, Ramsholt and Bawdsey parishes

A Post Medieval sea bank is visible as an earthwork on photographs taken in 1944 and 1945, on the eastern side of the River Deben in Ramsholt and Bawdsey parishes. The bank is roughly 4.7 km in length and runs continuously from TM 31064112, to the south of Ramsholt village, southwards to Bawdsey, terminating at TM 33163814 (S1-S3).
A bank is depicted in this position on the 1st edition OS map of 1838 and 2nd Edition Ordnance Survey 25" maps of circa 1884 and 1904, suggesting that the flood defence is of Post Medieval (or earlier) date (S4, S5).
A short stretch of the bank located in Bawdsey parish, centred on TM 33163814, is probably that depicted on an early map of Bawdsey from 1802 and this may indicate that the rest of the bank was constructed before this date (S6).
The curved stretch of bank at the southern end, running from TM 33133866 to TM 33273824, is not visible on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey 25" map and therefore was probably constructed between circa 1884 and 1904 (S4, S5).