Covehithe
| Covehithe | |
|---|---|
 The Church, Covehithe |
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 Covehithe
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| Covehithe shown within Suffolk | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Beccles |
| Postcode district | NR34 |
| Dialling code | 01502 |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
Covehithe is a hamlet and civil parish in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It lies on the North Sea coast around 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Southwold and 7 miles (11 km) south of Lowestoft. Neighbouring settlements include Benacre, South Cove and Frostenden.
The coastline in the Covehithe area suffers from the highest rate of erosion in the UK, and the settlement has suffered significant loss of land and buildings in the past. It is located within the Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB.
A possible section of Roman road has been discovered in the parish which, along with pottery finds and a possible Roman enclosure, suggests that the area was inhabited in the Roman period. Anglo-Saxon remains, including a possible cemetery and evidence of sunken feature buildings, have been found in the area around St Andrew's church and suggest habitation from the post Roman period. A number of mid to late Saxon finds, including an 8th or 9th century dugout canoe found at the coast, support this theory.
At the Domesday survey of 1086 the village is named as Nordhalla or Nordhals and is recorded as being a medium-sized settlement with 13 households of freemen or smallholders. The land was held by William son of Reginald from William of Warenne although other tenants in chief included the King and Roger Bigot.
In the Middle Ages Covehithe prospered as a small town and during the reign of Edward I was granted a fair on the feast day of St Andrew. It takes its modern name from the de Cove family who held land there at that time, and the fact that it had a hithe, or quay, for loading and unloading small vessels. By the 17th century however it had fallen victim, like nearby Dunwich, to coastal erosion. The large church of St Andrew, which had been built on the back of its wealth, was largely pulled down, although its tall tower remains, and a smaller church was erected amongst the ruins in 1672. There is archaeological evidence of the linen industry having been carried out at Covehithe until the 18th century.
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Wikipedia