Evolution of the Town and its Maritime Trade

Maritime Trade in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

During the 1500s most of the ships using the port were less than 30 tons. By the mid 1600s, after the building of the river walls, much larger ships were able to reach Woodbridge. The Prosperous Mary, for instance, loaded 171 tons of provisions for the Parliamentary army in Scotland. By this time most ships were galleons. A drawing of a late sixteenth century galleon is shown here.

A late sixteenth century galleon.

From 1550 to 1650 the population of London increased tenfold and Suffolk was well placed to meet the rise in demand for food. Maritime trade steadily increased and, in 1589, a customs house was established on one of the quays.

By 1661 an ‘iron house’ on one of the quays was then being used as a customs house.  In the late 1700s the customs house was moved to this building on Quay Street and it remained there until Woodbridge ceased to be classified as a Port.

The former Customs House on Quay Street.

During the 16th and 17th centuries the total amount of tax paid by the inhabitants of Woodbridge continued to overtake that some other Suffolk towns and villages.

In these lists the towns and villages are ranked in order of the total amount of tax paid by their inhabitants in 1524 and 1674. Over this period Woodridge rose from being the 12th on the list to 5th. The ports are shaded blue.

By mid 1600s the importance of Suffolk to the economy of the county was decreasing and volume of outgoing goods was falling. This was, however, partly offset by a rise in incoming goods such as coal and timber.

Little is known about Woodbridge’s maritime trade during the rest of the 1600s and during the 1700s. The story thus has to skip to the 1800s.

Suffolk towns and village listed in order of their wealth in 1524 and 1674. The ports are shaded blue.

1524                            1674

Ipswich                        Ipswich

Lavenham                    Bury St Edmunds

Bury St Edmunds         Hadleigh

Hadleigh                      Beccles

Beccles                        Woodbridge

Long Melford              Mildenhall

Sudbury                       Long Melford

Nayland                       Lavenham

Stratford St Mary         Sudbury

East Bergholt               Bungay

Lowestoft                    East Bergholt

Woodbridge               Framlingham

Dunwich                      Stowmarket

Bures                          Stoke by Nayland

Bungay                        Lowestoft

Stoke by Nayland        Mendlesham

Glemsford                   Stradbroke

Southwold                   Boxford

Blythburgh                   Aldeburgh

Boxford                       Halesworth

Stowmarket                 Nayland

Aldeburgh                    Newmarket

Needham                     Eye

Debenham                    Debenham

EXIT