A carnser (or caurnser) is a

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

or raised bank or embankment. The term is from

East Anglian English East Anglian English is a dialect of English spoken in East Anglia, primarily in or before the mid-20th century. East Anglian English has had a very considerable input into modern Estuary English. However, it has received little attention from ...

which arose in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

and

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. It has had little use outside this area. In

the term has been used for a causeway across a

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

. In

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

it has been used to describe remnants of the town's earthen ramparts, which provided a raised area on which houses were built. Elsewhere the term was applied to a raised walkway whereby pedestrians could avoid walking in water flowing in the street, as in Stoke Street. This has since been removed. The historic use with the variant use of "Caunsey" has been found dating back to 1564. In a discussion of

Norfolk dialect East Anglian English is a dialect of English spoken in East Anglia, primarily in or before the mid-20th century. East Anglian English has had a very considerable input into modern Estuary English. However, it has received little attention from t ...

, a "Lover of Norfolk" stated: :". . . a narrow water course through a marsh is a 'mashe deke,' and a road between two 'dekes' is a 'carnser' (causeway); but a bank is a 'deke' for all that."

Gallery

Tower Ramparts, Ipswich by John Moore.png, Painting by John Moore: ''Old Tower Ramparts (lately demolished)''

(1882) illustrating the carnser there Stoke Street, Ipswich 1888 by Percy Stimpson.jpg, Illustration by Percy E. Stimpson (1888) of the carnser that was in Stoke Street at that time The New Cut, the Carnser and the Quay - geograph.org.uk - 2366860.jpg, Carnser in

Blakeney, Norfolk Blakeney is a coastal village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Blakeney lies within the Norfolk Coast AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and the North Norfolk Heritage Coast. The North Norfol ...

Carnser, Westerfield Road, Ipswich looking north.jpg, Carnser, Westerfield Road, Ipswich, (2021)

References

{{reflist Causeways in Europe