April 2011 (issue 123) - The Sussex Archaeological Society

N u m b e r 1 2 3 A P R I L 2 0 1 1
Archaeology Round-up
Barcombe Excavation Update
Recreating Michelham Gardens
Bardown Iron Working Site
Cultural Heritage in the SDNP
Culver Hanging Lamp
www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present April 2011

Membership Matters
MEMBERSHIP
OPENING LINES
Opening Lines
Lorna’s Notebook
A round-up of all that’s new in the membership department
Welcome to the April edition of
Sussex Past & Present.
The Archaeology of Wooded
Landscapes conference: 12
February
This conference proved hugely
popular, with demand outstripping
the available space in Meridian
Hall (200 seats), which was chosen
because of its location in the Weald.
Fortunately, thanks to the ESCC
Historic Environment Awareness
Project, transcripts of the day’s
talks will be published online at our
website (among others), probably
by late May, and are available to
all whether or not you attended the
conference.
Saturday 14 May:
Early Medieval Churches:
Sussex in the National
Context
Booking is going well for our fourth
annual half-day history conference,
and we may indeed already have
reached our maximum capacity by
the time you read this, so please do
call to check before sending in your
booking form.
Saturday 21 May:
Society AGM
The Society’s AGM will be held this
year at Fishbourne Roman Palace,
and the AGM papers are enclosed
with your newsletter. We have, as
always, organised lunch and some
events in the afternoon following
the AGM, details of which are in the
Noticeboard section (centre pages).
We do need you to book and pay
in advance for lunch, and you are
also asked to book in advance for
the afternoon events, as although
these are free we do need to know
how many people to expect.
Saturday 17 September:
The South Downs – the
shaping of a landscape
In the year in which the South
Downs National Park becomes
official, it seemed only right to
centre this year’s September
conference around this defining
Sussex feature. Full details are in
the enclosed booking form, and we
look forward to seeing many of you
there.
Visiting our Properties
My usual reminder at this time
of year - please remember that
if you are planning to visit any of
our properties you must have a
valid membership card to show
at the admissions desk in order
to gain free entry. If you don’t you
will be asked to pay the normal
admission price and this cannot be
subsequently refunded. Please do
not get cross with our admissions
staff if you have forgotten to check
that you have a current card with
you before setting off! Don’t forget
that if you have internet access you
can check opening hours at all our
properties online by visiting www.
sussexpast.co.uk
Membership on the Move!
Those of you who have visited
behind the scenes at any of the
Society’s properties will know that
office space is at a premium, so
in order to open up more space
at Barbican House for propertyspecific
staff, the Membership
department (that is, me!) will be
moving to Bull House, just up the
road in Lewes. Members are still
more than welcome to pop in,
whether to renew your membership
or book events in person – and
catch a glimpse of the inside of Bull
House too. While my address will
change, the telephone number and
email address will go with me, so
do continue to use those to contact
me. The move is scheduled to take
place on March 18th so by the time
you read this I should have settled
into in my new location.
Clearance sale!
As a result of the office move, we
are keen to sell some of our spare
copies of Sussex Archaeological
Collections, the remainders from
our print run. Volumes available
are from 140 to 147 inclusive, and
are brand new and in excellent
condition. We are offering them at
a bargain rate of £3 (paperback)
and £7.50 (hardback). You can
collect them from Barbican House
bookshop, or we can post them to
you at an additional charge of £3.
Please do call to check whether we
have the volumes you require.
Lorna Gartside
Membership Secretary
For all membership enquiries
and to apply, please contact
MEMBERSHIP
DEPARTMENT
Bull House,
92 High Street
Lewes, Sussex BN7 1XH
Tues-Fri 10.00am-3.00pm
Answering machine
outside these hours
01273 405737
Email:
members@sussexpast.co.uk
SUSSEX
Past &
Present
The Sussex Archaeological
Society Newsletter
N u m b e r 1 2 3
A P R I L 2 0 1 1
Contents
2 Membership matters
3 Opening lines
4 Michelham gardens
5 Michelham gardens
6 Culver Lamp
7 SDNP
8 Archaeology round-up
9 Barcombe excavation
10 Bardown iron site
11 Martin Welch
12 Library & Bookshop news
13 British Firebacks review
14 Book reviews
15 Book reviews
16 Snippets
Published by the Sussex
Archaeological Society, Bull
House, Lewes, E Sussex, BN71XH
Tel: 01273 486260
Fax: 01273 486990
Email: admin@sussexpast.co.uk
Editor: Wendy Muriel
Email: spp@sussexpast.co.uk
Research Editor: Luke Barber
ISSN 1357-7417
Cover: April flowers at Michelham Priory.
Photo: Wendy Muriel
Anne of Cleves
Grand Museum re-opening planned
Well, spring has arrived and we can all enjoy a wonderful programme
of members’ events and visits to our beautifully refurbished
properties. It is an exciting time for the SAS. There is an increasing
national interest in history and heritage through exploring old buildings
and through archaeology - and look what wonderful sites we own!
As a Society we are very fortunate to have a wonderful collection of
volunteers who do a great deal to support the hard work of the staff.
Being the chairman of the Friends of Anne of Cleves House I have enjoyed
spending many hours scrubbing and cleaning and painting but nothing
could have been achieved without the help of a team of skilled and
hard working volunteers who joined me. Not to mention hot drinks and
chocolate biscuits! I hope you will all go along to Anne of Cleves House to
see what you think of the changes so far. The shop has been painted right
up to the ceiling with the help of scaffolding and is now quite amazing
to look at as well as being light and clean. There is a new desk and
bookcase specially built to fit in the space available. The two windows at
the east end of the house which had been closed for many years have
been re-opened and repaired, thus allowing light to flood into the bedroom
and illuminating the lovely furniture it contains. There is also a fantastic
exhibition about the history of Anne of Cleves House – and the house is
after all the most interesting part of the museum. The exhibition has been
put in what was called the Tapestry Room and is now called the Saxpes
Room, after the Saxpes family which owned the house in the sixteenth
century. Display cases will show some of the many fascinating objects in
the Society’s collection. The Long Gallery which contained a collection of
varied old objects will become the Parlour and contain suitable furniture
that the Society owns. Work on the other galleries is continuing. The most
important part of the work on the house is the repairs to the exterior. The
whole house has been repaired and painted and looks beautiful all round.
The house has gained innumerable beautiful new windows of a lovely
honey colour which greatly enhance the front. The whole building is really
something for the Society to be proud of. We are looking forward to a
really grand re-opening ceremony in May although the house will re-open
more quietly on March 1st.
Exciting things are also happening at Marlipins Museum where
volunteers are making changes to help schools enjoy this fascinating
building and the intriguing collection of artefacts it houses. Michelham
Priory is benefiting from the generosity as well as the hard work of
volunteers which will enable improvements to be made to this idyllic
site. None of our other properties would be the success they are without
volunteers. The Prime Minister really should come and have a look!
With many thanks for all your support.
Jane Vokins
Chair of Council
The Sussex Archaeological Society
Sussex Past & Present April 2011
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present April 2011

Feature
MICHELHAM GARDENS
MICHELHAM GARDENS
Feature
Garden Make-Over at Mich
Medieval monastic gardens recreated at Michelham Priory
ince joining the staff as head
S gardener in September of
2007, I have been conducting
research into medieval gardens as
part of an ongoing programme of
refurbishment and improvement of
the gardens at Michelham Priory.
This research has focussed on the
relationship between the Monastic
life of the Augustinian Canons (the
Priory’s original inhabitants), and the
developing horticultural practices of
the period. It has been undertaken
with a view to improve the way
the history of the Priory gardens
is explained to the visiting public,
and aims to appeal to the more
dedicated horticulturist as well as
someone looking for an interesting
day out in beautiful surroundings.
The intended outcome is to include
more of the gardens’ story as part
of the planned reinterpretation of
the Priory.
The Priory gardens include three
areas that have been recreated as
medieval style features, these are
the Orchard, the Physic garden and
the Cloister garden. The Orchard
and the Physic gardens would have
been essential for the Canons as
they would have been a largely self
sufficient community producing all
their own food and medicinal herbs.
The Cloister garden has been built
on the site of the original cloisters
and exhibits some elements of
medieval garden design, planting
and techniques. Unfortunately
there is no surviving documentation
or archaeological evidence to
prove that these features existed
at Michelham when it functioned
as a Priory from 1229 up to its
dissolution in 1536. The garden
recreations present today have
been based on existing plans and
documentation from other monastic
sites in Europe, for example the
Benedictine foundation of St Gall in
Switzerland.
The Orchard
The orchard would have served
as much more than a functional
space for providing fruit. In many
other monastic sites it was used
as a cemetery and in both Persian
and Christian traditions the orchard
was an aspect of paradise. For
the Canons it was a place for
meditation on mortality, death and
rebirth as well as the sustaining
nature of creation. We know that it
is unlikely the orchard was situated
on the island at Michelham as
many canons were buried following
the Black Death in 1348 but their
bodies were never found here.
The Orchard.
Photo: S Reid
Today’s orchard consists of
many dessert and cooking apples
planted in lines as its central feature.
These are under planted with wild
daffodils for colour in early spring
and a selection of wild flowers that
continue this decorative display
until late August. Other fruiting
trees in this area include medlars,
mulberries, walnuts, sweet
chestnuts, plums and quince.
Originally these would have been
raised from grafts and from seed in
dedicated beds for each species.
These horticultural techniques
would have passed between the
monasteries throughout Europe
and been studied by the canons.
An example of written evidence
we have of orchards and the stock
available during the medieval
period is included by J Harvey in
his book Medieval Gardens which
gives us an insight into the practical
development of horticulture and the
increasing number of food plants
grown. The Westminster Abbey
customary compiled about 1270,
laid upon the monk gardener the
duty of supplying apples, cherries,
plums, pears, nut, and medlars.
The painting above shows a
typical orchard set up. On the right
is a nursery of trees behind a wattled
fence, on the left harvesting the
apple crop, in one tree a man beats
down fruit with a stick perhaps for
making verjuice or possibly cider.
In another tree presumably bearing
dessert apples, a man carefully
picks fruit from a tall ladder.
Pictures like these give us a rare
view of how gardens where laid out
in this period as few plans exist.
Harvey’s research also provides
images that show evidence for
design elements and planting
included in the Priory’s cloister
garden.
The Cloister Garden
Originally the cloister would
have been at the centre of the
complex linking the church, study,
administration and domestic areas
and would have been used for
procession, study and recreation.
A covered area or walk would have
surrounded an open central area
know as a Garth. Traditionally many
garths were turfed green as the
colour was considered to “refresh
encloistered eyes and the desire to
study returns”.
The Cloister garden.
In the cloister at Michelham these
turfed areas are sown with wild
flowers and are the centre piece
for other features documented in
the medieval garden. In one corner
raised beds provide an example of
how physic herbs would have been
grown with one variety per bed. In
another a turf area is enclosed by
raised beds in which vegetables of
the period are displayed. The rest
of the cloister is based on medieval
designs of pleasure gardens and
includes decorative plants typical
of the period such as Columbine,
Madonna lilies and the red Gallica
rose. These are then surrounded
by a wooden structure supporting
grape vines that symbolises the
covered walkway.
Harvey’s research provides us
with other images as evidence for
use of these design features and
plantings; for example the picture
(below left) of a small ‘herba’ c1510
shows an enclosed garden that
contains small lawns intersected
by paths. It also includes a clump
of Madonna lilies and a large rose
bush. Outside is a well pit.
The Physic Garden
The Physic garden is the last of
the medieval gardens at the Priory,
and perhaps the most interesting.
The recent discovery of the original
planting scheme, mouse nibbled,
at the back of a dusty cupboard
provided the impetus for a complete
refurbishment of the area, which
began last summer.
The history of herbs in the
practice of ‘physic’ or medicine is a
long one. The many historical herbal
texts all had as a common base the
knowledge of plants and their uses
acquired by early man, first as hunter
and gatherer, and later as a settled
agriculturalist. By trial and error the
best plants for food and drink, fuel,
dyes, medicine and magic were
discovered. The Monastic centres
of Europe were responsible for
preserving the knowledge of herbal
healing through the dark ages. The
first herb gardens were probably
established in monasteries as early
as 830.
The physic garden at Michelham
shows a selection of the plants
which would have been used by an
infirmarer in the practical application
of medicine, or ‘physic’, during
the period when it functioned as a
priory, up to its Dissolution in 1536.
Many plants belong to our native
flora, growing wild in hedgerow and
field. Others, though long familiar
in gardens, were introduced from
Europe and Asia, some by the
Romans, others no doubt through
the visits of British monks to the
Continent as missionaries.
The infirmarer of a monastery
would have prepared and
administered all kinds of medicine
to both monks and lay people
including skin and eye ointments,
cordials, purgatives, sedatives,
cough mixtures, air and floor
fresheners and special pot herb
mixtures for convalescents. Herbs
from the garden were supplemented
by common ones collected from the
wild, spare produce being carefully
dried and stored. Each plant had
many applications and all parts
of a plant were used in recipes.
Roots, bark and hard seeds were
pulverised for powders, or soaked
and boiled for a decoction. An
infusion was made by pouring
boiling water over fresh leaves and
flowers and a poultice by pulping
fresh plants with a little water to
bind them into a mass.
The Physic Garden.
The layout of the Physic garden
is modern, with plants arranged
into groupings according to their
Medicinal uses. During the last
year the more rampant of the plant
species have been controlled and
others that have disappeared
under the onslaught have been
reintroduced. The aim is to include
all apart from the most poisonous
of species included in the original
planting. To clarify which plants
belong to which groups each section
has been staked and roped off,
and the plan is to provide signage
detailing one plant species from
each section, with an explanation
of its historic usage.
Stuart Reid
Head Gardener
Michelham Priory
Sussex Past & Present April 2011
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present April 2011
Photo: S Reid
Photo: S Reid

Excavation
CULVER LAMP
SDNPA
Feature
Romano-British Hanging Lamp
Rare lamp unearthed at Culver Farm, Barcombe
The Culver Archaeological
Project, under director Rob
Wallace, has been investigating the
wider archaeological landscape
surrounding the Roman villa estate
at Barcombe. After exposing a 40m
section of unknown Roman road
in Courthouse Field during 2009,
they concentrated in 2010 on a 40
x 20m open area excavation in the
adjacent Pond Field. This exposed
an area of industrial pits and ditches
to the south side of the road where
a corroded iron artefact with a
100mm diameter bowl at the end of
a dog-legged bar was uncovered.
The item was fractured into three
pieces and had a large headed
rivet/bolt adjacent (Figure 1).
Figure 1.
Photo: D Millum
It was first thought to be some
form of ladle but a talk by David
Rudling, on Romano-British
burials for the University of Sussex
Archaeological Society, presented
an alternative solution in a picture
of the oil-lamp and hanger found
in Springfield Road, Brighton in
1962. It is now hoped to obtain
x-rays of the Culver lamp to show
the individual parts more clearly
and allow for a more definite
interpretation.
Romano-British iron hanginglamps
appear not to be as common
in Britain’s archaeological record
as one might expect although this
possibly reflects the ease of reusing
iron objects as a raw material rather
than denoting an original scarcity.
Figure 2. Roman hanging lamp as it was most
probably configured and used.
Iron hangers have been noted on
several lamps in the British Museum
archive and a good example was
excavated in a hoard of armour and
tools from an early 2 nd century fort
at Corbridge in 1964. The lamps
are designed to hang freely from a
point above the centre of gravity of
the open reservoir (Figure 2) with a
soft wick laid into the oil protruding
at the front. They had a long and
widespread usage over Europe
and around the Mediterranean and
were still utilised in the Shetlands in
a developed, double-shell variety,
the ‘kollie’, in the 19 th century.
Figure 3.
Photo: D Millum
The Pond Field excavation also
produced the remains of a Romano
boot (Figure 3) from the base of a
ditch filled with dark charcoal-rich
soil containing a variety of both
course and fine Romano pottery
sherds. The impression of the sole
was left by the pattern of over 100
hob nails and as the sole appears
to have been totally covered the
pair must have had in excess of 240
nails. The nail pattern was removed
intact for further study using a
protective mould of plaster of Paris.
Several other lesser groups of nails
had also been excavated.
For further details of this project,
including how to get involved,
see the project’s website: www.
culverproject.com.
David H Millum MA
Site supervisor, 2007-2010.
Finally after over 50 years of
campaigning and a decade
of negotiation, the new South
Downs National Park will become
operational on 1 st April 2011. This
is a major achievement, and one
which will do much to protect the
archaeology and heritage of this
exceptional landscape.
Stretching almost 100 miles from
Winchester to Eastbourne, and
covering an area of approximately
1000 square miles, the South
Downs National Park includes
evidence of human activity from
the Palaeolithic to the present day.
There are nearly 600 Scheduled
Monuments, over 5,000 Listed
Buildings, about 165 Conservation
Areas and 30 Registered Parks and
Gardens, not to mention thousands
of undesignated archaeological
and historical features. The park
also includes a number of market
towns – Lewes, Midhurst, Petworth,
Petersfield and Liss – which are
rich in history and character. The
breadth and complexity of this
historic environment is staggering.
The conservation of cultural
heritage is one of the primary
purposes of the National Park.
In order to achieve this, the new
Authority has been active in
structuring an organisation that can
meet the challenges of conservation
within the 21 st century. Under the
leadership of Margaret Paren (Chair)
and Richard Shaw (Chief Executive),
the new Authority is starting to take
shape and has been very active in
consulting its partners in preparing
a set of ‘guiding principles’ which
will shape the future direction of
the park (available on-line at www.
southdowns.gov.uk). The next
step is establishing a number of
working groups who will shape our
vision for the future.
What Future for the Past?
Conserving cultural heritage within the SDNP
Distant view of The Caburn, an Iron Age ‘hillfort’ on the Lewes downs.
It has also wrestled with the
weighty problem of how to meet its
statutory duty as the Local Planning
Authority for the National Park and
has decided to adopt a planning
system where much of the work is
done, by agreement, by constituent
Local Councils, while the Authority
undertakes the park-wide strategic
planning and major casework.
The National Park is likely to be
the busiest, in terms of planning
workload, of any in the UK and this
approach is intended to ensure that
the weight of planning work does
not deflect the Authority from its
wider conservation, engagement
and socio-economic purposes. A
report outlining how this will work
is also available on the website.
Over the coming years, the
Authority will need to understand
and act on the key heritage issues,
and it will look to partners such as
the Society for help in doing this. A
new cultural heritage team is now
in place to lead on this, based in
our office in Midhurst. The main
heritage tasks for the first few years
include i) developing a Management
Plan for the South Downs to ensure
that appropriate priority is given
to heritage interests, ii) preparing
Photo: W Muriel
a Local Development Framework
to reflect the management plan
priorities, iii) agreeing a way to
draw on existing county and district
Historic Environment Records, and
iv) how best to work with local
groups and communities in caring
for, and learning from, our heritage.
But the Authority can’t do this
alone - in deciding on how best
to act to conserve and enhance
the cultural heritage of the South
Downs, it will work with others to
build on the excellent conservation,
land management, research and
educational work that is already
being done.
Conserving and enhancing the
“natural beauty” of the South
Downs landscape and promoting
understanding and enjoyment
of its special qualities will be
the Authority’s touchstones,
and we would suggest that, as
archaeologists and historians, it
is our role to help explain how
the natural beauty of the South
Downs has been influenced by
people through the ages and how
the legacy of that endeavour is
ingrained in the landscape today.
Paul Roberts
Regional Rural Strategy Advisor
English Heritage
Sussex Past & Present April 2011
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present April 2011

Excavations
ARCHAEOLOGY ROUND UP
BARCOMBE
Research
Excavations
What’s Going On in Sussex?
A round-up of local excavations
The following gives brief details
of some of the more interesting
sites and discoveries made in the
last few months as well as forthcoming
volunteer opportunities.
Summaries of all archaeological
work that I am aware of, even if devoid
of finds, are to be found on the
website under the Research page
‘What’s been happening in Sussex
Archaeology’. Volunteer opportunities
are highlighted (*) where known.
For information on particular sites
contact the responsible body (abbreviated
in brackets at the end
of each report) whose details are
given on the web-pages, where the
key to the abbreviations is also to
be found. If you do not have access
to the web then you should contact
me on 01273-405733 or research@
sussexpast.co.uk.
Luke Barber
Research Officer
East Sussex
*Barcombe, Culver Farm. Further
excavations on the Roman roadside
activity in Pond Field recovered the
remains of a Roman sandal (see page 6)
as well as numerous other items. Limited
fieldwork is planned for 2011 while postexcavation
work begins (Rob Wallace/
Culver Archaeological Project).
*Barcombe Roman Villa. The 2011
season will probably be the last on the bath
house. Week/weekend training courses
and volunteering opportunities between
June and August (CCE/MSFAT).
*Bishopstone Tidemills. The 2010
season saw work in two main of areas.
Work in one of the farmyard areas has
seen the barn recorded, together with a
complex cow shed, later converted into
pigsties (Mr Oink’s House!) – see photo.
In the old allotment a WW2 revetted pit,
complete with stairs, was excavated. It
is probably a training structure. Test-pits
in this area also stumbled across a very
complex structure, not on any map or
photo, currently thought to be some form
of experimental heated greenhouse.
Fieldwork will resume in May (SAS).
*Brighton: Rocky Clump. The north
excavations were completed in June
but new excavations in 2011 will begin
in the South field, hopefully the main
settlement site. This will be regarded as
a completely new venture and will have
new directors. Fieldwork is due to start
in the spring (BHAS).
*Brighton: Varley Halls. Although the
2010 season did not locate the hoped
for round-house, negative lynchets were
studied as well as rare Late Bronze Age
plough marks (L Fisher/BHAS).
Hailsham: Welbury Farm. Evaluation
in advance of housing recorded Roman
features likely to relate to a small
settlement. Further excavation awaited
(reported by ESCC).
Tidemills: the cattle shelter - converted to house
pigs.
Photo: L Barber
Lewes: Convent Field, Lewes Priory.
An evaluation outside the Priory precinct
wall located two demolished buttresses,
robbed out wall footing, two kilns/ovens,
and a chalk built structure (cellar?)
dating from the 12 th to 14 th centuries, and
demolition and made ground deposits
dating to around the 16 th century
(CBAS).
Newhaven : Tideway School. A watching
brief revealed a ditch terminal/pit with
LBA pottery (c.900BC) and flintwork
(CBAS).
Nutley: Old Lodge. A woodland survey
recorded 62 new sites including three
possible Bronze Age barrows, six pillow
mounds, two areas of ridge & furrow,
an enclosure, sawpits, military training
features and a WW2 searchlight post
(CBAS).
Peacehaven: Peacehaven barrow.
The final excavations produced layers
of worked flint as well as prehistoric
pottery. Sadly no burial was found, but
the surrounding ditch was uncovered
(S Birks/MSFAT/BHAS).
Polegate: Dittons Road. Excavations in
advance of housing development have
recorded a Late Iron Age/RB settlement,
including evidence of salt-production
waste (ASE).
Tunbridge Wells: Broadwater Warren.
A watching brief during removal of trees
has located a further firing point of the
19 th- century rifle range, ridge & furrow &
other earthworks (CBAS).
Wivelsfield: Theobalds. Full excavation
in advance of housing development
recorded a Late Iron Age/Roman
settlement including round houses,
ovens and ditches / enclosures (WA).
West Sussex
Chichester: Tower Street. Work
has begun on the re-exposure of the
previously excavated Roman bath house
which will be displayed beneath the floor
of the new museum to be built on the site
(ASE).
Chichester City Walls. The programme
of repairs to the City Walls that started
summer 2010 involved some coring
and refacing work that has revealed
ancient fabric – and some that hasn’t!
The supposed medieval Deanery seems
to have been almost entirely rebuilt,
perhaps as a decorative feature, in the
post-medieval period, whereas the
Residentiary Bastion has a solid Roman
core up to its full height and retains
evidence of original malmstone opus
quadratum facing at the (CDC: James
Kenny).
Haywards Heath - Bolnore Village
Phase 4 - Current excavations, following
trial trenching, have revealed what
appears to be a stock enclosure and
associated droveway/trackway of 12th
to 13 th century date, associated with
a former watercourse and probably
accessed via a sunken lane, now a
bridleway. Possibly two timber structures
are present, one probably a barn (ASE).
Littlehampton: Courtwick Lane.
Trial trench investigation has revealed
widespread, but not intensive Later
Bronze Age occupation, areas of
Romano-British occupation, including a
post-built structure, and a pit of probable
Neolithic date (TVAS).
Roman Baths at Barcombe
Complex Roman bathing arrangements revealed
Since 2008 we have been
investigating a large Roman
bath house located in Church Field,
which lies between the villa site and
St Mary’s Church, Barcombe. The
excavations in 2008, 2009 and 2010
revealed a structure in excess of 20
m long and 6 m wide and orientated
north-east to south-west.
At the northern end of the
complex is a rectangular furnace
room (praefurnium) with walls
made of mortared flints. This
room had a Y-shaped linear cut
at floor level, which ran from the
furnace through its south wall, and
continued outside the building as
a ‘ditch’ to the main drain running
along the south side of the baths.
This cut had been blocked at the
furnace end and could be either
an air vent or more likely a drain,
perhaps indicating that this room
was not fully roofed.
Work in 2010 on the apsidal hot
room (caldarium) concentrated
on final recording before this
room and its hypocaust pilae tile
stacks and the furnace room were
backfilled. Beyond, the warm
room (tepidarium), which contains
some pilae columns and traces of
another pair of facing and outward
projecting apses, are two more
stoke holes on the north side of
the building. These appear to
represent two consecutive phases
of the bath house. One of the stoke
holes vents under the floor of the
immediately adjacent (?apsidal)
room, and then through an arch
into a second room. This stoke
hole then appears to have been
replaced by an adjacent larger one
which heated the adjoining room. It
is possible that this room and that
directly to the south-east were a hot
dry room (laconicum) and changing
room (apodyterium) respectively, or
alternatively they may relate to a
different phase of the baths.
To the south-west of these rooms
is a possible cold room (frigidarium)
with chalk wall foundations, and to
the south of this was, we think, a
corridor and the main entrance. It
is uncertain however how the open
drain that runs along the side of
the building was crossed to access
the entrance. At the west end of
the complex there is another room
with chalk foundations which again
seems to be an addition to the baths
complex. Neither of these western
rooms appears to have been heated
and they are separated by a small
corridor. The room at the west
end has substantial foundations,
probably constructed to deal with
the challenge of the wet ground
here adjacent to a possibly tidal
creek from the river Ouse (see
Allen in SP&P 120, 7). This large
room, which is currently only partly
excavated, may be a cold plunge
with a chalk foundation base for a
shelf or walkway around the edge
of the bath.
The drainage ditch along the
south side of the bath house has
now been traced around the eastern
end and along the north side of the
building where its relationship to
the two stoke holes is still being
investigated. Large quantities of
artefacts have now been recovered
from this ditch, including pottery,
animal bone and a few coins. A dog
burial at the junction of the drain
from the furnace room and the
drain on the south side of the baths
is possibly a termination deposit.
Further west, at the junction of a
drain from the bath house into the
main drain, was perhaps another
such deposit, this time a crushed
pot that appeared to have been
deliberately placed on the bottom
of the ditch.
Although we have now excavated
most of the baths, it is still not
possible to be certain whether we
are dealing with a single building,
albeit much altered over time, or
a later bath house replacing an
earlier one that had gone out of
use. The robbing out of the stone
walls, probably in Roman times,
has removed much of the evidence
for the sequence of construction.
If it is a single building, then the
finished structure represents one of
the largest bath houses in southern
Britain, with a capacity way beyond
the needs of the adjacent villa and
its workforce. Similar sized bath
houses on Hadrian’s Wall served
garrisons of 500 men or more.
With the emerging evidence for an
adjacent tidal creek are we now
looking at a facility which served
travellers and traders, perhaps
functioning as part of a mansio
complex? The 2011 excavations
may well be our last at the site, but
we hope to answer the remaining
questions about this enigmatic
bath house.
2011 and Getting Involved
The excavations this year will
start on Saturdays in late May
and continue until late August.
During July and August there will
be a range of 1-, 2- and 5-day
training courses which are ideal
for beginners or those with some
experience (see Noticeboard,
page 4 and www.sussex.ac.uk/
cce/barcombe). For details about
volunteer work contact Chris Butler
(01323 871021 or www.cbasltd.
co.uk). There will be a general
public ‘Open Afternoon’ on Sunday
31 July, 1-5pm (parking available in
Church Field) and a Society visit on
23 June (see Noticeboard).
Chris Butler & David Rudling
Sussex Past & Present April 2011
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present April 2011

Excavations
IHRG
MARTIN WELCH
Obituary
Bardown Iron Working Site
Find of rare medallion initiates founding of research group
The Independent Historical
Research Group (IHRG) started
from small beginnings when four
close friends expressed an interest
in examining the known Romano-
British iron industry site at Bardown,
near Ticehurst in East Sussex. A
metal detecting find in 2006 of a rare
medallion of Antoninus Pius, which
the British Museum thought could
have been presented to “someone
of importance”, posed questions
over the significance of the site.
Antoninus Pius Medallion.
Photo: IHRG
This developed into a project which
proved to be an adventure in the
study of the landscape over an area
of six square miles with discovery
following discovery, attracting the
interest of both local people and
those from further afield.
The site had been examined by
Henry Cleere in the 1960s and,
although an interim report had been
published, no final report existed.
Our initial research revealed that
the still enormous slag bank on this
site had been robbed in the 18 th C,
documented on two separate
occasions for road building – this
evidence apparently having been
missed in the 1960’s investigation.
The site was thus significantly
bigger than previously envisaged,
which further documentary
evidence corroborated. Professor
Cleere graciously provided us
with 6cwt of pottery, still stored in
recorded context after having been
recovered from the site, but never
professionally examined. The site
had been dated in the 1960s by
coin evidence alone but, with the
support of a Margary Grant from
Sussex Archaeological Society, Dr
Malcolm Lyne comprehensively
examined and dated the pottery.
These results advanced the working
life of the site forward by some 70
years and showed that extensive
trade had existed with the site, thus
again increasing its importance.
We then turned our attention to
an exit route identified in the 1960’s
examination but could not agree
with its supposed passage over
low ground, seeking to discover
if any other way existed for the
removal of iron product from the
site. This investigaton revealed a
second route on the higher ground
of a ridgeway which terminated
approximately half a mile east of
the earlier proposed point, both
exits giving access to the Rother
floodplain and the sea. Whilst the
path of the newly discovered route
was evidenced at several points
along its course, its end point was
further reinforced by the discovery
of a previously unknown enclosure
dated by IHRG on excavation in
2010 as being Romano-British of
the early 2 nd C.
The project was conducted over
a four year period and involved
research, both desktop and physical
landscape study, field-walking,
organised metal detecting surveys,
geo physical surveys and supervised
excavation of areas not considered
as archaeologically sensitive. The
project design was lodged with
the County Archaeologist Casper
Johnson, who has received a final
report. A further copy of the report
will be given to Sussex Archaeology
Society. The pottery analysis by Dr
Lyne is complete and will also be
published in due course. Although
Excavating the ditch that forms the outer square of the enclosure. At this time it was not very deep
but the ditch infill had just started to turn coloured with burnt material, hence the interest by the
three standing. It was in this ditch that substantial amounts of pottery later came to light.
Photo: R Hodgkinson
the official period allocated for
this project has now elapsed,
the investigation of the Bardown
complex is still continuing, and the
IHRG is now involved in additional
but smaller projects.
There are currently 45 members
of the IHRG, from all walks of
life, as far away as Surrey and
Hampshire. We have further
attracted the membership of three
qualified archaeologists from West
Kent who encourage members to
learn surveying, geophysics and
approved excavation techniques.
IHRG has also developed ties with
the three major metal detecting
clubs in East Sussex, promoting
responsible detector use and
creating a pool of experienced and
reliable detector users to provide
a service to archaeology, either in
organised groups for wider search
areas or on a one-to-one basis to
individual archaeologists.
IHRG is still slowly expanding,
both in membership and activities,
with members being encouraged
to spearhead their own research
and projects; to act as monitors
and recorders at detecting events
and in encouraging landowners
and farmers to become involved
in archaeology. In this respect,
IHRG have a history of attendance
at local history group meetings,
at resident’s meetings and those
of other associations. With open
access to geophysics equipment,
metal detecting for wide area
surveys and a growing reputation
borne from the good references of
farmers and landowners alike, this
Group is proving to be an example
of active ‘community archaeology’
and what it can achieve.
New members are welcome and
encouraged to attend projects as
they progress. There is no joining
fee. Application is by e-mail to
ihrgsussex@btinternet.com or by
telephone to Robin Hodgkinson on
01323 849891.
Robin Hodgkinson
Martin Welch FSA
1947-2011
Martin Welch, who died on 6th February 2011, will always be
remembered for his work on the archaeology of the Early
Saxon period of Sussex. His seminal publication on Early Anglo-
Saxon Sussex in 1983 followed his conversion from Modern History
at Oxford, via the Oxford Diploma in Prehistoric Archaeology, to a
PhD in the archaeology of the South Saxons supervised by Sonia
Hawkes. He worked at the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford from 1973-
1978 before becoming lecturer in Medieval Archaeology at University
College London. Following the re-organization of archaeology at
UCL Martin transferred to the Institute of Archaeology in 1991, where
he remained for the rest of his career. Although heavily involved in
Saxon archaeology Martin also moved into University administration
becoming Faculty Tutor for Social and Historical Sciences at UCL.
Martin’s work in Sussex was based mainly on the study of artefacts,
although he did direct an excavation at the Saxon Cemetery at
Selmeston. His first publication on the Saxons in Sussex appeared
in Britannia in 1971 (‘Late Romans and Saxons in Sussex’) and he
contributed a chapter on ‘Sub-Roman Sussex’ in Peter Brandon’s
The South Saxons’ (1977).
Martin collaborated with Alec Down on the publication of the
Saxon cemetery at Apple Down (Chichester Excavations 7, 1990) and
published aspects of the High Down Hill cemetery. From 2006-2009
he ran a major Leverhulme Trust research project on the Anglo-Saxon
Kingdoms of SE England AD 400-750 which involved a systematic
characterisation of the Jutes, South Saxons and West Saxons.
Although this brief note marks Martin Welch’s close connection with
Sussex archaeology he was also an international figure in the post
Roman archaeology of north west Europe as witnessed by the recent
publication of Studies in Early Anglo-Saxon Art and Archaeology,
papers in honour of Martin Welch (2011).
His early death is a great loss to his family, friends, students and
Sussex archaeology in general.
Peter Drewett
President
10 Sussex Past & Present April 2011
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present April 2011 11

Library
LIBRARY & BOOKSHOP
FIREBACKS
Books
Library News
Collection of Baxter prints on display
hope this will be published in time for Members to visit Barbican
I House Museum to see the display in the Temporary Exhibition Gallery
of “John Baxter 1781-1858, Lewes printer and publisher”. This shows
examples of the work of Baxter from the Library collections, of some
books published between 1805 & 1847, together with a selection
from the enormous range of handbills, advertisements and posters
he printed (see article by Judy Brent in SP&P 121). Included are some
fascinating auction and events posters, including cricket (one of his
great interests). One poster shows that nothing really changes – it
bans the letting off of fireworks in the street as Bonfire approaches,
though in this case it includes avoiding frightening passing horses!
Baxter both printed the poster, and signed it as Junior High Constable.
The exhibition continues until 8th May.
Continuing our attempts to make best use of the limited space in
the Library, we intend to move the general English history volumes on
to the landing, leaving space for expanding the Sussex places in the
Sussex Room – apologies if this causes confusion.
I list below some recent additions to the Library (all 2010):
COLLINS, Rob, ed.
HART, Stephen
HIGHAM, Nicholas, ed.
HOOKE, Della
MAYS, Simon
Finds from the Frontier
Medieval Church Window Tracery in
England
Landscape Archaeology of Anglo Saxon
England
Trees in Anglo Saxon England
Archaeology of Human Bones. 2nd ed.
We are grateful to the following for their donations to the Library:
Archaeology South-East; D Millum; W Muriel; N Read; R Nesbitt-
Dufort; G Standing; G Thomas; D Worsell.
Esme Evans
Hon. Librarian
Bookshop
MANY members doubtless will
remember the excavation run by the
Society and, latterly, the University
of Kent on the village green (the Egg)
adjacent to Bishopstone church.
The project was run by one-time
Research Officer of the Society,
Gabor Thomas, between 2002 and
2005, and is now published in a
handsome volume by the Council
for British Archaeology.
In addition to the archaeology there
are chapters on the landscape and
environmental context, and an
historical synthesis, largely by John
Blair, which offers an interpretation
based on documentary,
topographic, and toponymic
sources of Bishopstone’s pre-
Conquest development.
The cover price of the book is £40
but it is available to members for
£34 (£38 to include inland postage)
at Barbican House Bookshop.
Payment with order please, but
note that offer titles can be reserved
at Barbican House for collection at
a later date.
Gabor Thomas (with contributions
by many others), The later Anglo-
Saxon settlement at Bishopstone:
a downland manor in the making.
York: CBA, 2010. (CBA Research
Report 163); xviii, 270 pp.
John Bleach
Barbican House Bookshop
British Cast-Iron
Firebacks of the 16 th
to mid 18 th Centuries
FIREBACKS are among the most
common surviving artefacts of the
early modern iron industry. Whereas
most cast-iron ordnance was either
abandoned on the battlefield or
re-melted, the latter fate shared
by railings and other architectural
ironwork, firebacks have fared much
better. They tended to be left in situ,
at once both decorative and useful,
Plate 269. Mid to late 17th century fireback bearing
a phoenix rising from the flames. Anne of Cleves
House Museum.
as long as open fires remained
the only form of domestic heating,
and often afterwards. Some have
been removed to museums, but
thousands remain at the back of
hearths in great and not-so-great
houses all over the country. Survival
is especially good in the South East,
where the Wealden furnaces were
major producers of castings.
It is surprising to find how little
has been written about firebacks.
There are, apparently, no early
20 th -century collectors’ books, nor
have historians of the iron industry,
except H.R. Schubert and writers
on the Weald, given them much
attention. They do not feature greatly
in books on country houses and
their contents. This new study by
Jeremy Hodgkinson can, therefore,
be unreservedly welcomed as the
first large-scale monograph on
the subject. It is a first-class piece
of work in all respects, not least
the high standard of design and
printing, and the reasonable price.
Plate 203. Wealden fireback of the early 17th
century; this combination of the English crown and
French arms is often copied and may relate to the
marriage of Charles 1 and Princess Henrietta Maria
of France in 1625. Michelham Priory.
After explaining what a fireback is
and discussing related artefacts
such as graveslabs, the first chapter
describes how they were made and
(as far as is known) how they were
marketed. The bulk of the book is
a detailed catalogue of decoration
on firebacks, progressing from
designs created from individual
stamps to backs cast from
complete patterns. Hodgkinson
shows how the basic fireback could
be extended lengthways or with
base panels, and suggests how
purchasers today can distinguish
an original from a copy. Virtually all
the pieces discussed are illustrated
with exceptionally well reproduced
black and white photographs,
printed to a constant scale. This is in
itself a considerable achievement,
since firebacks are often difficult
of access and require skill to light
successfully. Full details of each
piece are given in an appendix,
leaving the text to adopt a more
discursive approach. This explores
the iconography of firebacks in a
highly original way. Hodgkinson
has identified the sources for
some of the best known designs,
and analyses the royal and private
heraldry found on firebacks. He has
also located and illustrates several
wooden patterns.
Plate 245. Late 16th century or early 17th century
fireback, probably cast in the Weald, portraying two
protestant martyrs during the Marian persecution.
Anne of Cleves House Museum.
Most of the examples are drawn
from the Weald, the major producing
area and (outside London) the home
of the major museum collections.
To build on this study it would
be useful to have gazetteers of
firebacks in each county. It would
also be good to know more about
the fireback trade: how many were
produced, were they made to
order or for stock, and how much
did they cost. These would not be
easy questions to answer but a full
national catalogue would be a useful
starting point. In the meantime,
Jeremy Hodgkinson has done a
first-class job in bringing together
so much material and presenting
his findings in such a scholarly and
attractive volume.
Philip Riden
University of Nottingham
By Jeremy Hodgkinson.
Hodgersbooks, 2010. Paperback,
278 pp., 342 illustrations, £24.99.
ISBN 978-0-9566726-0-5.
12 Sussex Past & Present April 2011
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present April 2011 13

Books
BOOK REVIEWS
BOOK REVIEWS
Books
A place-name history
of Rottingdean and
Ovingdean
RICHARD Coates is one of the
country’s leading place-name
scholars and it is to the benefit of
Sussex - and Brighton’s far eastern
suburbs – that he has produced this
multi-faceted volume. It can be read
at a variety of levels, whether the
interest is in the linguistic history of
particular places or the derivation of
suburban house-names and while
Rottingdean has books a-plenty on
its history there is little on Ovingdean,
Saltdean and Woodingdean; so
this composite territorial collection
is indeed welcome. The research
is assembled in discrete sections
with a general account of the area,
its geology and history, leading
to a detailed listing of individual
names and of geographical areas,
which include offshore locations,
an oft-forgotten aspect of coastal
landscapes. The suburban nature
of the contemporary landscape
gives scope for sections on street
names and detailed gazetteers
of individual house-names; as a
suburban aficionado this reviewer
found the latter category a rich
seam to mine!
The book is illustrated with a
selection of good quality images
and its scholarly approach is
attested by the inclusion of 13
pages of bibliography, the only
detraction has to be the lack of
an index, which in a densely factpacked
volume would be a bonus.
Geoffrey Mead
By Richard Coates, 2010.
English Place-Name Society,
Regional Series Vol. 2.
Nottingham University.
Paperback, 240 pp.
ISBN 13: 978-0-904889-84-0.
£18.00.
West Sussex
Constabulary: 110
years of history, April
1857-December 1967
IF any book could be said to
represent a labour of love, then this
is one. It is the product of many
years of research (and indeed
frustration) on the part of the
author who joined the West Sussex
Constabulary as a Cadet Clerk in
September 1950 and remained with
that force for his whole working
life. It is an affectionate history but
thankfully does not fall into the
trap of unquestioning sycophancy
as some individual force histories
have been wont to do. It draws
heavily on original documents and
photographs now stored at West
Sussex Record Office and articles
published in the force magazine
“Patrol” to give the reader a good
impression of this police force from
an insider’s perspective.
For the historian of policing the
book, at over 350 A4 sized pages,
brings to a wider readership a great
deal of previously unpublished
empirical evidence, much of it
from primary sources. For the
more specialist student of police
uniforms and insignia the vast
number of illustrations (many
never published before) provide an
authoritative reference source, and
for former members of the West
Sussex Constabulary (probably a
significant target audience for the
author) the book will bring back
many memories.
It is not an easy read. Some of
the text seems to assume a certain
level of insider knowledge on the
part of the reader, and whilst it
takes a broadly chronological path
from 1857 to 1967 some of the
flashbacks (drawn from articles in
“Patrol”) can catch out the unwary.
Sadly there is also no index and the
lack of a contents page belies the
loose layout of chapters. It can also
be difficult at times to determine
where captions for illustrations
end and the main text begins, and
in one or two places the author’s
comments can be mistaken for
content from other sources.
Since it primarily represents a
history of West Sussex Constabulary
(and not of policing in West Sussex)
Chichester City Police receive some
mention, but their counterparts in
the one-time separate police forces
of Arundel and Worthing get much
less. The plethora of other policing
organisations that existed in West
Sussex before 1857 are, as a result,
almost invisible.
But every historical text has its
limitations, and it is important to
see this book in context: it actually
does what it set out to do. It does
not claim to be an encyclopaedic
study of the policing history of
West Sussex, but compared with
many other individual police force
histories it gets pretty close. It does
not claim to be an academic work,
but even if it isn’t intended to be,
the text is nonetheless insightful.
But having said this, and compared
with the history published by the
West Sussex Constabulary to
mark its centenary in 1957, it is a
vast improvement as an accurate
historical source. The information is
there, albeit that it might take you a
while to find it.
So is it worth reading or indeed
buying? The answer on both counts
must be an unequivocal yes. At
£13.50 (for the current, second,
print run) and £5 postage it is
quite exceptional value for money.
Unless and until someone gets
round to a decent postgraduate
thesis on the subject this book is
likely to be seminal, and rightly so.
The author can be contacted
at 10 Duxford Close, Tangmere,
Chichester, PO20 2JH or via e-mail
on malmar.barrett@btinternet.
com
Dr Derek Oakensen
Old Police Cells Museum Society
By Malcolm Barrett, 2010.
M & M Barrett, Tangmere.
The Discovery of
SUSSEX
WHAT more could Peter Brandon
possibly have to say about Sussex?
In a seemingly constant stream of
publications, beginning for most of
us with his The Sussex Landscape
in 1974, he has been at the forefront
of British academic regional writers,
inviting us to think of the interplay
between landscape history, artistic
creativity and conservation.
There is, however, one important
difference from his earlier
publications. The latter offered
long-term narratives relating
to particular places: the South
Downs, the Weald, or the historic
county of Sussex. But this latest
volume is thematic. It examines the
social, cultural and environmental
changes within Sussex from the
end of the 18 th century through to
1939 – covering roughly 150 years
of ‘discovery’. Much is linked to
the influx of Londoners to Sussex
and their impact on a county which
otherwise seemed more resistant
to metropolitan influence than
other counties equidistant from
the capital. There were many who
encouraged and initiated change,
but also many who abhorred
modernity in its many guises.
Rapid urbanisation precipitated its
own counter-culture, and Sussex
saw a remarkable flowering of
painting, writing, arts and crafts
design, vernacular architecture
and landscape design, all charted
carefully through this volume.
Chapter 19 on Eric Gill and the
artistic communities of Ditchling
is a particularly delightful and
knowledgeable example of these
trends. We also hear of the radical
poet Charlotte Smith, ensconced
in the district around Bignor Park in
the late 18 th century, writing of class
warfare and moral degradation,
and criticising the ‘polluted, smoky
atmosphere and dark and stuffy
streets’ of London and yearning
for her South Downs. And other
personalities loom large in the book:
Belloc and Kipling make repeated
appearances, and if Brandon
characterises Belloc’s The Four
Men (1912) as “the most passionate
book on Sussex” (p.217), one could
summon up a decent argument for
making The Discovery of Sussex a
close second!
In any such examination of the
discovery of a county there is one
potential pitfall. Whose accounts
are we following? Who had the
articulacy to commit their thoughts
on paper, for good or ill? Is the
account therefore, one seen from
above, from outside, from the
vantage point of the literati? The
view of the discoverer, not the
discovered? It can be argued that
such a stance is inevitable, and
we are certainly reminded of the
existence of the Sussex natives
but they are too often seen from
outside, rather than revealing the
complexities of the society, culture
and economy that was to be
discovered by incomers. How can
we acquiesce, as Brandon seems
to do, with Lady Asquith, who saw
the only signs of the First World
War in Brighton as being poor,
legless men? Did she go anywhere
near the Royal Pavilion, being used
as a hospital for Indian troops? It is
also surely going too far to suggest,
as he does, that between 1918
and 1939 “the most characteristic
feature of country villages was the
young man in the old cottages
bursting forth with a motor cycle,
collection of books, and strong
and well-informed opinions as to
the state of society…” (p.191). This
is one example of a persuasive
argument, almost a polemic, to
promote what he refers to as ‘the
Sussex tradition’ of a leading
region for the manufacturing of the
rural idyll. While acknowledging
the huge burgeoning of creative
talent which headed for Sussex,
this reviewer feels uncomfortable
in the knowledge that similar
arguments might be made for the
West Country, for the Lake District,
or even for other Home Counties.
But it is perhaps the intimate
connection between London’s
push from just 50 miles away and
Sussex’s landscape pull for the
creative artists that made such a
difference.
This book is well written, an
erudite, lively and utterly readable
account, even joyous on occasion,
helped by 41 plates and 157 blackand-white
illustrations. There are
some minor bibliographic issues,
but overall the excellent partnership
with Phillimore has produced
another Brandon classic.
Brian Short
Emeritus Professor of Historical
Geography
University of Sussex
By Peter Brandon, 2010. Phillimore.
ISBN 978-1-86077-616-8. £25.00.
14 Sussex Past & Present April 2011
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present April 2011 15

Snippets
Wealden Iron
Research Grants
GRANTS are available towards
research into any aspect of the
Wealden Iron Industry or subjects
pertaining to it from the Tebbutt
Research Fund. Applicants may
be individuals or groups, and
the application can include any
associated expenses such as
travelling and photocopying. It is
anticipated that over £500 will be
available from the fund. Applicants
should write a letter giving
personal details together with
relevant information concerning
their proposed research to David
Brown, Hon Sec, Wealden Iron
Research Group, 2 West Street
Farm Cottages, Maynards Green,
Heathfield, Sussex TN21 0DG.
Bishopstone Identity
Parade
DIGGING deep in the archives of
Bishopstone 1967 - 1969 a number
of photographs have been found
showing fieldwork investigators at
Rookery Hill, Bishopstone.
These excavations are significant
as they were the start of the
archaeological activity on this site
which continues to the present day.
David Thomson of the SAS initially
directed fieldwork, latterly assisted
by Eric Holden and eventually taken
over by Martin Bell.
Help is requested in identifying the
people in these and other archive
photographs.
Please contact David Worsell at
david.worsell@tiscali.co.uk. if you
think you recognise any of these
people.
Battle of Lewes Day
2011
DO not miss Battle of Lewes Day
2011 at the Castle on Saturday
May 28 th . We will be unveiling the
template for our Battle of Lewes
tapestry designed by local artist
Tom Walker, so this is a great
chance to have a go at some of
the embroidery stitches involved
and learn how to take part. Other
features this year include a ‘Bring a
Bone’ osteoarchaeology workshop,
family arts and crafts, weapons
demonstrations, a beer tent to
launch Harvey’s new Battle of
Lewes Ale based on a real medieval
recipe and a host of medieval music
on authentic instruments provided
by Scuola Noctis and the Partridge
Pluckers.
For the first time ever, there will
be the chance to enjoy both the
Castle and the official battlefield
site at Landport Bottom in one day
thanks to an all-day shuttle bus. An
information trail will be available.
Our exhibition about the history of
Landport Bottom will be displayed
at the Castle throughout May and
June.
Volunteers who can help on the
event day will be warmly welcome.
Our new website with full details
of the project and how you can
get involved will be available
soon. In the meantime for further
information, please contact Edwina
Livesey on battleoflewes@yahoo.
co.uk.
Next Issue
THE Sussex Past & Present
newsletter is published three times
each year, in April, August and
December. The next issue is due
in August and the copy deadline is
June 10th. Letters and ‘snippets’
are welcome; longer items should
be kept to a maximum of 500 words
unless prior arrangements have
been made with the editor, Wendy
Muriel, at spp@sussexpast.co.uk,
or Luke Barber on 01273 405733.
Please note that we require images
with most contributions, preferably
in high quality colour format. To
submit digitally, please use MS
Word (97-2003 format) for text
and send images in JPEG or TIF
formats, at minimum resolution
of 600dpi. Correspondence and
details of events should be sent to
Wendy Muriel, Editor, Sussex Past
& Present, Bull House, 92 High
Street, Lewes BN7 1XH, or emailed
to the above address.
Rates for insertions into the
newsletter, which goes out to over
2000 members, start at £100 (plus
minimum handling charge of £20).
Contact Lorna Gartside on 01273
405737 for details.
16
Sussex Past & Present April 2011
www.sussexpast.co.uk