August 2008 (issue 115) - The Sussex Archaeological Society

NUM BER 115 AUGUS T 2008
‘Medieval’ Figurine
Mesolithic at Chiddingly
Priest House Centenary
Archaeology in Sussex
www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present August 2008 1

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 August edition
of Sussex Past and Present.
Autumn Conference 2008
There’s still time to book a place
at our annual conference, People
and Place: Landscape and Identity
through Time, taking place this
year in Chichester on Saturday
September 13. More information
is in the Noticeboard section, and
on our website, www.sussexpast.
co.uk/membership. It promises to
be a very full and fascinating day.
On the Sunday, we are offering
a choice of two free fieldtrips for
those attending the conference.
The Kingley Vale one is full, but
there is still room on the Fishbourne
one, so do book.
Event bookings
Can I please ask all members who
book to attend any of our events
to make sure that they provide
a daytime telephone number or
current email address, for contact
in case of queries Recently, I
have had waiting lists for oversubscribed
events, only to find that,
as people have dropped out a few
days before the event, I could offer
spaces – if I could quickly contact
those waiting. Obviously, one or
two days before the event is not
enough time to allow me to send a
letter and to depend upon getting
a reply. I do not share members’
contact information with outside
parties, so you need not worry that
by giving me a telephone number
or email address you will find your
details on any other mailing list.
While on the subject of event
bookings, if you are considering
booking for something but need
transport or parking details, do feel
free to contact me before making
a decision. I always send details of
access and parking arrangements
with booking confirmation, as there
is not room to include all this in
the newsletter, but I am happy to
provide this information earlier if it
helps.
Will For Free
Each August we include a copy
of this leaflet for those who may
be willing to consider leaving the
Society a donation, of whatever
size, in their wills. There is of course
no compulsion whatsoever to avail
yourselves of this opportunity, but
every little bit helps the Society!
Outside event listings
Many of you will be aware that we
carry in the Noticeboard section
of SP&P details of events run by
organisations with similar interests
to those of the Society. However,
space is limited, and we cannot
print everything that we might be
asked to, although our editor does
try to accommodate all requests.
As a result, I have set up a new
page in the Membership section of
the Sussex Past website specifically
to carry listings of events which
may be of interest to our members.
We will not actively seek this
information, so if you are involved
with any other organisations whose
events are open to non-members,
and would like to publicise them,
please get in touch with me. This
will be an information-only listing,
so we will also need details of
whom members should contact
if they wish to book. To access
the listings, please visit www.
sussexpast.co.uk, click on the
Membership link at the top of the
page and you will then see a list in
the right-hand column from which
you should select “Other Events”.
Lorna Gartside
Membership Secretary
Society AGM
At the Society’s AGM in May at
Michelham Leslie Weller, DL, and
Don Richardson were both awarded
Honorary Vice Presidencies. Don,
as a former Chair of Council, was
particularly deserving as he has
been instrumental in seeing through
all of the major Heritage Lottery
Funded enhancements to our
properties. Leslie Weller, formerly
Chair and latterly President of the
Society is an unflagging supporter
of the Society, and oversaw the
development of a more professional
outlook for the organisation over
the last 15 years. Both will remain
active in Society affairs. The new
President is Professor Peter Drewett,
who has a long and distinguished
involvement in the archaeology of
Sussex. The new Chair of Council
is Peter Sangster, who has enjoyed
senior positions in the banking and
insurance worlds, and is currently
Executive Director and Chairman
of a specialist Marine Underwriting
Agency; his experienced business
acumen will be vital in steering
the Society towards financial
sustainability.
John Manley
For all membership enquiries
and to apply, please contact
MEMBERSHIP
DEPARTMENT
Barbican House,
169 High Street
Lewes, Sussex BN7 1YE
Tues-Fri 10.00am-3.00pm
Answering machine facility
outside these hours
01273 405737
members@sussexpast.co.uk
SUSSEX
Past &
Present
The Sussex Archaeological
Society Newsletter
NUM BER 115
AUGUS T 2008
Contents
2 Membership matters
3 Opening lines
4 Chiddingly Wood Rocks
5 Billies and Charleys
6 Origins of Meeching
7 Metal Detecting; Firebacks
8 Fishbourne News
9 Library and book review
10 Archaeology round-up
11 History
12 Priest House; Lewes Castle
13 William of Cassingham
14 Book Reviews
16 Snippets
Published three times a year by the
Sussex Archaeological Society, Bull
House, Lewes,
East Sussex, BN7 1XH
Tel: 01273 486260
Fax: 01273 486990
Email: admin@sussexpast.co.uk
Editor: Sarah Hanna
Email: spp@sussexpast.co.uk
Technical Editors:
John Manley, Luke Barber
Technical Support:
Penelope Parker
ISSN 1357-7417
Cover: Michelham Priory with ‘Billy and
Charley’ figurine.
Photo: L Hains
New Strategic Plan
Chairman of Council’s report
F
irstly I would like to express what an honour and privilege it is to have
been elected as Chairman of the Council of Trustees of the Society.
In this, my first report, I would like to deal with the major projects and
challenges which the Society currently faces. Following the Fishbourne
building works which were completed earlier this year, attention has now
turned to overdue repairs and improvements to the Lewes properties.
The refurbishment of Bull House is nearing completion but has resulted
in an overrun of £10,000 on the original budget. The planning of works
for Anne of Cleves House is almost complete and work is due to start in
the late autumn. Again, estimated costs have risen and we are looking at
spending £75,000 on these works. I would like to express our thanks to
Richard Akhurst (one of our Trustees) for the voluntary work he has done
in compiling the schedule of works and liaising with our contractor.
The Trustees have approved the Stage 2 Heritage Lottery Fund programme
for the works to go ahead on Barbican House and Lewes Castle.
These works are budgeted to be in excess of £1 million and will commence
in October and last for six months. This will cause some disruption
and result in parts of the properties being closed but we trust that, being
over the winter months, this will not result in too much inconvenience to
members and the public.
At the AGM I commented on the financial state of the Society, in particular
noting that for the past consecutive three years the Society has
run at a revenue deficit, which is budgeted to continue for this year. In
December 2007 I presented an overview of the finances for the past ten
years to the Trustees. This illustrated the fact that expenses had been
very well controlled, having increased by an annual average of 2.91%
since 1997. However the income has been much more variable and
unpredictable.
These figures do not include any income from grants for expenditure
relating to major capital works. The total expenses budget of the Society
is currently running in excess of £1,500,000 while the sources of income
have seen a steady reduction over the past three years. The Trustees are
putting a high priority into looking at how we can rectify this position over
the next three years, and as part of this review a Strategy Working Party
(consisting of some of the Trustees) is currently looking at all the Society’s
activities to identify what is needed to be done over the next five years.
The findings will be presented in the form of a consultation document to
the Council of Trustees in November.
Once this has been considered, a Strategic Plan will be agreed in principle
and members and staff will be fully consulted over any issues which
may have a significant impact on how the Society operates before any
changes are implemented.
Peter Sangster
Chair of Council
2 Sussex Past & Present August 2008
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present August 2008 3

Feature
EXCAVATION AT CHIDDINGLY
COVER FEATURE
Feature
New Mesolithic for the Weald
Recent investigations at Chiddingly Wood Rocks
Mesolithic activity in southern
England and Sussex
typically includes ‘open air’ sites
such as Iping, Selmeston and
Rock Common, and rock shelter
sites such as High Rocks or The
Hermitage. Rock shelters often
produce evidence of restricted
activity that may be seasonal, with
archaeological investigation usually
limited to stratified deposits within
the shelters or at their mouths.
These sites do, however, potentially
contain in situ artefact assemblages
and good, stratified palaeoenvironmental
data, while open-air
sites and flint scatters may contain
relatively large artefact and charred
assemblages displaying patterning
and spatial array, but often with
little good palaeo-environmental
and geoarchaeological context
(eg Horsham, Halt, Streat, Iping).
Rapid geoarchaeological research
at a site at Chiddingly Wood Rocks,
West Hoathly in the High Weald,
West Sussex has demonstrated
the presence of Mesolithic activity
in topographical locations not
previously expected.
We were privileged to be given
permission to undertake an initial
limited auger survey on land belonging
to the Chiddlingly Estate
by their estate manager, Bill Blunt,
funded by Natural England, through
the auspices of Louise Hutchby as
part of a Countryside Stewardship
Scheme Agreement, to inform a
conservation management plan.
Subsequent limited excavation was
funded by the Margary Fund of the
Sussex Archaeological Society.
Local geology
At Chiddlngly Wood, the Ardingly
Sandstone outcrops on the
southerly edge of the High Weald. It
takes the form of a south-westerly
facing ‘V’ shaped escarpment over
one and a half kilometres in length
and five to ten metres in height. It is
bounded by valleys on the western
and eastern sides which drop
approximately 30 metres to the
valley floors, both containing gill
streams fed by local springs, which
in turn feed into the River Ouse.
The potential of the area was
demonstrated by early results of
simple, minimally intrusive fieldwork
at the southern tip of the rock
escarpments. Limited hand augering
at the base of the rock outcrop
produced moderate (0.7m), but essentially
recent, stratigraphy, with
little potential for prehistoric occupation.
This may reflect the amount
of augering undertaken at these locations,
but contrasts with results
from the adjacent upper slopes.
Great-upon-Little
Augering on a bench in these upper
slopes, some 20 to 40m from the
base of the rock outcrop, and in
a location overlooking the valley
produced significant results. This
area was demonstrated to contain
a colluvial ‘necklace’, infilling a
small bench and former break in
slope, in some places exacerbated
by the presence of recent track and
routeways. Situated away from any
potential rock shelters, it overlooks
the Cobb valley and its stream, and
seems an ideal spot for Mesolithic
activity. It is a topographical
location not often previously
explored archaeologically, though
the potential was recognised by
Hemingway at Uckfield (1980;
1981). It was very pleasing, and
in hindsight not surprising, that
by augering at precisely this
topographical location near Greatupon-Little
(GUL), where previously
some 280 flints, including knives
and flakes were recorded, we
discovered an intact buried soil
Excavation trench with Great-upon Little, 2008.
Photo: M A Allen
preserved and sealed beneath
about 1m of sandy colluvium.
This buried soil was sandy brown
earth, in contrast to the podzolic
brown earths that exist today. Very
fine charcoal flecks were noticed
in the profile and, from just a
30mm diameter gauge auger core,
recognisable pieces of charcoal
were recovered and identified.
Excavation results
This sequence was confirmed by
a small 2m × 2m excavation which
produced c135 flints, mainly the
by-products of Mesolithic blade
and microlith production. Here is an
indication of human activity and a
real potential for in situ archaeology
to be preserved. But why might this
be Mesolithic After all there is clear
evidence of Iron Age activity in the
promontory hillfort on top of the rock
outcrop. Although no further field or
detailed analytical investigation has
yet been conducted, a single small
piece of charcoal was identified by
Dr Alan Clapham as birch, and this
with pollen assessment by Dr Rob
Scaife (Southampton University)
indicates the preservation of an
Atlantic (late Mesolithic) pollen
spectra with oak, hazel, lime and
holly. This is of added importance
in view of evidence of Mesolithic
occupation and activity. Indeed
Mesolithic flints from the excavation
and others recently recovered from
the area, probably from the upper
and lower margins of the colluvial
necklace where the deposits are
thinnest, could represent open-air
knapping and temporary ‘hunting
camp sites’, situated in the lea of
the rock outcrop overlooking the
valley and any animals that may
wander below; a typical Mesolithic
scenario.
Future potential
Limited test-pit excavation has
confirmed the presence of this
activity, but there is the possibility
of determining the nature of this
activity and the local environment
and resources through larger-scale
targeted test-pitting and palaeoenvironmental
enquiry. Further, if
this hypothesis is correct, there may
be many other similar sites situated
on the High Weald and Upper
Greensand that await discovery.
Indeed there are a good number
of sites already known that would
benefit from this type of research
exercise. This opens the potential
of expanding our understanding of
Mesolithic occupation and activity
in south-eastern England, and
further research by the authors will
attempt to test and explore this
hypothesis. Significantly, all the
work reported here was conducted
in a single walk-over survey, two
days of augering with the assistance
of students from the University of
Sussex, and subsequent survey of
the main auger points.
Mike Allen, Andrew Maxted
and Richard Carter
Allen Environmental Archaeology
& Sussex University
Michelham ‘Find’
History of ‘medieval’ figurine forgeries
Whilst carrying out a revaluation
of the Collections of
Michelham Priory I was looking for a
17th century Iron Strong Box in the
meeting room, when I found on a
window ledge a metal figurine (see
cover photo) which at first glance
appeared to be medieval, but on
closer inspection I realised that it
was a “Shadwell Dock Forgery”
(known as Billies and Charleys).
Billy and Charley
William Smith (Billy) and Charles
Eaton (Charley) lived in Rosemary
Lane on Tower Hill in the mid-19th
century, and to supplement their
meagre income as labourers on
the Shadwell Dock they carried out
“mudraking” of the Thames. Their
most significant find was a medieval
medallion (probably a pilgrim’s
badge). This they sold to a London
antique dealer – William Edwards,
who also bought other items of
interest from them. Spurred on by
this success they increased their
efforts to find other similar objects
and having failed to do so, decided
to manufacture similar artefacts
with the help of a silversmith, which
would make money for them.
They cast a range of “medieval
objects” in lead, pewter or “cock”
metal (a lead copper alloy) in plaster
moulds, mainly medallions or
pilgrims’ badges decorated with
figures, animals and odd inscriptions,
and always with an unusual
date around 1000AD using Arabic
numerals. They also made daggers,
ampullae, small shrines and figurines
– the Michelham find being a
good example. William Edwards
became one of their principal customers
describing the objects as
“The most interesting relics I have
met with for years and the earliest
pilgrim signs that have yet been
found”. He showed them to George
Eastwood, an antique dealer in the
City Road who bought large quantities,
advertising them as “A remarkable
curious and unique collection
of leaden signs or badges
of the time of Richard II”.
Forgeries exposed
In 1858 Henry Cumming delivered a
lecture to the British Archaeological
Association in which he condemned
the items as forgeries. Following
a court case, the famous scholar,
Charles Roach Smith, pronounced
that even the most badly educated
forger would not produce such
blatantly ridiculous items and that
therefore they must be genuine. In
spite of later adverse publicity, Billy
and Charley continued to produce
these fakes until the 1870s when
Charley died.
Billies and Charleys often came
up for sale in auction sales in the
regions, but they have become incredibly
rare, due to market forces
(a well known coin and medal dealer
who also deals in Billies and Charleys
informed me recently that he
had not been offered one example
in the past five years). Another interesting
fact about the Michelham
figurine is that it bears an exhibition
label (I suspect from the late 19th
century). One wonders what description
was used and indeed how
did the Society acquire this item.
Leslie Weller
Leslie Weller retired as President
of the Society at the AGM in May,
having previously served as Council
Chair for several years. He now
becomes a Vice-President of SAS.
We would like to wish Leslie a long
and active retirement.
4 Sussex Past & Present August 2008
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present August 2008 5

Research
MEDIEVAL NEWHAVEN
LETTER and RESEARCH PROJECT
Research
Origins of Meeching
Carol White researches Newhaven’s medieval settlement
IN 2006, I undertook a research
project, the final module towards
an undergraduate Diploma in
Archaeology at the University
of Sussex. My subject was the
origins of Meeching, the medieval
settlement that became Newhaven.
Rescue excavations by Martin Bell,
precipitated by the construction of
a ring road around Newhaven town
centre in the 1970s, revealed a
second century AD Romano-British
settlement as well as features filled
with loess containing flint flakes
dating to the Palaeolithic. These
excavations were sited to the south
of the town, between South Road
and the River Ouse. Finds dating
to the Bronze Age and Iron Age are
documented at Castle Hill.
Meeching, and neighbouring
Piddinghoe, are not included in the
Domesday Book and after comparing
detail from manorial records
for Meeching dated 1343, 1481
and 1524, Subsidy Roll detail and
map evidence, together with the
Domesday Book entry for Rodmell,
it is likely that Rodmell was subdivided
soon after 1086 to form
the Manors of Meeching and Piddinghoe.
Indeed, detail from the
documents from Arundel Castle
suggests that the Manors of Rodmell,
Piddinghoe and Meeching
were held jointly from the Manorial
Lord. Wood was provided annually
from “Old Parke”, possibly an area
named Old Park in Chailey.
Site of the church
The Church of St. Michael is
situated in an elevated position with
views to Seaford in the east and
Piddinghoe, Denton and Tarring
Neville to the north. The church
is not visible from the sea. As the
medieval outlet of the River Ouse
was at Seaford, St. Michael’s was
ideally situated with sight of the river
Newhaven from St Michael’s Church.
eastwards towards Seaford and
northwards past Piddinghoe, and
the possibility of a chain of church
towers as a line of communication
up to Lewes Castle is suggested.
Each church tower is within sight of
the next and Lewes Castle is visible
from Rodmell and Southease.
Incidences of a church sited above
its associated settlement are known
at Brighton (St. Nicholas) and Hove
(St. Andrew).
Medieval settlement
With regard to the medieval
settlement, various documents
mention “Meeching Ferry”
and “Stock Ferry” (the latter
in Piddinghoe). Map evidence
suggests that “Meeching Ferry”
was sited where the river cuts
across the east/west road which
ran from Brighton along the coast,
now known as The Highway, and
down past St Michael’s church
(Church Hill) through the centre
of Meeching (High Street), over
Photo: C White
the river and onwards to Seaford.
From the 1805 Quitrent detail,
evidence is given that a market
place and a fishpond (even then
no longer extant) were sited by the
river crossing. In the 1524 Account
Roll, a Piscari is noted as situated
in Holmeshegge, known from the
1842 Tithe Map Apportionment to
be sited behind The Ship Inn. The
Ship Inn, also close to the crossing,
is named in historical documents
as having the right to the ferry.
A mill and four acres of land in
Mechinge were exchanged for two
virgates of land in Brithelmeston
by William de Garenna in 1175. No
evidence has yet been found for
the siting of a water mill, although
evidence of a fishpond mentioned
above may indicate a location.
I therefore suggest that the medieval
(and likely earlier) settlement
of Meeching was close to the river
crossing, with the church sited on
an elevation above it.
Metal Detecting
IT is very sad to read the Opening
Lines article by Caroline Wells, Chair,
Sussex Archaeological Society in
the April 2008 newsletter. I refer to
the fourth paragraph which, I feel,
is an insult to serious and honest
metal detectorists. For the last
30/40 years, before PAS came into
being, genuine metal detectorists
had with land-owners’ permission,
found articles, coins etc, which they
took to museums for identification.
Any interesting finds ended up in the
museums’ collections where they
could be viewed by the public.
The Treasure Act says that “single
coins found on their own do not
qualify as Treasure” and to suggest
that a coin for sale on Ebay was
“doubtless stolen from its field”
implies that the finder did not have
permission to detect Yes, there
will always be “bad apples”, and
honest detectorists have tried to
show we are not all like them.
I have been metal detecting
for the best part of 50 years and
like a number of my fellow club
members have voluntarily detected
the “spoil heaps” on a number of
archaeological sites, including
four years at Fishbourne (as
past and present staff will recall),
at Coldwaltham, Shippams in
Chichester and with the late Alec
Down. I know of a detectorist who
located nearly 400 coins/artefacts
on one archaeological site in West
Sussex, that onsite archaeologists
had not found. These items would
now be under many tons of
concrete.
Finally I and my fellow club members
would suggest that the article
is “one sided” and makes no mention
of the advantages of having
responsible metal detectorists and
archaeologists working together.
Don Mountford
West Sussex Metal Detecting
Society, National Council Of
Metal Detectorists and Sussex
Archaeological Society
Hydra fireback.
Iron Firebacks
New survey and catalogue planned
Photo: J Hodgkinson
trawl through earlier volumes
A of the Sussex Archaeological
Collections will demonstrate that
the decorated cast-iron plates
that sat in many an old farmhouse
inglenook were of interest to
antiquarians; The Gentleman’s
Magazine published a note on one
found in Norwich as early as 1788.
Firebacks were among the first
objects that the Society acquired
and the collection at Anne of Cleves
House is possibly the largest in the
country.
A few writers have devoted
serious consideration to the origin,
manufacture and decoration of
firebacks. Probably the first was
John Starkie Gardner, himself a
practising metalworker, who wrote
on the history of ironwork, and who
came to be Keeper of Metalwork
at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Hastings Museum also possesses
a fine collection of firebacks, and
two former curators, William Ruskin
Butterfield and John Mainwaring
Baines, wrote of examples in the
collection. The latter’s booklet,
Wealden Firebacks, has remained
in print since 1958.
There is a steady trade in reproductions
and several firms advertise
a range of designs cast using earlier
plates as the pattern, and modern
designs as well. Mark Ripley & Co
at Robertsbridge are widely known
in Sussex and have a fine collection
of originals. Many old firebacks are
copies, only detectable, where earlier
versions exist, by their slightly
smaller dimensions because iron
shrinks on cooling.
Early writers on firebacks tended
to generalise and, in some cases,
made sweeping statements about
their provenance. It was not possible
then to view large numbers
of firebacks at a time, so detailed
similarities and differences were
not easy to detect. Nowadays, our
increased knowledge of the industry
that produced them, together
with the availability of digital images,
has made it possible to draw
more reasoned conclusions about
groups of firebacks through close
examination of shared features.
I would like to enlist the help of
members in telling me about firebacks
they or their friends may possess,
or which they have seen on
visits to museums and to houses.
My aim is to assemble a catalogue
of fireback designs, to try to identify
their age, what the designs refer
to, and where some of them were
made. It is hoped that this research
will be published as such works
have been published in France,
Germany and even Norway, but
in England such a volume is long
overdue. Please let me know of
any firebacks you come across, by
phone on 01293 886278, or email
at jshodgkinson@hodgers.com.
Jeremy Hodgkinson
6 Sussex Past & Present August 2008
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present August 2008 7

Research
FISHBOURNE ROMAN PALACE
BOOK REVIEW and LIBRARY
Library
New directions at Fishbourne
Christine Medlock looks forward to the future
My appointment as Director
Fishbourne Roman Palace
coincided with the opportunity for a
retrospective; Fishbourne has been
open to the public for 40 years,
providing visitors with a showcase
of what is best about museum
display and heritage. This opening
was celebrated with a 60s themed
event on May 31.
While looking back we decided
to formulate a new strategic plan
for the future of the site. I considered
myself fortunate to take over
from an able and dedicated individual,
David Rudkin, and benefit from
his years of collective knowledge.
A range of new products and programmes
is to be launched later this
year for the 2009 season, aimed at
promoting the Fishbourne heritage;
our mosaics are unique to Britain
and over 30,000 children a year are
still excited and captivated by them
when they participate in our educational
workshops. These numbers
are only exceeded by those who
return, as adults, to refresh older
memories. The new events will cater
for a wider spectrum of individuals
through the continuing development
of our approach towards the
visitor experience. The new Collections
Discovery Centre has enabled
us to create interactive archaeology
sessions, handling artefacts as part
of the ‘Behind the Scenes Tours’
which helps to bring the past alive;
on this foundation we can build a
portfolio of interests targeting tourism
in the heritage sector.
Our future at Fishbourne Roman
Palace is about preserving our past
for future generations to enjoy, a
cliché maybe but none the less true.
With preserving and presenting this
heritage comes the challenge of
maintaining relevance. Our product
will never date but we must
continue to offer innovative ways of
interacting with our visitors. For that
reason we have decided to create
Research: X-ray ‘Season’!
The sun is shining, hay fever is
rife, everybody is outside, and
I am in the dark room! For the final
phase of practical work on the Iron
Age and Roman animal bones from
Fishbourne and Chichester I’m X-
radiographing jawbones to look
at tooth formation. Estimating the
ages of animals when they were
killed, such as sheep and cattle, has
always been one of the main aims
of zooarchaeological study. Usually
this is carried out by noting whether
the jaws still carry deciduous (milk)
teeth or whether permanent teeth
have erupted. We analyse the
wear on the surface of the tooth
to determine how many years their
owner had been ‘chewing the cud’
which suggests what herds were
kept for, such as meat and milk
(many young animals slaughtered),
or, in the case of sheep and goats,
for wool (more animals kept into
‘vintage’ years).
By X-raying mandibles I can
study the formation of teeth before
they erupt and also root development,
which is more reliable than
analysing tooth wear as it is not
affected as much by changes in
food availability or differences between
breeding populations. With
very young animals we can narrow
the age-at-death down to a few
months and learn about seasonal
killing patterns. For instance, did
people in rural farmsteads kill pigs
in autumn Were animals brought
into towns for markets at particular
new ventures in the business world
as well as maintaining those we
value so highly in heritage tourism
and academia.
The Collections Discovery Centre
boasts modern meeting facilities
which have been used to great
success by members of the local
business community as well as
our educational partners. Our new
Partnership Programme will help us
develop new channels across multiple
sectors; universities, schools
and colleges will continue to be offered
the highest quality education
and research opportunities, whilst
business partners will benefit from
the larger spend and longer stays
associated with the cultural tourism
visitor. These visitors are the
cornerstone of our operation and
we will constantly strive to offer the
highest presentation of the authentic
archaeology which constitutes
Fishbourne Roman Palace.
Pig jaw-bone 7-8 months.
Photo: Martyn Allen
times of the year Did elite groups
follow strict hunting seasons in
which to pursue deer Were animals
killed at religious sites in
seasonal festivals Through such
research questions we can learn
how these, possibly ritual, activities
might have been played out in the
landscape and whether they continued
or altered with the Roman
conquest. Ideally the results will allow
us to view the people who lived
here 2000 years ago, in a more precise
and personal way.
Martyn Allen
Archaeology
PAUL Wilkinson’s book Archaeology:
What it is, where it is, and how to
do it, was written ‘to be used by
newcomers to archaeology’. In
twelve straightforward chapters
beginning with documentary
sources and ending with a plea to
make sure that work is published,
he presents a comprehensive
account of the processes needed
for successful excavation of a site.
His main message is the need
for recording at every stage,
reinforced by four chapters on
recording methods including one
on skeletons. There are three
chapters on surveying techniques,
including a section on the use of a
plane table. These chapters are full
of terms such as ‘grid co-ordinates,
offsets, and triangulation’ which are
hard to grasp from simply reading a
book, but hand in hand with the kind
of practical training given by local
societies and Sussex University,
would soon become part of any
archaeologist’s vocabulary. The
other chapters are on small finds
and soil sampling.
Since the author is a leading light
of Kent Archaeological Field School,
most of his examples are taken
from that county. His observations
are clear and the illustrations, both
photographs and line drawings, are
sometimes beautiful and always
helpful (the one illustrating the main
types of brick bonding gave food
for thought to one five year old
making walls with his Lego, thus
proving the accessibility of this
book to a variety of readers!) It is a
welcome addition to the bookshelf
of anyone wishing to understand
the techniques of field archaeology
whether or not they are currently
practising.
Maria Gardiner
By Paul Wilkinson. Published by
Archaeopress 2007. ISBN 978-1-
905739-00-4. Paperback 103pp.
Price £9.99. Part of the review first
appeared in BHAS Newsletter.
Library News
Library access during developments
Members will be aware that major HLF-funded work will soon be
taking place at Lewes Castle and Barbican House. We do not
know exactly how the library will be affected, but it appears likely
that from when the work starts in October, until the end of 2008,
access to the library will be maintained (though members may have
to tolerate some noise from elsewhere in the building). From January
2009 until at least the end of March, members will not be able to
access the Library, though it is probable that email and telephone
enquiries will be maintained. It is possible that specific items could
be made available for consultation (perhaps at Bull House) by prior
arrangement. Visual material (photographs, prints etc.) will probably
not be available from October 2008 onwards, nor will most of the
maps.
More detailed information on closure should be available in the
December 2008 issue of Sussex Past & Present, and on the website
as soon as a timetable is available — so please check!
I list below some recent additions to the Library (all 2007 unless
otherwise stated):
ADAMS, Geoff W
BARNWELL, P S
Romano-British Tombstones between the 1st
and 3rd centuries AD. (BAR British Series 437).
Post Medieval Landscapes.
PALMER, Marilyn & Remembering the Dead in Anglo-Saxon
DEVLIN, Zoe England. (BAR British Series 446).
FLEMING, Andrew &
HINGLEY, Richard
GARDINER, Mark &
RIPPON, Stephen
KOCH, John T
LIDDIARD, Robert
RICKETTS, Annabel
Prehistoric and Roman landscapes.
Medieval landscapes.
An Atlas for Celtic Studies.
The Medieval Park.
The English Country House Chapel.
WILMOTT, Tony The Roman Amphitheatre in Britain (2008).
We are grateful to the following for their donations to the Library:
A Brook; J Funnell (BHAS); C Goodey (maps); M Hickman; P Platt;
R Pryce; J Sheppard.
Esme Evans
Hon Librarian
8 Sussex Past & Present August 2008
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present August 2008 9

Excavations
ARCHAEOLOGY ROUND-UP
HISTORY and LETTER
History
What’s Going on in Sussex
Round-up of archaeological work January to June 2008
The following gives brief details
of the more interesting sites
and discoveries. Summaries of
all archaeological work that I am
aware of, even if nothing was found,
have been placed on the research
web pages www.sussexpast.
co.uk. Fieldwork opportunities are
also highlighted (*) where known.
For information on particular sites
contact the responsible body
(abbreviated at the end of each
report), whose details are given
on the web-pages with the key to
abbreviations. Contact me on 01273
405733 or research@sussexpast.
co.uk if without web access.
Luke Barber
Research Officer
East Sussex
*Arlington: Roman ‘Small Town’ Last
year’s exciting discoveries included
further evidence of buildings alongside
Roman road and boundary ditches
containing large quantities of Roman
pottery. 2008 will investigate probable
bloomery furnace and wall feature in
roadside ditch. June 28–July 6. (ESCC
with BHAS, ENHAS + MSFAT). Contact
Greg Chuter Gregory.Chuter@
eastsussex.gov.uk.
*Ashburnham: Kitchenham Farm
Further excavations planned on Roman
(Classis Britannica) site, August 20–27.
Details: Kevin or Lynn Cornwell 01424
224405 or email haarg@hotmail.co.uk
and www.1066.net/HAARG Beginners
and experienced welcome. (HAARG).
*Barcombe, Pond Field/Culver Mead,
Culver Farm Further excavations
planned on Roman roadside settlement,
August 9 - September 13. Opportunities
in excavation, recording, survey,
geophysics and finds processing. No
experience necessary, training/help
given if needed, with small charge to
cover cost of facilities. Contact Rob
Wallace 07958971453 or WallaRh@
aol.com (Culver Farm, Church Road,
Barcombe, E Sussex BN8 5TR) (Rob
Wallace/Uni of Sussex).
*Barcombe Roman Villa This season
will examine probable bath house in
Church Field. Weekly/weekend courses
and volunteer positions available, July
14 to August 8. (CCE/MSFAT). (Details:
si-enquiries@sussex.ac.uk).
*Bishopstone Tidemills Fieldwork
resumed in May, working on
stationmaster’s cottage. Volunteers
welcome, contact Luke Barber
research@sussexpast.co.uk (SAS).
*Brighton: Rocky Clump More excavation
is planned for 2008. (BHAS).
*Brighton: Varley Halls Small-scale
excavations planned on this Bronze
Age settlement and a few volunteers
needed, July 12 - August 3. Contact
Lisa@prehistorygirl.freeserve.co.uk
(L. Gray/CCE with BHAS).
*Herstmonceux Castle Project New
project to survey Castle estate over the
next few years. Preservation of remains
should be good. (P. Whitehill with ISC).
Lewes House Residential Excavations
began June behind Lewes House with
four phases of open area excavation
now underway. Archaeology comprises
number of deep medieval pits. Work
continues into September. (ASE).
Lewes: Landport Bottom Concrete
pre-fabricated WW2 air-raid shelter on
new allotments. (BHAS/ESCC).
Ovingdean Work planned at site in
2008. (C. White/Uni of Sussex/ BHAS).
Peacehaven Continued excavation of
barrow threatened by coastal erosion
in 2008. Also survey and investigation
of surrounding landscape. (S. Birks/Uni
of Sussex with MSFAT & BHAS).
Sedlescombe: Park View Evaluation
revealed remains associated with
post-medieval tannery. (WA).
West Sussex
Angmering: St Margaret’s Church
Ongoing watching brief during demolition
and construction works revealed
numerous in situ human remains and
several brick tombs. (ASE).
Beedings, near Pulborough Nationally
important Early Upper Palaeolithic
site. Survey underway, funded by EH:
February 2008 first phase with field
walk to discover extent and date of
activity. Finds include high-status
Late-Iron Age material, Mesolithic and
Neolithic hunting equipment and some
surface Palaeolithic finds. Excavation of
fissures containing original Palaeolithic
finds produced Palaeolithic remains,
Beedings on a storm front.
Photo: M Pope
including Mousterian core and Upper
Palaeolithic projectile point fragments
directly from fissure fill. Are the hunters
who left behind technologically
advanced blade-tools really the last
Neanderthals in N Europe (Matt
Pope/UCL with WAS/ BHAS).
Bersted: Land at North Bersted First
stage of excavations revealed parts of
Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman field
systems, concentration of burnt flint
possibly Bronze Age, Iron Age four-post
structures, Romano-British enclosure
and shallow sunken Romano-British
structure (timber building). Work
continuing. (TVAS).
Bersted: Oldlands Farm Trial
archaeological excavation found
features of Middle Bronze Age and
Roman date (ditches and pits). Work
continues. (C A).
Chichester: Festival Theatre Work
uncovered ditches and pits containing
Romano British finds with probable
Roman cremation and section of
possible Roman roadside ditch. (ASE).
Chichester, Hunston: Land at
Kingsham Trial trench excavation
revealed several small foci of
archaeological remains, of Bronze Age,
Iron Age and Early Saxon date. (DAS).
Chichester: Eastgate/New Park Road
Evaluation uncovered Roman and
medieval pits outside walls, along Stane
Street in St Pancras suburb. (DAS).
*Parham House, Parham Park 5- year
project started to reveal and research
deserted medieval village. (WAS).
*Slinfold: Dedisham Manor
Volunteers sought for 5-year project
investigating manor and environs:
surveying, landscape, geophysics,
fieldwalking, hedgerow dating etc.
See: http://wasfu-man-dedishamhistory.blogspot.com/
(Richard P
Symonds/ WAS).
*Walberton: Blacksmiths Corner
Further excavation work at newly
discovered Roman villa. August 16–31
(WAS).
Westbourne: Chantry House
Evaluation located pit with fragments
of late Neolithic Mortlake style pot and
sherds from other vessels. (DAS)
Worthing: Sixth Form College Trial
trenches revealed features of Bronze
Age and Romano British periods
(ASE).
Reply from
Caroline Wells
MY April “opening lines” criticised
two types of action which deprive
heritage enthusiasts of wellprovenanced
and curated artefacts.
I had just had the privilege of
examining a gold stater minutes after
its discovery by a metal detectorist,
during an organised archaeological
field walk and detecting operation,
and I happily applaud those
detectorists who work responsibly
at all times.
Caroline Wells
See letter from Don Mountford p 8.
Gold ring discovered by metal detectorists, now
on display at Barbican House Museum. ESRO
History Round-up
Current projects in the County
The Pevsner City Guide to Brighton and Hove is due out in July
2008 and attention has now switched to the volume for East
Sussex. Nick Antram will be asking for volunteers.
The Sussex Record Society website includes a section for members,
with additional material which is not in their splendid series.
Richard Saville is working on a full set of the Collier letters. John
Collier was an eminent man of Hastings who acted as agent for the
Pelham family and whose family consulted Dr Russell of Lewes. The
doctor’s treatments alone are worth publishing! Anyone interested
should read ‘Russell on Seabathing’, as it became known in the libraries
in Brighton. You can go to Barbican House library during the
week and ask to read one of the copies in the Society’s special collection.
Valuable books are of course kept locked away.
The Leverhulme Foundation has funded a project led by Dr. Margaret
Pilkington about the Upper Ouse Valley. Dr Pilkington is accessible
via CCE at the University of Sussex.
An ‘open‘ website has been launched which should help many
researchers. Called British History On Line - and that gets you to
it from your web browser, it also has good links. Many of the older
volumes of the Victoria County History are going on line, including
some of the ones for Sussex: www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk does
the trick.
The University of Sussex Centre for Continuing Education has
closed the Landscape BA to first year students. The reason is lack
of recruitment so the course was not viable. More weekend events
and a summer school are amongst the plans. Weekly classes will
continue but at full cost for the subsidy has been withdrawn; classes
will also be bigger.
Sussex ‘strays’. Look out for articles about our county not published
in local journals, eg articles on: 18th Century Villas, on Firle
Place, and on the monument to Bishop Trevor at Glynde Church, all
in the Georgian Group Journal (vol 16, 2008); and on Pottery from
Roman villas in E Hants and W Sussex, in Hampshire Studies 2007,
both in the Library of the Society (thanks to Mrs H Glass for her
contribution). An article of French furniture at Uppark is included in
Furniture History vol 43, 2007.
Sue Berry
This column is intended for short notes about research and activities
related to the history of the county. Please send contributions to Sue
Berry at pat.sueberry@btopenworld.co.uk, or c/o Bull House.
10 Sussex Past & Present August 2008
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present August 2008 11

News
PRIEST HOUSE and LEWES CASTLE
WILLIAM OF CASSINGHAM
Feature
Priest House
Antony Smith reflects on the Centenary
Commemorative centenary apple tree-planting
at the Priest House in February. Photo: P Parker
This year sees the 100th
anniversary of the opening
of the Priest House Museum,
a timber-framed building in the
picturesque West Sussex village of
West Hoathly. Built by Lewes Priory
in the early 15th century the house
was modernised in Elizabethan
times to create a substantial
Yeoman farmer’s house. The house
was originally a medieval open
hall, with a living room and upper
chamber on the north end and a
service end with buttery, pantry and
solar to the south. Massive stone
chimneys and a central ceiling
were added and the thatched roof
replaced with heavy Horsham
stone tiles. Subsequent neglect by
a succession of absentee landlords
meant that by 1900 the house was
close to collapse.
In 1906 it was bought by John
Godwin King, who was determined
to rescue the building. The frame
was pulled approximately into
its original position with chains.
Decayed wood was replaced and
the old timbers strengthened with
metal ties. Some wattle and daub
panels survived but others had to
be renewed. The roof was repaired
and the stone slabs re-laid. Godwin
King filled the house with a collection
of local artefacts and items he had
gathered on his world tour and in
1908 he opened his museum to
the public. In September 1935 he
gave the house and its contents
to the Sussex Archaeological
Society, having sat on the Society’s
governing Council for many years.
Born into a wealthy Nonconformist
family in Walton on the Hill, Lancashire
in 1864, Godwin King followed
family tradition and studied
medicine at Cambridge, although
he never practised. His grandfather
had become wealthy by investing
in gas companies in the 1840s. In
1892 he went to Australia, having
travelled in the United States, Japan
and India. In Queensland he
fell in love with his cousin, Charlotte
Francis and they were married
in Brisbane Cathedral before
returning to England. In 1896 they
bought Stonelands, one mile from
West Hoathly.
Both Godwin and Charlotte were
ardent Liberals. Godwin’s brother,
Joseph, was the Liberal MP for North
Somerset and Godwin was elected
to the County Council in 1899 as an
Independent; in 1904 he was appointed
Alderman and served on
the council until his death. He sat
as a JP, attending Quarter Sessions
in Lewes and was chairman of East
Grinstead Petty Sessions. In 1942
he was awarded the CBE. Godwin
King died in his sleep in February
1948. Charlotte died four months
later, following a stroke. Their ashes
were placed in a grave in the woods
at Stonelands.
Throughout the 2008 season
there will be an exhibition of photographs,
documents and artefacts
illustrating the development of the
house over the last hundred years
and, hopefully, looking forward to
the next one hundred.
Lewes Castle
Developments
Since the last issue of SP&P
we have heard that English
Heritage has relaxed their insistence
on a lead roof for the Interpretation
Pavilion, which is a huge relief,
both financially and in terms of how
often lead roofs are currently going
missing. More great news came in
April when HLF approval confirmed
our grant. It is now full steam ahead
working with the Project Manager
and team.
Closure Dates
Contractors will probably move in
on Monday October 6. From that
date the Castle will close for six
months and large parts of Barbican
House will also be closed. We think
that for the first three months there
will be no access to the ground
floor or the Lewes Town Model,
while in January 2009 things will
switch around and only the two
ground floor galleries and possibly
the Town Model will be accessible.
From January to April work will be
going on throughout the rest of the
building and some staff will move
to Bull House or Anne of Cleves
House or work from home.
It seems likely that the Library will
be closed throughout this phase as
the building will be handed over to
the contractors and their health and
safety rules will apply. However, we
do hope that phone and email enquiries
will be answered. Those of
us left here will be clearing rooms
for work to take place then filling
those rooms with furniture etc from
elsewhere to make fresh spaces for
the workmen. It will, I suspect, be
a phase of well-organised chaos (if
such a thing exists).
We have solved the problem
of refurbishing the Lewes Town
Model: we have a member of staff
with all the necessary skills and a
great deal of ingenuity. Fred, our
Bench in Gun Garden.
Photo: S Hanna
maintenance man has duly agreed
to take charge of cleaning and
refurbishment, helped by James
Thatcher. This is a good solution
and Fred will liaise with the people
creating the new audio-visual show
over lighting the Model and other
matters.
Fund raising
We have raised £104,000 so
far, including a grant from an
organisation we can’t yet name!
Steamer Trading Cookshops, who
run the irresistible stores in Lewes
and Alfriston, have generously
offered to sponsor the kitchen for
the Education Resource Centre,
with £2000 in cash and equipment.
Lewes Castle Rotary Club
named our Appeal as one of the
beneficiaries of the Lewes Carnival
on June 14. We had a stand in the
showground to raise awareness of
the Appeal and our plans.
Would anyone like to buy a bench
(see above). The Castle benches
will be replaced and we are selling
off the (few) existing ones. Any offers
will be considered, and buyers
will need to collect in mid-late
September. Two benches have memorial
plaques on and I would like
to hear if anyone knows anything
about them, as the descendants
will get preference.
Sally White
Lewes Properties Manager
Hero of the Weald
The story of William of Cassingham
The French invasion of England
in 1216 is a relatively neglected
event in English history. Had
it succeeded, England’s ruling
dynasty, the Plantaganets, would
have been extinguished and the
country as thoroughly conquered
as it was by the Normans in 1066.
The invasion was led by Prince
Louis, son of the French King Philip
Augustus, who was invited over to
take the English crown by English
barons sick of the oppression of
King John (1199-1216). John did
not put up much of a fight, retreating
instead of opposing the French
landing, but others were prepared
to resist.
One of these was William of Cassingham
(now Kensham, between
Rolvendon and Sandhurst), a lowly
but pugnacious country squire. The
contemporary chronicler Roger of
Wendover reports William’s appearance
as the French army entered
the south-east conquering all in
their path: ‘A certain youth, William
by name, a fighter and a loyalist
who despised those who were not,
gathered a number of archers in
the forests and waste places, all of
them men of the region, and all the
time they attacked and disrupted
the enemy, and as a result of their
intense resistance many thousands
of Frenchmen were slain’. Under
the leadership of William, who assumed
the nickname of ‘Willikin of
the Weald’, they soon became a
terror to the invaders.
William and his band of volunteers
formed a core of stubborn resistance
to the otherwise triumphant
Prince Louis, ambushing French
troops and inflicting fatal casualties.
William’s efforts, along with
the heroic defence of Dover Castle
by Earl Hubert de Burgh, were the
only sparks of resistance against
the invasion in the south-east as
King John wandered the midlands
and south-west, desperately trying
to raise support. By October
1216 it seemed that Dover must
fall, which would leave nothing except
William’s band of guerrillas to
fight the French in the south-east.
It was doubtful they could resist
the invaders alone, but then King
John performed the best service
he could for his country: he died at
Newark, leaving his little son Henry
to succeed him as Henry III. English
fortunes now changed, as many
barons had no quarrel with Henry,
and early in 1217 Louis returned
to France for reinforcements. He
was obliged to fight his way to the
coast as the forests were swarming
with loyalists, and part of his army
was ambushed by William of Cassingham’s
band near Lewes. The
French were routed and the rest of
their army pursued to Winchelsea,
where only the arrival of a French
fleet rescued them from starvation.
Louis soon returned to England
with fresh troops, but again his
plans were spoiled by the efforts
of William. As the invasion fleet
approached Dover William’s men
attacked and burned the French
camp outside the castle, and in fear
Louis turned aside to land at Sandwich
instead. His cause was further
shattered by defeats at Lincoln in
May and the destruction of his fleet
in August, and he was forced to
sign a peace treaty at Lambeth and
return to France.
The war over, William of Cassingham
was rewarded with a pension
and made warden of the Weald. He
lived another forty years, until 1257,
a humble Kentish man but lauded
by the chronicler Holinshed as ‘O
Worthy man of English blood!’
David Pilling
12 Sussex Past & Present August 2008
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present August 2008 13

Books
BOOK REVIEWS
BOOK REVIEWS
Books
The Archaeology
of Kent
to AD 800
THE book provides a much-needed
overview of the archaeology of
Kent, particularly drawing on
the results of recent large-scale
developer-led fieldwork, such as
the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. After
brief chapters on the topographical
background of the county, and
an overview of the history of
archaeological work in Kent, the
substance of the publication is
formed by four main chapters
dealing with the Palaeolithic, the
Prehistoric, the Roman and the
early Anglo-Saxon periods.
First impressions of any product
are important, especially if you are
attempting to sell it. This book does
not disappoint; illustrations are numerous,
with many in colour, and
the Palaeolithic distribution map
(p 48-49), arguably the best of its
genre I have ever seen, is a delight.
The texts, by and large, try and live
up to the quality of the illustrations.
The chapter on the Palaeolithic is
a bit of an eye-opener; I, for one,
was completely unaware that Kent
had the highest number of Lower
and Middle Palaeolithic finds in
England. Like most archaeologists,
Francis Wenban-Smith is at his
most interesting when he speculates.
He is keen to talk up the cognitive
abilities of Archaic Humans.
Not every one will agree with him
(p 60) that making a hand-axe was
‘very similar to playing chess’; this
seems to elevate consciousness
at the expense of learned manual
dexterity. The fact that these early
humans were probably physically
larger than us, and existed apparently
without fire or clothing, explains
their probable subcutaneous
fat and thick furry pelts; meeting
one of them would have been a
chilling experience.
The picture of later prehistoric
Kent has been transformed by
some recent major discoveries.
Two isolated timber buildings might
have offered the first glimpses of
Neolithic dwellings in the county,
but we learn (p 75) that they probably
are best interpreted as communal
and ceremonial, rather than
domestic in character. Causewayed
enclosures have now finally been
found in Kent, with the recognition
of three certain and two probable
examples. I particularly liked the
one near Ramsgate in which the
inner ditches contained cremated
bone, the middle ditches flint
scrapers and arrowheads and the
outer ditches shells, pottery and
the remains of feasting. This kind of
discrete patterning of material culture
should provide a fertile base
on which to erect all manner of rich
and engaging interpretations.
Martin Millet is my kind of Romanist.
He sees the Roman state as
having only a minimal impact on
its back-of-beyond province; once
Britain was ‘acquired’ in AD43 as a
result of Claudian grandstanding,
the province provided an occasional
theatre for some later politicallyinspired
military exercises, but was
left to its own devices, as long as
it paid its taxes; what ‘Roman’ development
emerged after AD43
was essentially home-grown rather
than imposed from above (p 150).
Canterbury, for instance, does not
appear to have been affected by
AD43, and a street-grid, one of the
axiomatic signatures of Romanitas,
did not appear until early in the
second century.
Lastly the Anglo-Saxons make
their bow, courtesy of Martin
Welch. In contrast to the Roman
chapter, the author favours largescale
migration into the area from
the Continent (p 207). There is a
wealth of material here, and the
sheer quantity of description of
sites and material culture prevents
the exploration of some interesting
themes. For example there is
a clear frequency with which Anglo-Saxon
cemeteries are focused
on Bronze Age round-barrows, as
at Saltwood, near Folkestone, yet
space does not allow for even a
brief examination of the reasons
for this phenomenon. Deviancy
from cultural norms is always fascinating,
but we encounter too little
deviant behaviour in the archaeological
literature. I was intrigued
by the incidence of contemporary
grave robbing in early Anglo-Saxon
Kent, a practice virtually unknown
in the rest of Anglo-Saxon England
(p 223). Sometimes the text falls
victim to fetishistic archaeological
concerns – the one page typology
of brooches in early Anglo-Saxon
Kent left me numb - but one does
appreciate the dilemma of the author
faced with the richness of data
to marshal and present.
This is an important publication
milestone for the early history of
Kent. I know John Williams, finally
floating free from the management
millstone, intends further research
into early Kentish archaeology, and
we wish him well in his retirement
endeavours. Overall verdict: a seriously
good book, buy or borrow a
copy.
John Manley
Ed John H Williams. Published by The
Boydell Press and Kent County Council
2007. ISBN 978 0 85115 580 7. Paper
back, 228 pp, 168 figures. Price £25.
The Future of the
South Downs
FUTUROLOGY exerts an awful
lure even on historians. This book’s
title points in that direction, but
fortunately it turns out to be much
more about the past. At moments
though it bears out the old adage
that nothing seems more dated than
attempts to be up-to-date.
The ‘bright future’ to which many
of the authors look forward is confirmation
of the South Downs National
Park; but last summer, evidently as
the volume was going to press, the
Inspector’s interim report recommended
deletion of many places,
including much of ‘Western Weald’,
from the designated area. This can
get only a last-minute mention here,
as (elsewhere) does the important
NERC Act (2006); but the goal posts
have been moved. Other events
have overtaken the authors in the
last year: statistics on rural post-offices,
eg, are rendered meaningless
by the murderous assault on them
in recent months, while we read that
demand for oil could force up transport
costs ‘maybe in as little as 10
to 20 years’. In your dreams!
This volume is impressive: in a
couple of hundred pages it packs in
contributions from 15 authors, with
over 150 colour illustrations; its 14
chapters are divided into over 200
sections in the contents list. Every
facet of the landscape, its past and
present management, is surveyed
(nothing on Downland art, literature
or music, though). Not surprisingly,
old hands like Peter Brandon and
Tony Whitbread are outstandingly
fluent and lucid. Rendell Williams,
in ‘Rocks and Relief’, gives a most
scholarly investigation into ‘a key
part of Britain’s geological heritage’,
judiciously assessing the many
problems that are still unsolved and
giving strange snippets of information
(did you know the whole chalk
escarpment is moving south by at
least 5cm per century). The chalk
ridge, flints and all, is of entirely
organic origin — no ‘real’ rocks involved.
So if you wish you knew
your coccoliths from your copepods,
turn to p 16, and prepare to
have your mind stretched.
I have mixed feelings about the
archaeological chapter. It’s fine
for prehistorians, but from Roman
times on it gets a bit hurried: nothing,
eg, on the copious legacy of
Downland churches. Worst of all
is the perfunctory accompanying
map: it misplaces locations (most
obviously, Pulborough), and messes
up the known Roman road system.
Throughout the book maps are inadequate,
over-generalized and smallscale.
Luckily Brandon picks up on
archaeology later, with a short section
on churches (nevertheless with
minor errors: Buncton isn’t ‘singlecell’,
nor Greatham ‘two-cell’, nor is
the latter type always later). Brandon
makes the point that people’s
awareness of the Downs should be
based ‘not solely on sites, but on
selected whole landscapes’, to understand
occupancy over time.
So how vulnerable are the Downs
With AONB and, let’s hope, future
SDNP status, general awareness has
been raised; but commercial pressures
and unthinking political initiatives
won’t vanish overnight. ‘More
change has taken place in the last
50 years than in the previous 5000’
(Pat Leonard, ‘The Role of Agriculture’);
countless archaeological features
have been ploughed out in the
lifetime of many of us. Views matter,
and where distances are relatively
small, are specially at risk. What are
we to make of the proposal, from
a big Downland estate, backed by
serious money, to install a 25-year
landfill site, largest in Southern England
at the foot of the Chanctonbury
ridge You tell me!
Robin Milner-Gulland
Ed by Gerald Smart and Peter
Brandon. Published by Packard,
Chichester, 2007. ISBN 1-85341-
137-X. Paperback, 201 pp. Price
£35 (£25 from Barbican House
bookshop).
Ragged Lands
FIRST printed in a limited edition
in 2002, this many-layered story
of a pioneering College for Lady
Gardeners before and during WWI
is now available in expanded form.
The College was created by the Hon
Frances Wolseley, daughter of an
illustrious military father. Pampered
in childhood, as she moved to
maturity her parents rejected and
disinherited her. The enterprise
resulted largely from her attempt to
deal with their quixotic if mannered
brutality. She found generous
friends and sponsors; her Victorian
upbringing had given her the moral
high ground and an obligation to
public service; crucially though
she had a love of the practical and
spiritual elements of gardens and
gardening. What she had learnt from
the (male) gardeners at stately homes
throughout her youth, combined with
her own aesthetic sense to inform
a conviction that women made the
best supervising gardeners.
She developed a school to help
women (of the right class) learn the
business of professional gardening.
The creation of an Italianate garden
at Glynde near Lewes, where students
could gain practical experience,
provides the setting for a large
and eccentric cast. New material in
this edition includes extracts from
Frances Wolseley’s private diaries
that show a small community with
a ritualised regime of uniquely designed
ceremonies, uniforms, and
punishments. This evolved from a
mixture of military and nautical influences
although an attempt to include
men as students was shortlived;
having established the garden
to her satisfaction the predominant
struggle was with what Viscountess
Wolseley described as the “endless
vagaries of the female mind”.
Juliet Clarke
By Diana Crook. Published by Dale
House Press, Lewes 2008. ISBN
987 1 900 84105 4. Paperback.
Price £7.50.
14 Sussex Past & Present August 2008
www.sussexpast.co.uk www.romansinsussex.co.uk Sussex Past & Present August 2008 15

Snippets
16
Book Offer
THE new book on The Archaeology
of Fishbourne and Chichester
has just been published. Written
by a series of experts, it provides
the very latest information on the
archaeology of the Fishbourne
and Chichester areas, from the
remote Palaeolithic to the end of
the Medieval period. Uniquely,
each author then describes where
research needs to concentrate in
the future, and where the next big
discoveries and advances in our
knowledge are likely to occur. The
book comprises 179 pages, and lots
of full-colour illustrations. Exclusive
price to Sussex Archaeological
Society members of £12.00
including post and packing. This
offer is open until 30.09.08 (Retail
price will be £14.99 plus post and
packing). To purchase log onto
www.sussexpastshop.co.uk, or
telephone 01243-785859.
Worthing History
A local charity is looking for
volunteers to help on an exciting
history project. Guild Care, formerly
Worthing Council for Social Service,
celebrates its 75th anniversary this
year. The organisation has secured
Lottery funding to produce a social
history of Worthing, focused on the
charity’s activities since 1933.
Historian, Chris Hare, has been
appointed to manage the project
and to write the history and he is
looking for volunteers to help with
research. This involves researching
the Guild Care archive and making
notes; oral history interviews with
older residents; and transcribing the
recordings. Chris will provide training
for all volunteers. If you would
like to volunteer, or have memories
of Worthing during the last 75
years, call Chris at Methold House
on Worthing 528600, or email him
at chris.hare@guildcare.org.
Sussex Past & Present August 2008
Anthropology Course
JOHN Manley will be teaching a
course on Social Anthropology and
Archaeology on four Saturdays,
starting October 11 2008, at the
University of Sussex. The aim is to
illustrate how knowledge of other
cultures around the world, and
particularly their relationships with
their surroundings and material
culture (aka ‘stuff’), can illuminate
the ‘stuff’ that archaeologists dig
up. For instance, someone was
cremated and buried in a Roman
cemetery at Chichester; placed
with the ashes were eight bone
needles and a bronze needle, all
broken in antiquity and presumably,
by intentional fracture at the time
of burial. Anthropological studies
suggest that deliberate destruction
of stuff may represent ‘tie-breaking’
strategies to symbolize separation
between the mourners and the
deceased. Many examples in the
course will be drawn from the
Roman period in Sussex. Ultimately
this will lead participants to reevaluate
some of the contemporary
‘stuff’ that we surround ourselves
with today. To enrol telephone
01273 678527 – Course X9252.
English Heritage
APRIL SP&P (Noticeboard) carried
notice of a meeting to report on
geophysical methods used at
Ratham Mill, W Sussex, referring
to ‘repeated requests’ made to
English Heritage (EH) to investigate
this site, a Romano-Celtic temple
first discovered over forty years
ago. There was no intention to
imply lack of co-operation by EH,
and indeed this project was strongly
supported by the local EH Historic
Environment Field Advisor, the
landowner and his farm manager.
We would also like to acknowledge
the support given by the two part
time EH Historic Environment Field
Advisors in East and West Sussex,
to the Society, to many students and
to other archaeological societies.
Kent Courses
KENT Archaeological Society is
running two weekly lecture series
from September 22 2008 to April
2009, given by Dr Jacqueline
Bowers, part-time lecturer,
University of Kent and WEA on: ‘Life
in Elizabethan and Stuart England,
1558-1720’ (am) and ‘The History
of Kent from Hengist to Jack Cade,
450-1450’ (pm). Each course costs
£80; contact Joy Sage, KAS Library,
Maidstone Museum, St Faith’s St,
ME14 1LH, tel 01622 762924 or
email joysage@tesco.net.
Next Issue
THE next issue of Sussex Past
& Present will be published late
November 2008. Copy deadline is
September 29.
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, Sarah Hanna, at spp@
sussexpast.co.uk, or John Manley
on 01273 486260. Please note that
we require images with most contributions,
preferably in high quality
colour format. To submit digitally,
please use MS Word for text
and send images in JPEG or TIF
formats, at minimum resolution of
600dpi. Correspondence and details
of events should be sent to
Sarah Hanna, 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
2500 members, start at £100 (plus
minimum handling charge of £20).
Contact Lorna Gartside on 01273
405737 for details.
www.sussexpast.co.uk