The records of the castle are scanty and as the castle never took part in any major defensive roles, it's history was not one that would attract the pens of the scribes. After the Baron's War's of the 1200's, the castle slipped into quiet obscurity.

 

During the Peasants' Revolt in 1381 the castle was broken into by the local people who

 

'broke his closes and his gates, doors and windows of his castle there, threw down his buildings, consumed and destroyed ten casks of wine, value £100, and burned his rolls, rentals and other muniments.'

 

See the Mount Harry page to read about the battle that took place there.

 

The castle slowly lost its original military and administrative functions from the 15th century onwards, but was used occasionally as a gaol or for local celebrations as at the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 where guns were fired and great meriment was taken. During further years the neglect of the castle increased and wagonloads of flints were sold for buildings in the town and its ruination continued until 1732, when the keep was granted to a mercer, Thomas Friend, who lived at Barbican House. Under his supervision the decay was halted and much of the repairs and alterations which are seen today are down to him and his family.

 

In 1838 it was sold to Thomas Read Kemp, a well known local MP. Then the recently formed Sussex Archaeological Society became the tenants of Lewes castle. Repairs began to the castle helped by contributions from the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway who dug a tunnel under the barbican in 1846 for Lewes to London trains which is still in use today.

 

The castle was bought from the descendants of its feudal lords, and presented to the society in 1921 by Charles Thomas-Stanford, to be held in trust for the nation. Major digs have been conducted in the castle grounds and interesting artifacts have been unearthed pointing to the way of life within the castle walls.

       

The railings above were cast in Sussex foundries and made for St. Paul's in London. Most of the railings now rest on the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean after being lost on their way to Canada. A few eventually made it to a Toronto park.

 

The stocks and whipping post on the upper right came from Little Horsted and have been frequently restored leaving little of the original materials. These sort of stocks were common throughout England and were usually found on the village greens where the person sentenced to the stocks suffered verbal and physical abuse from the villagers.

The cannon in the Gun Garden, from where it take's its name has been resident at the castle since 1858, moved to its present site in 1923. The cannon is a smooth-bored cast-iron siege piece weighing two tons, which fired a solid iron ball of some 26 pounds in weight. It was probably captured in the Crimean War after the siege of Sevastopol, and it bears the arms of Imperial Russia on the barrel. It was presented to the town by the Secretary of State for War, Lord Panmure in recognition of the time when 300 Finnish

and Russian prisoners of war came here after their capture at the siege of Bomarsund in 1854. They were billeted throughout the town and became part of the social scene, even paying calls and receiving presents. They were allowed home in 1856 and were escorted to the railway station accompianied by the town band.

 

 

 

Photographs of the views from the roof of the keep are on the Lewes castle navigation bar. Each will load in a seperate window

 

 

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