Bevis was a giant of ancient times; whose prowess was equal to his size. He was able to wade the channel of the sea to the Isle of Wight, and frequently did it for his amusement.

 

Great, however, as Bevis was, he condescended to be warder at the gate of the earls of Arundel; who built this tower (the Bevis tower of Arundel Castle) for his reception, and supplied him with two hogsheads of beer every week, a whole ox, and a proportional quantity of bread and mustard. It is true the dimensions of the tower are only proportioned to a man of moderate size, but such an inconsistence is nothing when opposed to the traditions of a country. (William Gilpin, written in 1774)

 

Bevis rode about the countryside on a horse called Hirondelle, an animal of equally gigantic proportions. The romantically-inclined assert that the name Arundel is a corruption of Hirondelle.

 

There exists also a tenuous link between Bevis and the Sussex Coat of Arms. The hirondelle (French for swallow or martin) was featured on the Coat of Arms of the earls of Arundel and subsequently the design was adapted for the county. Today the bird is known as the Sussex Martlet.

 

 

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