History is the stuff we are made from, it is within all of us from whatever culture, country, religion or language we have or hold dear to us. It is not surprising that for many, history is a fascinating subject and one that will be written, filmed and talked about for as long as mankind survives.

 

On the page below you will find some of the more notable Sussex sites of historical value well worth a visit if you are to come to this fair county.

 

Archaeological sites

The following list, whilst not exhaustive, is representative of the rich selection of pre- Norman sites in Sussex. Map references comprising the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 sheet number and National Grill reference are given.

STONE AGE

The first settlement of Neolithic peoples in Sussex dates from about 3500 BC. Settlement was mainly confined to the Downs, where three types of monument can be found: causewayed enclosures, long barrows and flint mines.

Coombe Hill

(map reference OS 199 : TQ 575021). A neolithic causewayed enclosure north-east of Jevington village. The camp consists of two concentric ditches with internal banks and lies 600 feet (200 m) up on the Downs.

Hunters Burgh

(map reference OS 199 : TQ 550036). One of only twelve neolithic long barrows on the South Downs. It was built of chalk about 2500 to 1800 BC as a burial mound for the chiefs of local tribes and measures 190 by 75 feet (58 by 23 m). Another example can be found below the crest of nearby Windover Hill at map reference TQ 542033.

Cissbury Flint Mines

(map reference OS 198 : TQ 139080). An adequate supply of flint for tools and weapons was important to stone age man. The usual method of mining was to dig down through the chalk until the flint layer was reached and then drive radiating galleries along the seam of flint. Air supply limited the length of the galleries and when this limit was reached, or the seam ran out, another vertical shaft was sunk. Many mines have been identified on the Downs, but the most important site was at Cissbury, where more than two hundred mines have been discovered. They have all long since been filled in but are visible today as a series of shallow depressions. The site was second only to Grimes Graves in Norfolk as a centre for flint mining.

BRONZE AGE

The settlement of Sussex by the pastoral bronze age people started about 2000 BC. Many of their settlements were incorporated into later structures and it is almost certain that many of the so-called iron age camps are bronze age in origin. This era is notable for the transition from mass burial in the neolithic long barrows to individual burial in round barrows. These are very numerous on the Downs and over fifty can be seen in the vicinity of 'Firle Beacon' (map reference OS 198: TQ 485059). At 'Itford Hill' (map reference OS 198 TQ 435055) the relies of a bronze age field system and hamlet have been found. The hamlet contained thirteen circular timber-framed huts, and pottery finds indicate an occupation date of between 1000 and 750 BC.

IRON AGE

About 500 BC farming communities were expanding through Sussex, and land was becoming scarce. The new metal, Iron, was popular and being produced in the Weald. On the hilltops administrative and supply centres were constructed, with strong earthworks in case they were needed for defense. These are called hillforts.

Chanctonbury Ring

(map reference OS 198 : TQ 139121). The single bank of this fort is Probably the best known landmark in Sussex because of the ring of beech trees which follow the perimeter. These were planted in 1760 by Charles Goring, who lived at Wiston, an Elizabethan mansion at the foot of the Downs. Set 783 feet (240 m) up on the Downs, the distinctive outline can be seen from many miles around. Excavations in the interior In 1909 revealed the remains of a Romano-British temple dating to the first and second centuries AD. John Galsworthy, who lived at nearby Bury, set the famous love scene between Fleur and Jon in the Forsyte Saga here.

Cissbury Ring

(map reference OS 198 : TQ 139080). Two well defined ramparts, enclosing an area of over 60 acres (24 ha) make these the most impressive earthworks on the South Downs. The fort dates from the third century BC, but the defenses were renewed in the late Roman period as a protection against Saxon raids. Excavations have revealed that the inner rampart, which is chiefly constructed of chalk rubble, was secured in front by nine to twelve thousand timber posts about 15 feet (4.5 m) high. Within the perimeter of the camp are the remains of some two hundred neolithic flint mines, which are described under 'Stone age'.

Devil's Dyke

(map reference OS 198 : TQ 258111). This natural formation of a deep, dry valley is surmounted by a promontory fort consisting of a single rampart with an external ditch. There is a road up to the fort, from where there are magnificent views; there is also a pub, but in Victorian times there was a cable car across the valley and a funicular railway from Brighton!

Highdown Hill

(map reference OS 198 TQ: 093043). A single bank and ditch dating from about 500 BC enclose about 1..5 acres (0.6 ha). Traces of a second bank of unknown date can be seen on the south side. Excavations revealed the post-holes of an iron age hut, evidence of Romano-British occupation and a Saxon burial ground. The latter contained eighty-six skeletons and several glass drinking vessels. In 1587 the site was used for a beacon to warn of the Armada and in the Second World War was a radar station.

Long Man of Wilmington

(map reference OS 199: TQ 543035). This Figure of a man, holding a staff in each hand, is some 227 feet high and is cut into the turf below Windover Hill. The figure has been carefully designed so as not to appear foreshortened when viewed From below. Although the earliest reference to it is only From the eighteenth century, there is evidence that it may date from the first century BC.

Mount Caburn

(map reference OS 198 TQ 444089). The defensive ramparts of this hillfort are clearly defined; it occupies a splendid site overlooking the Ouse valley 1 to 1½ miles (l.6 to 2.4 km) from Lewes. Occupation of the site began in the early iron age and it was reoccupied during the Roman invasion of AD 43. Nearby are a number of clearly defined Field systems and the single rampart of Ranscombe Camp, which was probably a stock enclosure.

The Trundle

(map reference OS 197 SU 877111). Overlooking Chichester and the coastal plain, this is an octagonal-plan hillfort dating from about 250 BC:. The fort consists of a bank and ditch, with a lesser bank outside the ditch, and two of the original gateways. Within, and partly overlain by the ramparts, are the remains of a neolithic causewayed camp consisting of three concentric banks and ditches.

ROMAN PERIOD

Following the Roman invasion in AD 43, the leader of the Regni tribe of Sussex, Cogidubnus, became vassal king of Sussex. After subduing the other tribes, the Romans established their regional capital at Chichester, the only Roman town in Sussex, and built roads and villas. Apart from the working of iron in the eastern districts, settlement was still mainly to the west of Pevensey.

Bignor Roman Villa

Bignor, Pulborough RH20 1PH (map reference OS 197 : SU 988147). Telephone Sutton (079 87) 259. Here are the remains of one of the largest villas in Britain. Believed to date from the first century AD, the villa was of the courtyard type and enclosed an area of 4.5 acres (1.8 ha). The inner courtyard measures 250 by 144 feet (76 by 44 m) and the principal rooms of the north corridor contain some very fine mosaics. A recently discovered piece of mosaic, 80 feet long (24 m), is said to be the largest in Britain. The remains were first discovered in 1811.

Fishbourne Roman Palace

Salthill Road, Fishbourne, Chichester P019 3QR (map reference OS 197 : SU 840050). Telephone: Chichester (01243) 785859. Sussex Archaeological Society. The area around Fishbourne has long been known to have Roman connections, but only a few pieces of pottery had been found until 1960, when a workman uncovered part of the palace with an excavator whilst digging a ditch. Sussex Archaeological Society has extensively excavated and revealed the site of the largest Roman residence yet found in Britain. From its beginnings as a military base in AD 43, it developed into what was probably the palace of Cogidubnus; it was destroyed by fire in about 280. Raised walkways give a good view of the ground plan and mosaics, and the garden has been restored to the Roman plan, complete with typical plants of the period.

Pevensey Castle

Pevensey (map reference OS 199 : TQ 645048). Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission. This fortress, known as Anderida to the Romans, was built in the fourth century AD as part of the defenses against Saxon raiders. The walls, standing up to 30 feet (9 m) in places, enclose an area of about 10 acres (4 ha). Ten great bastions are spaced around the walls of the oval-shaped fort. Originally the sea covered what is now Pevensey marshes and surrounded the castle on three sides. After the withdrawal of the Roman garrison, the fort was captured in 491 by the South Saxons led by Aella and Cissa, who killed all the inhabitants. There are no records of subsequent occupation until the Norman invasion, when after the

Battle of Hastings a keep and bailey were built. In the thirteenth century an Impressive stone curtain wall and gatehouse were added to the keep, but from then on, as the sea was pushed back by land reclamation, the military importance of the castle declined. The fort was briefly reoccupied, and new fortifications added, during the Armada scare in Tudor times and again during the Second World War. The castle now stands over 2 miles (3 km) from the coast.

Roman Road

Holtye Common (map reference OS 188 : TQ 463385). This well preserved section of the London to Lewes road was excavated by I. D. Margary in 1939 and presented by him to the Sussex Archaeological Society The road varies in width from 14 to 20 Feet (4 to 6 m) and was built in the second century AD. Iron slag was used for the surface and it has rusted into a solid mass. The road may be reached by a footpath to the east of the White Horse inn on the A264.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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