Publications
The Excavation of the Church of St Nicholas, Angmering, 1974, by Owen Bedwin, published 1975 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 113, article, pp.16-34) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6177] & The Keep [LIB/500316] & S.A.S. library
Excavations 1974: Angmering, by O. Bedwin, published March 1975 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 15, article, p.65) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1975: Ardingly, by O. Bedwin, published October 1975 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 17, article, p.74) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1975: Saxonbury, Lewes, by O. Bedwin, published October 1975 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 17, article, p.74) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
The Excavation of Ardingly Fulling Mill and Forge 1975-6, by Owen Bedwin, published 1976 in The Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology (vol. 10, article, pp.34-64) View Online
Abstract:The remains of a sixteenth- and seventeenth-century forge, and an eighteenth-century fulling mill were excavated. The fulling and forging processes were both water-powered. Two water-channels were found, running approximately parallel, about 9 m. apart. The area between the two channels had been the centre of industrial activity on the site. The forge, of which little survived apart from the anvil base and some wooden foundations, had used wheels in both channels, driving the power-hammer and bellows for the hearths, respectively. Fulling, carried out in a simple T-shaped shed, required one wheel only. The site went out of use c.1750.
Review by C. F. T. [C. F. Tebbutt] in Wealden Iron Research Group Bulletin 11 1977:In 1973 the Mid-Sussex Water Co. gave notice of a plan, later approved, to flood the Shell Brook valley at the site of Ardingly Fulling Mill and Forge, and a rescue excavation was carried out by Dr Owen Bedwin of the Sussex Archaeological Field Unit in advance of the destruction of the site.
Documentary evidence in parish records first refers to the baptism of a child of Robert Potter 'fynar of the hammer' in 1571, and thereafter references go on until 1660. The 1574 list includes Ardingly Forge, as does that of 1664, but it seems to have ceased working by 1717. It seems likely that its source of pig iron was the nearby Strudgate Furnace.
The excavation was not a straightforward one as the fulling mill had been established on the same site, probably in the early 18th century, and was itself likely to have ceased working in the next century. It was clear however that for the forge there were two parallel water channels supplying power, one to the two hearths and one to the hammer, for which the timber (tree-trunk) anvil-base was found. The fulling mill required one channel only, and this had been partly reconstructed during its occupation of the site. Useful comparisons are made with the only other excavated wealden forge site, that at Chingley. (D. W. Crossley, The Bewl Valley Ironworks Kent, Royal Archaeological Institute Monograph (1975) ).
At Chingley one channel supplied power via different wheels for both hammer and chafery hearth, and the other for the finery. At Ardingly both hearths were operated from one channel and the hammer from the other. As at Chingley there was evidence of secondary working, and it appeared that artifacts such as scissors and knives were made at the forge.
The finds were surprisingly numerous, the waterlogged state of much of the site making it favourable for the preservation of leather, and many shoes and parts of shoes were recovered. Clay pipes were also abundant. These are now proving an important dating item in post-Medieval excavations.
Documentary evidence in parish records first refers to the baptism of a child of Robert Potter 'fynar of the hammer' in 1571, and thereafter references go on until 1660. The 1574 list includes Ardingly Forge, as does that of 1664, but it seems to have ceased working by 1717. It seems likely that its source of pig iron was the nearby Strudgate Furnace.
The excavation was not a straightforward one as the fulling mill had been established on the same site, probably in the early 18th century, and was itself likely to have ceased working in the next century. It was clear however that for the forge there were two parallel water channels supplying power, one to the two hearths and one to the hammer, for which the timber (tree-trunk) anvil-base was found. The fulling mill required one channel only, and this had been partly reconstructed during its occupation of the site. Useful comparisons are made with the only other excavated wealden forge site, that at Chingley. (D. W. Crossley, The Bewl Valley Ironworks Kent, Royal Archaeological Institute Monograph (1975) ).
At Chingley one channel supplied power via different wheels for both hammer and chafery hearth, and the other for the finery. At Ardingly both hearths were operated from one channel and the hammer from the other. As at Chingley there was evidence of secondary working, and it appeared that artifacts such as scissors and knives were made at the forge.
The finds were surprisingly numerous, the waterlogged state of much of the site making it favourable for the preservation of leather, and many shoes and parts of shoes were recovered. Clay pipes were also abundant. These are now proving an important dating item in post-Medieval excavations.
Excavations 1975: Ardingly, by O. Bedwin, published April 1976 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 18, article, p.80, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1975: Crowborough, Maynards Gate, by O. Bedwin, published April 1976 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 18, article, p.81, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1975: Lewes, Saxonbury, by O. Bedwin, published April 1976 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 18, article, p.81, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1976: Harting Beacon, Elsted, by O. Bedwin, published December 1976 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 20, article, p.97, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1976: North Bersted, Bognor Regis, by O. Bedwin, published December 1976 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 20, article, p.97, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1976: Old Erringham Farm, Upper Beeding, by O. Bedwin, published December 1976 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 20, article, p.97, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1976: Ranscombe Hill, South Malling, by O. Bedwin, published December 1976 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 20, article, p.97, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1977: Chanctonbury Ring, West Sussex, by Owen Bedwin, published December 1977 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 23, article, p.126, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations 1977: Harting Beacon, West Sussex, by Owen Bedwin, published December 1977 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 23, article, p.126, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
The Excavation of a Late Sixteenth/Early Seventeenth Century Gun Casting Furnace at Maynard's Gate, Crowborough, East Sussex, by Owen Bedwin, published 1978 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 116, article, pp.163-178) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7197] & The Keep [LIB/500313] & S.A.S. library
Review by C. F. T. [C. F. Tebbutt] in Wealden Iron Research Group: Bulletin 16 Spring 1979:This was a rescue dig, in advance of industrial development, by the Sussex Field Unit, ably undertaken by Dr Owen Bedwin. Although extensive robbing of stonework had taken place since the furnace was abandoned, and little of the furnace itself remained, other features of great interest were found and recorded before destruction. The carefully-contrived pattern of drains under the furnace was still intact, emphasising the importance of dryness in furnace working, and much of the wheel pit remained with its ashlar walls and timber base (rather surprisingly of chestnut).
Perhaps the find of greatest interest was the second Wealden gun casting pit to be excavated. This dated from 100 years earlier than the first to be found, in 1974 at Pippingford Furnace. At Pippingford the timber pit lining was intact and, short of partial destruction, it had been impossible to determine by excavation exactly how it had been constructed. At Maynards Gate, perhaps fortunately, all the upright timber staves had been robbed, leaving, down the sides of the pit, a regularly-spaced series of horizontal wooden hoops to which the missing perpendicular staves had been fastened. The laths forming the hoops had overlapping chamfered joints; these were nailed together in such a way that this could only have been done before they were placed in the pit. One may therefore surmise that the large barrel- like structure, 1.5 m. across and 3 m. deep, was built on the surface and lowered into the pit. Elaborate precautions, clay caulking, had been taken to make the pit watertight. Excellent photographs and drawings illustrate the finds.
The Maynards Gate excavation has added significantly to our knowledge of the Wealden gun-casting industry and we are grateful to, the Field Unit for undertaking it at short notice and in limited time.
Perhaps the find of greatest interest was the second Wealden gun casting pit to be excavated. This dated from 100 years earlier than the first to be found, in 1974 at Pippingford Furnace. At Pippingford the timber pit lining was intact and, short of partial destruction, it had been impossible to determine by excavation exactly how it had been constructed. At Maynards Gate, perhaps fortunately, all the upright timber staves had been robbed, leaving, down the sides of the pit, a regularly-spaced series of horizontal wooden hoops to which the missing perpendicular staves had been fastened. The laths forming the hoops had overlapping chamfered joints; these were nailed together in such a way that this could only have been done before they were placed in the pit. One may therefore surmise that the large barrel- like structure, 1.5 m. across and 3 m. deep, was built on the surface and lowered into the pit. Elaborate precautions, clay caulking, had been taken to make the pit watertight. Excellent photographs and drawings illustrate the finds.
The Maynards Gate excavation has added significantly to our knowledge of the Wealden gun-casting industry and we are grateful to, the Field Unit for undertaking it at short notice and in limited time.
Excavations inside Harting Beacon Hill-Fort, by Owen Bedwin, published 1978 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 116, article, pp.225-240) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7197] & The Keep [LIB/500313] & S.A.S. library
The Excavation of a Romano-British Site at Ranscombe Hill, South Malling, 1976, by Owen Bedwin, published 1978 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 116, article, pp.241-256) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7197] & The Keep [LIB/500313] & S.A.S. library
The Excavation of an Iron Age Settlement at North Bersted, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, by Owen Bedwin and M. W. Pitts, published 1978 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 116, article, pp.293-346) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7197] & The Keep [LIB/500313] & S.A.S. library
A Mesolithic Site at Hassocks Lodge, Hassocks, by Owen Bedwin, published 1978 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 116, shorter notice, p.393) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7197] & The Keep [LIB/500313] & S.A.S. library
Excavations 1978: Heathy Brow, Eastbourne, by Owen Bedwin, published December 1978 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 26, article, p.160, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
The Excavation of a Cross Dyke at Old Erringham Farm, Upper Beeding, West Sussex 1976, by Owen Bedwin, published 1979 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 117, article, pp.11-20) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7497] & The Keep [LIB/500312] & S.A.S. library
Excavations at Harting Beacon, West Sussex, Second Season, 1977, by Owen Bedwin, published 1979 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 117, article, pp.21-36) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7497] & The Keep [LIB/500312] & S.A.S. library
Excavations at South Street, West Tarring, 1978, by Owen Bedwin, published 1979 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 117, shorter notice, pp.234-237) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7497] & The Keep [LIB/500312] & S.A.S. library
Bronze Age Pottery from Cross Lane, Findon, West S, by Owen Bedwin, published 1979 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 117, shorter notice, p.254) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7497] & The Keep [LIB/500312] & S.A.S. library
Early Iron Age Pottery from Littlehampton, by Owen Bedwin, published 1979 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 117, shorter notice, pp.255-256) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7497] & The Keep [LIB/500312] & S.A.S. library
Excavations at Chanctonbury Ring, Wiston, West Sussex 1977, by Owen Bedwin and David Rudling, published 1980 (Stephen Austin & Sons) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
The Excavation of Batsford Mill, Warbleton, East Sussex, 1978, by Owen Bedwin, published 1980 in Medieval Archaeology (vol. 24, article, pp.187-201) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/508907] View Online
Neolithic and Iron Age Material from a Coastal Site at Chidham, West Sussex, 1978, by Owen Bedwin, published 1980 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 118, article, pp.153-170) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7805] & The Keep [LIB/500305] & S.A.S. library
Fishbones from Excavations at Tanyard Lane, Steyning 1977, by Owen Bedwin, published 1980 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 118, archaeological note, p.369) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7805] & The Keep [LIB/500305] & S.A.S. library
Excavation Report 1979: Bury Hill, Houghton, West Sussex, by Owen Bedwin, published April 1980 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 30, article, p.199, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavation Report 1979: Belle Tout, Eastbourne, East Sussex, by Owen Bedwin, published April 1980 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 30, article, p.199, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
The Belle Tout Shaft, by Owen Bedwin, published August 1980 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 31, article, p.211, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations at Chanctonbury Ring, Wiston, West Sussex 1977, by Owen Bedwin, David Rudling, Sue Hamilton, Peter Drewett and Karen Petzoldt, published November 1980 in Britannia (vol. 11, article, pp.173-222) View Online
Abstract:Chanctonbury Ring (NGR TQ 139 121) is one of the best known landmarks in Sussex. It consists of a clump of trees, mostly beech, but with occasional sycamore, situated on the very northern edge of the South Downs, about 8 km (5 miles) from the coast (FIG. I). The height above sea-level is 234 m (780 ft.), and the subsoil is Upper Chalk, though several local patches of Clay-with-flints were encountered during the excavation.
Excavations at Lancing Down, West Sussex 1980, by Owen Bedwin, published 1981 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 119, excavation report, pp.37-56) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7989] & The Keep [LIB/500306] & S.A.S. library
Excavations at the Trundle, 1980, by Owen Bedwin and F. G. Aldsworth, published 1981 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 119, archaeological note, pp.208-214) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7989] & The Keep [LIB/500306] & S.A.S. library
Sussex Coastal Plain Project, by Owen Bedwin, published August 1981 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 34, article, p.241, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavation Report 1980: Trundle, Singleton, by Owen Bedwin, published August 1981 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 34, article, p.242, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavation Report 1980: Belle Tout, Eastbourne, by Owen Bedwin, published August 1981 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 34, article, p.242, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavation Report 1980: Copse Farm, Oving, by Owen Bedwin, published August 1981 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 34, article, p.242, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavation Report 1980: Lancing Down, by Owen Bedwin, published August 1981 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 34, article, p.242, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Excavations at the Neolithic enclosure on Bury Hill, Houghton, West Sussex, 1979, by Owen Bedwin and others, published December 1981 in The Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (vol. 47, article, pp.69-86) View Online
Abstract:Summary. Excavations at Bury Hill dated a small, continuously-ditched enclosure to the early Neolithic. The interior of the enclosure, c. 1 ha in extent, was sampled by two trial cuttings, 9 m wide, running across the enclosure at right angles to one another. No Neolithic features were found. Sampling the ditch produced early Neolithic pottery, flintwork and animal bone. Though continuous, the ditch had a 'beaded' appearance, with a single entrance. No corresponding bank survived, though aerial photographs indicated its existence on the inside of the ditch.
Rescue Archaeology in Sussex, 1981, by Owen Bedwin, published 1982 (offprint, Institute of Archaeology, London) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9194]
Excavations at the Devil's Ditch, Boxgrove, W Sussex 1981, by Owen Bedwin, published 1982 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 120, excavation report, pp.37-44) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8620] & The Keep [LIB/500307] & S.A.S. library
Excavations at Ounces Barn, Boxgrove, West Sussex, by O. Bedwin, published 1983 in Bulletin of the London Institute of Archaeology (vol. 20, article, pp.83-87)
The Development of Prehistoric Settlement on the West Sussex Coastal Plain, by Owen Bedwin, published 1983 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 121, article, pp.31-44) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8902] & The Keep [LIB/500308] & S.A.S. library
Miss P. A. M. Keef's Excavations at Harting Beacon and nearby sites 1948 - 1952, by Owen Bedwin, published 1983 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 121, archaeological note, pp.199-202) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8902] & The Keep [LIB/500308] & S.A.S. library
Aspects of Iron Age settlement in Sussex, by Owen Bedwin, published 1984 in Aspects of the Iron Age in central southern Britain (vol. 2, article, p.46)
The Excavation of a Small Hilltop Enclosure on Court Hill, Singleton, West Sussex, 1982, by Owen Bedwin, published 1984 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 122, article, pp.3-12) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9140] & The Keep [LIB/500309] & S.A.S. library
The Excavation of the Eastern Terminal of the Devil's Ditch [Chichester Dykes], Boxgrove, West Sussex, 1982, by Owen Bedwin and Clive Orton, published 1984 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 122, article, pp.63-74) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9140] & The Keep [LIB/500309] & S.A.S. library
Excavations at Copse Farm Oving, West Sussex, by Owen Bedwin, Robin Holgate and others, published December 1985 in The Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (vol. 51, article, pp.215-245) View Online
Abstract:Two farmsteads, one of late Iron Age (second-first centuries BC) date and the other dating to the early Romano-British period (first-second centuries AD), were excavated at Copse Farm, Oving. The site is situated within the Chichester dykes on the Sussex/Hampshire Coastal Plain. The Iron Age farmstead produced pottery spanning 'saucepan' and 'Aylesford-Swarling' traditions, a transition in ceramic production which is poorly understood in Sussex. Information on the agricultural economy and small-scale industries (principally metalworking) practised at this site give an insight into the way the Coastal Plain was settled and exploited at the end of the first millennium BC.
Excavations at Seaford Head Camp, East Sussex, 1983, by Owen Bedwin, published 1986 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 124, article, pp.25-34) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9762] & The Keep [LIB/500311] & S.A.S. library
Prehistoric Earthworks on Halnaker Hill, West Sussex. Excavations 1981-1983, by Owen Bedwin, published 1992 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 130, article, pp.1-12) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11918] & The Keep [LIB/500289] & S.A.S. library
The Sixteenth-Century Forge at Blackwater Green, Worth, West Sussex. Excavations 1988, by Christopher Place and Owen Bedwin, published 1992 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 130, article, pp.147-163) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11918] & The Keep [LIB/500289] & S.A.S. library
Late Iron Age and Romano-British Occupation at Ounces Barn, Boxgrove, West Sussex; Excavations 1982 - 1983, by Owen Bedwin and Chris Place, published 1995 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 133, article, pp.45-102) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13209] & The Keep [LIB/500288] & S.A.S. library