Bibliography - S.A.C. 2005 (vol. 143)
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Sussex Archaeological Collections: Relating to the history and antiquities of East and West Sussex, published 2005 (vol. 143, Sussex Archæological Society) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Beaker occupation and development of the downland landscape at Ashcombe Bottom, near Lewes, East Sussex, by Michael J. Allen, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.7-33) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Research excavations were conducted of colluvium in the dry valley of Ashcombe Bottom to the west of Lewes. Colluvial deposits in the centre of the valley were only 1.5 m thick but contained a buried soil on which was a series of parallel ard marks, which were confirmed by soil micromorphological analysis and indicated prehistoric tillage. The colluvium contained a number of sherds of Beaker pottery and at least 26 Beaker vessels were represented, indicating a settlement site rather than a funerary monument.
Environmental analysis of the sediment provides a broad history of the landscape from the Neolithic period to Middle Bronze Age and spans the construction and disuse of the causewayed enclosure at Offham, and the activity associated with the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age flint scatters recorded in the Houndean-Ashcombe area.
The results of this research excavation provide settlement and environmental data which enhance our understanding of the Early Bronze Age prehistoric occupation and use of the Sussex Downs.

Beaker and Early Bronze Age activity, and a possible Beaker valley entrenchment, in Cuckoo Bottom, near Lewes, East Sussex, by Michael J. Allen, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.35-45) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Speculative examination of a series of trees and shrubs uprooted by the 'Great Storm' in 1987 at Cuckoo Bottom, at the head of the Houndean Bottom dry valley, revealed prehistoric features and colluvium. A number of Beaker and Early Bronze Age sherds were recovered from the colluvium and from a ditch thought to be a part of the valley entrenchment. The combination of careful examination, recovery of artefacts and land-snail analysis recorded a Beaker occupation site akin to that in Ashcombe Bottom buried under hill wash. Further evidence for Beaker valley entrenchment is suggested.

Excavation of a Late Bronze Age enclosure site at Gatwick Airport, 2001, by Nicholas A. Wells, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.47-69) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

In the summer of 2001, Framework Archaeology was commissioned to undertake a programme of archaeological investigations in advance of car park development in the North-West Zone of Gatwick Airport. The investigations culminated in the excavation of a partially enclosed Late Bronze Age settlement lying on the edge of the River Mole floodplain. Pollen, plant and insect remains indicated that the settlement occupied an area of previously cleared forest and woodland. An open landscape of grassland floodplain with scattered clumps of trees provided browsing and grazing for domestic animals. We can suggest that tillage occurred on the higher ground beyond the floodplain. The settlement developed and the landscape was cleared for pasture. The floodplain became drier, possibly because of modification and management of the watercourses and the increasing intensity in land-use. The excavation has demonstrated the archaeological and palaeo-environmental potential of the Mole Valley as it cuts through the Weald.

Bronze Age and Iron Age occupation at Chichester Road, Selsey, West Sussex, by Stephen Hammond and Steve Preston, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.71-82) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Excavation in advance of a housing development revealed traces of Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement and landscape features, exhibiting continuity of layout across the two phases. Boundary ditches defined land divisions, all apparently part of a single system extending at least 350 m along a terrace edge. Clustering close to these boundaries, isolated pits characterized the two northern areas of the site, while the southern area was occupied by structures and a dense concentration of pits of both periods. The only evidence of ritual activity was a tiny secondary deposit of cremation pyre debris in a ditch fill. The chronology is not particularly clear, but it is possible that both phases fall into the transition from Bronze Age to Iron Age, in the 8th century BC.

Understanding Iron Age Norton, by Mike Seager Thomas, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.83-115) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Excavations by the Society at Norton in Bishopstone, East Sussex, revealed a pit complex, a working hollow, a grave, a stove filled with burnt stones, a midden and a horizontal terrace of Middle Iron Age (MIA) date. The evidence suggests, in addition, that a non post-built house may have been located within the area of the excavation. Traces of Late Iron Age (LIA) activity were also found. Among the finds made were two chronologically sequential groups of saucepan pottery, a potin coin (from a MIA context), a sherd of Campanian amphora, and an assemblage of non-local stone. By adding to our knowledge of the form and chronology of the Sussex Iron Age, the understanding of Iron Age Norton that these discoveries make possible clarifies the county's relationship to the period outside Sussex - and to other periods within it - and in so doing develops our knowledge of the period as a whole.

Remembering 'Round-the-Down': topographical perspectives on early settlement and land-use at Southerham, near Lewes, by Gail Vines and Francis Price, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.117-134) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Archaeological and documentary evidence, taken together, suggests the enduring significance of a subtle downland feature on the steep southern slope of the Malling-Caburn Downs. Named 'Round-the-Down' on the 1873 Ordnance Survey map, this small rounded hill is one of the few local landforms still noted by today's cartographers. The site of an Early-Bronze-Age barrow constructed alongside prehistoric fields, it retained a distinct identity well beyond prehistoric times. Within the settlement of Southerham, throughout the rise and fall of a peasant community, it became the focal point of a common field and a network of trackways, traces of which remain today. Thus the barrow and its hill may have helped to define a landscape that remained in cultivation over four millennia.

The Roman roads of the Portslade/Aldrington area in relation to a possible Roman port at Copperas Gap, by Glen Shields, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.135-149) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

From a re-examination of the possible courses of the London to Brighton Roman road through the South Downs it is concluded that it passed to Copperas Gap, on the Portslade/Aldrington coast. Other proposed Roman roads of the Portslade/Aldrington area are also found to have probably ended there. The existence of a Roman port at Copperas Gap is therefore suggested, and some evidence in support of this is presented, from the pattern of Roman remains about the Gap, and the apparent significance of the locality in Saxon times. The region's Roman roads generally are discussed in the light of the port's existence. The question of whether the area might be important for the Saxon conquest of Sussex is raised. Copperas Gap was also found to be the probable site of the recent lost maritime centre of West Aldrington, and a brief account of this is given, including the observation that it could be the place from which Charles II sailed in his escape to France in 1651.

Roman and Medieval remains in Middleton-on-Sea, West Sussex: excavations at Nalgo Lodge, 2000, by Neil Griffin, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.151-172) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Rescue excavations by Archaeology South-East (University College London Field Archaeology Unit) revealed evidence of parts of a Romano-British and medieval ditched field system, medieval smithing slag and traces of a possible building made of flint with a tiled roof. Roman activity falls within a broad date range between the mid- 1st and 4th centuries AD. Medieval pottery suggests a focus of activity in the late 13th-14th centuries, although some continuation into the early 15th century is also indicated. The presence of worked and burnt flint at the site, in addition to a solitary Middle to Late Bronze Age feature, suggests prehistoric activity in the vicinity. A single, poorly preserved Anglo-Saxon grave, carbon dated to cal. AD 680-890, with an east-west orientation, was also located.

Refining the biography of a marketplace tenement: a recent excavation and archaeological interpretive survey at 'The Marlipins', Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, by Gabor Thomas, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.173-204) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

In advance of its recent redevelopment, The Marlipins - New Shoreham's sole remaining known medieval vernacular building and a local museum since the 1920s - was subjected to a programme of archaeological survey and recording which has shed new light on its constructional history. Emphasis is placed on integrating new details relating to the earliest (12th-century) phase of the building, including the tree-ring dates returned by the heavy timber joists spanning the ground floor, which must now have a strong claim to be the earliest in-situ survivals of domestic structural timber-work in Sussex, and the buried foundations for a previously unknown north wall incorporating a rectangular stone-lined pit - interpreted as the subterranean remnant of a first-floor garderobe. In addition to refining the chronology of its constituent phases, the opportunity is taken to reassess the likely function of the building as originally intended. A wider archaeological context for the historic range was provided by the results of an adjoining excavation which uncovered the footings for a medieval timber building or buildings, a group of medieval and post-medieval pits and foundations for 18th- and 19th-century workshops and sheds. Finds from this sequence included the first closely-dated assemblages of post-medieval pottery and glass to have been recovered from the town.

The Washington Estate: new evidence on an ancient boundary, by Robin Milner-Gulland, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.205-214) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Although historical evidence for the Anglo-Saxon estate boundary at Washington has been discussed in the past, there has been little on-the-ground investigation to find any physical evidence of its actual route across the landscape. Examination of the boundary's probable course has discovered several sections of earthwork bank, and these are discussed in relation to the historical sources.

Foxed by Fox Hall, by Rosemary Baird, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.215-238) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

This article seeks to establish the origins of two early-18th-century buildings in the village of Charlton, West Sussex. These are the 'Great Room' or 'Dome' (the first Fox Hall), which no longer stands, and the Duke of Richmond's hunting-lodge (the second Fox Hall), which survives.
The paper is a development on a short article published in Country Life on 17 January 2002. That article sought to place the hunting-lodge in context, and to attribute it to the architect Roger Morris. The article presented here additionally surveys all known details of the Great Room, or first Fox Hall, an early exercise by the great scholar-patron Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington. It also investigates the question of its location. Both buildings are looked at within the context of the early history of hunting, of the patronage of the first two Dukes of Richmond, and of the Palladian movement in architecture.
Use is made of the unpublished notes prepared by the late Charlotte Haslam for the Landmark Trust, together with a fresh look at maps in the West Sussex Record Office, some of which have been redated. This article thus draws together all previous discussion about the two buildings, combining with new information to give the fullest history possible, and the first clear picture of how the two buildings related to each other.

Stanmer House and Park, East Sussex: the evolution of a small downland country house and its setting c.1710-1805, by Sue Berry, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.239-255) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

The Pelhams of Stanmer redeveloped the site of an earlier house into a fashionable Georgian country villa and then developed a substantial park to surround it. By 1800, the ambitions of Thomas Pelham II and Ann (née Frankland) his wife had pushed the family into debt. The main part of the 1720s house, the 1770s stables and lodges of the 1770s survive, so does the outline of some of the planting by the Georgian Pelhams. This is a study of the development of the house and grounds by the Pelham family set into the broader context of their wider ambitions and their expenditure in order to meet them.

The role of soldiers in the origins of Wesleyan Methodism in Brighton and other towns on the Sussex Coast, by Michael R. Hickman, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.257-266) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Methodism spread in England fairly unevenly and by different means. The most common ways in which Methodist societies began were through the journeys of the Wesleys, the preaching of their assistants and the arrival into an area of Methodist families who brought their faith with them. Methodism in the coastal towns of Sussex had a very unusual origin in that it was Methodists in the army who were the main or contributory founders of Methodist societies along the coast from Chichester to Bexhill and at towns like Lewes. This article looks at the role of soldiers, especially those in the Militia, in establishing and sustaining these Methodist societies, focusing on their role in Brighton. It shows that it was not until the legal changes in 1803, which allowed Methodists and others to worship freely on Sundays, that Methodist soldiers could found or support Methodist societies on such a scale.

A stone head at Kingston-near-Lewes, by Janet Pennington and Margaret Thorburn, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, shorter article, p.267) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

The excavation of a Later Saxon privy at Norton in East Sussex, by Mike Seager Thomas, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.267-269) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online

A Moated Site at Warren Farm, Hadlow Down, East Sussex, TQ.518225, by Gregory Chuter, published 2005 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 143, article, pp.269-272) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15610] & The Keep [LIB/500361] & S.A.S. library   View Online