Bibliography - Military: pre WWI
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A true relation of the rising of the Club-men in Sussex: As it was related to William Lenthall Esq; Speaker to the Honorable House of Commons, by an eye-witnesse of the same. Published by authority, by William Lenthall, published 1646 (John Field) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 4206] & West Sussex Libraries

Military History, by Thomas Walker Horsfield, published 1835 in The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex (vol. I, chapter IV section I, article, pp.79-83) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2396][Lib 3211] & The Keep [LIB/507380][Lib/500087] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The Barons' War: including the Battles Lewes and Evesham, by William Henry Blaauw, M.A., published 1844 (329 pp., London: Bell and Dald, Nichols & Son) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8329] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

On the Battle of Hastings, by Mark Antony Lower, M.A., F.S.A., published 1853 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 6, article, pp.15-40) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2091] & The Keep [LIB/500225] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Inquests concerning the Rebels of Sussex, after the Barons' War, by W. H. Blaauw, M.A., F.S.A., published 1853 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 6, article, pp.215-222) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2091] & The Keep [LIB/500225] & S.A.S. library   View Online

The Defence of Sussex and the South Coast of England from Invasion, considered by Queen Elizabeth's Privy Councillors, AD 1596, by W. H. Blaauw, M.A., F.S.A., published 1859 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 11, article, pp.147-170) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2096] & The Keep [LIB/500230] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Nyland and Hilland in Balcombe - Military Tenures, by John Peter Fearon, published 1860 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 12, article, pp.140-158) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2097] & The Keep [LIB/500231] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Troops in Sussex at the close of the Commonwealth, by Unknown Author(s), published 1860 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 12, notes & queries, p.260) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2097] & The Keep [LIB/500231] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Royal Licenses to Fortify Towns and Houses, in Sussex, by W. H. Blaauw, M.A., F.S.A., published 1861 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 13, article, pp.104-117) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2098] & The Keep [LIB/500232] & S.A.S. library   View Online

A Survey of the Coast of Sussex: Made in 1587, With a view to its defence against Foreign Invasion, and especially against the Spanish Armada, edited by Mark Antony Lower, M.A., published 1870 (7 pp. + 11 plates, Lewes: W. E. Baxter) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 3596][Lib 3307] & The Keep [LIB/504733] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Notices of Early Helmets, preserved in the Armoury at Parham Park, Sussex, by Lord Zouche, published 1871 in The Archaeological Journal (vol. 28, article, pp.203-209)   View Online

Further Traces, on the South Downs, of the Winter Campaign of the Civil War of 1643, by Henry D. Gordon, published 1878 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 28, article, pp.97-113) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2113] & The Keep [LIB/500246] & S.A.S. library   View Online

The Battle of Lewes, by Rev. W. R. W. Stephens, M.A., published 1884 in The Archaeological Journal (vol. 41, article, pp.189-202)   View Online

Anient Sussex Fortresses, by T. Morgan, F.S.A., published June 1886 in Journal of the British Archaeological Association (first series, vol 42, issue 2, article, pp.159-172)   View Online

Naval Engagement off the Coast of Sussex in 1350, by C. L. Prince, published 1894 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 39, notes & queries, pp.218-219) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2124] & The Keep [LIB/500257] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Sea Fight Off Winchelsea in 1350, by The Editor, published 1902 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 45, notes & queries, pp.217-218) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2130] & The Keep [LIB/500263] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Drake's Advice in 1587, by F. H. Arnold, F.S.A., published 1906 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 49, notes & queries, p.169) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2134] & The Keep [LIB/500267] & S.A.S. library   View Online

De Montfort's Squire: A Story of the Battle of Lewes, by Frederick Harrison, published 1909 (S. P. C. K.) accessible at: & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

A supposed Battlefield near Eastbourne, by W. Strickland, published 1909 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 52, notes & queries, p.192) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2137] & The Keep [LIB/500270] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Sussex in the Great Civil War and the Interregnum, by Charles Thomas-Stanford, published 1910 (xxiii + 354 pp., London: Chiswick Press) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8301] & The Keep [LIB/500155] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries   View Online

Territorial Force Association for the County of Sussex, published 1912 accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5395]

Territorial Force Association for the County of Sussex, published 1912 (pamphlet, Territorial Force Association) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5395]

Prégent de Bidoux's Raid in Sussex in 1514 and the Cotton MS. Augustus I (i), 18, by Alfred Anscombe, published 1914 in Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (vol. 8, article, pp.103-111) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 5129]

The Sussex Musters of 1618, by C. Thomas-Stanford, M.P., F.S.A., published 1918 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 59, article, pp.116-125) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2144] & The Keep [LIB/500277] & S.A.S. library   View Online

Beacons and Watch 1546 , by S.N.Q. contributor, published November 1926 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. I no. 4, note, pp.116-118) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8950] & The Keep [LIB/500203] & S.A.S. library

How Sussex prepared for the Armada, by S.C.M. Contributor(s), published 1928 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. II no. 4, article, pp.142-145) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9327] & The Keep [LIB/500138]

The Battle of Beachy Head, by Arthur Beckett, published 1929 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. III no. 6, article, pp.378-396) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2307] & The Keep [LIB/500139]

Guns bought for Eastbourne, 1550, by W. B. [W. Budgen], published February 1929 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. II no. 5, note, pp.146-147) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8951] & The Keep [LIB/500204] & S.A.S. library

Alfriston Vicar's Sons Pressed as Soldiers, by S.N.Q. contributor, published May 1929 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. II no. 6, note, pp.183-186) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8951] & The Keep [LIB/500204] & S.A.S. library

The Sussex Coast and Edward III's wars, by Rev. E. H. Rudkin, M.A., B.D., rector of Ninfield, published 1930 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. IV no. 2, article, pp.115-119) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2308][Lib 2309] & The Keep [LIB/500172]

Prisoners in the Civil War, by S.N.Q. Contributor, published August 1930 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. III no. 3, note, pp.91-92) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8952][Lib 8221] & The Keep [LIB/500205] & S.A.S. library

The Sussex Coast and Edward III's wars, by Rev. E. H. Rudkin, M.A., B.D., rector of Ninfield, published 1931 (reprinted from the Sussex County Magazine, 20 pp., Eastbourne: T. R. Beckett) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506126] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

This little pamphlet which first appeared in the Sussex County Magazine, has been republished by the author, the Rector of Ninfield, as a contribution to the history of the Hundred of Ninfield and the neighbouring part of the Sussex Coast. Any study of a special point is always valuable and we hope that the writer will be rewarded for his patient research.

The Story of the Royal Sussex Regiment. I - Early History, by S.C.M. Contributor(s), published 1931 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. V no. 3, article, pp.184-190) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2310] & The Keep [LIB/500174]

Two Sussex Men at Minden [Lord George Sackville and Thomas Spencer Wilson], by Arthur Beckett, published 1931 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. V no. 8, article, pp.517-523) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2310] & The Keep [LIB/500174]

Sussex Men at Waterloo, by Edward Shoosmith, published 1932 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. VI no. 6, article, pp.385-386) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9325] & The Keep [LIB/500175]

The Selsey Artillery Volunteers , by Major H. G. Parkyn, C.B.E., F.S.A., published May 1933 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. IV no. 6, article, pp.165-167) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2203][Lib 8222][Lib 8861] & The Keep [LIB/500206] & S.A.S. library

Sussex Provisions for the Siege of Calais in 1346, by R. A. Pelham, M.A., published May 1934 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. V no. 2, article, pp.33-34) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2204][Lib 8223][Lib 8862] & The Keep [LIB/500207] & S.A.S. library

Prégent's Raids on Sussex, by Henry Bateson, published May 1934 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. V no. 2, query, p.62) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2204][Lib 8223][Lib 8862] & The Keep [LIB/500207] & S.A.S. library

William the Marshall, Earl of Striguil and Pembroke, by Laurence F. Field, published August 1934 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. V no. 3, article, pp.74-75) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2204][Lib 8223][Lib 8862] & The Keep [LIB/500207] & S.A.S. library

The Battle of Winchelsea. I - England Prepares, by John Cammidge, published 1935 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. IX no. 8, article, pp.476-479) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9330] & The Keep [LIB/500180]

The Battle of Winchelsea. II - England Strikes, by John Cammidge, published 1935 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. IX no. 9, article, pp.551-555) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9330] & The Keep [LIB/500180]

How Sussex Celebrated Trafalgar: Contemporary Accounts of Rejoicing, by S.C.M. Contributor(s), published 1935 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. IX no. 10, article, pp.632-633) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9330] & The Keep [LIB/500180]

A Paladin of Arabia [Colonel Leachman of the Royal Sussex], by Major N. E. Bray, published 1936 (Unicorn Press)

Sussex Veterans of the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny, by A. J. Waterfield, published 1936 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. X no. 1, article, pp.28-30) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2315][Lib 9331] & The Keep [LIB/500181]

A Medal of the Rye Volunteers, 1794, by J. B. Caldecott, F.S.A., published 1937 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. XI no. 5, article, pp.288-289) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2316][Lib 9332] & The Keep [LIB/500182]

Militarism at Horsham: The Napoleonic Wars, by William Albery, published 1938 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. XII no. 1, article, pp.37-43; no. 2, pp.126-130; no. 3, pp.175-178) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2317] & The Keep [LIB/500183]

Modern Siting of Horsham Barracks, by S. E. Winbolt, published 1938 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. XII no. 4, article, pp.234-237) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2317] & The Keep [LIB/500183]

The Artillery Tradition: Historic Importance of Sussex Guns, by S.C.M. Contributor(s), published 1938 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. XII no. 11, article, pp.740-750) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2317] & The Keep [LIB/500183]

70th Sussex Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery, published 1939 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2997]

Sussex Volunteers, by L. F. Salzman, M.A., F.S.A., published August 1948 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XII no. 3, article, pp.53-54) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8230] & The Keep [LIB/500214] & S.A.S. library

The Rebellion of Jack Cade 1450, by Helen M. Lyle, published 1950 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11511][Lib 11512]

The Story of the Rye Volunteers, by Leopold A. Vidler, published 1954 (85 pp., Rye: Stone House) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/501721] & East Sussex Libraries

The author needs no introduction to our Society. He corrected the proofs of this work the day before he was taken to hospital and his son (Canon Vidler) has given the whole edition to the Rye Museum Committee (4, Church Square, Rye), from whom copies can be obtained. The first Volunteer movement was in 1794, which lapsed after Waterloo, but was revived in 1859. It took various forms and names, such as Cinque Ports Fencible Cavalry; Cinque Ports Volunteers; Cinque Ports Rifles ; Rye Marine Cinque Ports Volunteer Artillery; Sussex Imperial Yeomanry, down to the Home Guard of 1940. The author and his family took full part in these and the history is a well-written and interesting study and record of Local Patriotism.

A History of the Royal Sussex Regiment. A History of the Old Belfast Regiment and the Regiment of Sussex 1702-1953, by G. D. Martineau and Captain P. D. O'Driscoll, published 1955 (324 pp., Chichester: Moore & Tilyer) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502153] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The Crossing of the Ouse after the Battle of Lewes, by G. D. Johnston, published May 1956 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XIV nos. 9 & 10, article, pp.169-171) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8232][Lib 2213] & The Keep [LIB/500216] & S.A.S. library

The Garrison of Sussex in 1801, by S.N.Q. Contributor, published May 1956 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XIV nos. 9 & 10, note, pp.171-172) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8232][Lib 2213] & The Keep [LIB/500216] & S.A.S. library

The Battle of Lewes 1264: Its Place in History, by Sir F. Maurice Powicke, R. F. Treharne and Lt. Col. Charles H. Lemmon, published 1964 (The Friends of Lewes Society) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502868]

This convenient, well-illustrated pocket book is, or will become, a "must" for collectors of Sussexiana. The main essay by Professor Treharne is a masterpiece of concentrated history of the strange reign of Henry III. The curious plausible character of Henry is clearly explained and several new facets are considered. The deep influence of his religion on the formidable Simon de Montfort explain much of interest in the career of this remarkable warrior and reforming aristocrat. Col. Lemmon's essay on the actual battle is refreshing. A modern soldier after carefully reconnoitring the terrain produces a very plausible battle plan of the events of May 14th. There are few sites in England which have changed so little in seven hundred years. For over a century the tale of the battle as visualised by our Member, W. H. Blaauw, in 1844, has been accepted, now Col. Lemmon gives a considerable variation to these ideas. Sir Tufton Beamish, whose helpful introduction to this volume, is publishing his own work on the battles of Lewes and Evesham early next year. His reconstruction of the tactics of this event will prove of great interest to many.
This excellent small volume is very reasonably priced.

The Battle of Knepp, by Richard Gilbert, published November 1964 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XVI no. 4, article, pp.112-114) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8234] & The Keep [LIB/500218] & S.A.S. library

Battle Royal: A New Account of Simon de Montfort's Struggle against King Henry III, by Tufton Beamish, published 1965 (285 pp., London: Frederick Muller Ltd.) accessible at: & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

This book is the story of the events which led to the Barons' War, the Battle of Lewes, and the aftermath which resulted in the establishment of a more representative government in England. The author steers his reader through the political currents, cross-currents, and rapids of the turbulent reign of Henry III. The book contains a wealth of detail, the fruit of much research, always informative and never boring. In the political portions of the book the touch is sure; but unfortunately Chapter VII, in which the battle is described, does not reach the same standard. Differences of opinion on how it was fought are inevitable, for there are two schools of thought; one that of Ramsay and Burne that it was fought, or at any rate begun, on Offham Hill, and the other, that of Oman and Blaauw, that it was fought on the outskirts of the town. But whatever theory is put forward the reader is entitled to a reconstruction which gives full consideration to the ground, logistics, psychology of commanders, and such definite evidence as grave pits. Would the pious Simon de Montfort, thoroughly imbued with the doctrine of the divine right of kings, have struck first against his anointed sovereign? Would his mail-clad horsemen, not too well mounted, have been able to make a night march in separated bodies over largely trackless country, scale the onein-six northern slopes of Offham Hill in the dark, and at dawn reach a rendezvous successfully on the flat top? De Montfort is described as being 'without question an outstanding military commander of his day,' yet he orders his untrained Londoners to march unsupported on the Castle, against the elite of the Royal Army who annihilate them. ' De Montfort,' we are told, 'can hardly have hoped that he could storm the castle on foot . . . perhaps he actually intended them as a decoy.' As no satisfactory reason is given why de Montfort employed such extraordinary tactics, one might be pardoned for concluding that he did not do so.
The Londoners, who are observed by foragers, march five furlongs (which would take them about 12 minutes) to the Wallands (site of the secondary modern school). There they meet the Lord Edward's cavalrymen, who, we are asked to believe, had been alerted, equipped themselves, saddled their horses, turned out, formed up, and also marched five furlongs, all in the same 12 minutes. There are some more strange logistics when the king makes his sortie from the Priory.
The pen-portraits of the chief actors in the drama are well drawn; that of Simon de Montfort forming a slight corrective to the exaggerated eulogies he has sometimes received. One feature of the book is a brilliant translation by Jane Hodlin of the too little known Song of Lewes, and another, the very interesting collection of illustrations from medieval documents which enliven the narrative.
The inclusion of quotations from a comic history of England as chapter headings may not appeal to some, but is certainly original. Sir Charles Petrie writes the foreword to this most informative book.

Military Field Kitchens of the Eighteenth Century, by Ivan D. Margary, published 1965 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 103, article, pp.60-66) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2188] & The Keep [LIB/500326] & S.A.S. library

George O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Egremont, as Colonel of the Sussex Yeomanry, 1798, by A. McK Annand, published 1968 (article) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8985]

Militia Camps in Sussex, 1793, and a Lady's Fan, by Ivan D. Margary, published 1969 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 107, article, pp.135-136) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2192] & The Keep [LIB/500322] & S.A.S. library

Militia Camps in Sussex, 1793, and the Situation of 'Wick' Church, by Eric W. Holden, published 1970 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 108, article, pp.82-86) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2193] & The Keep [LIB/500321] & S.A.S. library

Barracks at Cuckmere Haven, by Richard Gilbert, published November 1970 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XVII no. 6, note, pp.197-198) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8235] & The Keep [LIB/500219] & S.A.S. library

The Cinque Ports Battalion. The Story of the 5th (Cinque Ports) Battalion, The Royal Sussex Regiment (TA), formerly 1st Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteer Corps., by E. A. C. Fazan, published 1971 (176 pp., Chichester: Royal Sussex Regimental Association) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

Shipments of Guns from Newhaven, 1809-1813, by John Farrant, published Summer 1973 in Wealden Iron Research Group (First Series No. 6, article, p.12) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506558]   Download PDF

It may be possible that the references given below relate to guns cast at Wealden furnaces, and the writer passes them on for those more knowledgeable about the industry.

Military Marriages in Brighton in Napoleonic Times, by Leslie Suggars and Francis Leeson, published March 1974 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 1 no. 4, article, pp.88-92) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7965] & The Keep [LIB/501253] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

List of military marriages arranged by unit (grooms only).

Sussex Military Marriages, Part 1 1750-1812, edited by M. J. Burchall, published 1975 (pamphlet, 65 pp., Sussex Family History Group) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6100] & The Keep [LIB/501240] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Cannon-Manufacture at Pippingford, Sussex: The Excavation of Two Iron Furnaces of c. 1717, by David Crossley, published 1975 in The Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology (vol. 9, article, pp.1-37) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502341]   View Online

Two blast furnaces produced iron at Pippingford Park, Sussex (TQ/4503l6) in the early 18th century. At the first to be built (the west furnace) guns were cast; this was excavated in 1974, although its surroundings remain to be explored. A boring mill was sited close to the east furnace, the wheels of the boring carriage being in situ on their tracks. The east furnace was construded during the life of the west site, and the surviving casting beds showed that pig iron had been produced. Robbing of stone had been severe in the case of the east furnace, in contrast to its predecessor, whose rubble core survived 1-1.5 m. in height, and whose gun-casting pit was in good order.

Sussex Cannon in East Africa, by C. F. Tebbutt, published 1975 in Wealden Iron Research Group (First Series No. 8, article, p.45) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506558]   Download PDF

A County Community in Peace and War: Sussex 1600-1660, by Anthony J. Fletcher, published November 1975 (xi + 445 pp., London: Prentice Hall Press, ISBN-10: 0582500249 & ISBN-13: 9780582500242) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7353] & The Keep [LIB/500093] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The Battle of Lewes, 1264, by E. L. Mann, published 1976 (32 pp., Seaford: SB Publications) accessible at: & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

A Reconstruction of a Gun-casting Blast Furnace, by Roger Adams, published 1977 in Wealden Iron Research Group (First Series No. 12, article, pp.8-10) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506558]   Download PDF

The Casting of Bronze Guns in the Weald in the Seventeenth Century, by R. Towes, published 1977 in Wealden Iron Research Group (First Series No. 11, article, pp.15-20) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506558]   Download PDF

The castings of bronze guns at Brenchley, in the Weald of Kent, has been overlooked in the many excellent accounts of Wealden gun founding. Yet the Browne family of gun founders were casting bronze guns there from 1634 to (approximately) 1670, and John Browne in 1638 cast the 102 bronze guns for the famous 'Sovereign of the Seas' - the show-piece of Charles I's ship-money Navy, the first English three-decker, with a distinguished record in the Dutch Wars of the Commonwealth.

The Soldiers' Revolt, by Dudley Edwards, published 1978 (22 pp., Nottingham: Spokesman Books) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

The story of the mutiny by two regiments of the Oxford Militia in 1795 at Newhaven

The Mayfield Canon, by P. McCarthy, published 1978 in Wealden Iron Research Group (First Series No. 13, article, p.22) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506558]   Download PDF

Battle Royal: A New Account of Simon de Montfort's Struggle against King Henry III, by Tufton Beamish, published 20 November 1978 (reprint, 285 pp., London: Frederick Muller Ltd., ISBN-10: 0584100183 & ISBN-13: 9780584100181)

The Civil War and Mid 17th Century Chichester, published 1979 (pamphlet, Chichester District Museum) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7339]

The Fortifications of East Sussex: A Guide to Castles and Other Defences, by Anne Yarrow, published 1979 (32 pp., Lewes: East Sussex County Council) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506116] & East Sussex Libraries

Fortress to museum of defence: the Great Redoubt, Eastbourne, Sussex, by J. N. P. Watson, published 20 September 1979 in Country Life (vol. 166 no. 4289, article, pp.860-862)

Sussex 1600-1660: A County Community in peace and war, by Anthony J. Fletcher, published 1 January 1980 (445 pp., Chichester: Pihillimore, ISBN-10: 0850333768 & ISBN-13: 9780850333763) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

In the Event of War: The Sussex Survival Plans, by Ian McGil, Phil Bolsover and Mike Cotterell, published 1981 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9322]

Royal Sussex Regiment: Casualties in the Boer War, by Brian Harwood, published September 1981 in Sussex Genealogist and Family Historian (vol. 3 no. 2, article, p.62) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8892] & The Keep [LIB/501189] & CD SXGS from S.F.H.G.

Warships in Itchenor, by G. A. Viner, published January 1982 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 21, article, p.19) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/21] & The Keep [LIB/500480]

The News of Trafalgar in Sussex, by Emlyn G. Thomas, published December 1982 in Sussex Genealogist and Family Historian (vol. 4 no. 3, article, pp.109-112) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8893] & The Keep [LIB/501190] & CD SXGS from S.F.H.G.

1803 Sussex Militia List for Southern Division of Pevensey Rape, published 1983 by PBN Publications (Ref: PBN104, CD-ROM) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11654][Lib 10208] & The Keep [LIB/503561]

Sussex Veterans of the 5th Foot, by J. Robert Williams, published March 1983 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 5 no. 5, article, pp.163-165) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9174] & The Keep [LIB/501257] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

An extracted list of men from Sussex giving name, admission date he became an out pensioner, age, rank, total length of service, amount of pension, reason for leaving service, where born, trade and physical description. Article covers the years 1674 - 1848.

Too Late!: The Royal Sussex Regiment & the expedition to relieve General Charles Gordon in Khartoum, by Sheila Haines, published December 1983 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 5 no. 8, article, pp.244-248) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9174] & The Keep [LIB/501257] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

A Soldier's Life, by Mary Wigan, published December 1983 in Sussex Genealogist and Family Historian (vol. 5 no. 3, article, pp.109-110) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9173] & The Keep [LIB/501191] & CD SXGS from S.F.H.G.

The military career of John Pollard

Rye and the Defence of the Narrow Seas. A 16th-Century Town at War, by Graham Mayhew, published 1984 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 122, article, pp.107-126) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9140] & The Keep [LIB/500309] & S.A.S. library

Volunteer Soldiers in Sussex During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793-1815, by Ann Hudson, M.A., published 1984 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 122, article, pp.163-182) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9140] & The Keep [LIB/500309] & S.A.S. library

Too Late!: The Royal Sussex Regiment & the expedition to relieve General Charles Gordon in Khartoum - Part 2, by Sheila Haines, published March 1984 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 6 no. 1, article, pp.11-13) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9788] & The Keep [LIB/501258] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

North Pevensey Volunteers of the Napoleonic Wars - Part I, by J. Robert Williams, published June 1984 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 6 no. 2, article, pp.56-59) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9788] & The Keep [LIB/501258] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Eastbourne Men at War in 1803: A Census of male inhabitants aged 17-55, by Michael J. Burchall, published June 1984 in Sussex Genealogist and Family Historian (vol. 6 no. 1, article, pp.25-31) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [MP 6277] & The Keep [LIB/501192] & CD SXGS from S.F.H.G.

The Queen's Gunstonemaker: An account of Ralph Hogge, Elizabethan Ironmaster & Gunfounder, by Edmund Teesdale, published 1 July 1984 (130 pp., Seaford: Lindel Publishing Co., ISBN-10: 0950235474 & ISBN-13: 9780950235479) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502223] & East Sussex Libraries

North Pevensey Volunteers of the Napoleonic Wars - Part II, by J. Robert Williams, published September 1984 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 6 no. 3, article, pp.95-98) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9788] & The Keep [LIB/501258] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The Military Defence of West Sussex: 500 Years of Fortification of Coast Between Brighton & Selsey, by John Goodwin, published 9 November 1985 (116 pp., Midhurst: Middleton Press, ISBN-10: 0906520231 & ISBN-13: 9780906520239) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9459] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

A Sussex Pot-Pourri, by John H. Bishop, published 1986 (published by the author) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9699] & West Sussex Libraries

Contains the following articles:

• The Subdeanery Parish of Chichester
• The History of Summersdale
• Parish Registers, Singleton Church
• The Civil War Swordmaker

The Ghastly War-Flame. Fire Beacons in Sussex until the mid 17th Century, by Frank Kitchen, published 1986 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 124, article, pp.179-192) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9762] & The Keep [LIB/500311] & S.A.S. library

Napoleonic Barracks in Sussex, by Ann Hudson, M.A., published 1986 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 124, historical note, pp.267-268) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9762] & The Keep [LIB/500311] & S.A.S. library

Bricks for the Martello Towers in Sussex, by Molly Beswick, published 1987 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 17, article, pp.20-27, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16389/17] & The Keep [LIB/506526]   Download PDF

The story of the building of the Martello towers as coastal defences during the Napoleonic Wars has been told elsewhere. The purpose of this article is to determine how the vast quantities of bricks required for their construction were assembled in the short space of time available.

The Impact on the Weald of Boring Cannon from the Solid, by Douglas Braid, published 1987 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 7, article, pp.33-34, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506560]   Download PDF

A number of reasons for the demise of the Wealden cannon-founding industry have been formulated in the past, but the most obvious is the fact that the Board of Ordnance ordered a letter to be written, June 7, 1774 asking all their suppliers "whether they will engage to provide guns bored out of the solid at the same rate in case the Board should prefer those kind of guns to them for which they are already contracted".

The Pilgrimage, by R. J. Hoad, published March 1987 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 7 no. 4, article, pp.147-148) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10461] & The Keep [LIB/501259] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

William Hoad was born 20 Aug 1887 and died 21 March 1918. A narrative of family members visiting his grave in France. Article covers the years 1887 - 1986 in the parishes of Lewes, Sussex, England and Montescourt - Lizerolles, Aisne, France

The Battles of Lewes & Evesham, 1264/65, by David Carpenter, published 31 October 1987 (84 pp., Mercia Publications Ltd., ISBN-10: 0948087951 & ISBN-13: 9780948087950) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/503456] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Sussex and the Spanish Armada, by Jeremy Goring, published 1988 (pamphlet, 20 pp., Pathfinder Publications) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10064] & The Keep [LIB/506123] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Armada! Sussex and the Spanish Threat, by Warden Swinfen, published 1988 (pamphlet) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10058]

1803 Sussex Militia List for Northern Division of Pevensey Rape, published 1988 by PBN Publications (Ref: PBN103, CD-ROM) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10211] & The Keep [LIB/503579]

Bricks for the Martello Towers - further details, by M. Beswick, published 1989 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 19, article, pp.36-37, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506526]   Download PDF

Since the publication in Sussex Industrial History No. 17 of the article 'Bricks for the Martello Towers in Sussex', further information has come to light on the exact location of some of the brickfields. This is contained in a military map entitled 'Sketch of the Coast from Eastbourne to Hastings' - scale 1 mile to an inch. It was enclosed with a letter of 2 June 1805 from Brig-Gen. Twiss, the Commanding Engineer of the Southern Division who was then in Hastings, to R.H. Crow of the Board of Ordnance in London. On the map are marked the sites of the Martello towers then under construction and the location of 60 twenty-four pounder guns in position at that date. Also marked, by letters, are the sites of five of the brickfields which were supplying materials for the building of the towers.

By Sword and Cross: the Templars in Sussex, by Heather Upright, published May 1989 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 43, article, p.1) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/43] & The Keep [LIB/500482]

Bride Knights, by John H. Bishop, published September 1989 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 44, article, p.1) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/44] & The Keep [LIB/500482]

By Sword and Cross, by Heather Upright, published September 1989 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 44, article, p.9) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/44] & The Keep [LIB/500482]

Who was John Doe?, by Joan Stenning, published December 1989 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 8 no. 8, article, pp.362-363) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10736] & The Keep [LIB/501260] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

John Doe (1890-1932) was born in Norfolk to a gentleman farmer. His obituary in the Brighton Argos said he joined the East India Company in 1859, transferred to the Royal Munster Fusiliers and took part in the capture of the Khyber Pass. He had a family of fifteen and settled in Brighton. Article covers the years 1841 - 1932.

Indian Downs [The Chattri on the South Downs], by Nicholas Thornton, published 1 December 1990 in Country Life (vol. 184 no. 49, article, pp.194-195)

Gun-casting Pits, by Brian G. Awty, published 1991 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 129, historical note, p.252) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11694] & The Keep [LIB/500295] & S.A.S. library

Gunfounding in the Weald in the Sixteenth Century, by Edmund Teesdale, published December 1991 (142 pp., Trustees of the Royal Armouries, ISBN-10: 0948092173 & ISBN-13: 9780948092176) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13026] & The Keep [LIB/502221] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

This is the first study of the formative years of gunfounding in the Weald of Sussex and Kent. It looks in detail at the development of this industry and focuses on the men who developed the technology, analysing their output and success

Wealden Cannon on a Dutch East Indiaman, by J. S. Hodgkinson, published 1992 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 12, article, pp.13-16, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506560]   Download PDF

Seven iron guns of English manufacture have been recovered from the wreck of the Mauritius, a Dutch East Indiaman, off Gabon in West Africa. They were excavated by a team led by M.L Hour and L. Long, sponsored by the Elf-Gabon Petroleum Company.

Notes on Wealden Furnaces - Board of Ordnance Records 1660-1700, by R. Rhynas Brown, published 1993 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 13, article, pp.20-30, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506560]   Download PDF

One of the most important sources of information on the founders of the Weald are the records of the Board of Ordnance, who supplied guns, ammunition and other stores to the armed forces on land and sea. The two important series, presently in the Public Record Office at Kew, are WO 51, the Bill Books, which form a virtually complete record of the payments from the Board to its suppliers and officials from 1660 onwards, and WO 47, the Minute Books which form an incomplete and unhomogenous series in the last 40 years of the seventeenth century. These record the meetings of the Board in varying detail. Although most of the references are to founders, there are several to specific furnaces, not only indicating who was using them, but also how they were used. The following extracts show such information. Career details of the founders are compiled from the Bill Books and the Minute Books. Further information on the furnaces may be found in the gazetteer of water-powered sites in Cleere H. and Crossley D., The Iron Industry of the Weald (Leicester, 1985) and on furnaces outside the Weald in Riden P., A Gazeteer of Charcoal-fired Blast Furnaces in Great Britain in use since 1660 (Cardiff, 1987).

Lewes in the Boer War, 1899-1902, by Daniel Waley, published 1994 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 132, article, pp.173-192) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12979] & The Keep [LIB/500294] & S.A.S. library

Wealden ironmasters and the Board of Ordnance after 1770, by R. R. Brown, published 1994 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 14, article, pp.31-47, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506561]   Download PDF

The date 1770 is often taken as a watershed in the history of the iron industry in the Weald. Certainly after this date other areas are increasingly important as a source of iron guns for the Board of Ordnance, which bought stores for the British forces. However there are still a number of references in the Board papers which throw light on the last years of the Sussex iron industry. As in my previous paper I have selected entries which show specific founders or ironworks and which by no means exhaust the references to Wealden iron in the public records.

Martello Towers: A Brief History, by Geoff Hutchinson, published 1 February 1994 (24 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0951993623 & ISBN-13: 9780951993620) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Were They Discharged in New Zealand?, by Joyce Hoad, published March 1994 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 11 no. 1, article, pp.27-29) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14878] & The Keep [LIB/501263] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Discharged in New Zealand lists soldiers of the Imperial Foot regiments who took their discharge in New Zealand between 1840 and 1870

Fortification of the south coast: the Pevensey, Eastbourne and Newhaven defences 1750-1945 : towers, batteries, forts and fieldworks erected on this part of the south coast to resist an invasion, by John Edward Goodwin, published 1 December 1994 (142 pp., J. J. Publications, ISBN-10: 0952415801 & ISBN-13: 9780952415800) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The 102nd Regiment at Horsham, Sussex, by Janet Robinson, published 1995 (article) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12862]

Ordnance recommended to arm defensive earthworks proposed for the Sussex coast in 1587, by Pam Combes, published 1995 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 15, article, pp.4-8, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506562]   Download PDF

In 1870 Mark Anthony Lower published a copy of a survey of the coast of Sussex the original manuscript of which was, at that time, owned by a Lewes solicitor, Wynne E Baxter. The manuscript was purchased in 1971 by the British Museum and is now British Library Add ms 57494. The manuscript is entitled, 'A survey made by Sir Thomas Palmere knight and Mr Walter Couverte esquire Deputie Lieutenants of her Maties Countie of Sussex, of all the places of descente alongst the sea coast of the said shire'. The map is coloured and on vellum and the text is on paper. The survey is signed and dated Nicholas Reynolds, London, May 1587.

Royal Military Canal: A Brief History, by Geoff Hutchinson, published 1 March 1995 (20 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 0951993631 & ISBN-13: 9780951993637) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

The Battle of Lewes, by E. L. Mann, published November 1995 (new edition, 32 pp., Seaford: SB Publications, ISBN-10: 1857700945 & ISBN-13: 9781857700947) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Forgotten Heroes, by John Charman, published September 1996 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 12 no. 3, article, p.92) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14879] & The Keep [LIB/508810] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Heroes of 1900 to 1902 buried at St. Wilfrid's, Haywards Heath

Blatchington Barracks, by R. C. Grant, published September 1996 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 12 no. 3, article, p.95) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14879] & The Keep [LIB/508810] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Regimental mutiny in 1795

The Brighton Garrison 1793-1900, by Roy Christopher Grant, published March 1997 (pamphlet, published by the author, ISBN-10: 0953033201 & ISBN-13: 9780953033201) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13702] & The Keep [LIB/503452] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Sussex Yeomanry, by Tony Goring, published June 1997 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 12 no. 6, article, pp.208-210) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14879] & The Keep [LIB/508813] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The story of the Sussex Yeomanry from 1797 to the present day

A Sussex Man Among the Wild Geese, by Miss Stephanie Robertson, published June 1997 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 12 no. 6, article, pp.227-229) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14879] & The Keep [LIB/508813] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

John Mitchell (c.1723-1747) of Petworth joined the Irish Brigade on 12 May 1747 to fight at the Battle of Lafelt on 2 July 1747 where he was killed in action.

Dress Uniforms of Regiments Stationed in Brighton Barracks in the 19th Century, by Roy Grant, published September 1997 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 12 no. 7, article, pp.259-260) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14879] & The Keep [LIB/508814] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Lists year, regiment, coat and facings

Tank Roads on the Downs, by Peter Longstaff-Tyrrell, published 1998 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 28, article, pp.27-32, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506527]   Download PDF

Living and working around the Sussex coast and countryside for over 50 years the author often glances up at the South Downs to ponder upon the old cart tracks and byways that decorate the slopes. These tracks seem legacies of a distant past but are not always that ancient and many date back only to the period of WWII when the Downs were commandeered by the Army for the South Downs Training Area. At this time slumbering Sussex villages and countryside were transformed for all manner of exercises, communications, camps, gunnery practice, prisoner of way camps, emergency airfields, decoy sites, stores and dumps.

Deserters from the Sussex Militia, by A. M. J. Chapman, published March 1998 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 13 no. 1, article, pp.9-10) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14880] & The Keep [LIB/508816] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

A list published in the Sussex Advertiser 1 July 1811 of persons who omitted to join their regiments for training and exercise in May, 1811.

In India with the 'Fifth', by John Lelliott, published December 1998 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 13 no. 4, article, pp.111-113) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14880] & The Keep [LIB/508819] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The service record of Robert Holden in India with the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, the 'Fifth Foot'. Robert was the son Stephen Holding (sic) and Mary Heath who were married on 24 March 1856 at East Grinstead.

Notes from the Board of Ordnance Papers 1705-1720, by Ruth Rhynas Brown, published 1999 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 19, article, pp.34-46, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16400] & The Keep [LIB/506566]   Download PDF

The Board of Ordnance papers for the period 1700-1750 are much less informative than the others dealt with in my previous articles, since there are gaps of many years in the series of surviving Minute Books until 1749. I have chosen a series of extracts which show relations between the Board and the gunfounders; first, the Board's attempts to control the weights of guns and then how they introduced a new gun pattern while attempting to reduce the price of iron. Inevitably the records dwell on times when matters go wrong rather than well, so that these details may be misleading about successful gunfounding business. However they do reflect the growing pattern of control which the Board would increasingly pursue during the 18th century.

Castles and Other Defensive Sites, by Richard Jones, published 1 January 1999 in An Historical Atlas of Sussex (pp.50-51, Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd, ISBN-10: 1860771122 & ISBN-13: 9781860771125) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14026][Lib 18777] & The Keep [LIB/501686][LIB/508903] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Civil War, by Maurice Howard, published 1 January 1999 in An Historical Atlas of Sussex (pp.58-59, Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd, ISBN-10: 1860771122 & ISBN-13: 9781860771125) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14026][Lib 18777] & The Keep [LIB/501686][LIB/508903] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Fortifications and Defensive Works 1500-1900, by Bill Woodburn, published 1 January 1999 in An Historical Atlas of Sussex (pp.102-103, Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd, ISBN-10: 1860771122 & ISBN-13: 9781860771125) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14026][Lib 18777] & The Keep [LIB/501686][LIB/508903] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Battles of Lewes - 1264: They Fought for England, by Barbara Fleming, published August 1999 (64 pp., J & K.H. Publications, ISBN-10: 1900511746 & ISBN-13: 9781900511742) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Sussex Militia Deserters, by A. M. J. Chapman, published September 1999 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 13 no. 7, article, pp.225-232) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14880] & The Keep [LIB/508822] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Lists of deserters for 1820 and 1821 in the Rapes of Chichester, Arundel, Bramber, Lewes, Pevensey and Hastings

Notes from the Office of the Ordnance: the 1650s, by Ruth Rhynas Brown, published 2000 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 20, article, pp.39-55, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506567]   Download PDF

Although the Office of the Ordnance's records for the Civil War and the Protectorate are incomplete, two volumes in the Minute Book series covering the First Dutch War have survived. In many ways this was the first test of the Wealden iron industry. Although the number of ships in the Navy had been gradually growing in the first half of the 17th century, here was an emergency when guns were needed fast, needed regularly and needed often, then not needed until the next emergency, a pattern repeated over the next hundred years. There was one major difference since the government had money from the estates of delinquent royalists; this large purse and prompt payment would be missing from the future pattern. The Navy was the true consumer of the Wealden iron industry; one ship could carry as many guns as a civil war army. The last time that England had fought at sea in strength was during the Spanish threats in the age of Elizabeth, more than 60 years before. This was also the time when the balance changed irrevocably from brass guns for ships to iron; the Navy would never again carry more brass than iron guns.

Henry Holden, by Anthony Clevett, published September 2000 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 14 no. 3, article, p.110) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14881] & The Keep [LIB/508823] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The story of Henry Holden, soldier, born 1836 in London, enlisted in the 7th U.S. Cavalry in 1872 under the command of General George Armstrong Custer, returned on discharge to England and settled in Brighton where he died on 14 December 1905.

Front-Line Sussex: Napoleon Bonaparte to the Cold War, by Peter Longstaff-Tyrell, published 19 October 2000 (128 pp., Stroud: Sutton Publishing Ltd., ISBN-10: 0750925922 & ISBN-13: 9780750925921) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14336] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Ephraim Edwards: A Kentish Man in he American Civil War, by Colonel G. F. Edwards, published December 2000 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 14 no. 4, article, pp.119-120) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14881] & The Keep [LIB/508823] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Ephraim Edwards (1843-1919) son of Elisha Edwards and his wife Sabina née Damper of London Road, Tunbridge Wells, emigrated in 1847, enrolled in the 49th Regiment Ohio Infantry, fought in the civil War and finally settled in Illinois.

"Gone for a Soldier", by Peter Bailey, published December 2000 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 14 no. 4, article, pp.121-122) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14881] & The Keep [LIB/508823] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Lists some of the sons of Sussex embarking in the Service of the Honourable East India Company as soldiers

Civil War soldiers' petitions in Sussex, by George Hothersall, published Autumn 2000 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 66, article, p.37) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/66] & The Keep [LIB/500490]

Battles and Battlefields of Sussex: A Military History of Sussex from the Iron Age to the Second World War, by John Grehan, published 2001 (140 pp., Historic Military Press, ISBN-10: 1901313123 & ISBN-13: 9781901313123) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14583] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The Seaford Mutiny of 1795: The Royal Oxfordshire Militia Rebellion, by Peter Longstaff-Tyrell, published 2001 (Polegate: Gote House Publishing, ISBN-10: 0952129760 & ISBN-13: 9780952129769) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506117] & East Sussex Libraries

King's Standing, Crowborough, by Ron Martin, published 2001 in Sussex Industrial History (issue no. 31, article, pp.28-35, ISSN: 0263-5151) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506529]   Download PDF

"Germany Calling" was William Joyce's (Lord Haw-Haw's) catch phrase from quite early in WWII, his first broadcast being in September, 1939. The British response was to set up a network of short wave transmitters based at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire under the control of the Political Warfare Executive (PWE) with the object of countering the enemy propaganda. Most of this material was of a comparatively innocuous nature, and was really preaching to the converted.
In May 1941 a more ambitious project got the backing of the Prime Minister to use German wavelengths to transmit confusing broadcasts and Harold Robin, the chief Engineer was sent to USA to purchase a large transmitter for £165,000.
There was a search on for a suitable site for the transmitter. By now it was being jocularly known as the "Aspidistra" after the Gracie Fields song "The Biggest Aspidistra in the World" and this was shortened to ASPI. The first one was ASPI 1 and subsequent ones numbered consecutively. A 70 acre site was eventually found on the Ashdown Forest near the parish of Crowborough at King's Standing 620 feet above sea level and work commenced to excavate a large hole to house the transmitter. At first, the task seemed interminable until a team of Canadian Engineers, stationed nearby, were brought in, extensively bribed with the promise of unlimited quantities of beer and the excavation was completed within six weeks. The rest of the building works was carried out by a team of 600 men working round the clock.
There were also two Parasitic Aerial Tuning Buildings in underground bunkers, and a third bunker under the Driven Tower Mast which was on top of and accessible from the main bunker. In the eastern Parasitic bunker was located ASPI 2 and this could be used as a backup in case ASPI 1 failed!
Other buildings that were erected in 1941-42 were the No.1 Power House and Cooling Tower, the Transformer House, the Power Maintenance Workshop, which was also believed to have been used by Harold Robin as his office, and two pillboxes.
The first broadcast made from King's Standing was in November 1942, when in support of the Torch Landings in North Africa, President Roosevelt's nephew spoke in French to the Vichy French. However there were still disagreements between PWE and the BBC and for a time ASP1 1 was only used by the BBC for their European Service.
In addition to this a new short-wave transmitter (ASP1 3) was installed at Crowborough in a building known as the "Cinema" because of its similarity to a 1930s cinema building.

Extracts from the Debenture Books of the Office of Ordnance 1593-1610, by Ruth Brown, published 2001 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 21, article, pp.14-20, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506568]   Download PDF

A series of Debenture Books for the Office of the Ordnance survive in the Public Record Office. The series, beginning in 1593, is neither complete nor consistent; some years are completely missing, while others are covered by two or even three volumes. The books record items received by the Ordnance and what they cost; some also record movements to and from stores. A few volumes have entries that include the signature or mark of the contractor. Some of the earliest volumes are damaged and difficult to read. As with earlier extracts, I have expanded the abbreviations for ease of comprehension.

Mortars for Gibraltar, by Ruth Brown, published 2001 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 21, article, pp.31-35, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506568]   Download PDF

In an earlier article I mentioned a series of 13-inch iron mortars, amongst the last guns that can be identified as being cast in the Weald for the British government. For the greater part of 18th century the Board of Ordnance had most of its mortars cast in bronze, except for the 13-inch mortars for Gibraltar. In 1718-9 Stephen Peters had provided 12 mortars for the recently gained colony and in 1745 these had been replaced by another 13 cast by William Bowen. Twenty-five years later they were in need of replacement.

From the Sussex Weekly Advertiser, by A. M. J. Chapman, published December 2001 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 14 no. 8, article, pp.310-312) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14881] & The Keep [LIB/508823] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Simon de Montfort and the historians, by Daniel Waley, published 2002 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 140, article, pp.65-70) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15109] & The Keep [LIB/500299] & S.A.S. library   View Online

The career and personality of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester (c. 1208- 1265), the leader of the baronial revolt against King Henry III, provides a striking exemplar of the malleability of historiographical opinion. Montfort has been treated as hero and villain and (misleadingly) as 'the founder of the House of Commons'. The attitudes of the writers discussed in this article should be interpreted in the light of their own times ? for instance, the English Civil War, the Jacobite risings, the French Revolution and nineteenth-century Liberalism. The emphasis in the article is on the importance to the historian of his historical background rather than on his exploitation of new sources.

Barracks to Bunkers: 250 years of military activity in Sussex, by Peter Longstaff-Tyrell, published 13 May 2002 (128 pp., The History Press, ISBN-10: 0750929081 & ISBN-13: 9780750929080) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/502206] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The King's German Legion: from Bexhill to the Battle of Waterloo, edited by Stella Mabel Child, published 31 May 2003 (80 pp., Bexhill Hanoverian Study Group, ISBN-10: 0954499506 & ISBN-13: 9780954499501) accessible at: British Library & East Sussex Libraries

The Chelsea Pensioner, by David Nye, published September 2003 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 15 no. 7, article, pp.321-322) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15249] & The Keep [LIB/508827] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

Henry Nye (1813-1894) was one of thirteen children of Edward Nye and Sarah née King. Henry married Elizabeth Nash 11 November 1833 and had three children. In 1839 he abandoned his family and joined the 52nd Regiment of Light Infantry at Lewes. The regiment sailed to Nova Scotia in 1840 where, in 1844, he married bigamously Catherine Randle. Two years later they returned to England and had two sons. In 1853 Henry and his new family sailed for India with the 52nd Regiment of Foot to serve during the Indian Mutiny. He was discharged from the army in 1861 and in 1888 he was admitted as an In-Pensioner a the Royal Military Hospital, Chelsea where he died in 1894.

The Ordnance Records: Thomas Browne, by Ruth R. Brown, published 2004 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 24, article, pp.16-25, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506571]   Download PDF

A plan of defence, by Jenny Carter, published March 2004 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 16 no. 1, article, pp.12-15) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508834] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

The Defence Act was enacted to counter the risk of invasion during the Napoleonic War. In Sussex, the Upper or Southern Division of the Rape of Lewes, directions dated 12 June 1803 were sent to the Inspectors of Districts and Superintendents of Parishes.

The Redoubt Fortress and Martello Towers of Eastbourne, 1804-2004, by Rosemary Milton and Richard Callaghan, published 2005 (88 pp., Eastbourne Local History Society, ISBN-10: 0954764706 & ISBN-13: 9780954764708) accessible at: Eastbourne Local History Society & East Sussex Libraries

An impressive illustrated record of the origins and use of these defences against the Napoleonic threat, together with details of the soldiers and military units which manned 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.

Mr Littleton: Supplier of Ordnance Material, by Jeremy Greenwood, published 2005 in Wealden Iron Research Group (Second Series No. 25, article, p.62, ISSN: 0266-4402) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/506572]   Download PDF

The outbreak of the Second Dutch War (1665-7) found the Board of Ordnance unprepared as ever. A desperate shortage of shot led them to inquire of George Browne - His Majesty's Gunfounder - as to the extent of his manufacturing capacity. His reply includes a reference to 'Mr Littleton'. Not being able to identify him from the standard works, a desktop investigation was initiated.

Sussex Timber and the Royal Dockyards. Part 1: The Supply Process, by Philip MacDougall, published Autumn 2005 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 74, article, p.3) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/74] & The Keep [LIB/500498]

Sussex Timber and the Royal Dockyards. Part 2: The Cause of a National Problem, by Philip MacDougall, published Autumn 2006 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 75, article, p.42) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/75] & The Keep [LIB/500499]

Military Burials in Hove 1794-1795, by Geoff Hellman, published March 2007 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 17 no. 5, article, pp.228-229) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508989] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.

A list of military burials for 1795 extracted from the parish registers of Hove.

East Sussex Under Attack: Anti-invasion sites, 1500-1990, by Chris Butler, published 30 November 2007 (176 pp., The History Press, ISBN-10: 0752441701 & ISBN-13: 9780752441702) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

The East Sussex coastline has always been Britain's frontline defence against invasion. From the forts of Henry VIII and the Napoleonic Martello Towers to the pillboxes, gun emplacements and civil defence sits of the two World Wars and the secret structures of the Cold War, the evidence of the defences can still be seen.
Local author and archaeologist Chris Butler takes us to each of these sites (approximately 200 in total), describing what is to be seen today and their history. As well as a full range of illustrations there are full directions to the cites and details of access.

West Sussex Under Attack: Anti-invasion sites, 1500-1990, by Chris Butler, published 14 July 2008 (160 pp., The History Press, ISBN-10: 075244171X & ISBN-13: 9780752441719) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

This companion volume to East Sussex Under Attack is the only comprehensive guide to the surviving defences of West Sussex.

The Second Barons' War: Simon de Montfort and the Battles of Lewes and Evesham, by John Sadler, published 15 October 2008 (xxv + 160 pp. & 8 pp. of plates, Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, ISBN-10: 1844158314 & ISBN-13: 9781844158317) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

For two years in the mid-thirteenth century England was torn by a bloody civil war between the king and his nobles. For a short time, the country came close to unseating the monarchy, and the outcome changed the course of English history. Yet this critical episode receives far less attention than the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil Wars that followed.
John Sadler, in this highly readable and perceptive study of the Barons' War, describes events in vivid detail. He explores the leading personalities, whose bitter quarrel gave rise to the conflict - Henry III, his son Prince Edward, later Edward I, and their most famous opponent, Simon de Montfort, whose masterful charisma galvanized support among the discontented nobility. The clash of interests between the king and his 'overmighty' subjects is reconsidered, as are the personal and political tensions that polarized opinion and tested loyalties to the limit. But the main emphasis of John Sadler's account is on events in the field, in particular the two major campaigns that determined the course of the war and indeed the future government of England - the battles fought at Lewes and Evesham.

Battle Ground Sussex: A Military History of Sussex from the Iron Age to the present day, by John Grehan and Martin Mace, with a foreward by Dame Vera Lynn, O.B.E., D.B.E., published 14 February 2012 (224 pp., Pen and Sword Books, ISBN-10: 1848846614 & ISBN-13: 9781848846616) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

From its south-eastern tip Sussex is little more than sixty miles from continental Europe and the county's coastline, some seventy-six miles long, occupies a large part of Britain's southern frontier. Before the days of Macadam and the Turnpike, water travel could prove more certain than land transportation and the seas that define the borders of our nation aided, rather than deterred, the invader. Though the last successful invasion of Britain took place almost 1,000 years ago, the gently shelving beaches of Sussex have tempted the prospective invader with the promise of both an easy disembarkation and a short and direct route to London - the last time being just seven decades ago. As the authors demonstrate, the repeated threat of invasion from the Continent has shaped the very landscape of the county. The rounded tops of the Iron Age hill forts, the sheer walls of the medieval castles, the squat stumps of Martello towers, the moulded Vaubanesque contours of the Palmerstone redoubts and the crouched concrete blocks and bricks of the Second World War pillboxes constitute the visible evidence of Sussex's position on Britain's front line.

Martello Towers, by Michael Foley, published 28 March 2013 (128 pp., Stroud: Amberley Publishing, ISBN-10: 1445615223 & ISBN-13: 9781445615226) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

There are a number of strange buildings that stand on the south and east coasts of England, often thought to be water towers or ventilation shafts. They are, in fact, important historical defences, built to stop Napoleon's army invading our shores during the wars of the early nineteenth century. Any ship approaching the coast could come under fire from at least four of the buildings at once. They are the Martello towers. More than a hundred were built along the coasts of Kent, Sussex, Essex and Suffolk. Others were built in Ireland and other parts of the empire. Their creation caused severe differences of opinion between some of the best-known men of the period. Names such as Nelson, Wellington, Pitt and Cobbett all had something to say about them. Although never used in the Napoleonic Wars, they were in many cases updated and played a part in later conflicts, including both World Wars. Many have succumbed to coastal erosion and experiments by the Royal Artillery. Of those that remain, some have been converted into dwellings and others are now museums. They are still an important part of our military and social history, and here Michael Foley provides history, details and photographs of all the remaining Martello towers along England's coastline.

The Battle of Lewes, 1264, by David Carpenter and Christopher Whittick, published 2014 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 152, article) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 18617] & The Keep [LIB/508097] & S.A.S. library   View Online

In 1987 David Carpenter published a new account of the battles of Lewes and Evesham, which included a radical re-interpretation of the evidence for the site of the former. To commemorate the battle's 750th anniversary, we revisit the engagement of 14 May 1264, augmenting the 1987 text with information which has emerged since then (and which further bolsters its findings), and offering further thoughts on the nature and significance of the clash between Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and King Henry III and his son the Lord Edward.

The Royal Observer Corps in Worthing: From the Days of Identifying Friendly and Enemy Aircraft, to Their New Rather Chilling Role, Trained to Report the Onset of a Nuclear Attack on Britain, by Graham Lelliott, published 14 January 2014 (56 pp., published by the author, ISBN-10: 095538933X & ISBN-13: 9780955389337) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Sussex Wetern Division Quarter Session records relating to the military during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, by N. D. Rutherford, published 2015 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 83, article, p.5) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/83] & The Keep [LIB/508996]

Forlorn and Widowed: Seaford in the Napoleonic Wars, by Rodney Castleden, published 8 March 2015 (210 pp., Seaford: Blatchington Press, ISBN-10: 1326194739 & ISBN-13: 9781326194734) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/509023]

During the French Wars, 1793-1815, Seaford in Sussex was little more than a village, and a poor village at that. Its days as a port were really over, now that the Sussex Ouse made its way to the sea at Newhaven instead of Seaford. Efforts to turn it into a seaside resort were a miserable failure.
New life was brought to the town when it was militarized, with two batteries, a barracks and the last of the Martello Towers. Seaford was also a rotten borough, with corruption on a grand scale. The book re-creates the town and its struggle for survival.

Southdown at War, by Colin Druce, published 20 March 2015 (216 pp., Capital Transport Publishing, ISBN-10: 1854143859 & ISBN-13: 9781854143853) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries

Lewes and Evesham 1264-65: Simon de Montfort and the Baron's War, by Richard Brooks and illustrated by Graham Turner, published 20 July 2015 (96 pp., Osprey Publications, ISBN-10: 147281150X & ISBN-13: 9781472811509) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries

At the crescendo of the Second Barons' War were the battles of Lewes and Evesham. It was an era of high drama and intrigue, as tensions between crown and aristocracy had boiled over and a civil war erupted that would shape the future of English government. In this detailed study, Richard Brooks unravels the remarkable events at the battles of Lewes and Evesham, revealing the unusually tactical nature of the fighting, in sharp contrast to most medieval conflicts which were habitually settled by burning and ravaging. At Lewes, Simon de Montfort, the powerful renegade leader of the Baronial faction, won a vital victory, smashing the Royalist forces and capturing Henry III and Prince Edward. Edward escaped, however, to lead the Royalist armies to a crushing victory just a year later at Evesham. Using full color illustrations, bird's eye views and detailed maps to generate an arresting visual perspective of the fighting, this book tells the full story of the battles of Lewes and Evesham, the only pitched battles to be fought by English armies in the mid-13th century.

Sussex Western Division Quarter Session records regarding the implementation of legislation for the relief of insolvent debtors, by N. D. Rutherford, published 2016 in West Sussex History, the Journal of West Sussex Archives Society (no. 84, article, p.5) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 16404/84] & The Keep [LIB/509448]

Chichester in the Great War, by John J. Eddleston, published 29 February 2016 (176 pp., Pen & Sword Books ltd., ISBN-10: 1783463287 & ISBN-13: 9781783463282) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

Tangmere Airfield had a prominent role in the Air War from 1916 onwards and many local men joined the Royal Sussex Regiment. This book looks at how the experience of war impacted on the town, from the initial enthusiasm for sorting out the German Kaiser in time for Christmas 1914, to the gradual realization of the enormity of human sacrifice the families of Chichester were committed to as the war stretched out over the next four years. The Great War affected everyone. At home there were wounded soldiers in military hospitals, refugees from Belgium and later on German prisoners of war. There were food and fuel shortages and disruption to schooling. The role of women changed dramatically and they undertook a variety of work undreamed of in peacetime. Meanwhile, men serving in the armed forces were scattered far and wide. Extracts from contemporary letters reveal their heroism and give insights into what it was like under battle conditions.

Military Voices Past & Present: West Sussex veterans in the 20^th century, by Emma Worall (née White), Amy Perry and Martin Hayes, published June 2017 (Chichester: West Sussex County Council, ISBN-13: 9780862605933) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries

The current centenaries of First World War events, and 75th anniversaries of Second World War events, have given us an opportunity to remember, research, re-evaluate and appreciate military veterans. Military Voices Past and Present was an oral history project, organised by West Sussex County Council Library Service, to compare some recently discovered Great War veteran recordings with new interviews, of current military veterans, recorded for the project. This book is a record of over 90 detailed interviews covering the period 1914 to the 1990s.

1804 War Office List of Officers in Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey and Kent, published (no date) by PBN Publications (Ref: PBN102, CD-ROM)

Brighton, Preston Military Registers, published (no date) by the Sussex Family History Group and Parish Register Transcription Society (Ref: SXE87, CD-ROM)

Military Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1793-1840. Previously published as A5 booklet PG01 by SFHG. Vol 87

Burton cum Coates Parish Register, published (no date) by the Sussex Family History Group and Parish Register Transcription Society (Ref: SXW109, CD-ROM)

Combined Burton cum Coates Baptisms 1559-1906, Marriages and Burials 1562-1907 with some gaps; also Burton from 1864 Baptisms -1886, Marriages -1901 and Burials -1897. Indexed Transcription. Includes 44 photographs. Vol.109.

1804 War Office List of Officers in Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey and Kent, published (no date) by PBN Publications (Ref: PBN102, CD-ROM)