Publications
Ancient and Modern History of Lewes and Brighthelmston in which are compressed the most interesting events of the County at Large, under the Regnian, Roman, Saxon and Norman Settlements, by Paul Dunvan, published 1795 (555 pp., Lewes: William Lee) accessible at: & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
The author is not named but the book is attributed to Paul Dunvan
On Anglo-Saxon Coins found near Alfriston, by C. Ade, published 1848 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 1, article, pp.38-42) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2086] & The Keep [LIB/500220] & S.A.S. library View Online
The First and Last Days of Saxon Rule in Sussex, by Rev. C. Bohun Smyth, published 1851 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 4, article, pp.67-92) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2089] & The Keep [LIB/500223] & S.A.S. library View Online
On the Retention of British and Saxon Names in Sussex, by William Durrant Cooper, F.S.A., published 1854 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 7, article, pp.1-21) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2092] & The Keep [LIB/500226] & S.A.S. library View Online
Buncton. The Grant of part of a Wood in Cealtborgsteal by Ealdwulf, Heretoga of the South Saxons, dated from the Hill of Biohchandoune, A.D. 791, by W. H. Blaauw, F.S.A., published 1856 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 8, article, pp.177-188) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2093] & The Keep [LIB/500227] & S.A.S. library View Online
On the Saxon College of Bosham, by Rev. Edward Turner, published 1856 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 8, article, pp.189-200) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2093] & The Keep [LIB/500227] & S.A.S. library View Online
An account of the hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins found at Chancton Farm, Sussex, by Barclay Vincent Head, published 1867 in Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Numismatic Society (New series, vol. 7, article, pp.63-126) View Online
The Hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins found at Chancton Farm, Sussex, by John Clay Lucas, F.S.A., published 1868 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 20, article, pp.212-221) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2105] & The Keep [LIB/507132] & S.A.S. library View Online
Anglo-Saxon Coins found in Sussex, by J. C. Lucas, published 1869 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 21, notes & queries, pp.219-220) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2016] & The Keep [LIB/500239] & S.A.S. library View Online
Memorials of the South Saxon See and Cathedral Church of Chichester, by Rev. W. R. W. Stephens, M.A., published 1876 (London: Richard Bentley & Son) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 788][Lib 2763][Lib 8210] & The Keep [LIB/502200] & West Sussex Libraries View Online
Discovery at Seddlescomb of Saxon Pennies of Edward the Confessor, by B. H. Combe, F.S.A., published 1877 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 27, notes & queries, pp.227-228) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2112] & The Keep [LIB/500245] & S.A.S. library View Online
Observations on the "Water Supply" of Some of Our Ancient British Encampments, More Particularly in Wiltshire and Sussex, by Sir George F. Duckett, published 1879 (Devizes: H. H. & E. Bull)
The South Saxon Diocese, Selsey - Chichester, by Rev. W. R. W. Stephens, prebendary of Chichester and rector of Woolbedding, published 1881 (London: S.P.C.K.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10235] & The Keep [LIB/504725] & West Sussex Libraries View Online
Notes on some Saxon Interments at Ringmer, by Arthur F. Griffith, published 1883 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 33, article, pp.129-130) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2118] & The Keep [LIB/500251] & S.A.S. library View Online
Notes on Some Anglo-Saxon Charters of the Seventh and Eighth Centuries Relating to Sussex, by Walter de Gray Birch, F.S.A., published December 1886 in Journal of the British Archaeological Association (first series, vol 42, issue 4, article, pp.400-409) View Online
Important Discovery of Anglo-Saxon Remains at Kingston, Lewes, by John Sawyer, published 1892 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 38, article, pp.177-183) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2123] & The Keep [LIB/500256] & S.A.S. library View Online
On the Landing of Ella and his Sons, by H. F. Napper, published 1892 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 38, notes & queries, pp.211-213) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2123] & The Keep [LIB/500256] & S.A.S. library View Online
On Excavations in a Cemetery of South Saxons on High Down, Sussex, by Charles Hercules Read, published 1895 in Archaeologia; or Miscellaneous Tracts relating to Antiquity (vol. 54, issue 2, article, pp.369-382) View Online
Abstract:In the autumn of 1892, Mr. Edwin Henty, in planting trees on his property on High Down Hill, in the parish of Ferring, in Sussex, came upon a number of graves, which, from the character of the relics found in them, were readily determined to be of Saxon origin. Mr. Henty has carefully preserved all that he could secure, but from the unfortunate accident that the men employed in the work were strangers, and not his own workmen, there is reason to believe that a number of the articles found were disposed of to visitors and others.
Further Excavations in a Cemetery of South Saxons on High Down, Sussex, by Charles Hercules Read, published 1896 in Archaeologia; or Miscellaneous Tracts relating to Antiquity (vol. 55, issue 1, article, pp.203-214) View Online
Abstract:The first exploration of this cemetery in the autumn of 1893, of which I had the honour of laying an account before the Society was of so interesting a character that it was felt both by Mr. Edwin Henty and myself that it would be desirable to ascertain whether other graves did not exist within the limits of the ancient British camp. With this view the examination of the adjoining ground was made in the autumn of last year, and the results not only fully justified the examination, but resulted in discoveries of far greater interest than those previously made, and in one instance, at least, of a character hitherto unknown in England.
Anglo-Saxon Remains, by Reginald A. Smith, B.A., F.S.A., published 1905 in The Victoria History of the County of Sussex (vol. 1: Natural History, Geology, pre-medieval Archaeology, the Domesday survey, and Political History, pp.333-350, , facsimile edition published 1973, London: Victoria County History, ISBN-10: 0712905855 & ISBN-13: 9780712905855) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2398] & The Keep [LIB/500089] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries View Online
Anglo-Saxon Church Architecture in Sussex, by Col. H. L. Jessep, R.E., published 1914 (62 pp., Winchester: Warren & Sons) accessible at: R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries
An Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Alfriston, Sussex, by A. F. Griffith, M.A. and L. F. Salzman, B.A., F.S.A., published 1914 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 56, article, pp.16-53) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2141] & The Keep [LIB/500274] & S.A.S. library View Online
An Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Alfriston, Sussex, supplemental paper, by A. F. Griffith, M.A., published 1915 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 57, article, pp.197-210) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2142] & The Keep [LIB/500275] & S.A.S. library View Online
Saxon Cremations near Saddlescombe, by Herbert S. Toms, published 1915 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 57, notes & queries, pp.219-221) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2142] & The Keep [LIB/500275] & S.A.S. library View Online
Some Notes on Anglo-Saxon Antiquities from High Down, near Worthing, by A. F. Griffith, M.A., published 1925 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 66, article, pp.219-224) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2151] & The Keep [LIB/500284] & S.A.S. library
Anglo-Saxon Burials, by S.N.Q. contributor, published November 1926 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. I no. 4, note, p.112) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8950] & The Keep [LIB/500203] & S.A.S. library
Ango-Saxon Burial, Portslade, by Eliot Curwen and E. Cecil Curwen, published May 1927 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. I no. 6, note, p.186) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8950] & The Keep [LIB/500203] & S.A.S. library
Caedwalla's Charter and the Hundred of Manwood , by W. D. Peckham, M.A., published November 1927 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. I no. 8, article, pp.233-234) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8950] & The Keep [LIB/500203] & S.A.S. library
Where was Leonaford? , by Alfred Anscombe, F.R.Hist.S., published November 1927 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. I no. 8, article, pp.234-237) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8950] & The Keep [LIB/500203] & S.A.S. library
An Anglo-Saxon (?) Ring found at Selsey, by Edward Heron-Allen, published November 1927 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. I no. 8, article, p.248) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8950] & The Keep [LIB/500203] & S.A.S. library
The Text of Caedwalla's Charter , by W. D. Peckham, M.A., published May 1928 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. II no. 2, article, pp.45-47) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8951] & The Keep [LIB/500204] & S.A.S. library
The Bishopstone Saxon Sundial, by S.N.Q. contributor, published November 1928 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. II no. 4, note, p.126) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8951] & The Keep [LIB/500204] & S.A.S. library
A Saxon Spearhead, Eastbourne, by S.N.Q. contributor, published May 1929 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. II no. 6, note, p.193) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8951] & The Keep [LIB/500204] & S.A.S. library
Two Probable Moot Sites [at Willingdon and Firle], by Rev W. Budgen, F.S.A., published August 1929 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. II no. 7, article, pp.210-214) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8951] & The Keep [LIB/500204] & S.A.S. library
The vanishing South Saxon, by Edward Shoosmith, published 1930 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. IV no. 6, article, pp.478-480) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2308][Lib 2309] & The Keep [LIB/500172]
Some Saxon Churches in Sussex, by W. Cyril Wallis, F.S.A. (Scot), published 1931 in Sussex County Magazine (vol. V no. 5, article, pp.345-351) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2310] & The Keep [LIB/500174]
Saxon Interment near Portslade , by E. Cecil Curwen, published August 1931 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. III no. 7, article, pp.214-215) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8952][Lib 8221] & The Keep [LIB/500205] & S.A.S. library
The Saxon Hundreds of Sussex, by David Clarke, published 1933 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 74, article, pp.214-225) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2159] & The Keep [LIB/500355] & S.A.S. library
A settlement of the South Saxons, by G. M. White, published October 1934 in The Antiquaries Journal (vol. 14, issue 4, article, pp.393-400) View Online
Abstract:The presence of a Saxon settlement at Selsey (other than that of St. Wilfrid, which is generally supposed to have been in the eastern half of the Peninsula) has recently been revealed by coastal erosion west of the remains of Medmerry Farm, (O.S. 6 in. LXXXI, N.W.). The site is on low ground, only a few feet above the marshy land which lies behind, and the Saltings on the east.
A Saxon hut site at Thakeham, Sussex, by Eliot Curwen and E. Cecil Curwen, published October 1934 in The Antiquaries Journal (vol. 14, issue 4, article, pp.425-426) View Online
The Archaeology of Sussex, by E. Cecil Curwen, M.A., M.B., B.Ch., F.S.A., published 1937 (xviii + 338 pp., London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15996] & East Sussex Libraries
Review by A. Smith Woodward in Sussex Notes and Queries, February 1937:Dr. Cecil Curwen has contributed so much to our knowledge of prehistoric Sussex, that we welcome his new volume in the series of County Archaeologies, which is devoted chiefly to pre-Roman remains. It is based largely on researches in which he himself has taken part, or on earlier work which his independent personal observations have enabled him to appraise. He leaves little space for the relics of the Roman occupation, and for a few antiquities of doubtful age which he relegates to a chapter headed "Limbo". He does well to omit all reference to the Saxon period, which would have curtailed too much his valuable account of the earlier phases of life in the county.
Dr. Curwen's book is admirably written to interest the general reader, and has many features - such as the quotations in chapter headings - which will captivate. He illustrates and explains the discoveries in Sussex by frequent references to corresponding finds elsewhere, and to customs which are not familiar. He also provides ample drawings and photographs which are noteworthy for their excellence; and he adds a useful series of small maps of the county, showing the geographical distribution of the known remains of different periods. Nor is he unmindful of the specialist and the reader who will be led to go further, for he gives in footnotes numerous references to the papers and separate works in which the original descriptions and detailed information will be found.
After some important preliminary observations, Dr. Curwen proceeds to describe and discuss the Sussex evidence of the primeval hunters and food-gatherers of Palaeolithic times. He enlists the aid of Mr. Reid Moir, who furnishes the material for a table of correlation of the Pleistocene deposits of Sussex, and adds some interesting remarks on the discoveries at Piltdown. It appears that no undoubted late Palaeolithic implements have hitherto been found in Sussex, but Mesolithic flints are widely spread, sometimes in rock shelters. The late Mr. Lewis Abbott found many of these flints in a "kitchen-midden" below Hastings Castle, but Dr. Curwen points out that none of the pottery in this deposit can be earlier than the Iron Age, while some is mediaeval, so that the accumulation is of various dates.
The dawn of civilisation was reached in Neolithic times, which are represented in Sussex by camps, dwelling places, long barrows, and flint mines. Dr. Curwen remarks that too many of the hill forts have been described as Neolithic camps on insufficient evidence, and only four have hitherto been satisfactorily identified in Sussex. Twelve long barrows are known on the chalk downs, but there are no stone chambers or dolmens. If the barrows were originally chambered, wood may have been used as in a long barrow lately explored in Lincolnshire. There seems to be no longer any doubt as to the Neolithic date of the flint mines, the supposed palaeoliths being really neoliths in process of manufacture.
After a special discussion of the flint implements, Dr. Curwen concludes that the finest of them were probably made and used in the early part of the Bronze Age. This age seems to have lasted in Britain from about 2000 to 500 B.C., and is noteworthy for the beginning of agriculture which can be studied in settlements on the downs. Nearly a thousand round barrows or burial mounds of the period have been identified in Sussex, chiefly on the Downs, and they have yielded a valuable series of urns and implements of various kinds. Still more important are the hoards of bronze implements, of which tabulated lists are given.
With the Iron Age comes evidence of the first cities; and Cissbury, the Caburn, and other sites are well described. Dr. Curwen then adds a concise technical chapter on the development of pottery, by which the late Bronze Age and the successive phases of the Iron Age are distinguished. Next follows an equally concise account of Roman Sussex, which is well up to date like the rest of the book, and includes the results of Mr. I. D. Margary's studies on the Roman roads. Among the subjects in "Limbo" is the Long Man of Wilmington, which is said to be very ancient but of uncertain date.
Dr. Curwen has spared no pains in verifying the facts and consulting the original sources, and he has used for the first time the valuable MS. diary of Dr. Gideon A. Mantell, of which Dr. Eliot Curwen has given a copy to the library of the Sussex Archaeological Society in Lewes. It is sad to note how many of the older finds have been lost, but gratifying to learn how carefully everything of importance is now preserved. Dr. Curwen is indeed to be congratulated on having produced a most valuable and inspiring work which will foster both discovery and preservation.
Dr. Curwen's book is admirably written to interest the general reader, and has many features - such as the quotations in chapter headings - which will captivate. He illustrates and explains the discoveries in Sussex by frequent references to corresponding finds elsewhere, and to customs which are not familiar. He also provides ample drawings and photographs which are noteworthy for their excellence; and he adds a useful series of small maps of the county, showing the geographical distribution of the known remains of different periods. Nor is he unmindful of the specialist and the reader who will be led to go further, for he gives in footnotes numerous references to the papers and separate works in which the original descriptions and detailed information will be found.
After some important preliminary observations, Dr. Curwen proceeds to describe and discuss the Sussex evidence of the primeval hunters and food-gatherers of Palaeolithic times. He enlists the aid of Mr. Reid Moir, who furnishes the material for a table of correlation of the Pleistocene deposits of Sussex, and adds some interesting remarks on the discoveries at Piltdown. It appears that no undoubted late Palaeolithic implements have hitherto been found in Sussex, but Mesolithic flints are widely spread, sometimes in rock shelters. The late Mr. Lewis Abbott found many of these flints in a "kitchen-midden" below Hastings Castle, but Dr. Curwen points out that none of the pottery in this deposit can be earlier than the Iron Age, while some is mediaeval, so that the accumulation is of various dates.
The dawn of civilisation was reached in Neolithic times, which are represented in Sussex by camps, dwelling places, long barrows, and flint mines. Dr. Curwen remarks that too many of the hill forts have been described as Neolithic camps on insufficient evidence, and only four have hitherto been satisfactorily identified in Sussex. Twelve long barrows are known on the chalk downs, but there are no stone chambers or dolmens. If the barrows were originally chambered, wood may have been used as in a long barrow lately explored in Lincolnshire. There seems to be no longer any doubt as to the Neolithic date of the flint mines, the supposed palaeoliths being really neoliths in process of manufacture.
After a special discussion of the flint implements, Dr. Curwen concludes that the finest of them were probably made and used in the early part of the Bronze Age. This age seems to have lasted in Britain from about 2000 to 500 B.C., and is noteworthy for the beginning of agriculture which can be studied in settlements on the downs. Nearly a thousand round barrows or burial mounds of the period have been identified in Sussex, chiefly on the Downs, and they have yielded a valuable series of urns and implements of various kinds. Still more important are the hoards of bronze implements, of which tabulated lists are given.
With the Iron Age comes evidence of the first cities; and Cissbury, the Caburn, and other sites are well described. Dr. Curwen then adds a concise technical chapter on the development of pottery, by which the late Bronze Age and the successive phases of the Iron Age are distinguished. Next follows an equally concise account of Roman Sussex, which is well up to date like the rest of the book, and includes the results of Mr. I. D. Margary's studies on the Roman roads. Among the subjects in "Limbo" is the Long Man of Wilmington, which is said to be very ancient but of uncertain date.
Dr. Curwen has spared no pains in verifying the facts and consulting the original sources, and he has used for the first time the valuable MS. diary of Dr. Gideon A. Mantell, of which Dr. Eliot Curwen has given a copy to the library of the Sussex Archaeological Society in Lewes. It is sad to note how many of the older finds have been lost, but gratifying to learn how carefully everything of importance is now preserved. Dr. Curwen is indeed to be congratulated on having produced a most valuable and inspiring work which will foster both discovery and preservation.
The Process and Pattern of the Saxon Settlement of West Sussex, by Alice F. A. Mutton, M.A., published 1937 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 78, article, pp.184-194) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2163] & The Keep [LIB/500351] & S.A.S. library
Post-Roman coins found at Brighton, by C. H. V. Sutherland, published 1941 in Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Royal Numismatic Society (6th Series, vol. 1, no. 1/2, article, p.87) View Online
The End of Roman Sussex and the Early Saxon Settlements, by Arthur E. Wilson, published 1941 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 82, article, pp.20-34) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2167] & The Keep [LIB/500347] & S.A.S. library
Sussex, Kent, and the Continent in Early Saxon Times, by Arthur E. Wilson, published 1943 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 83, article, pp.55-72) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2168] & The Keep [LIB/500346] & S.A.S. library
The Penfold Bequest: Coins and Tokens. The Angle-Saxon Coins: Addenda, by I. D. Margary, published November 1945 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. X no. 8, note, p.186) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8228][Lib 2209] & The Keep [LIB/500212] & S.A.S. library
The Sussex Archaeological Society. Roman and Anglo-Saxon Collections, by Ivan D. Margary, published 1946 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 85, article, pp.98-110) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2170] & The Keep [LIB/500344] & S.A.S. library
Sussex Anglo-Saxon Charters, by Eric E. Barker, published 1947 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 86, article, pp.42-101) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2171] & The Keep [LIB/500343] & S.A.S. library
Sussex Anglo-Saxon Charters. Part II, by Eric E. Barker, published 1948 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 87, article, pp.112-163) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2172] & The Keep [LIB/500342] & S.A.S. library View Online
Sussex Anglo-Saxon Charters, by Eric E. Barker, published 1949 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 88, article, pp.51-114) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2173] & The Keep [LIB/500341] & S.A.S. library
Lindfield Church from Saxon Times, by George Maitland, published May 1949 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XII no. 6 & 7, article, pp.143-149) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8230] & The Keep [LIB/500214] & S.A.S. library
In Saxon Sussex, by Alec Barr-Hamilton, published c.1953 (144 pp., Bognor Regis: The Arundel Press) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13454][Lib 94] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Review by G. D. Johnson in Sussex Notes and Queries, November 1953:The expressed object of this book is "to serve as such signposts for the amateur in his quest for the Sussex of our Saxon forefathers" and the text fully carries out this object by the historical matter which is interesting and helpful and also by descriptions of the Saxon remains still to be found. The Author's style is clear and it is a very readable book. There are naturally a few criticisms. It is a pity to introduce unnecessary controversy into a book of this nature and the Author's hero-worship of St. Wilfred rather blinds him to the real nature of the controversy where (in addition to the King) Wilfred was also opposed by the great Archbishop Theodore of Tarsus. The Author also has the common tendency to assume the coast-line was the same (except for minor details at Selsey) at the period he writes of as now, though there is evidence that in Roman times it was a mile further out and suffered great change when Lyonesse is believed to have perished and again when Old Winchelsea was overwhelmed. (Incidentally the "map of Saxon Sussex" should be corrected by showing Old Winchelsea is its conjectured site and not on the site to which Edward I removed it). A list of Saxon Bishops of Selsey would be useful in a future edition and the Author might eliminate the tiresome and annoying insertion of "A.D." before dates which (as in the case of references to the Christian Church) cannot possibly be " B.C.," see for instance p. 127 when the Vicar of Bosham is stated to have found bones in his Church "A.D. 1865." There are minor inaccuracies; Wisborough Green does not like to be called Wisborough; Chithurst Bridge "an old bridge of sandstone" (p. 75) was only built in 1858 and is largely brick; the Elsted Stream joins the Rother above Trotton Bridge and not near Stedham; Stopham bridge was built 1423 and not early 14th century, and the existence of a ford over the Arun at Ford cannot now be asserted (S.N.Q. xi, 25 & 141).
Late Saxon and Early Medieval Pottery from Selected Sites in Chichester, by G. C. Dunning and A. E. Wilson, published 1953 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 91, article, pp.140-163) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2176] & The Keep [LIB/500338] & S.A.S. library
The Archaeology of Sussex, by E. Cecil Curwen, published 1954 (2nd revised edition, 330 pp., London: Methuen & Co. Ltd.) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 69] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Review by A. E. [Arundell Esdaile] in Sussex Notes and Queries, May 1956:In the seventeen years that have passed since the first edition of this book appeared, and even more in the twenty-five since the publication of the author's seminal work, Prehistoric Sussex, a long series of excavations has been carried out along the seaboard and Downlands of Sussex, largely by or for the Society and its affiliated bodies under archaeologists, whom to name would be invidious, inspired by the work of Dr. Curwen and his distinguished father. The book has been skilfully revised and brought up to date, without much disturbance of the text and illustrations of 1937. The footnotes, which abound in references to the Society's and other publications of the forties and fifties, form an easy guide to the revisions and additions. For example, we have accounts, inter alia, after Burstow's work on the Bronze Age site on Itford Hill and of Dr. A. E. Wilson's recent work at Chichester. While the book was in proof Dr. Curwen was able to record the startling recent exposure of the Piltdown forgery.
With the Iron Age, with which unfortunately the book had to conclude, we get out of prehistory into history, even before the Romans came. For example, we have the tin-copper coins from the Caburn. These barbaric copies of Gaulish coins, originating at Massilia, bear a head and a bull. Dr. Curwen suggests that the head represents Apollo; but may we not infer from the bull that it rather represents that other sun-god, dear to the Roman legions, Mithras? The present writer is no prehistorian - indeed so little of one that it is only now that his belief, acquired in school days at Lancing, that dewponds are prehistoric, was a delusion, and that they are not to be dated earlier than the eighteenth century. So it is with great hesitation that he offers the suggestion above.
To the Iron Age belongs the network of Roman roads from the coast and over the Weald, which Mr. Margary has done so much to map out. Dr. Curwen gives a clear, though necessarily brief, resume of Mr. Margary's conclusions.
The wartime activities of tanks, and the even more drastic post war effects of bulldozers, will make future archaeological work difficult, especially on the Downs, where prehistoric habitations were thickest. But they may provide fresh problems for the archaeologists of the thirtieth century.
With the Iron Age, with which unfortunately the book had to conclude, we get out of prehistory into history, even before the Romans came. For example, we have the tin-copper coins from the Caburn. These barbaric copies of Gaulish coins, originating at Massilia, bear a head and a bull. Dr. Curwen suggests that the head represents Apollo; but may we not infer from the bull that it rather represents that other sun-god, dear to the Roman legions, Mithras? The present writer is no prehistorian - indeed so little of one that it is only now that his belief, acquired in school days at Lancing, that dewponds are prehistoric, was a delusion, and that they are not to be dated earlier than the eighteenth century. So it is with great hesitation that he offers the suggestion above.
To the Iron Age belongs the network of Roman roads from the coast and over the Weald, which Mr. Margary has done so much to map out. Dr. Curwen gives a clear, though necessarily brief, resume of Mr. Margary's conclusions.
The wartime activities of tanks, and the even more drastic post war effects of bulldozers, will make future archaeological work difficult, especially on the Downs, where prehistoric habitations were thickest. But they may provide fresh problems for the archaeologists of the thirtieth century.
Saxon Cinerary Urn from Pagham Churchyard, by A. H. Collins, M.A., published November 1955 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XIV nos. 7 & 8, article, pp.123-125) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8232][Lib 2213] & The Keep [LIB/500216] & S.A.S. library
Dark Age Britain: Studies presented to E. T. Leedes with a bibliography of his works, edited by D. B. Harden, published 1956 (Methuen & Co. Ltd.)
Review by T. S. in Sussex Notes and Queries, November 1956:This well-produced quarto volume, compiled from essays by 14 experts, was written as a token of affection and esteem, as a memorial to E. T. Leeds, who has rightly been called the "doyen of British Dark Age Archaeologists".
It has been divided into three portions: firstly, Roman and Celtic Survival; secondly, the Pagan and the Saxons; and lastly, the Christian Saxon and the Viking Age. Several of the chapters are of considerable interest, especially the one by Francoise Henry on "Irish enamels of the Dark Ages" and their relation to the Cloisonné techniques, and also D. B. Harden, "Essay on Glass Vessels in Britain and Ireland", and in which several specimens discovered in Sussex are illustrated, including the very fine example, now in Barbican House, from the Alfriston cemetery, and a quite remarkable one from Highdown, now in the Worthing Museum. There are several references to Sussex, and in his essay on the Anglo-Saxon settlement in Eastern England T.C. Lethbridge states, "Botanists nowadays express doubt on the former existence of impassable forests on the clay uplands".
Throughout the volume line plates and figures are of fine clear quality, and a great help in elucidating the text. A thoroughly sound good book.
It has been divided into three portions: firstly, Roman and Celtic Survival; secondly, the Pagan and the Saxons; and lastly, the Christian Saxon and the Viking Age. Several of the chapters are of considerable interest, especially the one by Francoise Henry on "Irish enamels of the Dark Ages" and their relation to the Cloisonné techniques, and also D. B. Harden, "Essay on Glass Vessels in Britain and Ireland", and in which several specimens discovered in Sussex are illustrated, including the very fine example, now in Barbican House, from the Alfriston cemetery, and a quite remarkable one from Highdown, now in the Worthing Museum. There are several references to Sussex, and in his essay on the Anglo-Saxon settlement in Eastern England T.C. Lethbridge states, "Botanists nowadays express doubt on the former existence of impassable forests on the clay uplands".
Throughout the volume line plates and figures are of fine clear quality, and a great help in elucidating the text. A thoroughly sound good book.
The burial-place of St. Lewinna, by George R. Stephens, published 1959 in Mediaeval Studies (vol. 21, article, pp.303-312)
The only woman martyr associated with Sussex. Leofwynn of Bishopstone, also known as Lewinna or Leofwynn, lived in the seventh century.
A Saxon Mint at Cissbury, by E. Cecil Curwen, published November 1959 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XV no. 4, note, pp.134-135) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8233] & The Keep [LIB/500217] & S.A.S. library
Saxon Cross in West Wittering Church, by W. E. P. Done, published May 1961 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XV no. 7, article, pp.228-229) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8233] & The Keep [LIB/500217] & S.A.S. library
Saxon Burial near Ditchling Beacon, by W. M. and D. A. Peters, published May 1963 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XVI no. 1, note, pp.26-27) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8234] & The Keep [LIB/500218] & S.A.S. library
Saxon-Norman Remains at Telscombe, by E. W. Holden, published May 1965 in Sussex Notes & Queries (vol. XVI no. 5, article, pp.154-158) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8234] & The Keep [LIB/500218] & S.A.S. library
The Saxon Doorways of the Church of St Nicholas, Worth, by David Parsons, published 1969 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 107, article, pp.12-13) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2192] & The Keep [LIB/500322] & S.A.S. library
Anglo-Saxon Burials at Crane Down, Jevington, by Eric W. Holden, V. I. Evison and H. B. A. Ratcliffe-Densham, published 1969 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 107, article, pp.126-134) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 2192] & The Keep [LIB/500322] & S.A.S. library
Saxon Churches of Sussex, by E. A. Fisher, published 17 September 1970 (252 pp., Devon: David & Charles, Newton Abbot, ISBN-10: 0715349465 & ISBN-13: 9780715349465) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12868] & The Keep [LIB/502176] & R.I.B.A. Library & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Bishopstone Cemetery, published September 1970 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 1, article, p.2) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Preview:The excavations on Rookery Hill, under the direction of David Thomson, have revealed, inter alia, a cemetery of 118 graves of early Saxon date
Late Romans and Saxons in Sussex, by M.G. Welch, published November 1971 in Britannia (vol. 2, article, pp.232-237) View Online
Abstract:The problem of what happened in Britain in the fifth century A.D. has long fascinated historians, and archaeology is now helping to supplement the meagre written source-material. The county of Sussex is a very useful area to investigate thus, for it contains archaeological evidence which points to a Saxon settlement geographically isolated in the pagan period from the settlements in Kent, Surrey, and Hampshire, and it formed a known independent kingdom.
Archaeological report: Ocklynge Saxon Cemetery, by Patricia M. Stevens, published December 1971 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 4, article, p.2) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
Highdown and its Saxon Cemetery, by Martin G Welch, published 1976 (pamphlet, Worthing Museum and Art Gallery) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7202] & West Sussex Libraries
Burpham. A Settlement Site within Saxon Defences, by Helen Sutermeister, published 1976 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 114, article, pp.194-206) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6476] & The Keep [LIB/500315] & S.A.S. library
Excavations at Old Erringham, Shoreham. Part One, A Saxon Weaving Hut, by Eric W. Holden, published 1976 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 114, article, pp.306-321) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6476] & The Keep [LIB/500315] & S.A.S. library
Excavations at Bishopstone, Sussex. the Anglo-Saxon Period, by Martin Bell, published 1977 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 115, article, pp.192-241) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6997] & The Keep [LIB/500314] & S.A.S. library
The post-Roman pottery, by A. Down, published 1978 in Chichester Excavations (vol. 3, article, pp.341-373, ISBN-10: 0850332729 & ISBN-13: 9780850332728) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 6611] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
The South Saxons, edited by Peter Brandon, published 1 January 1978 (288 pp., Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 0850332400 & ISBN-13: 9780850332407) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/501557] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Early Anglo-Saxon Sussex: from Civitas to Shire, by Martin Welch, published 1 January 1978 in The South Saxons, edited by P. Brandon (pp.13-35, Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 0850332400 & ISBN-13: 9780850332407) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/501557] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Saxon settlements and buildings in Sussex, by Martin Bell, published 1 January 1978 in The South Saxons, edited by P. Brandon (pp.36-53, Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 0850332400 & ISBN-13: 9780850332407) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/501557] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
The Church in Saxon Sussex, by D.P. Kirby, published 1 January 1978 in The South Saxons, edited by P. Brandon (pp.160-173, Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 0850332400 & ISBN-13: 9780850332407) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/501557] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Saxon Sussex: some problems and directions, by Barry Cunliffe, published 1 January 1978 in The South Saxons, edited by P. Brandon (pp.221-226, Chichester: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN-10: 0850332400 & ISBN-13: 9780850332407) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/501557] & West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
The South Saxons in the Chichester District, published 1979 (pamphlet, Chichester District Museum) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7337]
Early Anglo-Saxon Sussex fifth to eighth centuries A.D.: the cemeteries and settlements in their archaeological and historical context. , by M. G. Welch, 1979 at Oxford University (D. Phil. Thesis)
The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Saxonbury, Lewes, East Sussex, by Jill Craddock, published 1979 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 117, article, pp.85-102) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7497] & The Keep [LIB/500312] & S.A.S. library
The Saxon cemeteries of Sussex, by Martin Welch, published 1980 in Anglo-Saxon Cemeteries (1979, article, pp.255-283)
The Archaeology of Sussex Pottery. Pagan Saxon Pottery in Sussex, by Caroline Dudley, published 1980 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 118, article, pp.87-94) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7805] & The Keep [LIB/500305] & S.A.S. library
Ocklynge Hill Anglo-Saxon Cemetery, Eastbourne, by Patricia M. Stevens, published 1980 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 118, article, pp.231-244) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 7805] & The Keep [LIB/500305] & S.A.S. library
Anglo-Saxon Finds, Compton, West Sussex, by F. G. Aldsworth, published December 1981 in Sussex Archæological Society Newsletter (no. 35, article, p.253, ISSN: 0307-2568) accessible at: S.A.S. library Download PDF
A Middle-Saxon Iron Smelting site at Millbrook, Ashdown Forest, Sussex, by Charles Frederick Tebbutt, published 1982 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 120, article, pp.19-36) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8620] & The Keep [LIB/500307] & S.A.S. library
The Chancton Hoard of Anglo-Saxon Pennies, by Eric W. Holden, published 1982 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 120, archaeological note, pp.214-215) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 8620] & The Keep [LIB/500307] & S.A.S. library
Saxon Chichester and its Predecessors, by Julian Munby, published 1984 (offprint) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9108]
offprint of pages 315-330 in: Anglo-Saxon towns in Southern England, ed. Jeremy Haslam, 1984.
Saxon Settlement and Land Division in the Western Weald, by Mark Gardiner, published 1984 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 122, article, pp.75-84) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9140] & The Keep [LIB/500309] & S.A.S. library
Anglo-Saxon Burials on Steyning Round Hill, by Eric W. Holden, published 1985 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 123, archaeological note, pp.259-261) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9514] & The Keep [LIB/500310] & S.A.S. library
An Early Anglo-Saxon Settlement Site at Botolphs, West Sussex: an interim report on excavations, by Mark Gardiner, published 1986 (pamphlet, Field Archaeology Unit, University of London) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9663]
Walecote: a British settlement in an Anglo-Saxon estate ? , by John Bleach, published 1986 in Ringmer History (No. 4, article, pp.35-41)
Shared between Ringmer and South Malling parishes.
The Excavation of a Saxon Sunken Building at North Marden, West Sussex, 1982, by Peter L. Drewett and others, published 1986 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 124, article, pp.109-118) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9762] & The Keep [LIB/500311] & S.A.S. library
A Saxon Boundary in Warminghurst, by Michael Bevan, published 1986 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 124, historical note, pp.260-261) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 9762] & The Keep [LIB/500311] & S.A.S. library
Medmerry: a reassessment of a Migration Period site on the south coast of England, and some of its finds, by D.M. Goodburn, published 1987 in International Journal of Nautical Archaeology (vol. 16, no. 3, article, pp.213-224)
Whilst carrying out work on the collections of Chichester District Museum, Sussex, England, the writer came across finds from the Saxon coastal site of Medmerry.
Early Anglo-Saxon Burials from Stafford Road, Brighton, East Sussex, by Paul S. Smith, published 1988 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 126, article, pp.31-52) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10371] & The Keep [LIB/500303] & S.A.S. library
Excavations at Testers, White Horse Square, Steyning, 1985, by Mark Gardiner, published 1988 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 126, article, pp.53-76) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10371] & The Keep [LIB/500303] & S.A.S. library
A Saxon Church at West Blatchington, by John Holmes, published 1988 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 126, article, pp.77-92) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10371] & The Keep [LIB/500303] & S.A.S. library
Two 9th-century Anglo-Saxon Strap-Ends from East Sussex, by James Graham-Campbell, published 1988 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 126, archaeological note, pp.239-241) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10371] & The Keep [LIB/500303] & S.A.S. library
A Saxon Coin-Brooch from Alfriston, by David R. Rudling, published 1988 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 126, archaeological note, p.241) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10371] & The Keep [LIB/500303] & S.A.S. library
Two new 9th-Century Anglo-Saxon Strap-Ends from East Sussex, by James Graham-Campbell, published 1989 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 127, archaeological note, pp.244-245) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10604] & The Keep [LIB/500302] & S.A.S. library
A Saxon Church at Findon, by John Holmes, published 1989 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 127, historical note, pp.256-257) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 10604] & The Keep [LIB/500302] & S.A.S. library
An Anglo Saxon and Mediaeval Settlement at Botolphs, Bramber, West Sussex, by Mark Gardiner, Caroline Cartwright and others, published 1990 in The Archaeological Journal (vol. 147, article, pp.216-275) View Online
Abstract:Three early Anglo-Saxon sunken-featured buildings dating to the late fifth or early sixth century were discovered during excavation. Finds suggest that stamp-decorated and grass-tempered pottery was made in the settlement. Burnt daub with a lime-washed surface was found, possibly from other, larger buildings. In the late tenth or early eleventh century the site was reoccupied. Traces of five timber buildings from this second phase of activity were recorded to the south of the parish church, which was built (or rebuilt) during this period. Other structures including a well and fence-line were excavated. During the later medieval period the area examined was probably part of the glebe of the parish of Botolphs. A ditch and rubbish pits of the later thirteenth and fourteenth centuries found here are to be associated with the nearby vicarage.
Three Saxon Pennies Found in Sussex, by David R. Rudling, published 1991 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 129, archaeological note, p.246) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 11694] & The Keep [LIB/500295] & S.A.S. library
Hastings 1066: The fall of Saxon England, by Christopher Gravett, published 1992 (Osprey Publishing, ISBN-10: 1855326302 & ISBN-13: 9781855326309) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
The Excavation of a Late Anglo-Saxon Settlement at Market Field, Steyning, 1988-1989, by Mark Gardiner, published 1993 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 131, article, pp.21-67) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12210] & The Keep [LIB/500300] & S.A.S. library
A late Anglo-Saxon disc brooch from Steyning, West Sussex, by Andrew Reynolds, published 1994 in Medieval Archaeology (vol. 38, article, pp.169-171) View Online
A Collection of Late Anglo-Saxon pottery from St Mary's Church, Walberton, by Chris Place and Mark Gardiner, published 1994 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 132, shorter article, p.194) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 12979] & The Keep [LIB/500294] & S.A.S. library
Harold: Rex : is King Harold II buried in Bosham Church?, by John Pollock, published 1 January 1996 (20 pp., Bosham: Penny Royal Publictions, ISBN-10: 1900851008 & ISBN-13: 9781900851008) accessible at: British Library & West Sussex Libraries
Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King, by Ian W. Walker, published 1997 (xxix + 258 pp., Stroud: Sutton Publishing, ISBN-10: 0750913886 & ISBN-13: 9780750913881) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Harold Godwinsson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, rose from relative obscurity to ascend the throne, and his death ushered in the Norman Conquest. This full length biography is a valuable resource for those interested in the Saxons or Normans.
Archaeological excavations in Steyning, 1992-1995. Further Evidence for the Evolution of a Late Saxon Small Town, by Mark Gardiner and Chris Greatorex, published 1997 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 135, article, pp.143-172) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13642] & The Keep [LIB/500290] & S.A.S. library
The Death of Anglo-Saxon England, by N. J. Higham, published 20 November 1997 (256 pp., Sutton Publishing, ISBN-10: 0750908858 & ISBN-13: 9780750908856) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Charters of Selsey, by S. E. Kelly, published 14 May 1998 (123 pp., Oxford University Press, ISBN-10: 0197261752 & ISBN-13: 9780197261750) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 13774] & West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:This edition contains 21 charters from the archive of the episcopal see at Selsey. Susan Kelly's extensive introduction discusses the history of the see, its endowment and its bishops, the history of the archive, and the manuscript evidence. Also included is an analysis of the sequence and date of the Anglo-Saxon rulers of Sussex, for which the Selsey archive is the primary source.
Early Saxon Sussex c.410-c.650, by Sally White, published 1 January 1999 in An Historical Atlas of Sussex (pp.28-29, 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
Late Saxon Sussex c.650-1066, by Mark Gardiner, published 1 January 1999 in An Historical Atlas of Sussex (pp.30-31, 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
New evidence for Saxo-Norman settlement at Chantry Green House, Steyning, West Sussex, 1989, by Maureen Bennell, published 2000 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 138, shorter article, pp.225-231) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14509] & The Keep [LIB/500298] & S.A.S. library View Online
Hastings 1066: The fall of Saxon England, by Christopher Gravett, published 25 September 2000 (revised edition, 99 pp., Osprey Publishing, ISBN-10: 1841761338 & ISBN-13: 9781841761336) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Osprey's Campaign title for the Battle of Hastings, which was fought on 14th October 1066 between Duke William of Normandy and Harold Godwinson, king of England, and which irrevocably changed the course of English history. William's victory ensured his accession to the English throne. Hastings was also decisive in another way: the horrendous casualties suffered by the English nobility both there and at the two earlier battles of Fulford and Stamford Bridge resulted in there being very few men influential enough to lead an English resistance once William had been crowned. William would survive long enough to successfully found a Norman dynasty of English kings.
Church, land and lordship in West Sussex, 680-1200 , by Philip John Masters, 2001 at Leicester University (Ph.D. thesis) View Online
Abstract:This thesis contributes to the debate on the nature of Anglo-Saxon minsters and regional variation in the Anglo-Saxon and Norman Church by relating form, setting and endowment of churches to origin and function, examining the relationship between Minster parochiae and estates in contrasting landscapes, and assessing the effects of the Norman Conquest at a local level. Extensive survival of Saxo-Norman churches in western Sussex allows a classification and chronology to be developed, while a systematic approach to topography and records of glebes defines settings, enclosures and endowments. Anglo-Saxon charters, episcopal, capitular and monastic records, manorial documents and state papers are the basis for analysing rights and dues between churches. High-status churches were frequent, but, except in two cases, probably dating from the ninth or tenth centuries, parochiae were ill-defined. They were smaller than the estates which differed in form between the coastal plain, Downs and Weald and differed from the extensive estates of eastern Sussex and Kent. It is likely that ecclesiastical and lay institutions failed to develop fully, at least in part as a result of exploitation by Wessex. There were probably few churches outside estate centres in 1066, but the types of church built in the period c. 1070 - 1120 reflect the pre-Conquest pattern. Two-cell churches were at small manors on poor land around the compact estates. Centrally-sited unicellular churches on the estates and in large Wealden parishes may be an indication of systematic pastoral provision. Larger churches at known or possible minster sites may be late Anglo-Saxon but are more likely to reflect the post-Conquest importance of collegiate churches. The form and siting of churches is found to be a helpful method of interpreting the institutional development of the Church, but rights and dues can be traced mainly to c. 1070-1120. The study points to a contrast between marginal areas like western Sussex and the heartlands of the major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Hamsey near Lewes, East Sussex: the implications of recent finds of Late Anglo-Saxon metalwork for its importance in the Pre-Conquest period, by Gabor Thomas, published 2001 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 139, article, pp.123-132) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 14916] & The Keep [LIB/500292] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:Items of Late Anglo-Saxon metalwork discovered from a site in the parish of Hamsey are described and the implications of the finds discussed. The dates attributed to the metalwork allow activity on the site to be assigned to the 9th to the 11th centuries AD. Comparative evidence suggests that the metalwork may be associated with a precursor of the later medieval manorial curia of 'Hamme' (Hamsey), comprising the parish church of St Peter and the adjacent site of a medieval manorial residence. It is concluded that metal-detected finds represent a neglected source of evidence, with the potential to advance our understanding of settlement and of the regional economy of Sussex during the Mid-Late Saxon period.
Hastings 1066: Norman Cavalry and Saxon Infantry, by Thierry Leprevost and Georges Bernage, published 2002 (80 pp., France: Heimdal, Chateau de Damigny, ISBN-10: 2840481502 & ISBN-13: 9782840481508) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:October 14th 1066: Guillaume, Duke of Normandy lands in Sussex, crushes King Harold and the Saxon Army and claims the crown of England. This new book reconstructs in detail this great medieval military operation: precise accounts follow the action step-by-step from the initial landing in Pevensey Bay until final success on the field at Battle. The book is illustrated in colour throughout with the appropriate sequences from the Bayeux Tapestry, as well as location photographs from the historic sites today, archaeological documents from the 11th century. All of this allows the reader to understand fully and accurately the course of the military operation and weaponry used in 1066.
The excavation of a Saxon grubenhaus at Itford Farm, Beddingham, East Sussex, by Richard James, published 2002 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 140, article, pp.41-47) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15109] & The Keep [LIB/500299] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:During the summer and autumn of 1998, a watching brief was maintained by Archaeology South-East (a division of University College London Field Archaeology Unit) during the construction of a wastewater pipeline between Lewes and Newhaven. Visual inspection of the pipeline easement to the north of Itford Farm, Beddingham revealed a number of cut features in the chalk bedrock. Excavation of the features revealed one to be an Early Saxon sunken floored building (grubenhaus) of 5th- to 6th-century date, from which a small but interesting assemblage of pottery was recovered. A boundary ditch of probable Saxon-Norman date was also investigated. Further features proved to be natural solution hollows in the chalk. No other structures were observed within the easement, but the discovery indicates the longevity of settlement at Itford Farm, and provides an interesting, albeit small-scale, example of shifting settlement patterns within the Ouse Valley.
The Anglo-Saxon nunnery at Chichester: a further source, by Julian M. Luxford, published 2002 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 140, shorter article, pp.150-151) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15109] & The Keep [LIB/500299] & S.A.S. library View Online
The Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066 , by Kelly DeVries, published 25 September 2003 (334, Boydell Press & printed at Greenman Enterprise, Wadhurst, ISBN-10: 1843830272 & ISBN-13: 9781843830276) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Abstract: n September 25, 1066, less than three weeks before William defeated King Harold II Godwinson at the battle of Hastings, that same Harold had been victorious over his other opponent of 1066, King Haraldr Hardrádi of Norway at the battle of Stamford Bridge. It was an impressive victory, driving an invading army of Norwegians from the earldom of Northumbria; but it was to cost Harold dear. In telling the story of this neglected battle, Kelly DeVries traces the rise and fall of a family of English warlords, the Godwins, as well as that of the equally impressive Norwegian warlord Hardrádi.
Archaeological investigations at The Bostle, Bronze Age and Anglo-Saxon barrow cemeteries, Balsdean, East Sussex, 1997, by Jacqueline I. McKinley, published 2004 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 142, article, pp.25-44) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15489] & The Keep [LIB/500360] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:In the summer of 1997, an archaeological monitoring programme by Wessex Archaeology during trenching along the route of a water pipeline from Falmer to Balsdean, culminated in an excavation at The Bostle (TQ 537100 105400) adjacent to the scheduled Bronze Age and Anglo-Saxon barrow cemetery.
A small, mixed rite Bronze Age cemetery was excavated including four adult cremation burials, two of which were securely dated to the Early Bronze Age period, and five infant inhumation burials, one of which was radiocarbon dated to the Late Bronze Age. Four Saxon ring-ditches were excavated, three of which surrounded central graves containing the remains of inhumation burials. Evidence suggests that at least one of the latter was coffined and one shrouded. A radiocarbon date range of ad 640 - 879 was obtained from the coffined burial.
The temporal and spatial extent of The Bostle cemeteries has been shown to be greater than was previously appreciated. The dating of the Bronze Age burials and implied temporal variation in rite carries interesting implications for our understanding of Bronze Age mortuary rites and how they may have reflected the society burying its dead at The Bostle.
A small, mixed rite Bronze Age cemetery was excavated including four adult cremation burials, two of which were securely dated to the Early Bronze Age period, and five infant inhumation burials, one of which was radiocarbon dated to the Late Bronze Age. Four Saxon ring-ditches were excavated, three of which surrounded central graves containing the remains of inhumation burials. Evidence suggests that at least one of the latter was coffined and one shrouded. A radiocarbon date range of ad 640 - 879 was obtained from the coffined burial.
The temporal and spatial extent of The Bostle cemeteries has been shown to be greater than was previously appreciated. The dating of the Bronze Age burials and implied temporal variation in rite carries interesting implications for our understanding of Bronze Age mortuary rites and how they may have reflected the society burying its dead at The Bostle.
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
Road To Hastings: The Politics of Power in Anglo-Saxon England, by Paul Hill, published 18 March 2005 (240 pp., The History Press, ISBN-10: 0752433083 & ISBN-13: 9780752433080) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Exploring the events which led up to the battle of Hastings in 1066.
Harold II: The Doomed Saxon King, by Peter Rex, published 1 October 2005 (319 pp., History Press, ISBN-10: 0752435299 & ISBN-13: 9780752435299) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:The first scholarly biography of the 'lost' Anglo-Saxon king of England. Harold Godwinson was king of England for less than a year and failed to defend England from William the Conqueror's invading Norman army in 1066, an army that wreaked havoc across the country and changed the political history of England forever. Indeed, 1066 was so critical a turning point that it marked the end of the Anglo-Saxon epoch. Harold II: The Last Saxon King is the first full-scale biography of England's 'lost king', an astute political operator who as Earl of Wessex won the affection of the English people and the death-bed nomination from Edward the Confessor (king of England 1041-1066) to succeed him. Peter Rex tells the story of the formidable warrior-king killed in battle in defence of his kingdom. The Battle of Hasting was a close-run battle that could have gone either way, England would be a very different place today had the fatal arrow missed Harold's eye.
Bronze Age burials and settlement and an Anglo-Saxon settlement at Claypit Lane, Westhampnett, West Sussex, by Adrian M. Chadwick, published 2006 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 144, article, pp.7-50) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15759] & The Keep [LIB/500362] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:Evaluation and excavation revealed slight evidence for Mesolithic activity, an Early Neolithic pit and Late Neolithic pits, one of which included the remains of apples and sloes. As well as an Early Bronze Age cremation burial, three Middle Bronze Age ring-ditches and six associated burials were found. A Middle to Late Bronze Age settlement, one of the first found on the West Sussex Coastal Plain, contained several placed deposits and an important pottery assemblage. Two Anglo-Saxon Sunken Featured Buildings also add to the growing evidence for that period on the Coastal Plain.
Excavation of a Mesolithic occupation site and a Saxon building to the rear of Upper Bognor Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex , by Greg Priestley-Bell, published 2006 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 144, article, pp.51-67) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15759] & The Keep [LIB/500362] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:A small-scale excavation was undertaken in November 2001, following evaluation of the site in July of the same year. Mesolithic features and flintwork were identified, including evidence for a possible structure. Neolithic/Bronze Age and Roman activity was also represented within the finds assemblages and a single Roman feature identified. A Saxon building associated with late sixth- to early/mid seventh-century pottery provides important evidence for the Early-Mid Saxon period.
The Last English King: The Life of Harold II, by Peter Rex, published 2008 (reprint edition, 319 pp., History Press, ISBN-10: 0752445995 & ISBN-13: 9780752445991)
Abstract:Harold Godwinson was king of England for less than a year and failed to defend England from William the Conqueror's invading Norman army in 1066, an army that wreaked havoc across the country and changed the political history of England forever. Indeed, 1066 was so critical a turning point that it marked the end of the Anglo-Saxon epoch. This is the first full-scale biography of England's "lost king," an astute political operator who as Earl of Wessex won the affection of the English people and the death-bed nomination from Edward the Confessor to succeed him. Peter Rex tells the story of the formidable warrior-king killed in battle in defense of his kingdom. The Battle of Hastings was a close-run battle that could have gone either way, and England would be a very different place today had the fatal arrow missed Harold's eye.
Pottery and identity in Saxon Sussex, by Ben Jervis, published 2008 in Medieval Ceramics (vol. 29, article, pp.1-8) Download PDF
The Symbolic Lives of Late Anglo-Saxon Settlements: A Cellared Structure and Iron Hoard from Bishopstone, East Sussex, by Gabor Thomas and Patrick Ottaway, published 2008 in The Archaeological Journal (vol. 165, article, pp.334-398) View Online
Abstract:This paper examines the character and significance of a cellared structure discovered during recent excavations on the site of a later Anglo-Saxon settlement at Bishopstone, East Sussex. The structure in question formed a focal element within an estate centre complex administered by the Bishops of Selsey from c. AD 800, otherwise surviving in the celebrated pre-Conquest fabric of St Andrew's parish church. The excavated footprint of this cellared structure is examined in detail and conjectural reconstructions are advanced on the basis of comparative evidence garnered from historical and archaeological sources. The collective weight of evidence points towards a tower, possibly free-standing, with integrated storage/cellarage accommodated within a substantial, 2 m-deep subterranean chamber. This could represent a timber counterpart to excavated and extant masonry towers with thegnly/episcopal associations. The afterlife of this structure is also considered in detail on the grounds that it provides one of the most compelling cases yet identified of an act of ritual closure on a Late Anglo-Saxon settlement. Alongside being dismantled and infilled in a single, short-lived episode, the abandonment of the tower was marked by the careful and deliberate placement of a closure deposit in the form of a smith's hoard containing iron tools, agricultural equipment and lock furniture. One of the few such caches to be excavated under controlled scientific conditions, it is argued that the contents were deliberately selected to make a symbolic statement, perhaps evoking the functions of a well-run estate centre.
The Battle of Hastings: The Fall of Anglo-Saxon England, by Harriet Harvey Wood, published 1 November 2008 (240 pp., Atlantic Books, ISBN-10: 1843548070 & ISBN-13: 9781843548072) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:The date of the battle of Hastings - 14 October 1066 - is probably the most famous in English history. This book brings to life the world of Harold the King and Duke William in a compelling narrative history that reads as vividly as if it had all happened yesterday. Harriet Harvey Wood's original and fascinating book shows that, rather than bringing culture and enlightenment to England, the Normans' aggressive and illegal invasion destroyed a long-established and highly-developed civilization which was far ahead of other European peoples in its political institutions, art and literature. It explores the background and lead-up to the invasion and the motives of the leading players, the state of warfare in England and Normandy in 1066, and the battle itself.By all the laws of probability, King Harold ought to have won the battle of Hastings without difficulty and to have enjoyed a peaceful and enlightened reign. That he did not was largely a matter of sheer bad luck. The result could just as easily have gone the other way. This gripping and highly-readable book shows how he came to be defeated, and what England lost as a result of his defeat and death.
Polities and Princes AD 400-800: new perspectives on the funerary landscape of the South Saxon Kingdom, by Sarah Semple, published November 2008 in Oxford Journal of Archaeology (vol. 27, issue 4, article, pp.407-429) View Online
Abstract:Burials, borders and boundaries are themes much pursued in early medieval research. Barrow burials, in particular, have been suggested as markers or 'sentinel graves'; funerary monuments used to define territorial boundaries and entrance points to kingdoms. This paper assesses the burial evidence of the fifth to eighth centuries from West Sussex, England, taking a topographic perspective and examining the uses made of ancient remains and natural topography. Certain distinctive topographic traits in cemetery and burial placement are argued to exist and, when considered alongside the written accounts of the kingdom, are suggested here as evidence for putative early micro-kingdom structures, centred around the major river valleys, surviving into and perhaps even beyond the seventh century AD.
Beddingham, East Sussex: investigative conservation of material from three Anglo-Saxon graves, by Elizabeth Beesley, published 2009 (27 pp., English Heritage Research Department) accessible at: British Library
Fieldwalking at Duttle's Brow near Jevington, East Sussex: Prehistoric to Romano-British Downland occupation and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery, by Greg Chuter, published 2009 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 147, article, pp.25-36) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 17254] & The Keep [LIB/500365] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:A field walking project on the Downs at Duttle's Brow confirmed the location of finds made in the 1960s and produced evidence of settlement in the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman periods as well as evidence of Neolithic and Early Saxon activity.
Bosham: a key Anglo-Saxon harbour, by Philip MacDougall, published 2009 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 147, article, pp.51-60) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 17254] & The Keep [LIB/500365] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:Evidence from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle demonstrates the existence of a substantial fleet of ships possessed by the Godwine family during the early eleventh century. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle further reveals that the port area for these ships was that of the waters of Chichester Harbour while specifically mentioning the Manor of Bosham. This article explores this evidence while examining the necessary extent of such facilities and their possible exact location. In particular, the site of a likely protected harbour is indicated together with additional areas that might have hosted facilities for the building, maintenance and winter protection of this fleet. It is also noted that it was this same fleet that came into possession of Harold Godwine, the last Saxon king of England.
Pottery from Late Saxon Chichester: a reassessment of the evidence, by Ben Jervis, published 2009 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 147, article, pp.61-76; and supplement pp.1-11) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 17254] & The Keep [LIB/500365] & S.A.S. library View Online
Abstract:This article is a synthesis and analysis of the locally produced pottery recovered from excavations in Saxon Chichester. The context of Saxon Chichester from an archaeological and historical viewpoint and the pottery is discussed in detail. Descriptions of locally identified fabrics are presented along with discussion of their relationship to each other and pottery from other Saxon settlements in Sussex and Hampshire. The pottery is then discussed in relation to production, distribution, use and chronology, placing it in its local and regional context.
Scandinavian influences in the Late Anglo-Saxon sculpture of Sussex, by Elizabeth Norton, published 2009 in Sussex Archæological Collections (vol. 147, shaort article, pp.215-217) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 17254] & The Keep [LIB/500365] & S.A.S. library View Online
Burials discovered: Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Lewes, by Laura Burnett, published April 2009 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 117, article, p.11, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/500475] & S.A.S. library View Online
Preview:It's not often that an archaeological find hits the national TV news, but in early February 2009 a piece about the discovery by two metal detectorists of a Saxon burial site complete with grave goods, near Lewes in East Sussex was reported on BBC Breakfast (also in the local press and on several websites). The site was discovered in October last year, and prompt and responsible reporting by the two detectorists allowed the site to be properly protected and excavated before details of the find were released to the public. Overall, it is an excellent example of how the different groups are working together, amateur and professional, who both share a passion for Sussex's past.
Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King, by Ian W. Walker, published 1 April 2010 (352 pp., The History Press, ISBN-10: 0750937637 & ISBN-13: 9780750937634) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Abstract:King Harold Godwineson (c.1022-66) is one of history's shadowy figures, known mainly for his defeat and death at the Battle of Hastings. His true status and achievements have been overshadowed by the events of October 1066 and by the bias imposed by the Norman victory. In truth, he deserves to be recalled as one of England's greatest rulers. Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King sets out to correct this distorted image by presenting Harold's life in its proper context, offering the first full-length critical study of his career in the years leading up to 1066. This book should be read by everyone wanting to understand the events surrounding the Norman conquest.
The Later Anglo-Saxon Settlement at Bishopstone: a downland manor in the making, by Gabor Thomas, published 31 December 2010 (280 pp., Council for British Archaeology, ISBN-10: 1902771834 & ISBN-13: 9781902771830) accessible at: East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:Well known for the Early Anglo-Saxon settlement previously excavated on Rookery Hill and its impressive pre-Conquest church, Bishopstone has entered archaeological orthodoxy as a classic example of a 'Middle Saxon Shift'. This volume reports on the excavations from 2002 to 2005 designed to investigate this transition, with the focus on the origins of Bishopstone village. Excavations adjacent to St Andrews churchyard revealed a dense swathe of later Anglo-Saxon (8th- to late 10th-/early 11th-century) habitation, including a planned complex of timber halls, and a unique cellared tower. The occupation encroached upon a pre-Conquest cemetery of 43 inhumations.
Review by John Manley in Sussex Past & Present no. 125, December 2011:This is a hugely impressive volume and the author and his 25 contributors are to be congratulated for bringing the results of a complex excavation that completed in 2005 to publication in 2010. Would that every other archaeologist could match this speed! Since this project commenced when Gabor was employed as Research Officer for the Sussex Archaeological Society, the Society can afford to give itself a modest pat on the back.
This was a classic chalkland excavation, just to the north of the present church at Bishopstone (near Newhaven, East Sussex): strip the turf and thin topsoil, and the dark impressions of post-holes and pits showed up nicely against the white-ish chalk. So what was found? Two broad phases constitute the pre-Norman archaeology - a number of shroud burials (8th and 9th centuries) that may have formed part of a field cemetery prior to the building of the church and a subsequent elite settlement comprised of rectangular timber buildings associated with a large number of pits.
It is the settlement, with its rich array of finds and environmental data, that provides the most fascinating insights into late Anglo-Saxon life, but also raises the greatest challenges in interpretation. The timber buildings showed different construction techniques, and some may have been arranged around courtyards. However, the lack of stratigraphic depth meant that phasing the buildings was problematic. One can sense the excavator's frustration when four competing interpretations are laid out for one structural complex. Exceptional among the buildings was a deeply-cellared tower-like structure that may have been a strong room. Some 78 pits were found, a number beginning life as timber-lined storage pits, ending up as cess or rubbish pits.
The animal bone report makes for intriguing reading, presenting conclusions from an analysis of 28,135 fragmentary bones. The significant percentages of pig and marine fish suggest high-status occupants, who occasionally feasted, and lived an almost protourban lifestyle. An elevated status was also enjoyed by one local feline who seems to have been fed a lot of sea fish - an aristocratic puss that no doubt lorded it over its largely feral companions on site. There are a number of hints in the report that the lifestyles of some of the occupants incorporated un-Christian practices: the 'closure hoard' of iron-work buried in the tower's cellar, and the 43 'associated bone groups' from the pits echo earlier prehistoric and Romano-British behaviours.
In laying out his definitive interpretations of Bishopstone Gabor is at pains to be evenhanded. Through the lens of history Bishopstone could be considered as an Anglo-Saxon minster. Switch lenses to an archaeological one, and the site could be viewed as the centre of a successful estate. The time-depth of the current site suggests that the end of the nearby early Saxon settlement of Rookery Hill could have been broadly contemporary with the first burials at Bishopstone.
This volume represents an important contribution to the later Anglo-Saxon history and archaeology of Sussex and of southern Britain. I am sure it will be quoted extensively by other scholars, and its interpretations and data will be both repeated and no doubt re-worked. From inception to publication it's a great piece of work - well done to all concerned.
This was a classic chalkland excavation, just to the north of the present church at Bishopstone (near Newhaven, East Sussex): strip the turf and thin topsoil, and the dark impressions of post-holes and pits showed up nicely against the white-ish chalk. So what was found? Two broad phases constitute the pre-Norman archaeology - a number of shroud burials (8th and 9th centuries) that may have formed part of a field cemetery prior to the building of the church and a subsequent elite settlement comprised of rectangular timber buildings associated with a large number of pits.
It is the settlement, with its rich array of finds and environmental data, that provides the most fascinating insights into late Anglo-Saxon life, but also raises the greatest challenges in interpretation. The timber buildings showed different construction techniques, and some may have been arranged around courtyards. However, the lack of stratigraphic depth meant that phasing the buildings was problematic. One can sense the excavator's frustration when four competing interpretations are laid out for one structural complex. Exceptional among the buildings was a deeply-cellared tower-like structure that may have been a strong room. Some 78 pits were found, a number beginning life as timber-lined storage pits, ending up as cess or rubbish pits.
The animal bone report makes for intriguing reading, presenting conclusions from an analysis of 28,135 fragmentary bones. The significant percentages of pig and marine fish suggest high-status occupants, who occasionally feasted, and lived an almost protourban lifestyle. An elevated status was also enjoyed by one local feline who seems to have been fed a lot of sea fish - an aristocratic puss that no doubt lorded it over its largely feral companions on site. There are a number of hints in the report that the lifestyles of some of the occupants incorporated un-Christian practices: the 'closure hoard' of iron-work buried in the tower's cellar, and the 43 'associated bone groups' from the pits echo earlier prehistoric and Romano-British behaviours.
In laying out his definitive interpretations of Bishopstone Gabor is at pains to be evenhanded. Through the lens of history Bishopstone could be considered as an Anglo-Saxon minster. Switch lenses to an archaeological one, and the site could be viewed as the centre of a successful estate. The time-depth of the current site suggests that the end of the nearby early Saxon settlement of Rookery Hill could have been broadly contemporary with the first burials at Bishopstone.
This volume represents an important contribution to the later Anglo-Saxon history and archaeology of Sussex and of southern Britain. I am sure it will be quoted extensively by other scholars, and its interpretations and data will be both repeated and no doubt re-worked. From inception to publication it's a great piece of work - well done to all concerned.
Studies in Early Anglo-Saxon Art and Archaeology: Papers in Honour of Martin G. Welch, edited by Stuart Brookes, Sue Harrington and Andrew Reynolds, published 10 February 2011 (196 pp., British Archeological Reports, ISBN-10: 1407307517 & ISBN-13: 9781407307510)
King Harold II and the Bayeux Tapestry, by Gale R. Owen-Crocker, published 19 May 2011 (Manchester Centre for Anglo-Saxon Studies, reprint edition, 214 pp., Boydell Press, ISBN-10: 1843836157 & ISBN-13: 9781843836155)
Abstract:Harold II is chiefly remembered today, perhaps unfairly, for the brevity of his reign and his death at the Battle of Hastings. The papers collected here seek to shed new light on the man and his milieu before and after that climax. They explore the long career and the dynastic network behind Harold Godwinesson's accession on the death of King Edward the Confessor in January 1066, looking in particular at the important questions as to whether Harold's kingship was opportunist or long-planned; a usurpation or a legitimate succession in terms of his Anglo-Scandinavian kinships? They also examine the posthumous legends that Harold survived Hastings and lived on as a religious recluse. The essays in the second part of the volume focus on the Bayeux Tapestry, bringing out the small details which would have resonated significantly for contemporary audiences, both Norman and English, to suggest how they judged Harold and the other players in the succession drama of 1066. Other aspects of the Tapestry are also covered: the possible patron and locations the Tapestry was produced for; where and how it was designed; and the various sources - artistic and real - employed by the artist. Contributors: H.E.J. Cowdrey, Nicholas J. Higham, Ian Howard, Gillian Fellows-Jensen, Stephen Matthews, S.L. Keefer, Gale R. Owen-Crocker, Chris Henige, Catherine Karkov, Shirley Ann Brown, C.R. Hart, Michael Lewis.
The Twittens: The Saxon and Norman Lanes of Lewes, by Kim Clark, published 10 July 2012 (62 pp., The Friends of Lewes Society & printed at Pomegranate Press, ISBN-10: 1907242309 & ISBN-13: 9781907242304) accessible at: The Friends of Lewes & East Sussex Libraries
Abstract:South of Lewes High Street runs a filigree of narrow twittens between ancient flint walls - many created in Saxon times, others developed after the Normans arrived. The great castle probably obliterated a similar pattern of footpaths north of the High Street, but many fascinating lanes remain here, too.
In this handsomely illustrated book published on behalf of the Friends of Lewes, Kim Clark investigates the history of the twittens, and makes a strong case for their conservation at a time when their character is threatened by careless development.
In this handsomely illustrated book published on behalf of the Friends of Lewes, Kim Clark investigates the history of the twittens, and makes a strong case for their conservation at a time when their character is threatened by careless development.
The Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of Southern Britain AD 450-650: Beneath the Tribal Hidage, by Sue Harrington and Martin Welch, published 4 June 2014 (Oxbow Books, ISBN-10: 1782976124 & ISBN-13: 9781782976127) accessible at: West Sussex Libraries
Excavations on St Anne's Hill: A Middle/Late Iron Age Site and Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at St Anne's Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex , by Anna Doherty and Christopher Greatorex, published 2 May 2016 (240 pp., SpoilHeap Publications, ISBN-10: 0957650981 & ISBN-13: 9780957650985)
The Changing Parish Church: Sussex churches from Saxon to Victorian, by Sue Berry, published December 2016 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 140, article, pp.4-5, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/507923] & S.A.S. library
Ovingdean Excavation Update. Medieval and Saxon finds recorded, by John Skelton and John Funnell, published April 2017 in Sussex Past & Present (no. 141, article, p.9, ISSN: 1357-7417) accessible at: The Keep [LIB/507923] & S.A.S. library