Pevensey Castle

“ At the Norman Conquest Pevensey became the property of the Conqueror's half-brother Robert, Earl of Mortain, and as it was the head of a great barony, there can be no doubt that that potent noble soon fortified the ruinated works by extensive repairs and by the addition of a new castle at the south-eastern corner of the Roman area. ”

“ Near the two cannons at h, some trenches were made, and one or two Roman coins were found. [9]
A foolish tradition connects Pevensey Castle with the ancient house in Westham called Priesthawes, by a subterraneous passage. As the two places are between two and three miles apart, so preposterous an idea could not for a moment be entertained; but since an elderly inhabitant of the neighbourhood vouched for the fact of his having in his youth accidentally discovered some kind of passage a few perches to the south-westward of the great gateway, we thought it worth while to examine the ground. ”

“ It is remarkable that no mention is made of Pevensey Castle in the Saxon times; but if not erected by the Romans, it was certainly built from the remains of an older fortress. The Saxons most probably adapted the Roman inclosures to their modes of defence; and it appears that they often raised a mound on one side of the walls, on which they erected a keep or citadel.
We are indebted to the Saxons but for few social improvements; since, in the words of the Wiltshire antiquary, John Aubrey, "They were so far from having arts, that they could not even build with stone. ”

“ The inserted stones are mostly laid herring-bone fashion, and the joints are of ordinary gravel mortar, without any admixture of pounded tile. A few yards more bring us to a postern-gate communicating with a footpath crossing the inner area and with the high street of the town of Pevensey . Just southward of this is tower K, at 120 feet from which the Roman work forms a junction with the medieval castle. ”

“ Hurstmonceux Castle stands on the very edge of Pevensey Level, the only considerable structure between Pevensey and the main land proper. In the intervening miles there are fields and fields, through which the Old Haven runs, plaintive plovers above them bemoaning their lot, and brown cows tugging at the rich grass. On the first hillock to the right of the castle as one fronts the south, rising like an island from this sea of pasturage, is Hurstmonceux church, whose shingled spire shoots into the sky, a beacon to travellers in the Level. ”

“ Notwithstanding the length of time they had lain in the earth, these timbers exhibited no symptoms of decay, and even the leaves of some brushwood which had been thrown in were found equally well preserved. The external facing stones at the bottom of the walls have everywhere been removed for building purposes. For ages Pevensey Castle served as a quarry for the neighbouring country ”

“ Before leaving this district mention must be made of Hurstmonceux. The nearest station is Pevensey, from which there is a rather dull walk of four miles across the Pevensey Levels. The more picturesque route is from Hailsham, though this is longer and belongs more to a tour of the Weald. The only village passed on the way from Pevensey is Wartling, beyond which a footpath can be taken across the meadows with a fine view of the ruins ahead. The present castle was built by Sir Roger de Fiennes in the reign of Henry VI. The name is taken from the first Lord of the Manor, Waleran de Monceux. ”

“ The outer wall, with solid towers, of the celebrated castle, is of Roman construction, and originally enclosed a complete oval; it is generally considered to have enclosed the strong town of Anderida. Within rise the fine ruins, principally of the 13th century, but in part Norman, of the castle proper, with a keep and four massive round towers. The church of St Nicholas, close to the castle, shows beautiful Early English work. It has been supposed that Pevensey was the scene of the landing of Caesar in 55 B.C., but the question is disputed. ”

“ It is doubtful whether anything of Roman structure remains in Pevensey, though much of the material used in the castle is Roman, and though the towers of that fortification are round. It is enough to remark, that after the long night of the Saxon period the town shared in the general renaissance of South England which followed the Norman Conquest. To give but one indication of this: it trebled in population in twenty years. ”

“ A well-behaved castle—Rail and romance—Britons, Romans, Saxons and Normans at Pevensey—William the Conqueror—A series of sieges—The first English letter—Andrew Borde, the jester, again—Pevensey gibes—A red brick castle—Hurstmonceux church—The tomb of the Dacres.—Two Hurstmonceux clerics—The de Fiennes and the de Monceux—A spacious home—The ghost—The unfortunate Lord Dacre—Horace Walpole at Hurstmonceux—The trug industry.
Pevensey Castle behaves as a castle should: it rises from the plain, the only considerable eminence for miles; it has noble grey walls of the true romantic hue and thickness ”

“ Nature in general deals kindly and tenderly with the works of man, but, alas! how few architectural remains can be said to have been
"Religione patrum multos servata per annos."
Certainly at Pevensey, the ravages of time have been slight compared with those wrought by the hands of man.
The great entrance, or Decuman gate, with its strong weather-worn flanking towers (B and C) is the first object that strikes the eye of the visitor on his approach to the ruins from the west. These towers expand outwardly, and have a south-westerly aspect ”

“ PEVENSEY CASTLE, SUSSEX.
primitive man forcibly undergoes an alteration when contemplating the colossal schemes which his brain was capable of producing and his hand had the power of carrying into effect.
MAIDEN CASTLE, EAST ENTRANCE.
[Pg 17]
The area enclosed is no less than 45 acres, while the whole fort occupies a space of 115 acres. The circumference of this vast work measures one and a half miles, and three enormous valla and fosses stretch this distance; in many places the crest of a vallum above the fosse beneath it amounts to 60 feet. ”

“ But whoever but for one moment contemplates this structure with its solid towers and walls twelve feet thick, thirty feet high, and enclosing an area half a mile in circumference, will perceive that it could neither have been a work of haste, nor the undertaking of a people about to abandon a long-possessed province. It has far more the air of having been constructed at a time when the Conquerors of the World were extending and consolidating their dominion in Britain. ”

“ The castrum at Pevensey retains so much of its enclosing walls and bastions that it is particularly worthy of study if one would learn, by direct observation, what splendid specimens of architecture the Romans erected in this country. Although a mediaeval castle has been built within the boundary of the Roman castrum, the walls of the latter may be traced for almost the whole of the circuit, and on the north, east, and west sides they stand to a considerable height. At the south-western extremity is the main gateway, its two flanking towers forming perhaps the most prominent features. ”

“ An unrivalled opportunity for studying the progress of the castle in England is provided by a comparison of Hurstmonceaux with its neighbours at Pevensey and Bodiam. Pevensey, taking us back, in its outer circuit, to the Roman era, is, so far as the actual castle area is concerned, a Norman mount-and-bailey stronghold, with stone fortifications chiefly of the thirteenth century. Bodiam represents one of the last and highest efforts of perfected castle building in England. ”

“ Pevensey shore is very trying for the pedestrian. The great expanse of shingle is of that drifting variety which makes walking almost an impossibility.
Pevensey church is to the east of the castle; the interior is graceful and it has some interesting details. Note the case of local curiosities, title deeds, etc. Westham, that part of the village nearest the station, was the overflow settlement from the walled town; this has a much finer church with Norman remains dating from the Conqueror's time, and the tower is noble in its massive proportions. ”

“ The interval (going west) between the medieval castle and the Roman gateway, at which our topographical survey commenced, is precipitous ground, faces the sea (at the distance of about a mile) , and retains upon the surface few traces of ancient masonry of any kind. Until our recent excavations it was always doubted whether any continuous wall had ever existed here, as the natural declivity, defended as it is by water at the base, seemed a sufficient natural fortification. The Roman tower A is in ruins. ”

“ A short distance inland from Pevensey is the great Sussex cattle-market at Hailsham, where the old Michelham Priory is used as a farm-house and its crypt as a dairy. Not far away is Hurstmonceux Castle, a relic of the times of Henry VI., and built entirely of brick, being probably the largest English structure of that material constructed since the Roman epoch. ”

“ The capture of Anderida by Ælla, the founder of the South Saxon kingdom, is the next historical epoch ; but that the structure itself suffered any considerable damage when its unfortunate occupants fell beneath the seaxes of the invaders seems improbable, considering the simplicity of their military operations. Such buildings as they found suitable for strongholds the Saxon people occupied during war; but they built no castles, — at least none of sufficient strength to have survived till our times. We look therefore in vain amongst the walls of Pevensey for any trace of Saxon building. ”

“ Wherever, throughout East Sussex, a castle and a monastery or other religious foundation stand in moderate proximity to each other, an underground communication according to the popular notion always exists. Lewes Castle and Priory, Hastings Castle and Priory, Burlough Castle (near Alfriston) and Wilmington Priory, and Bodiam Castle and Robertsbridge Abbey, may be named aa sites connected with this whimsical "folk-lore." Considerable disappointment was felt by some of the rustic inhabitants of Pevensey at the non-realisation of the popular theory in the present instance. ”

“ The lower stories have been vaulted, and the arches of the north-western tower (2) are still almost complete in the circumference of the wall. This is considered with some probability to have been the residence of the governor.
The Roman tower marked M has fallen from its original position and lies or stands (for I do not know which is the better expression) , at a considerably inclined angle — the "leaning tower" of Pevensey! ”

“ After the defeat of this attempt to bring help to the 76 besieged at Pevensey, nothing more was heard of Duke Robert’s coming in person. Alleged death of William of Warren. If we may believe a single confused and doubtful narrative, the defenders of the castle had at least the satisfaction of slaying one of the chief men in the royal army. We are told that Earl William of Warren was mortally wounded in the leg by an arrow from the walls of Pevensey, and was carried to Lewes only to die there. ”

“ It does not pass at right angles through the wall, but by a singular winding course, obviously for better defence. Nothing of importance was discovered here. The wall from this point in a north-easterly direction for about 200 feet has fallen, whether from some defect in the foundation or from violence we could not form a conjecture. From the end of the fallen wall in the direction of tower G we caused a deep trench to be sunk, disclosing the inner facing of the wall in a good state of preservation, from a thick bed of clay having been laid against it. ”

“ A singular feature presented itself here and in various other places in the course of the excavations. The original floor or area has been covered with a bed of stiff red clay to the depth of five, six, or even eight feet, and this with the debris of the masonry and a superincumbent mass of animal and vegetable matter has so elevated the surface, that the walls, which on the outside are upwards of twenty-five feet high, are at some places internally little more than a breastwork. ”

“ Here we find among many others, Hidney, Chilley, Mankseye, Horseye, Northeye, Langney, Rickney, Mountney. Foremost in importance in this little archipelago stood the insulated or peninsulated spot which was seized upon by the Romans as a site for the station which was afterwards known as the Civitas Anderida, and which, after its total destruction (excepting only the external walls) by the Saxons, assumed the name of Peofnesea—probably from some early proprietor called Peofn. ”

“ Wright, in the article previously alluded to (Gent. Mag., Aug., 1852) , remarks that "in this gateway, and more especially in the external forms of the towers round the castle, the medieval architect imitated the Roman models before him." The arrangements for the portcullis and drawbridge remain very distinct, and the addition of what I will call the Edwardian work to the Norman gate, as originally constructed, is sufficiently distinguishable. ”

“ The first thing told us is that each of the head conspirators “went to his castle, and manned it and victualled it.” Then Bishop Geoffrey makes Bristol Castle the base of a series of plundering raids. Bishop Wulfstan, on the other hand, aids the cause of William by preventing an attempt of the rebels on the castle of Worcester. Roger Bigod throws himself into Norwich Castle, and harries the shire; Bishop Odo brings the plunder of Kent into his castle of Rochester. Finally the king’s cause wins the day through the taking of the castles of Tonbridge, Pevensey, Rochester, and Durham. ”