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Michelham Priory and Pevensey Castle report by Mark MacManus photos by Ron Strutt |
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| On 12 April 2003, the Cantiaci TTFF invaded East Sussex, with a mandate to explore a Priory and a Castle. Attendees on this auspicious occasion were Alison, Andrew, Anne, Chris, Jacqui, Mark, Ron, Shaun and Tracey. Accompanying minors were Charlotte, Emily, Harry, Isabel, Lucas and Susan. | |
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Our first visit was to Michelham Priory. It was founded in 1229 by Gilbert d’Aquila as the Augustinian Priory of the Holy Trininty, and canons were brought in from the Priory at Hastings to set it up. Close to the highway |
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| The most distinctive Prior was John Leem, who was in charge from 1374 to 1417. A close ally of John of Gaunt, he acted as Receiver for the Duke of Lancaster in the County of Sussex. However, Leem’s successors presided over growing disrepute, with evidence in 1441-2 and 1478 of non-observance of rules of silence, canons frequenting local pubs, and one member of the order having an affair with a local woman. | |
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| The Priory was dissolved in 1537 and sold to John Foote in 1556. He modified the western range, which was further extended by the Pelhams after 1587. In 1601 the Sackville family purchased the property and it remained in their ownership for 300 years, being let to tenant farmers. Michelham remained in use as a working farm until the middle of the 20th century, when it was acquired in trust by the Sussex Archaeological Society. | |
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| Our visit started with the imposing gatehouse, 60 feet high and straddling the longest medieval moat in the country. On a wall on the first floor is a plan of the Dieppe Raid of August 1942, drawn by Canadian troops who were stationed at the Priory. We next wandered around the farmyard, which contains a working bakery as well as small museums devoted to Ropes and Wheelwrights. | |
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| The Great Barn dominates this area, but was out of bounds due to the impending arrival of a rather opulent looking wedding party. From there we set off across the formal gardens which, apart from containing an interesting range of statuary, also contains the excavated ground plan of the original Priory church. We crossed the moat and ambled along a Nature Trail to an area containing reconstructed Iron Age roundhouses. These represented an interpretation of archaeological investigation into a genuine site near Ashford and, while lacking the wattle-and-daub ‘completeness’ of sites like Butser, were still good examples of their type. Our stroll back to the Priory worked up an appetite so we stopped in the restaurant for light refreshment. | |
| Next up, the Tudor Wing built by the Pelhams. Its entrance is the 13th Century undercroft, the only surviving part of the original Priory still above ground. The rooms in the Tudor wing are miniature museums in their own right, laid out in various historical styles from Tudor to an 18th Century child’s bedroom. Wood panelling along the staircase, restored after a fire in the 1920’s, contains a secret compartments from which one can hear
conversations in the undercroft below! |
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| Our group briefly split after Michelham. While the majority adjourned to Pevensey and the warmth of the Royal Oak pub, Ron jumped on his bicycle and I took a detour to Wilmington for a look at the Long Man hillfigure. He had grown a pair of eyes and, to the right of his head, the word ‘peace’. We reconvened, after lunch, at Pevensey Castle. | |
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| Because of its strategic position, Pevensey has been a fortified site since at least 335, when ANDERITVM, the youngest of the Saxon Shore forts was constructed. Unusual in its ovoid plan, as this chain of forts are otherwise square or rectangular, it today provides the best example of Roman fort walls in the Cantiaci TTFF’s territory. It gained notoriety in archaeological circles when two stamped tiles, dating to Honorius, were found to have been forged by Charles Dawson during digs in 1907. | |
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| The site was mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the scene of a massacre of native Britons by invading Saxons in 491, but nothing more is recorded until 1066, when William of Normandy’s invading army made straight for the safety of the fort walls after their landing. | |
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| Following the Norman Conquest the site was granted to Robert of Mortain, and the medieval Castle was gradually constructed in the SE corner of the fort. Its strategic postion led to several sieges over the next few centuries, and it was slighted by King John in 1216. Later rebuilt, it was provided with a gun emplacement – still visible – in 1588 as protection against the Armada, although by this time Pevensey had ceased to function as a castle and was being used as a state prison. The most recent additions to the Castle were during WW2, when pillboxes and machine gun posts were set in the walls. | |
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| It’s a breezy site, thanks to the wind driving across the Pevensey Levels, and the sun we experienced at Michelaham had now been replaced by cloud and a light smattering of rain. None of this dampened the enthusiasm of the younger members of the group for exploring the dungeons, bastions and siege artillery at the site. My favourite spot is a corner overlooking the carpark, where one can see three periods of construction in the same place – Roman, Medieval, and WW2, a superb example of historical continuity at the Castle. One niggle is the paucity of interpretation : EH do not seem to have got round to providing a guide book for the Castle, and the audio tour – while very good – is not particularly suitable for those of us who have to keep an eye on children. |
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| A busy and tiring day – especially for Ron, I would imagine, cycling across the South Downs between sites – but well worth it for two inspiring sites. My thanks to all who turned up to make it the largest Cantiaci meet since Rochester, and my commiserations to those who missed out!
Next up – Ightham Mote? Time will tell… |
