Pevensey
Encyclopedia
Pevensey is a village
and civil parish in the Wealden
district of East Sussex
, England
. The main village is located 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Eastbourne
, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of the parish.
and eastwards to Hooe
; it was studded with small areas of high land which became islands at high tide: and having the place-names — in addition to Peven’s ey — of Rickney, Horse Eye, and North Eye. All are derived from the Old English word "ey" meaning island.
With the effect of longshore drift
this large bay was gradually cut off from the sea by shingle, so that today's marshes are all that remain behind the shingle beach.
The marshes, known as the Pevensey Levels
, cover an area of around 47 miles² (120 km²). They are a Site of Special Scientific Interest
and a large nature reserve, jointly owned by Natural England
and the Sussex Wildlife Trust
. There are many nationally rare plants and invertebrates, including the fen raft spider
. The site is very fragile and general access is not permitted.
of Britannia
was under frequent attack from marauding barbarian
tribes: including the Jutes
and Saxons
. To counter these attacks the Romans built a total of eleven forts
between Essex
and the Isle of Wight
, now known as the Saxon Shore Forts. The fort at Pevensey, built between 300–340 CE was named Anderitum. The sea washed over what is now Pevensey Marshes, surrounding the fort on three sides.
When the Roman army left Britain, the province was more vulnerable to attack, first by the Jutes
in east Kent
, and the Romanised native Britons attempted to defend their island from attack. Following the Jutish example the Saxons began invading Britain in earnest. Around 491, Saxons, possibly led by Aelle of Sussex
began to colonise the south coast and besieged Anderitum over a number of years. After a long struggle the British defences were overrun. The remaining Britons on the south coast either fled north into the forests or by boat over the channel to what is now called Brittany
. The area became the Kingdom of the South Saxons - later called Sussex
- and the old Roman fort of Anderida was burned and left derelict. For a while the ruined castle was known by the Saxons as Andredceaster and the Weald
of southern England - which stretches 120 miles (200 km) from Anderida to Dorset
- was named Andredsweald or the Forest of Andred.
The dereliction and abandonment of the fort continued. Then, in 1042, Harold Godwinson
, later Harold II of England, established a stronghold here, improving fortifications by digging ditches within the walls of the fort. The English army remained at the fort during the summer of 1066 before abandoning it to meet the invading Norwegians further north.
The earliest stone remains on the site date from the Roman period, including the outer bailey
wall.
When William the Conqueror
invaded Sussex in September 1066 there were no defenders at Pevensey, and the still-existing bay provided a safe haven for the invading fleet.
In late 1066 the Roman fort at Pevensey was occupied by the Normans; much of the Roman stonework still existing today is due largely to the work of Robert, Count of Mortain
(half brother to William), who was granted Pevensey Castle shortly after the Norman Conquest. Robert de Mortain used the remains as the base for building his castle, carrying out only minor repairs to the walls forming the outer bailey, and building a new inner bailey at the eastern end.
The castle was besieged several times during the 11th–13th centuries. An order by Queen Elizabeth I that it be demolished and an attempt at demolition during the Puritan
times were both unsuccessful: the order was ignored and only a few stones were removed on the two occasions. As late as 1942 small additions were made to the castle for the defence of Britain, when it became a lookout over the channel for German aircraft during World War II
.
Today the castle is in the upkeep of English Heritage
.
(or Lowey) of Pevensey was an ancient now obsolete hundred
, containing the parishes of Westham
and Pevensey. They were entirely within the Levels and together regarded as constituting part of the port of Hastings
, and consequently would be entitled to all the privileges and immunities enjoyed by the Cinque Ports
and not part of the county of Sussex jurisdiction. This would have been the case until the system of hundreds as administration divisions were abandoned in the 19th century.
During the 18th and 19th centuries Pevensey Bay became involved in the south coast smuggling
trade, since it was one of the easier places to land the contraband
. In 1833 a violent clash occurred between the smugglers and customs men at Pevensey Bay.
Some of the more than 100 Martello tower
s were erected along the beaches of Pevensey Bay at the beginning of the 19th century against Napoleonic attack.
Pevensey is now a village, with a parish council consisting of twelve elected councillors. Three councillors are elected to the Wealden District Council to represent Pevensey; the Member of Parliament is Gregory Barker
, who represents the Bexhill and Battle Constituency, of which Pevensey is part.
The churches and chapels in the parish are: the parish church dedicated to
St Nicolas; St Wilfrid’s church, Pevensey Bay; the Wesleyan Methodist
church, the Pevensey Bay Free Church, and Holy Rood Catholic church, Pevensey Bay.
passes through Pevensey. Two railway stations serve the area: Pevensey and Westham and Pevensey Bay
.
, the British yacht designer and father of Stevie Morrison
, a British Olympic 49er sailor in the 2008 games.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the Wealden
Wealden
For the stone, see Wealden GroupWealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England: its name comes from the Weald, the area of high land which occupies the centre of its area.-History:...
district of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The main village is located 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of the parish.
Geography
The village of Pevensey is located on a ridge of land, which juts out onto marshland. Until the 13th century the marshes were an inlet of the sea, extending inland as far north as HailshamHailsham
Hailsham is a civil parish and the largest of the five main towns in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, the town of Hailsham has had a long history of industry and agriculture...
and eastwards to Hooe
Hooe, East Sussex
Hooe is both a small village and a civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex; the village being located about two miles north-west of Bexhill, and north of the A259 coast road, on the B2095 road from Ninfield...
; it was studded with small areas of high land which became islands at high tide: and having the place-names — in addition to Peven’s ey — of Rickney, Horse Eye, and North Eye. All are derived from the Old English word "ey" meaning island.
With the effect of longshore drift
Longshore drift
Longshore drift consists of the transportation of sediments along a coast at an angle to the shoreline, which is dependent on prevailing wind direction, swash and backwash. This process occurs in the littoral zone, and in or within close proximity to the surf zone...
this large bay was gradually cut off from the sea by shingle, so that today's marshes are all that remain behind the shingle beach.
The marshes, known as the Pevensey Levels
Pevensey Levels
The area known as the Pevensey Levels is a Site of Special Scientific Interest notified under Section 28 of theWildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is an area of marshland situated between Bexhill in the east, Pevensey in the west and Hailsham in the north...
, cover an area of around 47 miles² (120 km²). They are a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
and a large nature reserve, jointly owned by Natural England
Natural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...
and the Sussex Wildlife Trust
Sussex Wildlife Trust
The Sussex Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust and a registered charity covering the counties of East Sussex and West Sussex, England. The trust's Chief Executive is Tony Whitbread....
. There are many nationally rare plants and invertebrates, including the fen raft spider
Great raft spider
The great raft spider or fen raft spider is a European species of spider in the Pisauridae family. Like other Dolomedes spiders, it is semi-aquatic, hunting its prey on the surface of water...
. The site is very fragile and general access is not permitted.
Pevensey Bay
The settlement of Pevensey Bay lies behind and on the shingle beach. Although small, it is nevertheless a seaside resort in miniature, and has many of the facilities of its larger counterparts elsewhere.The Roman fort
By the 4th century the south and east of the provinceRoman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
was under frequent attack from marauding barbarian
Barbarian
Barbarian and savage are terms used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
tribes: including the Jutes
Jutes
The Jutes, Iuti, or Iutæ were a Germanic people who, according to Bede, were one of the three most powerful Germanic peoples of their time, the other two being the Saxons and the Angles...
and Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
. To counter these attacks the Romans built a total of eleven forts
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
between Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, now known as the Saxon Shore Forts. The fort at Pevensey, built between 300–340 CE was named Anderitum. The sea washed over what is now Pevensey Marshes, surrounding the fort on three sides.
When the Roman army left Britain, the province was more vulnerable to attack, first by the Jutes
Jutes
The Jutes, Iuti, or Iutæ were a Germanic people who, according to Bede, were one of the three most powerful Germanic peoples of their time, the other two being the Saxons and the Angles...
in east Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and the Romanised native Britons attempted to defend their island from attack. Following the Jutish example the Saxons began invading Britain in earnest. Around 491, Saxons, possibly led by Aelle of Sussex
Aelle of Sussex
Ælle is recorded in early sources as the first king of the South Saxons, reigning in what is now called Sussex, England, from 477 to perhaps as late as 514....
began to colonise the south coast and besieged Anderitum over a number of years. After a long struggle the British defences were overrun. The remaining Britons on the south coast either fled north into the forests or by boat over the channel to what is now called Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. The area became the Kingdom of the South Saxons - later called Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
- and the old Roman fort of Anderida was burned and left derelict. For a while the ruined castle was known by the Saxons as Andredceaster and the Weald
Weald
The Weald is the name given to an area in South East England situated between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and the South Downs. It should be regarded as three separate parts: the sandstone "High Weald" in the centre; the clay "Low Weald" periphery; and the Greensand Ridge which...
of southern England - which stretches 120 miles (200 km) from Anderida to Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
- was named Andredsweald or the Forest of Andred.
The dereliction and abandonment of the fort continued. Then, in 1042, Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
, later Harold II of England, established a stronghold here, improving fortifications by digging ditches within the walls of the fort. The English army remained at the fort during the summer of 1066 before abandoning it to meet the invading Norwegians further north.
The earliest stone remains on the site date from the Roman period, including the outer bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
wall.
When William the Conqueror
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
invaded Sussex in September 1066 there were no defenders at Pevensey, and the still-existing bay provided a safe haven for the invading fleet.
The castle
Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st Earl of Cornwall was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother of William I of England. Robert was the son of Herluin de Conteville and Herleva of Falaise and was full brother to Odo of Bayeux. The exact year of Robert's birth is unknown Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st...
(half brother to William), who was granted Pevensey Castle shortly after the Norman Conquest. Robert de Mortain used the remains as the base for building his castle, carrying out only minor repairs to the walls forming the outer bailey, and building a new inner bailey at the eastern end.
The castle was besieged several times during the 11th–13th centuries. An order by Queen Elizabeth I that it be demolished and an attempt at demolition during the Puritan
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
times were both unsuccessful: the order was ignored and only a few stones were removed on the two occasions. As late as 1942 small additions were made to the castle for the defence of Britain, when it became a lookout over the channel for German aircraft during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Today the castle is in the upkeep of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
The Liberty of Pevensey
The LibertyLiberty (division)
Originating in the Middle Ages, a liberty was traditionally defined as an area in which regalian rights were revoked and where land was held by a mesne lord...
(or Lowey) of Pevensey was an ancient now obsolete hundred
Hundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
, containing the parishes of Westham
Westham
Westham is a large village civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is adjacent to Pevensey five miles north-east of Eastbourne. The parish consists of three settlements: Westham; Stone Cross; and Hankham...
and Pevensey. They were entirely within the Levels and together regarded as constituting part of the port of Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, and consequently would be entitled to all the privileges and immunities enjoyed by the Cinque Ports
Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...
and not part of the county of Sussex jurisdiction. This would have been the case until the system of hundreds as administration divisions were abandoned in the 19th century.
Other historic events
In the 16th century Pevensey became what was known as a “non-corporate limb“ of the Hastings, as part of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports. Along with most of the other Ports, its importance dwindled as the ports themselves became disconnected from the sea: Pevensey was two miles (3.2 km) distant.During the 18th and 19th centuries Pevensey Bay became involved in the south coast smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
trade, since it was one of the easier places to land the contraband
Contraband
The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
. In 1833 a violent clash occurred between the smugglers and customs men at Pevensey Bay.
Some of the more than 100 Martello tower
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
s were erected along the beaches of Pevensey Bay at the beginning of the 19th century against Napoleonic attack.
Governance
In 1207 the town was granted a royal charter by King John and was governed by Pevensey Corporation. With the decline in the town's importance by the 19th century, the Corporation was eventually dissolved in 1886 and the town lost its borough status. The records of the Corporation are held in the East Sussex Record Office at Lewes, and a voluntary body, the Pevensey Town Trust, was formed to manage the property which had formerly belonged to the Corporation, most notably the Old Court House.Pevensey is now a village, with a parish council consisting of twelve elected councillors. Three councillors are elected to the Wealden District Council to represent Pevensey; the Member of Parliament is Gregory Barker
Gregory Barker
Gregory Leonard George "Greg" Barker is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Member of Parliament for Bexhill and Battle...
, who represents the Bexhill and Battle Constituency, of which Pevensey is part.
Religious buildings
St Nicolas; St Wilfrid’s church, Pevensey Bay; the Wesleyan Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
church, the Pevensey Bay Free Church, and Holy Rood Catholic church, Pevensey Bay.
Transport
The A259 roadA259 road
The A259 is a busy road on the south coast of England passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and part of Kent. Part of the road was named "the most dangerous road in South East England" in 2008.-Description:...
passes through Pevensey. Two railway stations serve the area: Pevensey and Westham and Pevensey Bay
Pevensey Bay railway station
Pevensey Bay railway station serves Pevensey Bay in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern....
.
Pevensey in the arts
- J.M.W. Turner painted Pevensey Castle.
- Pevensey features several times in Rudyard Kipling's Puck of Pook's HillPuck of Pook's HillPuck of Pook's Hill is a historical fantasy book by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1906, containing a series of short stories set in different periods of English history. The stories are all narrated to two children living near Burwash, in the area of Kipling's own house Bateman's, by people...
(1907). Kipling's characters describe it as "England's Gate", the reason for this being the above history. Kipling lived near to Pevensey at BurwashBurwash, East SussexBurwash is a rural village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. Situated fifteen miles inland from the South Coast port of Hastings, it is located five miles south-west of Hurst Green, on the A265 road, and on the River Dudwell, a tributary of the River Rother...
, and the area is described in his autobiography. - Pevensey features in The Saxon Shore (1983), a book of photographs by famous photographer Fay GodwinFay GodwinFay Godwin was a noted British photographer, most widely known for her black-and-white landscapes of the British countryside and coast.-Career:Through her husband, Godwin was introduced to the London literary scene...
. - Pevensey is the setting for parts of George GissingGeorge GissingGeorge Robert Gissing was an English novelist who published twenty-three novels between 1880 and 1903. From his early naturalistic works, he developed into one of the most accomplished realists of the late-Victorian era.-Early life:...
's 1887 novel Thyrza, with an especially fine description in Chapter XLI, "The Living". - Robert Sheldon composed Pevensey Castle, published by C.L. Barnhouse in 1993.
- Pevensey, and in particular Pevensey Bay, feature in the 1946 crime novel "Uneasy Terms" by best selling author Peter CheyneyPeter CheyneyReginald Evelyn Peter Southouse Cheyney, known as Peter Cheyney, was a British crime fiction writer who flourished between 1936 and 1951...
. In Chapter 7 the hero, a private detective called Slim Callaghan, goes for a ride out on Pevensey Bay with the alluring murder suspect, Corinne Alardyse. - The Pevensie children in the Narnia stories were named after the town.
Sport
Pevensey Bay Sailing Club offers a variety of classes of boats: the club played a leading role in the development of the National 12 and Merlin Rocket Development Class racing dinghies in the 1970s when it was the home club of Phil MorrisonPhil Morrison (yachts)
Phil Morrison is a British boat designer and racer rendered notable by the success of his many designs in many classes since 1967 as well as his own distinguished yacht racing career.He was born in Eastbourne, England....
, the British yacht designer and father of Stevie Morrison
Stevie Morrison
Stephen James Morrison is a successful British Yachtsman who has enjoyed success in a classes from the International Cadet to the 49er. He is the son of Phil Morrison, the British Yacht Designer....
, a British Olympic 49er sailor in the 2008 games.