Sussex Archaeological Collections 113

The dating of artefacts is a fundamental duty of the archaeologist; study is ineffective without it. The pre-historian is fortunate as to the wide limits within which his dates may be set; the medievalist needs far greater precision if his results are to be of service. The following remarks are an attempt to apply to vernacular buildings similar methods to those so long used in other fields, that is, dating by style and typology.

Excavation of the former parish church of St. Nicholas, of East Angmering, revealed the foundations of a sizeable building, in which four construction phases were identified. The earliest of these was a small late Saxon church with an offset apsidal chancel. The church was enlarged c. 1200 by lengthening the nave and replacing the apsidal chancel with a rectangular one. Later came the addition of a western porch and a chapel on the south side. Finally, a tower was built, also on the south side, probably in the 15th century. The church was demolished sometime in the second half of the 16th century.

Buxted Place and Park have now been bought by His Highness Sheikh Zayed, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, as his official residence in this country. Among other changes that he wished to make was to enlarge the rather small lake to the SE. of the house (at TQ. 487226) and during the early part of 1973 this was done by mechanical diggers on the NW. side of the lake. This affected an area at the end of the well known lime avenue where the old mansion was supposed to have stood, facing down the avenue.

In July and August, 1974, three trenches were opened in parts of Lewes which are threatened by development. The excavations were pilot studies into the early history of the town and the areas were chosen with the intention of checking and extending our knowledge of its Saxon and medieval origins. They were carried out with a grant from the D.O.E. by the Sussex Archaeological Field Unit and the Lewes Archaeological Group under the direction of the author. The finds are deposited in Barbican House, Lewes, and the detailed plans and noted are in the files of the Sussex Archaeological Field Unit.

In 1974 a sewer trench, some 16ft. (5m.) deep, crossed The Street, Bramber, 105ft. (32m.) east of the fifteenth century timbered house known as St. Mary's, striking the foundation of one of the piers of Bramber's medieval stone bridge. Timber piles, some 9½ to 11ft. (2.9-3.4m.) below the surface, were encountered both north and south of the pier (Figs. 1 and 2). Recording was difficult owing to the dangerous nature of the subsoil, which required sheet piling, thus exposures of trench faces were rarely seen. The writer recorded the bridge pier and those wooden piles drawn in solid black (Fig. 2), whereas the piles shown in dotted outline were discovered when he was not at the site. However, the watchfulness of the Site Engineer, Clerk of Works, or Agent, enabled the information to be passed on.

Excavations have revealed foundations of a stone built house in the centre of the medieval planned town of Winchelsea. The house underwent a major reconstruction in the late fourteenth century, resulting in a quasi semi-aisled type house. Decay set in towards the end of the next century. The type, positioning and final demise of the house are discussed.