Sussex Archaeological Collections 130

Excavations on Halnaker Hill have identified an oval barrow and a later Bronze Age/early Iron Age field system. Firm dating evidence for the weak, univallate hill-top enclosure remains elusive; it could belong either to the early Neolithic or to the later Bronze Age.

Excavated by the late John Gibson-Hill and edited for publication by Caroline Cartwright with contributions by D. S. Butler, S. D. Hamilton , C. Johns, P. J. Ovenden and D. R. Rudling

Lewes Castle was one of four great castles constructed by William de Warenne in the years following the Norman Conquest . Excavations on the top of the south-western motte between 1985-88 revealed two major phases of domestic building which may be tied to the two main phases of fortification of the motte. Analysis of artefacts and economic data recovered gives a rare insight into the life of a great baronial family in the Anglo-Norman and early medieval periods.

Limited excavations were undertaken by the Field Archaeology Unit after storm damage to the earthworks on the north side of the Arundel Cricket Club revealed a masonry structure. This proved to be the remains of a gateway through the town defences. The gate consisted of two walls, either side of a 'roadway '. Made of mortared chalk rubble they are about 2.40 metres wide, 1O metres long and have stepped reveals of dressed Caen stone at both ends. The overall width of the gate is JO metres. On stylistic grounds a late 11th- to early 12th-century date is suggested. The majority of parallels are from castles, for example Sherbourne, Tickhill and Castle Acre. Few medieval town gates still survive in the southeast and Arundel, although ruinous, is a welcome addition. It is possible that the gate was arched, though this is only suggested by analogy. Likewise, the presence of guard chambers can only be postulated. It is suggested that the gate was inserted into existing burh defences, itself replacing another defended burh in the Arun valley at Burpham. It is suggested that the gate went out of use in the late I1th century with the building of new defences and a change in the alignment of the High Street.

This report describes the rescue excavation of a late 16th-century forge at Blackwater Green, near Crawley, West Sussex. Although two well-preserved timber water-channels and an anvil base were found, recent stream erosion meant that little else connected with the operation of the forge had survived. The case is made for a short-livedforge, the site of which was comprehensively robbed-out and levelled after going out of use.

The availability of the 18th Century Short Title Catalogue has facilitated the study of provincial printing. This paper examines the influence of the printers of Chichester in transforming local society in the 18th century by means of the dissemination of information; the furtherance of trade, education, entertainment and local administration; and the widening of cultural awareness. The surviving work of four printers is used to illustrate these themes as well as to reveal their characters and to place them in their local context.

The Haywards Heath Building Society traces its foundation from the first meeting of its directors on 21 November 1890. To commemorate its centenary, the Society published The Story of the Haywards Heath Building Society, 1890-1990 by the present writer, which gives an account of its organization and officers. The present article is concerned with the Society's mortgaging activities during the first forty years of its existence.