Sussex Archaeological Collections 158

Supplementary material for New archaeological recording on the beach at Medmerry, near Selsey, West Sussex

Supplementary material for a mesolithic and chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age flint site in the Weald: fieldwork and excavation at Brinsbury, Pulborough, West Sussex. This paper reports on a programme of fieldwalking and excavation carried out by the Worthing Archaeological Society and the Brinsbury Campus of Chichester College between 2008 and 2012 that resulted in the recovery of struck flint attributable to at least two periods of activity. The earliest of these, a scatter of Mesolithic flintwork, hints at activities taking place probably intermittently over a considerable period of time. The second, a quite unique accumulation of 90 barbed-and-tanged arrowheads along with flint dagger fragments can be attributed to the Chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age. Other pieces, particularly the more irregular examples, may be of later date. A thin scatter of Romano-British material was also recovered.

The Brighton and Hove Prehistoric Peoples Research Project reassessed Brighton’s collection of prehistoric human remains which includes chance finds made in the early 20th century from nine non-monumental locations around the city. Most of these were originally assessed by Sir Arthur Keith and Professor Frederick Gymer Parsons of the Royal College of Surgeons against a backdrop of the pervasive racialistic, Eurocentric views of human origins of the time. In the absence of any relative dating evidence from the burials, this anthropological framework largely determined the dating assigned to them, creating records which persisted until the reassessment nearly a century later. This comprised osteological analysis and radiocarbon dating and has enabled an in-depth comparison to be conducted with the original osteological results, producing similar estimations of biological sex but differences in both age estimations and pathologies observed. Furthermore, the radiocarbon dating has shown that these burials range from the earlier Bronze Age (circa 1900 BC) to the later Iron Age (circa 75 BC), rather than from the Neolithic to the earlier Iron Age, as had previously been believed and thus recorded. No obvious chronological or geographical spread is observed for the locations of this group of burials or their orientations. This proactive reassessment by the Royal Pavilion and Museums, Brighton and Hove, has highlighted the issue of enduring outdated records and has resulted, in this case, in considerably more detailed and accurate data about these burials now being available. This, in turn, will aid future research and interpretation and provide an exemplar of revisiting museum collections.

Building works in Bognor Regis in 2006 uncovered a piece of architectural stonework made from Ditrupa limestone (Calcaire Grossier Formation) from France. This was subsequently identified as a fragment of a 1st/2nd century Corinthian capital with carved acanthus leaves. New discoveries in the area of Bognor Regis suggest that it is timely to review the evidence for Late Iron Age and Roman activity. The distribution of Ditrupa limestone is also discussed, to consider the relevance of this discovery. It is suggested that this fragment may have come from one of the early Roman villas of the West Sussex coastal plain, now lost due to coastal erosion.

This paper presents the results of recent research into the manor of Alciston, particularly the manorial buildings during the 14th century. Contemporary descriptions of the manorial buildings are placed in the context of the agricultural landscape and village. Observations of the current landscape and standing structures have helped to inform this study. This analysis reveals how the manorial curia may have appeared to a visitor in the later Middle Ages. It shows how construction material was used to draw the viewer’s attention towards certain buildings. It also shows that the courtyard was organised to optimise farming practices, rather than as a display of lordly power. Alciston was one of the most important manors in the Battle Abbey estate and was regularly visited by the abbot. Studying the buildings of its curia provides new insights into life in medieval Sussex.

At the southern end of Uckfield High Street, on the northern bank of the River Uck, lies Grade II-listed Bridge Cottage. The building, which comprises one of the largest Wealden hall houses in the area, has recently been the subject of comprehensive restoration. Bridge Cottage was originally saved from demolition in the 1970s by Uckfield District Preservation Society. Once ownership was secured, repairs were carried out and excavations, led by Ian Brooker, undertaken. Brooker never succeeded in publishing the results and it was not until Archaeology South-East’s involvement that the earlier excavations could be fully understood. The more recent archaeological work was undertaken in response to the latest renovations and this article reports on their results. They are significant in showing the development of an individual house plot from the late medieval to post-medieval period. They provide an important analysis of architectural expressions of status and display for a Wealden household of the yeoman class.

This report presents and interprets results obtained from shoreline monitoring and recording on the eroding shoreline of Medmerry, near Selsey, West Sussex, by the Chichester and District Archaeology Society (CDAS) from 2014 onwards. This is a community project which has received strong support from professional partners. The results show former land use and include Bronze Age burnt mounds, one of them including the base of a wattle fence; the Iron Age placing of a man’s body on a wooden structure; stationary fisheries dating to around 1500–1650; land claim and drainage from at least the 17th century; the casting-up of wreck-related artefacts, probably in the 18th–19th centuries; drainage and farming, including hay production, in the 19th and early 20th centuries; recreational use in the inter-war years of the 20th century; military use in the Second World War and up to 1954. Coastal archaeological monitoring is an open-ended process which does not have a clear end date, so it is probable that further finds will be made in the future, as erosion proceeds. The involvement of CDAS has enabled rapid interventions for recording immediately after storms, which is rarely possible for a professional organisation. As a consequence, archaeological sites which would otherwise have gone unrecorded have been documented. Monitoring will continue.

Performative Anchorite grave at St Anne’s, Lewes, Sussex by Victoria Yuskaitis.