Pevensey Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Pefenesea; Pevensye; Anderida; Anderitum

In the civil parish of Pevensey. In the historic county of Sussex (Modern Authority of East Sussex, 1974 county of East Sussex).

Remains of the Roman Saxon Shore fort of Anderita; it is of oval plan and is dated to the first half of C4. The fort covers an area of almost 4 ha. The walls stand up to a height of nearly 8m and are 3.7m thick; they were protected by 15 irregularly-spaced projecting semi-circular bastions of which 10 still survive. William the Conquerer landed here and an internal palisade and ditch in the NE part of the fort is probably associated with this event, a motte may also have been built before 1200; the Roman gateways were also rebuilt at this time. C.1100 a rectangular stone keep was built in the SE part of the fort, it is now ruined. C.1200 a smaller stone-built inner bailey was constructed creating an enclosure castle, the curtain was was built c.1250. By 1500 the castle fell into disrepair, the receding coastline had reduced its importance. The ruins of the keep were, until 1908, buried under a mound of earth and rubble which lead to early writers including G.T. Clark to mistake it for a motte. It is possible that a small motte was built where the keep stood to be removed prior to the building of the keep but readers need to be aware of the difference between Clark's motte of rubble over the remains of the keep and any actual possible early motte. Some texts, in reference to the Saxon Shore fort, many also mention finds made in 1907 of stamped and inscribed Roman bricks. These were found, in the 1970's, to frauds made by Charles Dawson, the Piltdown Man fraudster.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ64450480

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 411896
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website, or elsewhere.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlestudiesgroup.org.uk/Pevensey.PDF
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/pevensey/pevensey.php
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/199/pevenseycastle.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.206
    http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/adv_reference.asp?imageUID=75710
    http://www.itraveluk.co.uk/content/350.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/pevensey.html
• Books
  • Jones, R., 2003, 'Hastings to Herstmonceux: the castles of Sussex' in Rudling, D. (ed) The archaeology of Sussex to AD2000 (Great Dunham: Heritage Marketing and Publications) p171-8
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Sussex (Malvern) p58-63
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p252-3
    Taylor, A.J., 1986, ‘Evidence for a pre-Conquest origin for the chapels in Hastings and Pevensey castles' in Taylor, A.J., Studies in castles and castle-building, (London: Hambledon Press) p233–40
    Guy, John, 1984, Castles in Sussex (Phillimore) p102-111
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p473
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p275
    Burke, J., 1978, The Castle in Medieval England (London:Batsford) p52
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p778-9
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p18-19, 74-75
    Braun, Hugh, 1936, The English castle (Batsford) p15, 37, 72, 85, 92
    Salzman, L.F. (ed), 1935, VCH Sussex Vol3 p509
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p186-7
    Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p34-42
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Salzman, L.F., 1908, Excavations on the site of the Roman fortress at Pevensey, 1907-08 (London:Harrison)
    Clinch, 1905, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Sussex Vol1 p472
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p81-5
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p359-67
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p355-7
    Roach Smitth, 1858, Report on Excavations ... at Pevensey (London) [on Roman remains]
    King, Edward, 1799-1805, Munimenta antiqua or Observations on antient castles (W.Bulmer and Co) Vol2 p37-48
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p293-4
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol5 p181-4
• Journal Articles
  • Chapman, Anthony, 2007, 'The gatehouse of Pevensey Castle' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol145 p97-118 [abstract via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?sussexac]
    Woodburn, Bill and Guy, Neil, 2005-6, 'Arundel Castle' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol 19 p49-55
    Thomson, K., 1997, 'Lords, castellans, constables and dowagers: the Rape of Pevensey from the 11th to the 13th century, Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol135 p209-20
    1995, Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol133 p213-25
    1994, 'Early motte evidence at Pevensey' Sussex Archaeological Society newsletter Vol72 p7
    Gould, Malcolm, 1994 'Excavations at Pevensey Castle, July 1994 [East Sussex]' Dartford District Archaeological Group newsletter Vol74. p12-14
    1993, 'Pevensey Castle: digging into the ' English Heritage Magazine Vol24
    Renn, D.F., 1971, 'The turris de penuesel: a reappraisal and a theory' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol109 p55-64
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    Rigold, 1965, Medieval Archaeology Vol9 p192 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    (Dunning), 1962-3, Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p323-4 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Budgen, Walter, 1935, ' Pevensey Castle Guard and Endlewick Rents' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol76 p115-134
    Peers, Charles, 1933, ' Pevensey Castle' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol74 p1-16
    Salzman, Louis F, 1909, ' Excavations at Pevensey, 1907-8' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol52 p83-95
    Salzman, Louis F, 1908, ' Excavations at Pevensey, 1906 - 1907.' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol51 p99-114
    Salzman, Louis F, 1906, 'Documents relating to Pevensey Castle.' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol49 p1-30
    Lewis, 1882, The Builder Vol63 p669 [comments on Clark]
    Clark, G.T., 1882, The Builder Vol63 p424-6 [reprinted in MMA, without plan]
    Lower, Mark Antony, 1853, 'On Pevensey Castle and the Recent Excavations there. With a plan of the Castle and Discoveries' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol6 p265
    1853, Trans. Arch. Inst [at Chichester] p41-2
• Guidebooks
  • Goodall, J.A.A., 1999, Pevensey Castle, East Sussex (London: English Heritage)
    Meades, D., 1991, Pevensey Castle (London: English Heritage)
    Peers, C., 1985, Pevensey Castle, Sussex (London: English Heritage)
    Renn, D.F., 1970, Pevensey Castle, Sussex (HMSO)
    Peers, C., 1952 [rev edn], Pevensey Castle, Sussex (HMSO)
    Peers, C., 1933, Pevensey Castle, Sussex (HMSO)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • The Anglo-saxon Chronicle; Laud Chronicle AD1088 http://omacl.org/Anglo/ [Text based on Everyman Press edn of 1912]
    Sewell, R.C. (ed), 1846, Gesta Stephani, Regis Anglorum et Ducis Normannorum p127 http://books.google.com/books?id=MK8KAAAAYAAJ
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p450-1
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/barkseng.html#sussex13]