chris butler archaeological services - east sussex · 2009-08-06 · archaeological services hurst...

Chris Butler MIFA Archaeological Services

A Desk-based Assessment for

Hurst Green Primary School, Hurst Green East Sussex

by Chris Butler

November 2008

Chris Butler MIFA Hurst Green Primary School, Archaeological Services Hurst Green Summary An archaeological Desk-based Assessment has been carried out at Hurst Green Primary School, Hurst Green, East Sussex, which has been proposed for the site of a new primary school. The desk-based assessment has established that prior to having the current school built on the site in 1862 it was used as a nursery garden. There is no evidence for any previous use of the site although there is evidence in the surrounding landscape for Roman and Post Medieval ironworking. The likelyhood of there being significant archaeological remains on the site is small.


Prehistoric Flintwork Specialist

Rosedale Berwick, Polegate

East Sussex BN26 6TB

Tel & fax: 01323 871021

e mail: [email protected]

Chris Butler MIFA Hurst Green Primary School, Archaeological Services Hurst Green

Contents Page 1.0 Introduction 1

2.0 Objectives & Scope of Report 2

3.0 Methodology 3

4.0 5.0

Archaeological & Historical Background 4 Impact of Development 13

6.0 Conclusions 13

7.0 Acknowledgements 14

Figures: Fig. 1 Site Location Fig. 2 Map showing Monuments & Events Fig. 3 Salehurst Tithe Map Fig. 4 1st Edition OS Map Fig. 5 2nd Edition OS Map Fig. 6 3rd Edition OS Map Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 10 Fig. 11 Fig. 12

1947 Aerial Photograph Site Plan Photograph of the playing field looking north-east Photograph of the playing field looking north-west Photograph of the playing field looking north-west Photograph of the playing field looking south-east

Appendices: Appendix 1 Archaeological Sites Recorded on HER Appendix 2 Archaeological Sites from other sources Front Cover: Hurst Green C of E Primary School


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1. Introduction

1.1 Chris Butler Archaeological Services has been commissioned by Burns Guthrie for East Sussex County Council to carry out an Archaeological Desk-based Assessment of the proposed site for a new primary school building at Hurst Green, East Sussex, in order to establish the likely presence and importance of any archaeological remains that may be affected by the proposed construction, as part of an initial feasibility study.

1.2 The site for the proposed new primary school is located on the west side of the A21 London Road centred on TQ 73494 26738 (Fig. 1), which is situated on the southern edge of Hurst Green village. The site is currently the site of Hurst Green C of E Primary School, and is bounded by the road on its east side, houses on its south and north sides, and a field on the west side.

1.3 The site is located at around 75m OD on its east side and slopes gently down to approximately to its west side. Immediately beyond the west boundary of the site, the ground quickly drops with a steep slope into the adjacent field. The site is approximately 0.7ha in size, and currently has school buildings of various types and dates, a tarmac playground and parking area, with the proposed site for the new build being a grassed playing field on the north side of the site (Fig. 8).

1.4 The site is not within a designated Conservation Area or Archaeologically Sensitive Area, but is within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty1. The school site is included within the Development Boundary of Hurst Green, with the field immediately to the west shown as part of a Site of Nature Conservation Importance, whilst Long Shaw a little further west is designated as Ancient Woodland2.

1.5 The existing Hurst Green Church of England Primary School was originally built in 1862 with an adjacent residence for the master, although subsequently modified and much added to. It has been proposed that a new primary school be built on the current grassed playing field area at the north end of the site, which is owned by East Sussex County Council.

1.6 The civil parish of Hurst Green was created in 1900 from portions of the parishes of Etchingham and Salehurst3, and the ecclesiastical parish was formed in 19074. The part of Hurst Green parish in which the primary school is located was originally in Salehurst parish. Salehurst and Etchingham are in the Hundred of Henhurst which is part of the Rape of Hastings. Salehurst is mentioned in the Domesday Book5.

1 ESCC 2004 The East Sussex County Landscape Assessment

(http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/yourcouncil/consultation/2006/landscapeassessment/download.htm) 2 Rother District Council 2006 Adopted Local Plan: Inset Map No. 20 3 ESRO PAR398 4 Hodson, L.J. 1914 A Short History of the Parish of Salehurst, Roberstbridge. 5 Morris, J. (Ed) 1976 Domesday Book, Chichester, Phillimore


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1.7 Hurst Green is situated on a ridge of high ground with the valley of the River Rother on its south-

west side, and Burgh Hill to the west. The main part of the village is situated at the junction of the A265 and A21 roads, with parts of the settlement laid out alongside the A21 London Road to the north and south of the centre. To the north of the village is Burgh Wood, a large area of Ancient Woodland.

1.8 The geology of the site, according to the British Geological Survey (sheet 304), comprises

Tunbridge Wells Sand, with Wadhurst Clay to the west, south and east of the site. The soil at the site is described as a slightly acid loamy and clayey soil with impeded drainage, with a slowly permeable and seasonally wet slightly acid but base-rich loamy and clayey soil further west6.

1.9 The Historic Landscape Characterisation survey for Hurst Green has designated the site as being partly settlement and partly recreation, surrounded by fieldscapes, with a thin strip of horticulture to the north-west7. The HLC dating gives the school building an early modern date, the remainder of the school site a late 20th century date, whilst the adjacent field is early Post Medieval. The Land Utilisation Survey 1931-1935 shows the site to have been land covered with houses and buildings with the adjacent field being meadowland and permanent grass8.

1.10 This report initially covers the objectives and scope of the survey, then discusses the methodology used in the Desk-based Assessment, and then reviews the archaeological heritage of the area. Finally a conclusion assesses the potential impact of the development. A full listing of all the known archaeological sites from the HER is contained in Appendix 1 to this report, whilst other sites are listed in Appendix 2.

2. Objectives & Scope of Report

2.1 The objective of this report is to gain information about the known or potential archaeological resource of the site and its immediate area. This will include information relating to the presence or absence of any archaeology, its character and extent, date, integrity, state of preservation, and the relative quality of the potential archaeological resource.

2.2 This will allow an assessment of the merit of the archaeology in context to be made, leading to the

formulation of a strategy for the recording, preservation and management of the resource or, where necessary, the formulation of a strategy for further investigation where the character and value of the resource is not sufficiently defined to permit a mitigation strategy or other response to be defined.

6 http://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/ 7 HLC data provided by ESCC 8 http//landuse.edina.ac.uk/


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2.3 The report will consider the archaeological resource within a radius of 1km around the site, whilst

also taking into account sites further afield where these may be considered to have an impact or relevance to the site in its landscape setting.

2.4 It should be noted that this report can only take into account the existing known archaeology, and

by its nature cannot provide a complete record of the archaeological resource of the site. Its intention is to provide an overview of the known archaeology in the area of the site, from which judgements can be made about the potential archaeological resource of the site itself.

3. Methodology 3.1 This Desk-based Assessment has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Planning

Policy Guidance Note 16 (PPG16), the Standard and Guidance for Archaeological Desk-based Assessment (Institute of Field Archaeologists 2001), and the Standards for Archaeological Fieldwork, Recording and Post Excavation Work in East Sussex (ESCC 2008).

3.2 The research for this Desk-based Assessment has included an analysis of the following resources:

• ESCC Historic Environment Record (HER) • Historic mapping (including that provided with ESCC HER) • NMR records and aerial photographs • Portable Antiquities Scheme database • East Sussex Record Office (ESRO) • Sussex Archaeological Society Library • Defence of Britain database • WIRG iron site database • British Geological Survey • Aerial Photograph search (Cambridge & Sussex Universities) • Personal & Public library resources

3.3 The following maps were used:

• Speed 1610 • Iridge Estate map 1637 (ESRO – ACC 6732-2) • Morden’s Sussex 1695 • Kitchen 1763 • Cole’s Sussex 1808 • Moule’s Sussex 1837 • Dugdale’s Sussex 1840 • 1841 Salehurst Tithe map (ESRO – TD/E/86) • 1st Edition OS Map (1874) • 2nd Edition OS Map (1898)


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• 3rd Edition OS Map (1909) • 4th Edition OS Map – Not available

Information gained from the map regression exercise is contained in the Post Medieval section below.

3.4 The Sites and Listed Buildings recorded on the HER and other sources are listed in Appendix 1 to this report and mentioned in the text where relevant. The Monuments are shown on Fig. 2. Historical and other sources are given as footnotes as appropriate. A total of 37 vertical and no oblique photographs were located in a search of the NMR database, and three aerial photographs were provided by ESCC.

3.5 A site visit was undertaken on the 24th November 2008. This confirmed that the site comprises the

original school building and adjacent master’s house, with a number of brick-built additions. Adjacent to the main building on the north side there are two wooden huts and to the rear a wooden store room, and at the front of the site is a tarmac car park. In the south-west corner of the site there is a tarmac playground surrounded by a wire fence, and with an earth bank on its south side.

3.6 The grassed playing field, on which the new school is to be built, slopes slightly down to the west

to a perimeter fence. Immediately beyond the fence there are numerous small trees and bushes, and the ground drops steeply down into the adjacent field. There are a small number of mature trees around the perimeter, and the ground was quite wet on the day of the visit even though there had been no rain for the previous few days.

3.7 A number of flowerbeds and areas of bare earth around the site were inspected for artefacts, but

only small pieces of Post Medieval ceramic building material and glass were noted.

4. Archaeological & Historical Background

4.0.1 This section considers each archaeological period in turn, reviewing the known archaeological resource of the area, defining its location and extent, character, date, integrity, state of preservation, and quality.

4.0.2 There has been almost no archaeological work carried out in Hurst Green, with no events recorded on the ESCC HER or NMR.

4.0.3 The review of each period will also bring in evidence for that period from a wider area, especially where there is little known archaeological evidence locally. This will enable a more accurate judgement to be made about the archaeological potential for the site. This evidence will include that taken from similar landscapes and geologies.


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4.1 Palaeolithic Period (750,000BC – 10,000BC)

4.1.1 This period covers a huge period of time, during which early hominid occupation of Southern Britain was intermittent. The period is divided into warm and cold periods, with the evidence suggesting that hominid occupation occurred during some of the warm periods. Apart from a small number of exceptional sites (e.g. Boxgrove), most of the evidence for human activity in this period comes from isolated finds of stone tools, often in secondary deposits.

4.1.2 There have been no discoveries of Palaeolithic artefacts in the immediate area of Hurst Green, and there are only a handful of artefacts known to have a provenance in the Weald9. Such discoveries are normally linked to specific geological conditions, such as tertiary deposits and gravels, which are not normally found in this area.

4.1.3 The likely impact of in-situ Palaeolithic archaeology being present on the site is considered to be very low.

4.2 Mesolithic Period (10,000BC – 4,000BC)

4.2.1 The start of the Mesolithic period sees Britain largely covered by pine and birch woodland, which was gradually replaced by a mixed deciduous woodland that provided an ideal environment for the bands of hunter-gatherers who were exploiting the resources on a seasonal basis10.

4.2.2 There is no evidence for Mesolithic activity at or near the site. However there is a great deal of evidence for Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups exploiting the resources of the High Weald woodland for hunting and gathering throughout the Mesolithic period.

4.2.3 Many Mesolithic sites have been found across the High Weald, especially associated with rock outcrops, such as those at Eridge (TQ554358)11. These sites are thought to have been short-stay hunting camps, and are mainly associated with the Later Mesolithic12.

9 Pope, M. 2003 ‘The Earliest Occupation of Sussex: Recent Research and Future Objectives’, in

Rudling, D. (Ed) The Archaeology of Sussex to AD2000, Kings Lynn, Heritage Marketing & Publications Ltd, 17-28, Fig. 2.8.

10 Holgate, R. 2003 ‘Late Glacial and Post-glacial Hunter-gatherers in Sussex’, in Rudling, D. (Ed) The Archaeology of Sussex to AD2000, Kings Lynn, Heritage Marketing & Publications Ltd, 29-38.

11 Greatorex, C. & Seager-Thomas, M. 2000 ‘Rock Shelter Stratigraphy’ Sussex Archaeological Collections 138, 49-56.

12 Jacobi, R.M. & Tebbutt, C. F. 1981 ‘A late Mesolithic Rock-shelter site at High Hurstwood, Sussex’, Sussex Archaeological Collections 119, 1-36.


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4.2.4 Other sites are known in open sandy ridgetop locations across the Sussex High Weald

although few are known in this area, and a similar absence of sites has been noted in the adjacent part of Kent13. This is possibly due more to a lack of research rather than their absence here.

4.2.5 Such sites, comprising scatters of flint debitage and tools, are sometimes extensive, suggesting either longer-stay camps or short-stay camps which were being visited repeatedly over a period of time14. The evidence for this period suggests that there is some likelyhood of Mesolithic activity being present on the site, given its location and outlook.

4.3 Neolithic Period (4,000BC to 2,500BC)

4.3.1 A number of changes occur during the Neolithic, some of which may have had an impact on the local area. Environmental evidence suggests that some of the woodland was being cleared and small scale agricultural activities are likely to have started. However, it is likely that hunting and gathering will have continued in the High Weald where the woodland probably remained dominant15.

4.3.2 Other changes in the earlier part of the Neolithic period include the construction of large-scale monuments and the first industrial activity. However all of these sites are located on the South Downs which suggests that they had little influence over this area16.

4.3.3 A number of scatters of later Neolithic flintwork and individual finds of Neolithic axes have been identified in the High Weald. These are unlikely to represent settlements or agriculture, but are more likely to be occasional exploitation of the natural resources available in this area. There are no local finds of Neolithic flintwork in the area of Hurst Green.

4.3.4 It is possible that Neolithic artefacts could be present and if so may indicate the presence of underlying Neolithic features, although evidence for Neolithic settlement is very rare, and the likelyhood of finding Neolithic artefacts is considered to be low.

13 Scott, B. 2004 ‘Kentish Evidence of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Periods’ in An Historical Atlas of Kent,

Chichester, Phillimore & Co Ltd. 14 Holgate, R. 2003 ‘Late Glacial and Post-glacial Hunter-gatherers in Sussex’, in Rudling, D. (Ed) The

Archaeology of Sussex to AD2000, Kings Lynn, Heritage Marketing & Publications Ltd, 29-38.

15 Drewett, P. 2003 ‘Taming the Wild: The first farming Communities in Sussex, in Rudling, D. (Ed) The Archaeology of Sussex to AD2000, Kings Lynn, Heritage Marketing & Publications Ltd,

39-46. 16 Oswald et al. 2001 The Creation of Monuments, Swindon, English Heritage.


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4.4 The Bronze Age (2500BC to 800BC)

4.4.1 The Bronze Age saw continued clearance of the woodland in the High Weald, although there is little evidence for complete clearance or widespread agriculture. Elsewhere in Sussex, such as the South Downs and Coastal Plain, there is extensive evidence for the landscape being densely populated by small farming settlements in the Middle and Later Bronze Age.

4.4.2 There is growing evidence for agriculture in the Weald during the Bronze Age, with hunting presumably being continued in parallel with farming17. The period of greatest exploitation appears to have been in the Later Neolithic and early Bronze Age, which may suggest that the soils became exhausted and settlement retreated subsequently18.

4.4.3 Another feature of the Bronze Age landscape are the burial mounds (Barrows). None are recorded at Hurst Green, although others are known from the High Weald, including a number on Ashdown Forest19. There have been a few isolated finds of Middle Bronze Age metalwork just across the county boundary in Kent20.

4.4.4 No Bronze Age sites or artefacts are known from Hurst Green, and given the lack of evidence for Bronze Age activity in the area, there is a low probability that remains from this period will be found during work at the site.

4.5 The Iron Age (800BC to 43AD)

4.5.1 During the Early Iron Age it seems likely that the pattern of settlement and agriculture seen

in the Later Bronze Age continues. A number of field systems and enclosures are known from the Iron Age, such as at Kings Standing on Ashdown Forest21. These suggest that the area was being used for agriculture (perhaps grazing rather than growing crops) with the enclosures being farms. Although there are no similar enclosures or field systems currently known from the Hurst Green area it is possible that this pattern extended into this area.

4.5.2 One major feature of the Iron Age is the hillfort, of which 25 are known from Sussex. Many of these also appear to have originated in the Later Bronze Age, but become important centres of control and redistribution in the Middle and Later Iron Age.

17 Gardiner, M. 1990 ‘The Archaeology of the Weald – A Survey and a Review’, Sussex Archaeological

Collections 128, 33-53. 18 Needham, S. 1987 ‘The Bronze Age’ in The Archaeology of Surrey to 1540, 97-137 Guildford, Surrey Archaeological Society. 19 Butler, C 2008 An archaeological Survey of Ashdown Forest, CBAS Report. 20 Yates, D. 2004 ‘Kent in the Bronze Age’, in An Historical Atlas of Kent, Chichester, Phillimore & Co Ltd. 21 Margary, I.D. 1946 ‘War Damage to Antiquities on Ashdown Forest’, Sussex Notes & Queries 11,

1-3.


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4.5.3 There are no hillforts close to Hurst Green, with the nearest being High Rocks and

Saxonbury some 18km to the north-west. Both may have originated in the Middle Iron Age, but primarily date to the Later Iron Age22. Either or both of these could have dominated the immediate landscape around them, but it is unlikely that their sphere of influence would have extended to the Hurst Green area.

4.5.4 There is a ridgeway track that runs through Hurst Green via Etchingham to Heathfield, and which was likely to have been in use during the Iron Age (MES4360).

4.5.5 It was during the Iron Age that the Weald began to be exploited for iron production, with a relatively small number of sites known23, although no Iron Age iron working sites are known from the Hurst Green area.

4.5.6 There are no finds or features from the site or its immediate vicinity that date from the Iron Age. Therefore the likelyhood of artefacts or evidence for Iron Age settlement being discovered at the site is low.

4.6 The Roman Period (43AD to 410AD)

4.6.1 The Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD resulted in dramatic alterations to this island’s social and economic environments24. It is likely that many of the rural farmsteads and associated field systems that were in existence in the Later Iron Age continued throughout the Roman period. Where they have been excavated elsewhere, they provide evidence for a mixed farming economy of crops and animal husbandry.

4.6.2 Villa’s are unknown in the Weald, being almost entirely concentrated on the Sussex Coastal Plain and immediately to the north of the South Downs, or in North Kent. There is also little evidence for any larger settlements. It has been suggested that the Weald was set aside as an Imperial Estate for iron working, which may explain the lack of villas and larger settlements in the area.

4.6.3 Ironworking became a major industry during the Romano-British period, with large numbers of iron working sites across the Weald25. There are no Roman ironworking sites at Hurst Green, but a Roman bloomery site is situated at Brickhurst Wood (TQ752277) 1.5km to the

22 Hamilton, S & Manley, J. 1997 ‘Prominent Enclosures in 1st Millennium BC Sussex’, Sussex Archaeological

Collections 135, 93-112. 23 Hodgkinson, J. 2008 The Wealden Iron Industry, Stroud, Tempus Publishing. 24 Rudling, D. 2003 ‘Roman Rural Settlement in Sussex: Continuity and Change’, in Rudling, D. (Ed) The Archaeology of Sussex to AD2000, Kings Lynn, Heritage Marketing & Publications Ltd. 25 Cleere, H. et al. 1995 The Iron Industry in the Weald, Cardiff, Merton Priory Press.


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east of Hurst Green26, and there have been other finds of slag near Little Iridge Farm, which

may be of Roman origin27.

4.6.4 There is limited evidence for Roman activity in the immediate area, but the presence of Roman ironworking in the area means that the possibility of encountering Roman remains at the site is considered to be small.

4.7 The Saxon Period (410AD to 1066AD)

4.7.1 In the early Post-Roman period there was a change in the economy and land-usage with any areas that had been previously cultivated reverting to woodland, although the Weald remained an important area of grazing for pigs and other animals28. There is little evidence for iron working in the Saxon period, although the site at Millbrook in Ashdown Forest29 is an exception. The lack of any adjoining settlement suggests that this part of the Weald was perhaps being exploited by people living closer to the coast.

4.7.2 It is possible that the area known as Burgh Hill, on the south-west side of the village was the

site of a fort built by King Alfred the Great . The fort was called Eorpeburner, and is mentioned in the Burghal Hidage. It may have been the fort which was found on the river Limen that was stormed and destroyed by the Vikings in 892, and who then made their base at Appledore30.

4.7.3 Before the Norman invasion, Hurst Green was part of the parish of Salehurst which belonged to Countess Goda, however it is likely that few people lived there. It is therefore considered unlikely that any evidence for Saxon activity will be encountered.

4.8 The Medieval Period (1066AD to 1500AD)

4.8.1 After 1066 the Manor of Salehurst was wasted and was then held by Reinbert the sheriff, of the fee of the Count of Eu31. The manor descended with the Manor of Etchingham, being often referred to as the joint manor of Etchingham-Salehurst32.

26 Anon., 1976 ‘Inventory of sites visited by WIRG’, Bulletin of the Wealden Iron Research Group,

1st Series, 9. 27 PAS database search (SUSS-9FA0F4/B35) 28 Gardiner, M. 1990 ‘The Archaeology of the Weald – A Survey and a Review’, Sussex Archaeological

Collections 128, 33-53. 29 Tebbutt, C.F. 1982 ‘A Middle Saxon iron smelting site at Millbrook, Ashdown Forest, Sussex’, Sussex

Archaeological Collections 120, 19-35. 30 http://www.villagenet.co.uk/esussex-iron/villages/hurstgreen.php 31 Morris, J. (Ed) 1976 Domesday Book: Sussex, Chichester, Phillimore. 32 Salzman, L.F. 1973 Victoria County History: Sussex Vol. 9. Folkstone, Dawsons.


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4.8.2 Iridge was a tithing of Henhurst Hundred from 1248 onwards, and first appears as a manor in

1539 when Martin Brabon was in possession of it33; the Brabon family having been in residence since at least 132734. Iridge Place (DES4508), presumably the location of the original manor house, is situated 250m to the north-east of the site.

4.8.3 In 1264 the army of Henry III moved south from Goudhurst, where they had been ambushed

by ‘bowmen of the Weald’, through Hurst Green to Robertsbridge Abbey, before marching to defeat at the Battle of Lewes35. The only archaeological find of Medieval date known from the immediate area is a coin of Henry III (1216-1272) found to the south of Little Iridge Farm36, perhaps associated with the above event.

4.8.4 Given the location of the site and its relationship with Iridge Place it is possible that there will be some evidence for Medieval activity at the site.

4.9 The Post Medieval Period (1500AD to the Present Day)

4.9.1 The Churchlands were added to the southern part of the manor of Iridge in 158037, and the manor changed hands by marriage and conveyance a number of times during the 17th century38, before ending up in the hands of William Peckham at the beginning of the 18th century. The site of the school was part of a tenement of Iridge Manor which appeared in a Court Roll and Rental of 1672 and a rental of 171439.

4.9.2 The early maps of Sussex (Speed (1610), Morden (1695) and Bowen (1756)) do not show Hurst Green, and it is not until Kitchen (1763) that it is shown. It is also shown on Cole (1808) and Dugdale (1840), but not Moule (1837).

4.9.3 Although the population density (measured by conception) of parishes in the north-eastern Weald was generally high during the 17th century40, it is likely that Hurst Green remained a small settlement. In 1744 the village green covered a triangular area from the courthouse to the village hall, including land on which some houses in Station Road now stand. "The Cottage" (MES3972) and "Yew Tree" (DES4516) are shown on a map dated 1650, and so must have stood on the edge of the Village Green41. Most of the early buildings that survive in Hurst Green date to the 18th and early 19th century (Appendix 1) and are probably the result of the expansion of the village during this period.

33 Salzman, L.F. 1973 Victoria County History: Sussex Vol. 9. Folkstone, Dawsons. 34 Vivian, P. (Ed) 1953 ‘The Manor of Etchingham cum Salehurst’, Sussex Record Society Vol. 53. 35 Leming, B. 1999 The Battle of Lewes 1264, Hailsham, J&KH Publishing. 36 PAS database search (SUSS-4C3374) 37 Vivian, P. (Ed) 1953 ‘The Manor of Etchingham cum Salehurst’, Sussex Record Society Vol. 53. 38 Salzman, L.F. 1973 Victoria County History: Sussex Vol. 9. Folkstone, Dawsons. 39 Vivian, P. (Ed) 1953 ‘The Manor of Etchingham cum Salehurst’, Sussex Record Society Vol. 53. 40 Brent, C.E. 1978 ‘Rural Employment and Population in Sussex between 1550 and 1640; Part 2’, Sussex

Archaeological Collections 116, 41-55. 41 http://www.villagenet.co.uk/esussex-iron/villages/hurstgreen.php


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4.9.4 There are a number of iron working sites in the immediate vicinity of Hurst Green42. Bugsell

Forge (TQ724256) was in use during the later 16th century, and was working in 1653, but ruined by 166443. Iridge Furnace was built in 1584 and is shown on the Iridge estate map of 163744 together with the extensive system of ponds feeding it. It probably went out of use before the end of the 17th century45.

4.9.5 As well as iron working, there were other industries in and around Hurst Green, including brickworks. A brick kiln south-east of Iridge Place (TQ740268) was listed on the tithe award of 1841, and may have been associated with building work at Iridge Place in 1717, whilst a second brick kiln is hinted at by the 1841 field name ‘Brick Kiln Mead’ on Grove Hill Farm (TQ733263)46. Hurst Green Foundry dates back to 1704, and continued to operate into the early 20th century47.

4.9.6 A number of estate maps exist for Salehurst parish. The 1637 Iridge estate map48 shows Iridge Place and the land to the east of the London Road, but does not extend further west to the site. The Ockham Farm map of 183149 is located to the south-west of the site and does not extend this far north.

4.9.7 In 1788 Iridge Manor passed to John Mickelthwait, and it remained in this family until 1909

when it was sold, by which time it had been divided up. John Mickelthwait also acquired the manor of Etchingham-cum-Salehurst in 1806, whilst Jacobs Well, to the north of the site, was a tenement of the manor in 1810, and may have had earlier links to iron working50.

4.9.8 A recent survey of Iridge Place51 has shown that the core of the present building dates from

the 3rd quarter of the 16th century. A detached chapel built in 1585 was joined to the house in 1717 when William Peckam had a new brick front built to give the building a symmetrical facade. Further changes were made to the building over throughout the 19th century.

4.9.9 The 1841 Tithe map (Fig. 3) shows the site to be within a large field named the ‘Nursery Ground’ occupied by John Nash and owned by S.B. Peckham Micklethwait, and which was arable at the time. Nash also occupies two other fields to the south-west, which are also owned by Micklethwait.

42 Straker, E. 1931 Wealden Iron, London, Bell. 43 Cleer, H. & Crossley, D. 1995 The Iron Industry in the Weald, Cardiff, Merton Priory Press Ltd. 44 ESRO (ACC 6732-2) 45 Hodgkinson, J.S. & Houghton, R.G. 2000 ‘Iridge Furnace, Hurst Green’, Bulletin of the Wealden Iron

Research Group 2nd Series, 20. 46 Beswick, M. 2001 Brickmaking in Sussex, Midhurst, Middleton Press. 47 ESRO (AMS6209 &6214) 48 ESRO (ACC 6732-2) 49 ESRO AMS5368/5376 50 Vivian, P. (Ed) 1953 ‘The Manor of Etchingham cum Salehurst’, Sussex Record Society Vol. 53. 51 Martin, D. & B. 2000 An Archaeological Interpretive Survey of Iridge Place, Hurst Green, Salehurst, East

Sussex, Archaeology South-East. ESRO (HBR/1/1373).


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4.9.10 A yard and barn next to these fields are also owned by Mickelthwait, but occupied by Henry

Elphee. The adjacent field to the west is owned by George French, occupied by John Buss and is called ‘Hop Field’. None of the nearby field names provide evidence for past land use, although the names ‘Nursery Ground’, ‘Hop Field’ and ‘Fruit Plantation’ provide evidence for the use of this land for market gardening.

4.9.11 The Hurst Green school was erected in 1862 on land that was originally a nursery garden,

and had been given for that purpose by Henry Sharnborne Nathaniel Mickelthwait. Accommodation was provided for 145 children, and a residence for the master adjoined the school52.

4.9.12 The 1st Edition OS map (1874) shows the school building confined to the south-eastern part

of the site, with what appears to be a formal orchard/nursery garden covering the remainder of the site (Fig. 4). A long thin strip of orchard runs west from Jacobswell Farm to the north of the site, and there are open fields to the west. Overall the layout of the fields and landscape has hardly changed at all from the tithe map apart from the building of the school.

4.9.13 By the time of the 2nd Edition OS map in 1898 there has been little change, apart from the

appearance of a small building and pens in the adjacent field on the north-west boundary of the site (Fig. 5). The 3rd Edition OS map also shows that there has been no change (Fig. 6). Up to date OS mapping shows that the built up area of Hurst Green has expanded south alongside the A21 London Road.

4.9.14 During the Second World War Hurst Green was declared a Category B Nodal Point in 1940,

whilst the road junction at Cooper’s Corner to the north of Hurst Green was also declared a Category B Nodal Point53. Roads entering the Nodal Points would have had road blocks and defensive positions constructed. A cursory inspection of likely points for roadblocks could not locate any surviving evidence, but at Salehurst some defences covering crossing points over the River Rother still exist54. The diary of the Hurst Green ARP organiser is held at ESRO55.

4.9.15 The 1947 aerial photograph (Fig. 7) shows one or more structures in the north-east corner of

the adjacent field. The original school building can be seen, and very little change appears to have been made since its original construction. There is no obvious evidence for an air raid shelter, although much of the surrounding area is covered with trees. The area of the playing field is open ground and no features can be seen.

52 Hodson, L.J. 1914 A Short History of the Parish of Salehurst. 53 Defence of Britain database (PRO WO 199/544) 54 Butler, C. 2007 East Sussex under Attack, Stroud, Tempus Publishing Ltd. 55 ESRO (AMS6460)


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4.9.16 The 1999 and 2006 aerial photographs show the playing field to be grass and the school has

the same layout and buildings as exist today. No other features were noted on any of the aerial photographs inspected.

5 Impact of the Development

5.1 The proposed new school development is located within the school grounds, on the current playing

field which is owned by ESCC (Fig. 8). The map and aerial photograph evidence shows that this area was originally part of a nursery garden, and since the construction of the current school has been an open grassed area.

5.2 There is no evidence for any earlier archaeological features or activity within the grounds of the

school, although the sudden drop in ground level beyond the western boundary of the school field may be evidence for an earlier long-lived boundary.

5.3 Given the evidence accumulated during this desk-based assessment, the probability of finding

remains from each of the different archaeological periods is shown in Table 1 below:

Table 1 Period Probability Palaeolithic Very Low Mesolithic Possible Neolithic Low Bronze Age Low Iron Age Low Roman Low Saxon Low Medieval Low Post Medieval High

6 Conclusions

6.1 This desk-based assessment has established that there is evidence for activity from the Mesolithic

period through to the Post Medieval period in the wider surrounding area of the site. However, there is little evidence for any archaeology in the immediate vicinity of the site, and the overall probability of archaeological remains being found on the site is therefore considered to be low.

6.2 It has not been possible to establish whether there is below-ground archaeology present on the site,

due to the non-intrusive nature of this desk based assessment. Any development at the site is likely to disturb and destroy any buried archaeology.


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6.3 It is therefore recommended that a programme of archaeological work be undertaken prior to the

development. A geophysical survey could initially be undertaken, with evaluation trenches then being excavated using the results of the geophysical survey to guide positioning.

7 Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Mr P Damon and Mr J Hitchcock of Burns Guthrie and Partners for commissioning this survey on behalf of ESCC. Greg Chuter, Assistant County Archaeologist at ESCC provided copies of the East Sussex HER. I would also like to thank Mr M Sandaver, the Head Teacher of Hurst Green School for arranging for me to make a site visit. The staff at the East Sussex Record Office provided help in obtaining the tithe map and other documents, and Rachel Butler recorded the tithe map information and viewed other sources. I would also like to thank the staff at the NMR, Swindon and at the Sussex Archaeological Society Library for their help in locating aerial photographs and other sources in their possession.


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Fig. 1: Hurst Green School: Location Map Ordnance Survey © Crown copyright 1997

All rights reserved. Licence number 100037471


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Apportionment

No. Owner Occupier Name Use

331 G. French J. Buss - Homestead

333 G. French J. Buss Fruit Plantation Arable

334 G. French J. Buss Hop Garden Hops

335 G. French J. Buss Second Field Arable

1053 S.B. Mickelthwait H. Elphee - Yard

1054 S.B. Mickelthwait J. Nash Nursery Ground Arable

1055 S.B. Mickelthwait J. Nash Barn Meadow Pasture

1056 S.B. Mickelthwait J. Nash Hilly Meadow Pasture

1081 S.B. Mickelthwait T. Hartnup Oaky Field Shaw Coppice

1586 S.B. Mickelthwait T. Hartnup The Seven Acres Coppice

Fig. 3: Salehurst Tithe Map Reproduced from copy provided by ESCC


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19


20


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Fig. 7: Hurst Green School: 1947 Aerial Photograph

(Provided by ESCC)


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Fig. 9: Hurst Green School: Playing field looking north-east

Fig. 10: Hurst Green School: Playing field looking north-west


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Fig. 11: Hurst Green School: Playing field looking north-west

Fig. 12: Hurst Green School: Playing field looking south-east


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Appendix 1: Archaeological Sites Recorded on HER

SMR No. NGR Period Type of Site Notes MES3970 TQ 73766 26098 16th Century Silverhill Farmhouse Listed Building (DES3029) MES3972 TQ 7331 2724 16th Century The Cottage Listed Building MES3973 TQ 73 27 16th Century 2 Station Road Listed Building MES3974 TQ 7390 2687 Post Medieval Ice House at Iridge Place Listed Building MES4360 TQ 6578 2407 Prehistoric – Post Medieval Trackway DES2395 TQ 73402 27056 Early 19th Century House (87-91 London Road) Listed Building DES2400 TQ 73300 27413 18th Century Houses (15-25 London Road) Listed Buildings DES2402 TQ 73403 27020 18th/19th Century House (93 London Road) Listed Building DES2403 TQ 73476 26847 18th Century House (119-123 London Road) Listed Building DES3036 TQ 72912 27203 18th Century House (46 Station Road) Listed Building DES3037 TQ 72874 27169 Early 19th Century House (57-59 Station Road) Listed Building DES4175 TQ 73269 27195 Early 19th Century House (4 Station Road) Listed Building DES4186 TQ 73493 26901 17th Century House (76 London Road) Listed Building DES4507 TQ 73375 27196 19th Century Court House & Police Station Listed Building DES4517 TQ 73333 27306 Early 19th Century House (43-45 London Road) Listed Building DES4518 TQ 73472 26857 Early 19th Century House (115-117 London Road) Listed Building DES4519 TQ 73364 27275 18th Century House (28-30 London Road) Listed Building DES4185 TQ 73405 27135 Early 19th Century House (42 London Road) Listed Building DES3034 TQ 74331 26612 18th Century Barn at Little Iridge Farm Listed Building DES2394 TQ 73224 27055 18th/19th Century Barnhurst, London Road Listed Building DES4506 TQ 73374 27176 1901 Drinking Fountain Listed Building DES4176 TQ 73069 27215 Early 19th Century Firs Cottage, Station Road Listed Building DES2407 TQ 73639 26416 18th Century Grove Hill Farmhouse Listed Building DES2397 TQ 73272 27526 Early 19th Century Hawthorne Cottage, London Road Listed Building DES4177 TQ 72950 27185 Early 19th Century Hope Cottage, Station Road Listed Building DES3026 TQ 73366 27239 Early 19th Century Hurst Green Stores & Post Office Listed Building DES4508 TQ 73777 26953 18th Century Iridge Place Listed Building DES3052 TQ 72982 27201 Early 19th Century House (37-41 Station Road) Listed Building


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SMR No. NGR Period Type of Site Notes

DES2405 TQ 73402 27179 Early 19th Century Lancefield House Listed Building DES2401 TQ 73382 27109 Early 19th Century Little Barnhurst Listed Building DES4174 TQ 74292 26512 Early 19th Century Little Iridge Farmhouse Listed Building DES3028 TQ 73413 27093 Early 19th Century Former stables of the Royal George Listed Building DES3035 TQ 73861 25906 18th Century Stangate Listed Building DES2404 TQ 73364 27251 18th Century The Old Bull Inn Listed Building DES3027 TQ 73408 27119 Early 19th Century The Royal George Public House Listed Building DES2406 TQ 73694 26968 Late 18th Century Stables of Iridge Place Listed Building DES3025 TQ 73736 26080 Early 19th Century The White Horse Public House Listed Building DES4515 TQ 73304 27454 Early-Mid 19th Century The Woolpack Inn Listed Building DES4516 TQ 73305 27446 18th Century Yew Tree House Listed Building

Appendix 2: Archaeological Sites from other sources

Source NGR Period Type of Site Comments Defence of Britain TQ7327 Second World War Nodal Point S0009683 Beswick (2001) TQ240268 18th Century Brick Kiln, Iridge Place Listed on Tithe award 1841 Beswick (2001) TQ733263 Pre - 1841 Brick Kiln, Silverhill Place name 1841


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Chris Butler Archaeological Services Chris Butler has been an archaeologist since 1985, and formed the Mid Sussex Field Archaeological Team in 1987, since when it has carried out numerous fieldwork projects, and was runner up in the Pitt-Rivers Award at the British Archaeological Awards in 1996. Having previously worked as a Pensions Technical Manager and Administration Director in the financial services industry, Chris formed Chris Butler Archaeological Services at the beginning of 2002. Chris is a Member of the Institute of Field Archaeologists, a committee member of the Lithic Studies Society, and is a part time lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Sussex, and teaches A-Level Archaeology at Bexhill 6th Form College. Chris specialises in prehistoric flintwork analysis, but has directed excavations, landscape surveys, watching briefs and evaluations, including the excavation of a Beaker Bowl Barrow, a Saxon cemetery and settlement, Roman pottery kilns, and a Mesolithic hunting camp. Chris is Co-Director of the Barcomvbe Roman Villa excavations. He has also recently undertaken an archaeological survey of Ashdown Forest and Broadwater Warren. Chris Butler Archaeological Services is available for Flintwork Analysis, Project Management, Military Archaeology, Desktop Assessments, Field Evaluations, Excavation work, Watching Briefs, Fieldwalking, Landscape & Woodland surveys, Post Excavation Services and Report Writing.


Prehistoric Flintwork Specialist

Rosedale Berwick Polegate

East Sussex BN26 6TB

Tel & fax: 01323 871021

e mail: [email protected]

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