Summary
These slight earthwork remains represent quarter 15 of the medieval town of Winchelsea.
Identification Images (0)
Monument Types
- UNDERCROFT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- TENEMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
- EARTHWORK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
Description
History of the Site.. When initially laid out this quarter incorporated 25 plots, 17 of which lay wasted in 1363. This was another of the quarters through which the proposed new town wall of 1414 was to pass, destroying a strip of ground along the western edge. The inquiry of December 1414 indicates that 10 holdings held by five men were to be affected. The inquiry refers to no extant houses along this side of the quarter, but does mention several tofts (ie sites of former houses). By the mid 16th century the number of tenements upon the quarter had reduced to eleven, between three and six of which were built upon. The quarter continued to decline and by 1716 the entire area was in the single ownership of Samuel Newman. There were no surviving houses by 1763.
Description: Apart from the town ditch (140328*0) the earthworks within this quarter are very slight. A rectangular depression towards the northern side may indicate the site of a collapsed undercroft, and this appears to be located within the boundaries of a tenement. Running south from the latter, along the centre line of the quarter, a linear earthwork could indicate the boundary between the eastern and western tenements. The southern side of the quarter is absent of earthworks, indeed the line of Fourth Street has been entirely obliterated. As with quarter 10, the block has a marked east to west cross fall, but along the western side the ground level changes with a slight rise towards the western edge. This marks where the spoil from the town ditch was spread over the western side of the quarter so as to build up the level of the ground within the town, against the rear of the intended new town wall (Martin, D. 1994).
References
- SNA62696 - National Trust Report: University College London Field Archaeology Unit. 1994. Land at Winchelsea Part 1: Archaeological and Landscape Survey of Crutches Farm, Icklesham, East Sussex (Wickham Manor). 1.
- SNA69375 - Monograph: Field Archaeology Unit Institute of Archaeology. 2004. Excavations in Winchelsea, Sussex 1974 - 2000.
- SZF48919 - National Trust Report: University College London Field Archaeology Unit. 1994. Land at Winchelsea Part 3: Archaeological and Landscape Survey of Winchelsea Town, East Sussex (Wickham Manor). 3.
- SZF48921 - National Trust Report: Archaeology South-East. 2002. A Quarter by Quarter Analysis of Winchelsea, East Sussex.
Other Statuses and References
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Associated Events
- ENA2030 - Field Survey, Archaeological and Landscape Survey: Land at Winchelsea - Part 3: Winchelsea Town, East Sussex
- ENA2032 - Heritage Assessment, A Quarter by Quarter analysis of Winchelsea, 2002
Associated Finds
None Recorded
Related Records
- Parent of: Undercroft in Farmyard nr to Cricket Field, Wickham Manor, Winchelsea (Monument) - 140324 / MNA125805
- Parent of: Excavated Tenement nr to Cricket Field, Winchelsea Town, Wickham Manor, Winchelsea (Monument) - 140325 / MNA126179
- Parent of: Ruin & Undercroft, Blackfriars Barn, Wickham Manor, Winchelsea (Building) - 140326 / MNA127660