Highways and Byways in SussexLucas, E. V. (Edward Verrall)
History
Highways and Byways in Sussex
Lucas, E. V. (Edward Verrall)
Sussex (England) -- Description and travel
The de Warennes held Lewes Castle until the fourteenth century; the
Sussex Archæological Society now have it in their fostering care.
Architecturally it is of no great interest, although it was once unique
in England by the possession of two keeps; nor has it romantic
associations, like Kenilworth or even Carisbrooke. The crumbling masonry
was assisted in its decay by no siege or bombardment; the castle has
been never the scene of human struggle. Visitors, therefore, must take
pleasure chiefly in the curiosities collected in the museum and in the
views from the roof. A few little rooms hold the treasures amassed by
the Archæological Society; amassed, it may be said, with little
difficulty, for the soil of the district is fertile in relics. From
Ringmer come rusty shield bosses and the mouldering skull of an
Anglo-Saxon; from the old Lewes gaol come a lock and a key strong enough
to hold Jack Sheppard; and from Horsham Gaol a complete set of fetters
for ankles and wrists, once used to cramp the movements of female
malefactors. Here, in a case, is a tiny bronze thimble that tipped the
pretty finger of a Roman seamstress--one only among scores of tokens of
the Roman occupation of the county. Flint arrow heads and celts in
profusion take us back to remoter times. A Pyecombe crook hangs on one
wall, and relics of the Sussex ironworks are plentiful. The highest room
contains rubbings of our best brasses. Outside is an early Sussex
plough. In a corner is a beadle's staff that once struck terror into the
hearts of Sabbath-breaking boys; and near one of the windows is a little
brass crucifix from St. Pancras' Priory. But nothing, the custodian
tells me, so pleases visitors to this very catholic collection as the
mummied hand of a murderess.
[Sidenote: THE BATTLE OF LEWES]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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