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This site is protected as a "scheduled monument" under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 (as amended). Without prior permission it is an offence to i) cause damage ii) to execute, cause or permit work iii) to use a metal detector.

Designations

• Scheduled Monument 1013268: LEWES CASTLE
• Conservation Area: LEWES CONSERVATION AREA

Summary

Remains of 1100 AD flint built double motte and bailey castle, recent modifications

Monument Types

• CASTLE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• MOTTE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Description

(Centred TQ 414101) Castle (NR) (Rems of) (1)
Founded by William de Warenne and first built of flint (not wood) about 1100. It is distinguished by the strange feature of two mounds, both artificial. (2)
The castle is approached from the S by an early 14th c Barbican which is followed by the Early Norman gatehouse which contains herring-bonecoursing. There is some contemporary walling to its right and left, also, and more substantial curtain walling E of the Castle Gate House. On the W mound stands a shell-keep, again early Norman though strengthened by two 13th c turrets. The only other remains are some walling and a tunnel-vault N of the Keep belonging to a house along the path W of Castle Banks and some chalk masonry of the other mound, called Brack Mount. Originallythere was a second shell-keep here. (3)
(See plan) (4)
The castle is as described (see Lewes Castle guide). See ground photographs. Published survey 25" correct. (5)
I Lewes Castle Gate and Keep early C12, or possibly late C11. Towers C13. Barbican C14. I Additional Castle Walls round the bowling green and car-park. Medieval walls of flint and rubble. C13.[6]
Scheduled monument no. 12872 : The castle at Lewes is unique in having two mottes and hence illustrates some of the diversity of this class of monument. It survives well, with large areas of open space within which archaeological remains are considered likely to survive as well as with much original architectural detail. This is in spite of the disturbance caused by partial collapse of the motte, stone robbing, conversion to a pleasure garden, consolidation and partial excavation. Since it is opened to the public, the monument is of high amenity value (7)
Archaeological monitoring at 13 Mount Pleasant recorded evidence of a ditch at the base of the Brack Mount, likely to have been a medieval castle ditch.(9)
1755/6 view of castle and high street [10]
Despite close monitoring of the groundworks very few archaeological deposits of significance were revealed. As such the improvement works have had only a minor impact on the archaeological resource at the site. Despite this a number of useful observations have been possible on both the medieval castle itself and the subsequent post-medieval landscaping and occupation.
Although Area A was perhaps the most archaeologically sensitive the monitoring works did not uncover any new data beyond that already published following the comprehensive excavation of the shell keep. Some fragments of the chapel wall were partially re-exposed during the works but were preserved in situ.
The monitoring works on the new stairs, paths and drains up the motte in Area B did not reveal any deposits of archaeological interest. The only works that exposed early deposits was the new terrace extension that revealed part of the chalk rubble make-up of the motte though no finds were recovered from it.
The walls uncovered below the path to the Barbican Gate in Area B/C proved to be of more interest. It would appear that the east wall of the small 12thcentury tower still survives in a relatively good condition just below the path. The wall to the east (context [35]) is apparently a new find and probably indicates the base of a stair giving access to the tower and wall-walk. The observations regarding the extant revetting wall which follows the supposed line of the curtain wall perhaps unsurprisingly suggests that the upper section at least has been rebuilt or remodelled in post-medieval times.
The other area of interest, at least at a social level, in Area B/C was the graffiti in the 1st floor Barbican room. It clearly demonstrates how a few people adding their names in 1920 created a copy-cat craze amongst visitors who subsequently covered this wall with further inscriptions, names and dates for the next 17 years. The sudden cessation of graffiti in this room is probably the result of the then custodian repainting the whole to hide the graffiti and thus break the ‘tradition’. The variety of addresses and heights of many of the inscriptions strongly suggests many/most were left there by adults rather than children but unfortunately nobody saw fit to leave their age!
All of the archaeological work within the Gun Garden (Area C) suggested that the exposed upper deposits relate to demolished 19th- century buildings running down the eastern side of the garden where they would have fronted the Castle Gate road. The demolition spreads are at their most highly concentrated in the vicinity of the buildings but do spread across the western and northern parts of the area as well albeit not containing the same quantity of demolition materials. The variability in coarse components within this 19thcentury demolition spread explains the great variability noted in the results of the resistivity survey. Although no upstanding walls were noted during the monitoring it is likely they exist below the formation levels for the current development. Considering the density and depth of the demolition spreads it is hardly surprising no wall lines are apparent on the resistivity results. The earliest deposits exposed are likely to be the chalk rubble in Test-pit 3 (contexts [11] and [12]) which ‘could’ relate to early post-medieval infilling of a deeper feature, possibly even the castle ditch. However, far too little was exposed to draw firm conclusions from.
The test-pits excavated around the ERC in Area D produced slight evidence of the post-medieval structures known to have been located in the area. However, more notable are the post-medieval dumping/levelling layers that appear to extent to below 1.6m from the existing surface. Although dating is absent, or at best scant, an early post-medieval date, perhaps in the 17th century, is possible for many of these. The location of these pits, just in front of the
Norman gate (behind the later Barbican), is likely to have originally been defended by a ditch and it is into this feature the post-medieval layers have probably been deposited. However, although the upper infilling layers have been shown to be of probable 17th- century date the lower ones are of less certain origin. The Norman ditch would undoubtedly have seen much infilling and remodelling at this point when the 14th- century Barbican was constructed and the extent of 14th- century infilling is uncertain. The post-medieval alterations to the ground levels around the gates may well have been the reason for the construction of the retaining wall studied in Area D. The lower parts of this structure re-use ashlar blocks originally re-used from the castle or, more probably, the Priory/Friary. [11]
The ancient wall between the Norman gatehouse and the Keep-mound (the motte) at the north side of the 'Gun Garden' was repaired in 1969 which revealed details about its construction [12]

Sources

Associated Events

• 13 Mount Pleasant, Lewes: Watching Brief
• Field observation on TQ 41 SW 71
• BRACK MOUNT, LEWES CASTLE, LEWES: Excavation (Ref: EI 340)
• BRACK MOUNT DITCH/4, CASTLE BANKS (Ref: EI 341)
• Lewes Castle Keep : Excavations (Ref: EI 356)
• Lewes Castle Precinct: Excavation (Ref: EI 357)
• Lewes Castle, Lewes: Watching Brief (Ref: EI 359)
• LEWES CASTLE: Excavation
• Lewes Castle, Lewes:Watching Brief

Associated Monuments - none recorded

Associated Finds

• POT (AD 11th Century to AD 12th Century - 1000 AD to 1199 AD)
• ROOF SLAB (AD 14th Century to AD 19th Century - 1300 AD to 1899 AD)
• POT (AD 16th Century to AD 17th Century - 1500 AD to 1699 AD)
• BRICK (AD 17th Century to AD 19th Century - 1600 AD to 1899 AD)
• CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (AD 17th Century to AD 19th Century - 1600 AD to 1899 AD)
• PEG TILE (AD 17th Century to AD 19th Century - 1600 AD to 1899 AD)
• POT (AD 18th Century to AD 19th Century - 1700 AD to 1899 AD)
• WINDOW GLASS (AD 18th Century to AD 19th Century - 1700 AD to 1899 AD)

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