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Designations

• Scheduled Monument 1002284: The Calvary (mound)
• Conservation Area: LEWES CONSERVATION AREA

Summary

Earthworks originally thought to be either a motte, saltworks or clay pit. Documentary research and fieldwork now suggests that they are 17th century garden features.

Monument Types

• EARTHWORK (AD 17th Century to Modern - 1600 AD? to 2050 AD)
• GARDEN FEATURE (AD 17th Century - 1600 AD to 1699 AD)
• MOUND (AD 17th Century to Modern - 1600 AD to 2050 AD)
• CRICKET GROUND (AD 18th Century - 1700 AD to 1799 AD)

Description

(TQ 4156 0966) The Mount (NAT) (TQ 4170 0965) Dripping Pan (NAT) (1)
There appears to be no conclusive evidence as to the origin and purpose of 'The Mount' and the adjacent 'Dripping Pan'. The site comprises a mound some 45ft high adjoining a large sunken rectangular piece of ground surrounded by banks. According to Horsfield the mound was formed of earth excavated from the Dripping Pan, and was by tradition, erected by one of the Earls of Dorset. Allcroft considers the earthwork to be the original castle of William de Warrenne (the builder of Lewes castle) but Salzman disagrees on the grounds that even if it had been a purely temporary castle some trace of a ditch would be expected; he himself inclines to the view that it was connected with the Priory of St Pancras, with the spiral path round it, to a chapel or calvary, or even a summer house or gazebo. It is shown as 'Calvary' on the 1775 map of Lewes (8).
It is suggested in VCH that there may have been a salt-pan here, since in Essex (6) such pans are accompanied by mounds, perhaps for windmill pumps. (2-8) According to NES Norris, Curator of Lewes Museum, general opinion supports the salt working mound supposition. Horsfield records saltpans of the Domesday period in the vicinity of Lewes. (9)
'The Mount', a turf-covered bowl-shaped earthen mound some 12.0 - 13.0m in height, is in appearance and construction, a typical Norman motte. It is situated at the eastern end of a low spur of land at the northern edge of 'The Brooks', a wide expanse of land which, in Md times, was covered by sea water at high tides. The position commands the entrance to three valleys, to the W, N and SE. It is possible, in the absence of a ditch, that the material for the mound came from the nearby 'Dripping Pan' but would account for little more than a third of the soil that has been removed from that place. The spiral walk to the summit is most probably an added feature of late date. The situation of 'The Dripping Pan', now a sports ground, rules out any probability of it having been a salt pan. It has been cut out of the lower slopes of the spur, whereas a salt pan could more easily have been created upon the water meadows immediately below. It may have been no more than a chalk or clay pit. Published 1:2500 survey correct. (10) A watching brief was maintained during May/June and October/November 2006 during the groundworks associated with the construction a new seated and standing stand on the south side of the Dripping Pan, Lewes Football Ground, Lewes. Although no archaeological features were visible within the exposed undisturbed surfaces of the underlying geology or trench sides during the course of the watching brief, finds recovered from the bank make-up layers of the Dripping Pan earthwork suggest it to have been constructed in the early post-medieval period (late 16th to
early 18th century). An earlier wall, hidden behind the current eastern boundary wall, may be the remains of the later medieval Priory precinct wall. These walls werebreached by a c. 12.7m wide new access point.[11]
1755/6 view from Mount towards castle and high street [12]
Sir William Gage (1695-1744) challenged the Duke of Richmond to one of the earliest recorded cricket matches at the Dripping Pan in 1730 [13]The monument includes the remains of a post-medieval folly or garden feature traditionally known as the ‘Mount’ or ‘Calvary’, which survives as an earthwork and below-ground archaeological remains. It is situated on low, relatively flat ground of the floodplain of the River Ouse on the south side of Lewes. The monument is a turf-covered bowl-shaped earthen mound about 47m in diameter and 13m in height. Immediately east of the mound is a large sunken rectangular piece of ground surrounded by banks, traditionally known as the ‘dripping pan’, which is now occupied by a football ground. The mound is recorded in one documentary source as having been erected by one of the Earls of Dorset and formed of earth excavated from the adjacent ground. An area on the east side of the mound was partially excavated in 2006, which uncovered finds of late 16th century to early 18th century date. The mound is likely to be a post-medieval garden feature associated with the Priory of St Pancras, situated to the south-west. The monument is traditionally thought to have been a Norman motte or a salt working mound. However it lacks an outer ditch usually associated with a motte and is an unlikely location for a salt pan.[14]
The earthworks for both the Calvary Mount and the Dripping pan are clearly visible on the Environment Agency LiDAR Data. With the mount shown as larger than its OS map depiction with a slight 'bite' taken out of its South West Corner. The Dripping Pan Earthworks are shown as visible on all four sides of the current football pitch. [15]
The mount and dripping pan earthworks are clearly marked on Historic mapping from the 1st edition onwards. [16-18]

Sources

Associated Events

• Field observation on TQ 40 NW 54
• Field observation on TQ 40 NW 54
• The Calvary Mound, Lewes : Watching Brief

Associated Monuments - none recorded

Associated Finds - none recorded

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