Conquest to Dissolution 1067-1538: A history of eastern Sussex, Battle, Bexhill, Hastings, Pevensey, Robertsbridge, Rye and Winchelsea - a fascinating part of England

In 1066 eastern Sussex was the beachhead for the successful invasion of England by Duke William II of Normandy. He was crowned William I, King of England, at Christmas 1066 and 1067 was the first year of the Normanisation of England. 1538 saw the dissolution of the major monasteries and abbeys including those of Battle and Robertsbridge, and the start of the English Reformation. How did William and his successors, from the houses of Normandy and Blois, via the Angevin and Plantagenet kings, through the Wars of the Roses to the rise of the Tudors change eastern Sussex? Most of the history is hidden away in ancient documents, but some remains visible, in the ruins of old abbeys and castles and in the landscape itself. Before 1066 eastern Sussex appears to have been somewhat separate from the sub- Kingdoms of Sussex - and many would say it still is. It was more influenced by the Kingdom of Kent to the east than the rather fragmented Sussex to the west. It was at times called Hastingas - which existed from about the 6th to the early 11th centuries. This evolved to became the part of Sussex called the Rape of Hastings, which, with the Hundred of Pevensey, makes up '1066 Country': eastern Sussex. It stretches from Pevensey to Rye, and inland from the coast to the Kentish boundary. Battle and its abbey sits at its heart, on the site of the Battle of Hastings. The ways in which Battle, Bexhill, Pevensey, Robertsbridge, Rye, Winchelsea and all of eastern Sussex evolved between 1067 and 1538 are covered in this book. It also acts as a guide book to further reading about the more complex issues.

About the Author :
Keith Foord lives in Battle, East Sussex very near the Battlefield of Hastings. In fact William may have rode to battle past his front door. Professionally a doctor he has always had an interest in early British history and has been writing history books since 2011 following his retirement. Married with four adult children, his most recent book published in late 2021 is a biography of 'Harold Godwinson'. In 2015 he co-authored a commemorative book for the 950th Anniversary of the Battle of Hastings '1066 and the Battle of Hastings - Preludes, Events and Postscripts' which has been well received.

Review :
Foord demonstrates how the part of Britain which saw perhaps our greatest historical turning point coped with its aftermath, and then explores the following centuries of war with France, baronial conflicts, power struggles and feudal control, as well as plague. He uses physical and documentary evidence, in prose that grips the reader from the start, and portrays a very different Sussex landscape and coastline... 'Foord's prose grips the reader from the start and never explores unnecessary aspects, nor simply shows of the depth of his research...the blending of national and local history is skilful' From reviews of the 'Battle Trilogy' by the British Association for Local History.