Hastings and St. Leonards Guide

The below is a transcription of the 4th edition of Ross's Hastings and St. Leonards Guide dating to January 1845.

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ROSS'S HASTINGS AND ST. LEONARDS GUIDE

CONTAINING A VARIETY OF INFORMATION RESPECTING

THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES

OF THE ABOVE AND

NEIGHBOURING TOWNS ;

WITH A

FULL DESCRIPTION OF ALL SUBJECTS

NECESSARY TO THE COMFORT AND ACCOMMODATION OF VISITORS .

Fourth Edition.

HASTINGS :

PUBLISHED BY T. ROSS .

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[   ]ROSS'S

HASTINGS AND ST. LEONARDS GUIDE ;

CONTAINING A VARIETY OF INFORMATION RESPECTING

THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES

OF THE ABOVE AND

NEIGHBOURING TOWNS ;

WITH A

FULL DESCRIPTION OF ALL SUBJECTS

NECESSARY TO THE COMFORT AND ACCOMMODATION OF VISITORS .

Fourth Edition.

HASTINGS : PUBLISHED BY T. ROSS .
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CONTENTS .

All Saints' Church	4
Anselm , Archbishop	12
Antiquity of Hastings	1
Ashburnham ; description of house, park, &c	56
Ashburnham Church	56
Bank	27
Baptist Chapel	6
Bathing Machines	27
Baths	27
Battle ; abbey, antiquities, &c.	52
Battle Church	55
Battle of Hastings	14
Beauport	51
Bexhill	40
Billiards	26
Bodiam Castle	57
Borde, Dr. Andrew	43
Bulverhythe ; curious origin of its name ; wreck, &c.	40
Camber Castle	35
Canning, Mr.	47
Castle of Hastings	10
Charitable Institutions	7
Charles I., relics of	56
Charters of Hastings	13
Coaches	60
Croft Chapel	6
Crowhurst	52
Custom House	59
Dispensary	9
Dissenting Chapels	6
Dripping Well	48
Ebenezer Chapel	6
Ecclesbourne	47
Fairlight	47
Fairlight Glen	48
Fairs of Hastings	23

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Fares for carriages, &c.	60
Fishery	27
Fish Ponds	47
Grand Parade, Hastings	37
Harbour	58
Hastings, description of	1
Hollington Church	50
Hotels, &c.	24
Hurstmonceux Castle, &c.	4%
Infirmary	9
Libraries	25
Literary and Scientific Institutions	26
Lovers' Seat	48
Market	23
Old Roar	50
Ore Church	51
Ore Place	51
Parade	13
Pelham Arcade	28
Pevensey Castle, &c	40
Post Office	28
Priory	23
Roads to London, &c.	64
Rye ; town, harbour, &c.	36
Schools	7
Shakspeare's Mulberry Tree	29
Sir Cloudesly Shovell	29
St. Clement's Caves	21
St. Clement's Church	5
St. Leonards, description of	38
St. Mary's Chapel	6
Tide Table	66
Town Hall	9
Walks and Rides	30
Wesleyan Chapel	6
Winchelsea	30
Worship, places of	4
Zoar Chapel	6

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HASTINGS AND ST. LEONARDS GUIDE.

DESCRIPTION OF HASTINGS.

THE TOWN OF HASTINGS (which gives name to the rape that includes it) is situated in a valley, open to the south, but nearly surrounded with high hills and cliffs on the north, east, and west, rising to an elevation of from 300 to 600 feet, thus protecting the town from all winds that are injurious to the constitution ; at the same time affording to the visitor a choice of climate, either on the surrounding hills, where the air is cool and bracing, or in the protected vales, where it is soft and genial.

The modern range of lodging-houses are situated under the Castle-cliffs, rendering this part of the town, as a place of residence, the most genial on the southern coast. The purity and mildness of the air, its bold and craggy cliffs, the conveniency of its beach for bathing, either at high or low water, together with the wild and picturesque beauty of the surrounding country, have combined to render it one of the most fashionable watering-places on the southern coast. It is distant from the metropolis 58 miles, Dover 48, and Brighton 36. The number of inhabitants is 12,000. [ 2 ]In the reign of Athelstan, 924, the town was of sufficient importance to have a mint. The only specimen of its coinage that we are aware of, is deposited in the Hastings Museum. It bears the moneyer's name and the place of coinage : was found some few years back near Winchester, in a bank by the side of an ancient road, by some boys who were playing at marbles : one of them lost a favourite marble in a hole, and in digging for it with their knives they struck upon something hard, and upon further digging they found a leaden box or case, in which were 10,000 silver pennies of the Conqueror, some from every mint in England, and quite new and bright. From there being specimens of all the mints extant, it is supposed they had been sent to Winchester, where the court was then held, as a kind of seignorage ; and, at the death of Rufus, might have been stolen in the confusion attendant on his violent end, and buried where they were found : the party, most probably, being banished or killed, the secret of their concealment dying with them.

The service rendered to the king by the barons of Hastings, was to fit out twenty-one ships for fifteen days at their own cost ; but if required for longer service, the expense was to be borne by the Crown. The crew of each ship consisted of twenty-one men and a gromet, or boy; the pay of the master and constable sixpence per day, and the others threepence per day ; having forty days' notice to make ready, and to co-operate with those furnished by the other ports, making in all fifty-seven ships.

To the turbulent reign of John the Cinque-ports are indebted for their chartered privileges ; and to him, strange as it may appear, the first assertion of national sovereignty over the seas is due. " By a law published at Hastings, in 1200, he commanded that all foreign vessels should strike their topsails to his [ 3 ]flag, on pain of capture and confiscation." In 1214 the Ports fleet followed him to the Isle of Wight, and was mainly instrumental in establishing him on his throne. In 1513 it was ordered, that " every person that goeth into the navy of the portis shall have a cote of white cotyn, with a red crosse, and the arms of the portis underneath ; that is to say, the halfe lyon and the halfe shippe." The first enfranchisement of the Cinque-ports was in the reign of Edward the Confessor, which was further confirmed to them by William Rufus, Henry the First, and by Edward the First, for the services rendered him, in his conquest of Wales, by the Cinque ports fleet ; his charter conferred upon them still greater honours and immunities than even the city of London enjoyed, allowing them free trade in all kinds of merchandise, and a complete exemption from the payment of duties. The barons of the Cinque-ports, Hastings, Dover, Sandwich, Hythe, and Romney, with the two ancient towns, Rye and Winchelsea, have the privilege (and it is one of which they may be justly proud) of supporting the canopy over the king and queen at their coronation. Each canopy has four staves, with a silver bell, gilt, and four barons to each stave, in all thirty-two. Hastings, as chief of the ports, claims for itself and members one canopy with its appurtenances, the remaining one belongs to the other ports. They also dine at a table set apart for them at the right hand of their majesties ; and so jealous are they of any encroachment upon their rights, that at the coronation of George the Third, finding the table provided for them not in its place, they refused to sit [ 4 ]at any other. They formerly enjoyed superior dignity, and ranked equal with the nobility of the kingdom . Before the separation of the great council of the nation, they were called over in the following order : viz. , on the first day, the lowest class, as burgesses and citizens ; on the second, the knights ; and on the third, the barons of the Cinque-ports and the peers.

The canopy borne by the barons at the coronation of George the Fourth was yellow, of silk and gold embroidery, with curtains of muslin and tissue, upheld by steel rods, surmounted by silver balls. The dresses of the barons consisted of large cloaks of garter blue satin, with slashed arms of scarlet, and stockings of dead red, presenting a singularly unique appearance.

PLACES OF WORSHIP

There were formerly four churches, besides others in the immediate neighbourhood. Some have passed away from the face of the earth, others have nought but the hillock to denote their former site, and the song of praise and thanksgiving echoes no more along their vaulted aisles .

ALL SAINTS

Forms one of the most picturesque objects at the [ 5 ]entrance of the town, particularly when viewed through the cluster of trees called the Wilderness . The church was nearly rebuilt in the early part of the fourteenth century, but the interior contains nothing worthy of particular notice, if we except the pulpit cloth, which was part of the canopy held over Queen Anne at her coronation, and the roof of the belfrey, which has several curious figures carved and painted in a circle. The notorious Titus Oates was officiating minister here, and there is but little doubt that he was born in the parish of All Saints ; the entry of his baptism in 1619 appears in the register .

ST. CLEMENTS.

The following, from the records in the Tower entitled 66 Inquisitiones post mortem," will tend to throw some light as to the probable time in which the foundation of this church was laid. It was generally supposed to have been erected in the fourteenth century. " 1285-The Abbey of Fiscamp-A plea of land in Hastings to found the Church of St. Clement in the same place." The altar-piece was painted by Roger Mortimer ; in the centre is the decalogue, on the left a painting of Moses, and on the right, Aaron.

The ceiling is painted to represent the heavenly regions, and separated from it at each corner are the figures of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Fortitude ; on the north side of the chancel, within a gilt frame, are recorded several munificent gifts of Archibald Hutcheson, one of the barons in Parliament for this town, in the reigns of Queen Anne and George the First.

The font at the west end is an octagon, and of great antiquity ; on its sides are carved the instruments of our Saviour's passion. The former covering to the pulpit was part of the canopy held over King George the First at his coronation, but was taken down, being considered too showy for that purpose; [ 6 ]it consisted of flowered silver tissue with gold fringe. There were formerly two large chandeliers suspended from the roof : one was presented by the barons who supported the canopies over their majesties King George the Third and Queen Charlotte, being the proceeds of the sale of the paraphernalia used on that occasion; the cost of the other was defrayed by a subscription of the inhabitants. They were taken down and sold for old brass in 1838, by order of the churchwardens.

These two churches are united under the pastoral care of the Rev. J. G. Foyster.

The ruins of the church of St. Andrew's stood, within the last fifteen years, a few yards north of Wellington-square.

THE CHAPEL OF ST . MARY IN THE CASTLE.

is greatly admired for the beauty and simplicity of the interior ; the body of the building is of a semicircular form, so that the gallery has somewhat the appearance of a Roman amphitheatre. It is capable of accommodating about 1400 persons. Sittings may be procured for any length of time, on application being made at the Pelham Baths.

The chaste little chapel on the Barrack-ground was built in 1838, by subscription, assisted from the funds of the Society for the Building of Churches.

DISSENTING CHAPELS .

Within the memory of many in Hastings, no dissenting place of worship existed in the town.

The inhabitants were members of the Establishment then ; and indeed, the vast majority of the natives remain so to the present day. Yet dissent is by no means stationary here. There are several chapels for various denominations, the Croft, Wesleyan, Ebenezer, Zoar, and the Baptist. The [ 7 ]

CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS

of Hastings are numerous, and the greater number of those dependent on voluntary contributions are well supported. There are four ENDOWED SCHOOLS in the town ; two for boys and two for young children. One for boys was founded by the Rev. William Parker, who by his will, bearing date Nov. 16th, 1619, gave upwards of 100 acres of land, in the parish of Ore, for the maintenance of a school-master. The number of scholars varies from 125 to 150, and are admitted at the age of from six to eight inclusive. It is required that the master teach the art of navigation. The other three schools were founded by Mr. James Saunders, his will bearing date January 9th, 1708, leaving the rents of his estates in Wittersham to the putting apprentice yearly of two poor boys of the parishes of St. Clements and All Saints, and for the maintenance of two schoolmistresses, each of them to instruct thirty children under six years of age; also for the maintenance of a schoolmaster, whose scholars are limited to seventy, and to be sons of inhabitants residing within the limits of the "Sea gate, next the fish-market, as far as the west fort." The scholars enter from the age of six to twelve inclusive, and are allowed to remain seven years. Navigation and Latin are taught. The above-named charities are under the management of trustees appointed by the Court of Chancery.

The commissioners for public charities have included in their parliamentary returns, an interesting report of still unsettled proceedings in Chancery, relating to an estate on the Priory farm, in the possession of Mr. Milward or his representatives, which, as is alleged, is given by will for the endowment of a free school. The farm consists of 192 acres, the fourth of which was given by the will of Richard [ 8 ]Ellsworth, dated the 11th July, 1714, for the teaching the poorest children of that parish to read and say their catechism, and buying them books .

BRITISH SCHOOLS.

There are two schools on the liberal and unexclusive plan of the British and Foreign School Society. The girls' school is in Waterloo-passage, High-street. About sixty girls receive instruction.

The boys' school is accommodated in a large room under the Baptist chapel, in Wellington-square. It affords education to 150 boys.

In both these schools the Holy Scriptures are constantly read, but no catechism, or other form of sectarian religious instruction, is permitted. The committees are composed of persons belonging to different religious denominations .

CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS .

A very large school-house is erected, capable of containing from 2 to 300 girls and boys. The Infant School near the Croft, built and supported by public subscription, can accommodate about 200.

An auxiliary to the

BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY

has existed in the town for many years. There are also Missionary Societies for the London, the Church, the Wesleyan, and the Baptist Missionary Institutions ; and help is also given to the Hibernian, the Moravian Missionary Society, the British and Foreign Sailors' Society. There is also a District Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (the depository of the society is at Mr. Bowmer's, 24½ , George-street,) and other kindred insti[ 9 ]tutions. In addition to the above there is a Lyingin-Society, a Benevolent Society, and a District Visiting Society, each supported by the inhabitants of Hastings generally.

THE DISPENSARY

was established 1st January, 1830, for the relief of such as could not obtain medical attendance at their own expense. It is governed by a president, seven vice-presidents, three trustees, a treasurer, two physicians, two surgeons, a dispenser, and fifteen governors .

THE INFIRMARY

lately erected on the Grand-parade, intended more particularly for the benefit of the poor of the rape of Hastings, is capable of having twenty free beds, but owing to the funds being as yet of small amount, only twelve of the above number have been fitted up. There can be no doubt that, like its kindred institution, it will be of great benefit to the borough, as well as to the rape at large. It is supported by voluntary contributions, and may be viewed, on application to the matron, between the hours of two and five .

THE TOWN HALL,

erected in 1823, is a plain building, standing on the site of the old fabric built in 1700 at the expense of John Pulteny and Peter Gott, Esquires, representatives for Hastings in the parliament of 1698. The present Hall is about forty four feet long by eighteen feet wide, and fifteen feet high . In it is a shield with the arms of France, taken from one of the gates at Quebec (when that city surrendered to the British arms,) and presented by General Murray (one of the jurats of the corporation,) who, after the [ 10 ]death of General Wolfe, did, conjointly with Lord Amherst, subdue the Canadas and annex them to the crown of Britain . He was the first British governor of Quebec. In another part of the Hall is a list of the bailiffs and mayors of the town from 1500 to the present time ; also one containing the names of the members of the borough .

THE CASTLE .

The most prominent object of the town is its castle, standing on the western hill, at a height of 300 feet.

On the south or sea-side there is no wall or vestige of any defence, which would have been quite useless, as it was impossible, from the extreme height and ruggedness of the cliff, to have been assailed by an enemy with any chance of success .

The eastern side appears to have been the strongest part of the castle. It is here that the military architects of that age exerted all their skill ; and a towered gateway, portcullis, semicircular tower, besides concealed passages and a ditch, sixty feet in depth and one hundred in width, defended this important part.

There is also another gate facing the north, which is the present entrance to the castle. On this side is a sally-port and two towers : one is round, with a circular flight of stairs, the other is square ; without are the remains of the drawbridge and wall communicating with the castle mount.

The north-west side has but a plain wall, with a ditch similar to that on the east. The average thickness of the walls of the castle is eight feet .

In 1824, the interior, with the walls on the eastern side, were excavated, and the ruins of the chapel, after a burial of some centuries, again saw the light ; [   ]

 

Drawn and Pub. by T. Ross, Hastings

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[ 11 ]and its arch, which is now the ornament of the castle, rose from its ruins .

The length of the chapel is 110 feet. The chapterhouse, deanery, and prebendal houses, with other offices pertaining to it, were discovered, also several stone coffins with skeletons in them. The chapel has every appearance of having been destroyed by fire .

Thomas à Becket, about 1153, was made dean of the college of St. Mary in the Castle ; and in 1363, William of Wykeham was prebend of the same.

Admittance may be gained at any time, except on Sundays, to see the ruins, by payment of threepence ; or to subscribers, at sixpence per week, the gate is always open. There are seats in different parts, and the grounds are very tastefully laid out.

The prospect from the eastern mound stands unrivalled in the immediate neighbourhood. On the left, in the valley, is seen the old town, bounded by the east-hill, with its bold cliffs jutting into the sea : then following the modern town, commencing with the Marine-parade, and that beautiful range of buildings, the Crescent, Pelham-place, &c., till it joins the Victoria and Grand-parade, to St. Leonards, forming a line of frontage of three miles.

Still farther, is Bexhill and Pevensey, with its fine bay and castle, and in the extreme distance East and South Bourn, with Beachy-head. Immediately under the north wall of the castle is Wellington-square, and on the hill stretching towards Ore Church is St. Mary's terrace, from which is a fine prospect of the Priory and of the vale of the Hop gardens leading to the " Old Roar."

ANTIQUITY OF THE CASTLE

When or by whom the castle was erected is not known. It is conjectured by some authors to have [ 12 ]been built by William the Conqueror, immediately on his landing, and before the battle took place ; but it is more probable that he strengthened it, by cutting the ditches on the east and west : which is partly confirmed by the Bayeux tapestry representing a person digging and another superintending the work. The inscription to this part of the tapestry is, " He ordered that a castle should be dug at Hastings . " There can be but little doubt that after the battle he made great additions to it. Grose, in his Antiquities of Sussex, conjectures that it was a fortress long before the arrival of the Normans, while other antiquaries suppose it to have been a Roman fortress . By the elevation of the hill on which the castle stands, it was well adapted to resist an enemy in the ancient mode of warfare ; we may therefore suppose there was some kind of fortress in the time of the Britons. This hypothesis is further strengthened by a passage in the Chronicles of Dover Monastery, which says, that "when Arviragus threw off the Roman yoke, he fortified those parts which were most convenient for their invasion;" and Hastings is mentioned as one of the number. The castle was seized by William Rufus, in September, 1087, before the death of his father was known in England ; its situation rendering it of great importance to him in his designs to gain the crown. The same monarch, in 1093, summoned most of his barons and prelates to do him homage in the castle, before his departure for the war in Normandy.

It was at this time that Anselm earnestly requested the bishops to reconcile him to his sovereign. William dictated the terms : that he should pay five hundred pounds immediately, and engage to pay five hundred more within a certain term. Anselm replied that he was without money himself, and that his vassals, impoverished by the royal exactions, [   ]

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by J. Newman,48,Watling Street

 

ALBION HOTEL

[ 13 ]wree unable to supply him with the sum required. " Then," exclaimed the king, " as I hated him yesterday, so I hate him more to-day, and will hate him still more bitterly the longer I live. He shall never be acknowledged by me for archbishop. Let him go : he need not wait here to give me his blessing when I sail, I will not receive it. "

THE PARADE

is 850 feet in length, commanding a most extensive view of the ocean, enlivened with the ships of all nations passing this part of the channel, presenting such a variety as can be equalled by few watering-places in the kingdom .

CHARTERS .

The first enfranchisement of the Cinque-ports was in the reign of Edward the Confessor. They had many privileges and exemptions from payment of duties, &c., granted by different monarchs. The last charter granted them was by Charles the Second, in 1669, confirming them in all their former grants and charters given by his predecessors, which received further confirmation from his successor, James the Second.

The Cinque-ports have, from the earliest time, been governed by their own peculiar laws, being independent of all other courts of law in the kingdom, and having power over life and death. From the time of Edward the First, Hastings had the privilege of returning two of its freemen, called barons, to parliament . They were elected by the jurats and freemen. The number of freemen before the passing of the Reform Bill was seventeen. [ 14 ]The affairs of the borough are now conducted by a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen common council. The election is on the 1st of November, when six annually go out of office : they are elected by the burgesses, the aldermen and mayor by the town council.

The following is a particular account of the battle of Hastings, selected from the first authorities .

BATTLE OF HASTINGS .

William, Duke of Normandy, assembled three thousand vessels, great and small, at the mouth of the river Dive, and selected an army of sixty thousand men from the different bands which poured in from all quarters, anxious to join in the dangerous enterprise. They had listened greedily to the dazzling prospects held out to them of place and power, in return for the services they would render him in his invasion of England. The more daring the enterprise, the more it accorded with the romantic spirit of the age. Everywhere was the fame of the intended invasion spread, and multitudes flocked to tender their services, with that of their vassals and retainers ; all alike impelled with the desire of acquiring fame under one whose power, courage, and abilities, had long been acknowledged.

While William was making these mighty preparations, that he might increase the number of Harold's enemies he prevailed on the ill-will of Tosti, to join his brother the king of Norway, in ravaging the northern coasts of England. Tosti having got together sixty ships in the ports of Flanders, joined Halfager on the coast of Northumberland, who came with an armament of three hundred ships, and sail[ 15 ]ing up the Humber, disembarked their troops, and defeated Harold's brother-in-law, who had ventured to give them battle.

On the news of the defeat reaching Harold, he hastened with an army to the protection of his people, and, on September 25th, fought the battle of Stamford bridge. The victory was decisive for Harold, and ended in the entire overthrow of the Norwegians, together with the death of Halfager and Tosti ; but he had scarcely time to rejoice for this signal victory, when he heard of the landing of the Duke of Normandy in Sussex.

William had been long detained in the Dive by contrary winds, when,just as the dissatisfaction of his troops was manifest, the wind became favourable and enabled them to sail along the coast till they reached St. Valeri ; here again the wind proved contrary, and the army began to imagine that heaven was against them, notwithstanding they had the sacred banner and the pope's benediction. The boldest of them that despised real danger, were very subject to the fear of imaginary ones ; many of them began to mutiny, and others to desert, when William, in order to support the drooping spirits of his army, ordered the reliques of St. Valeri to be borne in procession, and prayers offered up for more favourable weather : the wind suddenly changed, the army was embarked with the greatest alacrity, and the fleet sailed for England, arriving without any material loss at Pevensey ; William, undisturbed, disembarked his army, and refreshed them before the removal of his camp and fleet to Hastings, where he fixed his quarters. The spirit of the troops was now quite the reverse of what it had been when at St. Valeri. They were by no means discouraged at the news of Harold's victory over Halfager and Tosti, but seemed only anxious for the arrival of their foe. [ 16 ]The victory of Stamford, though highly honourable to the English, proved in the end prejudicial to them in the approaching contest. Harold hastened immediately to London, which he appointed as the rendezvous of his army. He was here much strengthened by fresh troops ; but was also weakened by the desertion of his old soldiers, who, from fatigue and dissatisfaction at his refusing to share the Norwegian spoils among them, secretly withdrew from the army in disgust.

Harold lost but little time in appointing and ordering his troops, and with a stout heart conducted them into Sussex, and encamped within seven miles of the Normans, who thereupon leaving the hills of Hastings approached in sight of the English.

The spies sent by Harold to discover the state of the opposing host, gave fearful accounts of their numbers and discipline. His younger brother Gurth, upon this, advised him not to centre all upon a single battle, but rather wait for a more favourable opportunity, and to harass them by cutting off their supplies, and otherwise annoy them ; adding that, being in a strange country and composed of different nations, they would of themselves fall into disorder, whilst nothing would be more acceptable to William and his army, who were now in the highest spirits, than a battle ; and, that Harold's situation was one of such imminent danger, that it behoved him not to play his whole state at a cast ; but the king of England in his own country, beloved by his subjects, with an army increasing, and provided with every supply, the country would hasten to his support, sensible of the danger to which their property as well as liberty was exposed by these new invaders, which would render his army too strong for William to hope for any chance of success ; the enemy would languish for want of action ; the winter was approaching, when the chances of war [ 17 ]would be greatly against them ; fatigue with harassing skirmishes, straitened in provisions, deep and almost impassable roads, with the English ever active in front, they would fall an easy prey to them ; that at least, if he thought it necessary to hazard a battle, he ought not to expose his own person, but to withdraw himself, and employ his authority in mustering a new army, and to be ready to receive William with fresh forces . " And if," said he, " you please to commit the charge of this encounter to me, I will not fail to express both the love of a brother and the care and courage of a commander. For as I am not obliged to the duke by oath, so shall I either prevail with the better cause, or with the quieter conscience die."

Harold's mother also in tears besought him that he would not venture his person in the battle : but he was deaf to all remonstrances, elated with his late victory, roused by his native courage at the thought of delaying battle, which might be construed into cowardice. " For," said he, "what honours have I gained in my former victories, if, when I come to the greatest pitch of danger, I should fearfully shrink ? With what heart would the soldiers fight, when they have not his presence for whom they fight, when they have not their general an eye-witness of their performances ; when they want his sight, his encouragement, his example, to inflame them to valour ? "

But whatever the Normans were, as he had, he said, digested in his mind the hardest events of battle, so either the infamy or suspicion of cowardice in no [ 18 ]case he would incur. He resolved not to outlive so great a dishonour, but determined to set up as his last rest, his crown and kingdom, and life withal.

He was so confident of victory that he offered the duke a sum of money if he would depart the kingdom, to save the effusion of blood. The Norman, not to be behind in vaunting, sent some monks with a message, requiring him to resign the kingdom, to hold it under homage of the duke, to submit their quarrel to the arbitration of the pope, or to try their cause in single combat. Harold replied that the God of battles would soon be the arbiter of all their differences .

Both armies now prepared themselves for the decision of the sword, but the two camps produced widely different scenes : the English passing the night in feasting and disorder, the Normans in silence and prayer and the other functions of religion. At break of day, the king and duke were ready in arms ; William encouraging his men by declaring to them the noble achievements of their ancestors, their own brave exploits under him ; by showing them the beauties and riches of the country by which they were surrounded, and which would fall to them as a reward for their valour ; that the whole fortune of the war depended on their swords, and would be decided that day whether they should conquer the kingdom at one blow, or by cowardice lose the chance that was now within their grasp ; an enraged enemy hung upon their rear, the sea met them in their retreat, and an ignominious death would be the reward of their ignoble valour ; that, by collecting so great a host, the flower of France, he had assured every human means of conquest, and the commander of the enemy, by his criminal conduct, had given him just cause to hope for the favour of the Almighty, in whose hands alone lay the events of wars and battles ; and that a perjured usurper, anathematised by the sovereign [ 19 ]pontiff, and conscious of his own breach of faith, would be struck with terror on their appearance, and would prognosticate to himself that fate which his multiplied crimes had so justly merited. The duke next divided his army into three lines ; the first, led by Montgomery, consisted of archers and light-armed infantry ; the second, commanded by Martel, was composed of his bravest battalions, heavy-armed and ranged in close order ; his cavalry, at whose head he placed himself, formed the third line, and were so disposed that they stretched beyond the infantry, and flanked each wing of the army.

Harold encouraged his men by reminding them of their late victory over the Norwegians, and the miseries they endured under the Danes, who plundered and ruined their flourishing country, despoiled their private estates, and spread devastation and ruin over the land ; " and whether ye will again endure it, lieth," said he, " in the issue of the field, for I am resolved to conquer or perish in the action."

Harold had posted his troops on a rising ground, and drawn some trenches to secure his flanks, determining to stand on the defensive, avoiding all action with the cavalry, in which he was much inferior. The Kentish men were placed in the van ; the Londoners guarded the standard ; the king, dismounting, placed himself at the head of the infantry, with his two brothers, Gurth and Leofwin ; the royal standard was fixed on the hill where Battle Abbey now stands : such was the disposition of the two armies on the morning of the 14th October, 1066.

The duke ordered the signal of battle to be given, and the whole army moving at once, singing the song of Rollo, advanced with order and alacrity towards the enemy .

The Normans began the action with a shower of arrows from the right wing. This mode of fighting, [ 20 ]as it was quite new to the English, so was it at first most galling. Their armour was not of sufficient proof to resist the force of the arrows, which poured in upon them like hail, so that any part that was unarmed was almost an assured place for a deep and many times a deadly wound. At first they opened their ranks to make way for the arrows to fall ; but finding that availed them but little, they closed again, covering themselves with their targets, joined together in the manner of a penthouse. The duke, perceiving his archers could now do but little mischief, ordered his horsemen to charge ; but the English received them upon the points of their weapons with so determined a courage, that after a furious contest, which lasted for some time, the Normans were driven from the hills with great loss, and confusion spreading among their ranks, when William, who found himself on the brink of destruction, hastened with a select band to the relief of his dismayed forces. His presence restored the action ; adventuring his person in the front of the battle, commending the forward, blaming the slow, and crying out with vehement gesture and voice, that it was a shame for them, who had been victorious against all men with whom they dealt, to be so long held by the English in delay of victory. The fight was again begun with renewed courage: the clashing of armour, the jostling of bodies, the resounding of blows, was the fairest part of this bloody medley ; but the grisliness of wounds, the hideous falls and groans of the dying, the distorted features of the dead, all the field defiled with dust, blood, broken armour, and mangled bodies, represented terror in her foulest form. Never was fury better governed, never game of death better played; the more they fought the better they fought, the more they smarted the less they regarded the smart.

Finding that the English still resisted with stubborn [ 21 ]spirit, aided by the advantage of the ground, and animated by the example of their prince fighting on foot, he tried the stratagem of a false retreat, in order to allure them from their position, knowing that if he did not do something to retrieve the fortunes of the day, it would be hard with him. The enemy had maintained their ground so manfully, that all his hopes of a sudden and easy victory had vanished. He had gained no visible advantage over them : they still showed as good a front as when the battle commenced, and unless fortune speedily came to his assistance, his sun of glory would soon set. The artifice he employed succeeded. He ordered his men to retire and give ground ; not loosely, not disorderly, as in a fearful and confused haste, but advisedly and for advantage, without disbanding on foot in array. Nothing was more hurtful to the English than being of a frank and noble spirit, which carried them too far in the hope of victory ; for, finding the enemy giving ground, and appearing not so eager in the fight, they rashly followed into the plain, loosening and disordering their ranks, and thinking of nothing but the chase, and the garland of victory. William espying the advantage, ordered the infantry to face about upon their pursuers, and the cavalry to make an assault upon their wings, following up the advantage which the surprise and terror of the enemy gave them. In that critical and decisive moment the English were beaten back with considerable loss.

But it is scarcely credible with what strength, both of courage and hand, they, even in despite of death, sustained themselves in this disorder, drawing into small squadrons, and beating down their enemies on every hand in their retreat back to the hill, where Harold rallied them, and notwithstanding their loss, continued their combat and maintained their post. [ 22 ]The duke tried the same stratagem a second time, and with similar success ; but even after this double advantage, he still found a great body of the English, who, maintaining themselves in firm array, seemed determined to dispute the victory to the last extremity. He ordered his heavy-armed infantry to make an assault upon them ; while his archers, placed behind, should gall the enemy, who were exposed by the situation of the ground, and who were intent in defending themselves against the swords and spears of the assailants. By this disposition he at last prevailed. Harold was slain by an arrow, which, piercing his eye, entered into his brain, while he was in the act of encouraging his men to increased exertions : his two brothers shared the same fate ; and the English, discouraged by the fall of those princes, gave ground on all sides, and were pursued with great slaughter by the victorious Normans . A few troops of the vanquished, however, had still the courage to turn upon their pursuers ; and attacking them in deep and miry ground, obtained some revenge for the slaughter and dishonour of the day; but the appearance of the duke obliged them to seek their safety by flight, and darkness saved them from any further pursuit by the enemy.

Thus was gained by William, Duke of Normandy, the great and decisive victory of Hastings, after a battle which was fought from seven in the morning till sunset, and which seemed worthy, by the heroic valour displayed by both armies and by both commanders, to decide the fate of a mighty kingdom.

William had three horses killed under him ; and there fell nearly fifteen thousand men on the side of the Normans ; the loss was still more considerable on that of the vanquished, besides the death of the king and his two brothers. The dead body of Harold was brought to William, and was generously restored, [ 23 ] without ransom, to his mother. The Norman army left not the field of battle without giving thanks to Heaven, in the most solemn manner, for their victory.

The day after the battle the duke returned to Hastings to refresh his army, and to devise means as to the further prosecution of his enterprise.

THE PRIORY.

To the westward of the town over the bridge stands a barn, built on the site of a Priory for Black Canons, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, by Sir Walter Bricet, in the reign of Richard the First. There is no part remaining worthy of particular notice. The amount of its revenues at the dissolution was £57. 19s.

THE MARKET

is well supplied with every species of poultry, meat, (Southdown in particular,) butter, eggs, vegetables, with every delicacy which the season affords ; much of its supplies coming from Kent and the opposite coast .

FAIRS

There are three fairs annually, on Whit-Tuesday, 26th July, and 23rd November. That called Rock-fair, held on the 26th July, is the only one much frequented. [ 24 ]

HOTELS

THE ALBION HOTEL.

This is at once the most delightful house of entertainment in the town. It is situated in the centre of the sea walk, or parade, and commands a full uninterrupted view of our spacious and magnificent bay, bounded on the west by the bold promontory of Beachy Head, and to the eastward by the low beachy shore of Dungeness. It is sheltered by the surrounding hills from the cold breezes of the north, which, while it adds beauty to the magnificence of the scenery, secures it from all effects of the chilling blasts a circumstance which renders it a most desirable residence. The scale and architecture of the building is such as to afford extensive accommodation.

The honourable and efficient manner in which this hotel has been conducted, is amply displayed by the high patronage it has for so many years enjoyed.

THE MARINE HOTEL

is situated in Pelham-place, and has a good view of the sea.

THE CASTLE HOTEL AND COMMERCIAL HOUSE,

is situated at the south-west end of Wellington-square. It commands excellent sea and land views, and is replete with every accommodation. It is an old establishment, well known, and equally esteemed for its comfortable and snug apartments, its economy of charges, and its delightful situation. Here the epicure may revel in every luxury ; the bon vivant indulge in the choicest vintage ; the commercial man enjoy his chop or joint ; the frugal citizen find his [ 25 ]home in bed and board, and enjoy his fair bill as well as his bill of fare. It is an establishment which, while it reflects credit on its conductors, does honour to the town for its accommodation and economy.

The SWAN HOTEL is in High-street.

ROYAL OAK INN,

Castle-street, facing the sea, is spacious and convenient, affording every accommodation for travellers.

There are also the Pelham Arms Inn, Pelham street. The Sea-side Hotel, Grand Parade. The Cutter Inn, on the beach near the Battery, and facing the sea. The Anchor Inn, George-street ; the Hastings Arms Inn, George-street ; the Queen's Head Inn, Fish-market ; and the King's Head Inn, Court-house-street, at any of which will be found good accommodation .

Saddle horses for ladies and gentlemen can be had at the Castle, Albion, and Swan Mews .

Fly carriages of every description may be had at the Livery Yards in Hastings.

CIRCULATING LIBRARIES

DIPLOCK'S ROYAL MARINE LIBRARY,

established in 1791 , pleasantly situated in the centre of the parade, with an extensive view of the sea, has an excellent collection of books, embracing every branch of English literature, and is continually increasing by the addition of new publications. The reading room is well supplied with London and country papers, reviews, magazines, &c. [ 26 ]

COOPER'S LIBRARY,

at the east end of the parade, has a commanding view of the ocean, and is fitted up in a pleasing and attractive style,containing a good assortment of works of history, biography, novels, French and Italian.

Here are also to be obtained the newest works as soon as published, besides the London and provincial papers, magazines, reviews, journals, &c .

THE PELHAM LIBRARY,

in the arcade, possesses similar accommodation.

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION,

GEORGE STREET, Established in 1831.

The objects of the institution are, the formation of a library of general knowledge, for reference and circulation ; the establishment of a museum for the reception of specimens in natural history, models, apparatus, &c.; and the occasional delivery of lectures on the different branches of art and science, and on subjects of general interest ; but excluding lectures or discussions on religious or political subjects.

BILLIARDS.

Those who take delight in the above game will find every accommodation at the rooms of Mr. Tydeman, Beech Cottages. [ 27 ]

BANK.

Messrs. Smith, Hilder, and Co.'s, Pelham-place : Messrs. Masterman and Co., Nicholas-lane, Lombard street, London.

BATHS

THE OLD WARM AND COLD BATHS,

situated on the parade, is the first establishment of the kind that was opened in Hastings, and is very neatly and conveniently fitted up.

PELHAM BATHS, PELHAM - PLACE .

This institution is allowed to be equal to any in the kingdom. It is on the most extensive scale, andhas excellent plunging, shampooing, shower, and other baths, comprising every possible accommodation for the infirm or healthy.

BATHING MACHINES .

The preference given to Hastings beyond most other places on the coast, is on account of the clearness and purity of the water, and the gradual ascent of its shore, allowing of bathing at all times with the greatest safety. At low water, the sands form an airy and pleasant promenade for nearly a mile.

THE FISHERY

has always been the greatest source of employment and profit to Hastings, and in former years more so than at present, though it is now considerable, em[ 28 ]ploying about 120 boats, and nearly 500 individuals in its different branches, but if we include their wives and families they will number 4000. The large boats when fitted out complete cost £850, carrying nets of three and a half miles in length.

THE POST OFFICE

is at No. 4, George-street. There are two deliveries daily, morning and evening.

ST. CLEMENT'S CAVES,

under the West-hill, at the back of Gloucester-place, are well worthy the attention of the curious, and are considered one of the greatest lions of Hastings. They are of great extent, and perfectly dry, being composed of sand rock. The saloon is quite modern, supported by two rows of plain columns. The caves are opened once a fortnight in summer, and once a month during the winter season, and are then illuminated by about 200 lights. The charge for admittance is trifling.

The caves in the eastern cliff are also well worth the visit of the curious : particularly one that is inhabited by a family Robinson Crusoe, for as such we may fairly designate them, and fear not that all who visit them will be gratified, and, seeing their mode of life, and the penchant they have for animals, will agree that they are rightly named .

PELHAM ARCADE

contains about twenty shops . The carriage road to Pelham-crescent goes over the top of this building. [ 29 ]

SHAKESPEARE MULBERRY TREE .

This was planted by Garrick in the garden of East Cliff-house, (being a cutting from the one at Stratford-on-Avon,) when on a visit to his friend, Mr. Capel. Most of the mulberry trees in Hastings are shoots from the same .

SIR CLOUDESLY SHOVELL,

said to be a native of Hastings, was born in 1650. The house in which he lived stood on the spot now occupied by 117, [[All Saints Street|All Saints-street==, and was taken down in 1838. Entick, in his Naval History, says, his parents were in low circumstances, and having a relation of the name of Cloudesly, they bestowed that name upon their son, in hopes of recommending him to the notice of the said relation ; but this failing, he was put apprentice to a shoemaker, but taking a great liking to the sea, he went as a cabin boy under the protection of Sir Christopher Mynns.

The monument erected to his memory by Queen Anne in Westminster Abbey, states that " He was shipwrecked on the rocks of Scilly, in his voyage from Toulon, the 22nd October, 1707, at night, in the 57th year of his age. His body was flung on the shore, and buried with others in the sands ; but being soon after taken up, was placed under this monument, which his royal mistress has caused to be erected, to commemorate his steady loyalty and extraordinary virtues." [ 30 ]

WALKS AND RIDES.

The neighbourhood of Hastings abounds with some of the finest scenery to be found on the southern coast ; and with respect to the number and picturesque beauty of its valleys, stands unrivalled. Not to mention other instances, few places, we think, can be put in competition with the rich luxuriance of the vale of the hop gardens, bounded by its woods, and the glen of the Old Roar ; or that wild and romantic valley of Ecclesbourne, opening to the sea between cliffs little less than 300 feet in height.

We will now proceed to point out those places most worthy of the visitor's attention.

THE TOWN OF WINCHELSEA

is eight miles from Hastings. The ride to it through the village of Pett is considered one of the most beautiful in the neighbourhood. Leland, in his Itinerary, gives the following account. " The old town of Winchelsea, of six or seven years together, fell to a very sore and manifest ruin, by reason of the olde rages of the sea, and totally in the time of the aforesaid six or seven years . In the space of the aforesaid years, the people made suit to King Edward the First for remedy and a new plot to set them a town on, 'which he gave them;' and so there was seven score and ten acres limited to the new town, whereof part is in the king's mede, without the town, and part in hanging of the hill. The king set to his help in beginning and walling new Winchelsea, and the inhabitants of old Winchelsea took by little and little and builded it. The new town was netely well furnished, and dayly [ 31 ]after a few years increased. But before twenty years was expired, it was twice entered by enemies : first by Frenchmen, and secondly by Spaniards, that entered by night at Farely, where the high steeple is about three miles from Winchelsea ; at which invasion the town was spoiled, and scant syns cam into the pristine state of wealth ; for the common voice is, that at that tyme were twenty aldermen in the town, merchants of good substance. Within the walls be two parish churches, and there were two houses of friers, grey and black. Without the town, a parish church belonging to the liberty of Hastings." The French, in 1377, again attacked Winchelsea, after burning its neighbour Rye, but were repulsed with great loss, owing principally to the abbot of Battle coming with his retainers to their assistance. In 1380, the French fitted out a fleet, assisted by the Spaniards, and after burning the towns of Hastings and Rye, places which suffered so severely but three years before, attacked Winchelsea and burnt that also.

The abbot of Battle was defeated in his second courageous attempt to save the town. The burning of these towns could not have been a general conflagration, as the old records seem to imply, or they would not have risen so rapidly from their ruins.

Winchelsea, notwithstanding the great injury it had received from the French and Spaniards, rapidly rose to its former prosperity; so that when Queen Elizabeth visited it, in the year 1573, she was so much pleased with the situation of the town, the magnificence of its buildings, and its shipping lying in the harbour, that she called it Little London. Unfortunately, the town enjoyed this prosperity but for a short time. The sea, in the latter part of the queen's reign, quitted the neighbourhood, leaving a dreary and unhealthy marsh. Its commerce began to decay, its merchants and traders left ; and from that time [ 32 ]it has gradually fallen from the high rank it formerly held among the Cinque-ports. The present situation of it, compared with its former prosperity, presents a sad contrast. From an opulent commercial town, it has now sunk to a mere village, having nothing left of former grandeur, save the ruins of its numerous religious and other edifices, and its privileges, which are the same as the Cinque-ports. That part without the town, called, in the old charters, Petit Higham, and belonging to the liberty of Hastings, formerly contained a parish church and numerous buildings, but has so fallen from its former prosperity, as to contain within its boundary but one solitary vote for the members of parliament for Hastings.

The Reform Bill swept away its honour of sending two barons to parliament. Among the last of its representatives is found the name of Brougham. The ancient towns of Rye and Winchelsea united return but one member to parliament. The corporation of Winchelsea consisted of a mayor and twelve jurats. It contributed ten vessels, fully armed and equipped, being the quota required to complete the number of fifty-seven furnished by the Cinque-ports. From the circumstance of no limb or member being attached to Winchelsea, we are led to infer that it was a place of great consequence, not requiring any assistance to defray the expense of furnishing its fleet.

The trade carried on was principally in French wines ; this being the grand mart for them before the trade of Portugal was established. The vaults of the town are still very numerous, few of the houses being without one. It had, some years ago, a considerable trade in cambric, which was established by a company of merchants ; but this, also, is gone to decay.

The remains of three parish churches, Lambard [ 33 ]affirms, were standing within memory when he wrote, which was in 1575 ; namely, St. Leonard's, St. Ǽgidius' , or Gyles', and St. Thomas' . Part of the church of St. Thomas is still standing, and occupies the centre square of the town. From its remains, some idea may be formed of the beauty and extent of the building when entire. The chancel is the part now used by the parishioners as their place of worship. Nearly the whole of the building is covered with ivy, some of which has found an entry into the church, and running over the altar, has a very pleasing effect.

Curiosity having led some persons to scrape the white-wash, which has been accumulating for ages, from the carved work, it was discovered to be of marble most beautifully executed, and in a high state of preservation. The expense of taking the whole of the wash off, the funds of the parish will not admit, so that at present the antiquary is deprived of the sight of much of its beauty, though not of its regular and lofty aisles. The effect of the church in the centre of the town, partly in ruins and covered with ivy, is truly picturesque.

The south aisle contains two monuments of Knights Templars, one of which appears, by the arms upon it, to have been of the family of Oxenbridge, formerly of great note in this part of the country. Their residence was at Brede ; considerable remains of it are still standing, though now converted into a farmhouse. The entrance to the under-ground apartments, which are nearly entire, has been closed up for some time. There is also a very ancient monument to a member of the same family in Brede church.

When Winchelsea was in its greatest prosperity it contained fifteen chapels, which belonged to as many religious houses. The gable ends of many of them [ 34 ]are still left, and the remains of most of the others are easily discovered. The most perfect is that called the Friars, founded by William de Buckingham. The greater part of the chapel is standing, particularly an arch of uncommon beauty, the span of which is twenty-five feet. The view from the Gothic windows of the choir is very extensive, including Rye and its harbour, Camber or Winchelsea castle, Dungeness, Romney marsh, and in the distance the cliffs of Dover.

The Friary is to be seen only on Mondays, being private property, and, like most of the other ruins of Winchelsea, it is situate in a garden.

The hill on which the town stands is two miles in circumference, and was regularly divided into squares of about two acres and a quarter ; the exact number is not known, but thirty-nine are still discernible. The streets are spacious, and intersect at right angles. Few towns have had the advantage of being laid out on so regular a plan, and adapted so well, both to health and convenience, as Winchelsea, which, when in full population, must have had a beautiful and commanding appearance.

The approaches to the town are three, and each of them was fortified by agate, called severally New-gate, Strand-gate, and Land-gate : they are all in pretty good preservation. The former of these you pass through in going from the village of Pett. It is hardly perceived, being embosomed in trees, till you are under its arch. This gate is distant from the others about three-quarters of a mile, and these respectively from each other a quarter of a mile. Strand-gate, the one passed through in going to Rye, has circular towers. The Land-gate is a square building, and now but little used as a thoroughfare. The present road to Icklesham led formerly only to a wharf or dock, consequently did not require to be [ 35 ]fortified. It was on this side of the town the shipping principally lay.

The site of the first town of Winchelsea was near the spot called Comber point, now covered by the sea. Among the records of the town of Rye is the following memorandum :"Be it remembered, that in the year of our Lord 1287, in the even of St. Agath the Virgin, was the town of Winchelsea drowned, and all the lands between Climesden and the vocher of Hithe. The same year was such plenty of corn throughout all the counties of England, Scotland, and Wales, that a quarter ofwheat was sold for two shillings."

After this catastrophe, the inhabitants, it appears, began to build the present town of Winchelsea on the hill, which bore at that time the name of Petit Higham, as does the manor to this day. From this hill commences the weald or wild of Sussex and Kent, extending to the top of Riverhill. This tract is about 30 miles in breadth, and 120 in length. The southern parts of the weald in summer is a complete garden, covered with the most luxuriant foliage.

About a mile and a half from the town, in the marsh, stands Winchelsea or Camber castle, built by Henry the Eighth in 1539, for the protection of the coast, at an expense of £23,000, supposed to have been erected upon the site and with the ruins of a more ancient fabric. It is composed principally of brick cased with stone. In the centre is a large circular tower called the keep, surrounded at short distances by smaller ones. Much of the castle is buried below the surface of the earth. [ 36 ]

RYE.

Three miles from Winchelsea is the ancient town of Rye, also enjoying similar privileges with the Cinque-ports, and has sent two members to serve in parliament since the forty-second of Henry the Third. It now, conjointly with Winchelsea, returns but one. In the same reign it was fortified with walls and four gates, namely, the Postern-gate, the Strand or Southgate leading to Winchelsea, Land-gate leading into Kent, which is the only gate now standing, and Boddings-gate. The north-east part of the town has been much injured by the sea undermining the hill, by which many houses were destroyed, with Boddings gate and the whole of the wall leading therefrom to the Land-gate.

It takes its name from the British word Rye, signifying a ford, this being the spot where the rivers Rother and Ree were fordable. Ipres tower, now used as a prison, was built in the twelfth century by William de Ipre, Earl of Kent. Below it is the battery, mounting eighteen guns, from which is a good view of the harbour.

In the first year of the reign of Richard the Second the French landed and burnt the town, together with the church, which was of great beauty : it was situated in the open space near Ipres tower. It was again visited by the French in Henry the Sixth's reign, when it is supposed the old records and charters of the town perished, as none older than his twenty seventh year, except some fragments, are to be found. Henry the Seventh visited Rye in 1488, also Queen Elizabeth in 1573, when on her tour round the coast. At the end of the rope walk is a spring at which the queen drank ; part of an old wall, with an inscription to denote the fact, is still standing over it. [ 37 ]The present church is supposed to have been built in the reign of Richard the Second, soon after the destruction of the old one. It is built of stone, and is one of the largest parish churches in England. The only remains of its other religious edifices are part of the chapel, belonging to a monastery of the Friars Hermites of St. Augustine, now used as a storehouse, the chapel of St. Clare, and the chancel belonging to the chantry of St. Nicholas .

The harbour is sufficiently commodious to allow vessels of 200 tons to unload at the quay. Its trade is inconsiderable, consisting principally in hops, wool, timber, &c. In 1582 there were 1534 French inhabitants in this place, who had fled from the persecutions of the Papists in 1572. They had a minister of their own, paid by the archbishop of Canterbury.

In 1673, Charles the Second reviewed the English and French fleets lying in Rye Bay ; and in 1725 George the First was necessitated to seek shelter in the harbour on his return from the continent ; also his successor in 1736 .

GRAND PARADE, HASTINGS.

The most modern part of the town consists of a splendid range of buildings, between the gate of St. Leonards and Victoria-parade, furnishing a striking example of that rapid improvement which invariably attends the confluence of wealth and patronage in the summer residences of England. Nearly in the centre of the range, the grounds are laid out for a square and crescent, (which are to exceed those at Kemp-town, Brighton,) and on the hill, in the course of erection, is a place of religious worship for Roman Catholics, called All Souls church, which, if finished according [ 38 ]to its present plan, will be an ornament to the southern coast. Adjoining it is another building, for the reception of a branch of the " Sisters of Charity," of whom Alaric A. Watts says :

No matter who, so he thy service need ;
No matter what the suppliant's claim may be,
Thou dost not ask his country or his creed :
To know he suffers is enough for thee.

The South Saxon Hotel is the only one at present in the place : it is a handsome building with a most extensive view of the ocean, Hastings, and the grand promenade, which joins that of St. Leonards, forming the finest parade in the kingdom.

Attached to this hotel are spacious and commodious Stabling and Coach Houses on a level with the Marina, thus avoiding the dangerous hills .

ST. LEONARDS.

About two miles to the westward of Hastings is situated the new town of St. Leonards, commenced in 1828 by Mr. Burton, which, for the beauty, extent, and regularity of its frontage, combined with its other numerous advantages, ranks high among the first watering places in the kingdom. Its situation is admirably chosen, being sheltered from the north by high hills, and surrounded by a most beautiful country, with every facility for the enjoyment of some of the finest drives or walks which the southern coast can afford.

The vale of St. Leonards is small, but of great beauty ; and being laid out to the greatest advantage, in serpentine walks, lawns, &c., forms a most delightful retreat for the visitors from the glare of the sun at noon-day. Here are also the ponds for supplying the town with water. [ 39 ]The parade is three-quarters of a mile in length, commanding extensive views both of sea and land. To the east is the Grand-parade, and the old town of Hastings between the hills, with its bold and craggy cliffs ; to the west, Bexhill, Pevensey, and the Martello towers, stretching from St. Leonards to Eastbourne ; in the distance, the South-downs and Beachy-Head. The centre of the parade is occupied by the Royal Baths, fitted up with every possible convenience, the east wing of which is the library, bank, and post office, and the west a refreshment room . The bathing machines and pleasure boats are below the baths.

The assembly room at the back of St. Leonards hotel is sixty feet in length. On the east side are billiard rooms, and on the west, apartments for cards and refreshment. Near the public rooms is the entrance to the gardens (named the South-lodge.) They are laid out with great taste and judgment. On the right, as you enter, is the stone called William the Conqueror's table, which tradition points out as the identical one upon which the duke dined, the day after his landing, in hisjourney from Pevensey to Hastings . It formerly projected over a pond, where the hotel now stands.

The Marina is a majestic range of buildings, occupying nearly the whole of the frontage of the town, divided into East and West Marina, each having a covered colonnade of nearly 250 feet in length . The centre is occupied by the principal hotel, a most splendid and beautiful building : the interior is fitted up in a corresponding style, and the accommodations are equal to its other advantages, rendering it a most distinguished resort. At the west end of the Marina is the villa occupied by their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria, as their winter residence in 1835 ; not far from which is the [ 40 ]church, capable of containing 900 persons. The burial ground is situated on the top of the cliff above the church. Immediately behind is the archery ground, which, being the only one in the neighbourhood, is most fashionably attended.

About a mile beyond St. Leonards is Hastings race course, situated in a valley. The view from the surrounding hills of the races, which take place in September, is excellent .

BULVERHYTHE .

In a field at the back of the public house stand the ruins of a church or chapel, but its name, or by whom built, is not known. Here was a haven called Bollefride, where some writers state that the Conqueror landed.

Farther on is the village of Bexhill, distant from Hastings six miles, and from the sea one. It is most pleasantly situated on a rising hill, commanding most extensive views in every direction. Here are several neat and genteel lodging houses and a good inn. It has also bathing machines for the accommodation of those who may visit this retired village. Seven miles beyond is

PEVENSEY,

which, though now a small village, was formerly a town of great eminence. It gives its name to the adjoining bay, also to the division of the county in which it is situated, called the rape of Pevensey. The sea, [ 41 ]as at Winchelsea, has receded from its walls nearly a mile. At this spot, William landed when he came to assert his right to the crown of England. It was numbered among the places ravaged by Godwin, Earl of Kent, in the reign of Edward the Confessor. It is divided into two parishes, each of which has a church. The only object worthy of particular attention is the castle. The time of its erection, and by whom, are not known ; but the prevailing opinion is, that it was built by the Romans: if so, it is the largest and most entire specimen of a Roman building in Great Britain . Many parts of the castle, particularly the principal entrance,which is on the west, have numerous layers of Roman brick. The extent of the outward walls is 250 rods ; they are twenty feet high and almost entire, enclosing an area of seven acres. The east wall stands on a kind of cliff, which has every appearance of having at one time been washed by the sea. The inner castle measures seventy rods in circumference . The entrance to it was over a drawbridge defended by two circular towers, and moated on all sides but the east. At the south-east corner is the sally-port. Its other defences are six circular towers, the lower stories of which are vaulted. The north-west tower being adorned with arches in relief, is supposed to have been the governor's apartment.

William the Conqueror, soon after ascending the throne, gave the town and castle of Pevensey to his half-brother Robert, Earl of Montaigne, at the same time creating him Earl of Cornwall. In the succeeding reign of William Rufus, he joined his brother Odo, Earl of Kent, in an insurrection in favour of Robert Courthouse, and held out this castle against the king ; but on the appearance of the royal army, he capitulated and made peace with the king. He was very devout, according to the standard of piety [ 42 ]in those days ; particularly in that of making presents to monasteries and other religious houses. The abbey of Greistein in Normandy was the most favoured. His successor was William, Earl of Montaigne and Cornwall, who solicited Henry the First to grant him the earldom of Kent, but meeting with a refusal he joined the Earl of Shrewsbury in a rebellion, upon which the king seized most of his castles, razed them to the ground, and banished him the kingdom. The town and castle were then given by the king, with all the lands pertaining thereto, to Gilbert de Aquila, which was styled the honour of the Eagle, in allusion to the name of the owner. His son Richard succeeded him, and engaged in an attempt to restore William, the son of Robert Courthouse, to his father's honours. His estates were forfeited, and the town and castle of Pevensey again reverted to the crown ; but after a time, he was pardoned by the king, through the intercession of his uncle Rotro, and his estates were restored to him; but shortly afterwards, he again joined in the same rebellion, when the king seized the town and castle of Pevensey, and settled them upon his son, afterwards Henry the Second,who made them over to William, son of King Stephen, who held them till 1158, four years after Henry's ascension to the throne, upon condition that he should have and enjoy all the lands that belonged to his father, before he became king of England. The town and castle were then restored to Richard de Aquila, who enjoyed them for some time in peace. He was succeeded by Gilbert de Aquila, the third of that name, who, by his disorderly conduct, made himself obnoxious to Henry the Third; and passing over to Normandy without the royal assent, the king embraced the opportunity to seize upon all his effects, lands, and castles, and in 1235 granted them during pleasure to the Earl of Pembroke, and in 1241 bestowed it upon Peter de Savoy (uncle to [ 43 ]his queen) on the same terms, and in 1246 granted him the inheritance thereof. The same year it again reverted to the crown, but by what means does not appear. The king gave the whole honour to Prince Edward and his heirs, intending that it should never again be severed from the crown . Notwithstanding the proviso made by Henry the Third that it should not be separated from the crown, yet when John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, married Constance, sole heir of the king of Castile, he, upon surrendering the earldom of Richmond, had a grant general entail of the castle and leucate of Pevensey, and also the free chapel within the castle, which upon his death again reverted to the crown by the ascension of his son, Henry the Fourth, 1399. James the First, of Scotland, when taken prisoner by Henry the Fourth, was placed by him under the care of Sir John de Pelham, constable of Pevensey castle, to which place the youthful and royal captive was conducted. The castle was afterwards given by the king to the Pelham family, with whom it remained till about the middle of last century, when the Duke of Newcastle resigned it to Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington, on his being made Baron of Pevensey. It now belongs to the Cavendish family.

In 1159, the knights of Pevensey paid to Henry the Second five marks, for what was then styled a donum. It also, among other trading towns, paid a quinxeme, or tax for its merchandize ; and in the ninth year of that reign, the barons of Pevensey were fined forty marks, for license to build a town between Pevensey and Langley, the same to enjoy like privileges with the Cinque-ports, and to have one annual fair, to last seven days, commencing on the anniversary of St. John ; also a market every Sunday.

Doctor Andrew Borde (the original Merry Andrew) of facetious and eccentric memory, was born at [ 44 ]Pevensey, educated at Winchester, and completed his education at New College, in Oxford, where for several years he applied very closely and successfully to the study of physic. Leaving Oxford, he is said to have travelled into every kingdom in Europe, and to have visited several places in Africa. At Montpelier, in France, he took his degree of doctor of physic, and returning to England, was admitted at Oxford to the same honour in 1521. From Oxford he removed to Pevensey, where he followed his profession some years ; and afterwards went to Winchester, in which place it is probable he resided for some time. Here he published his work called " The Principles of Astronomical Prognostications," from which it would appear that he believed in judicial astrology. He was a man of considerable learning for the time in which he lived, and making allowance likewise for the particular turn of his mind. His writings abound with witticisms, which are said to have pervaded his speech. It appears that this quaint manner of expression was natural to him. He frequented fairs, markets, and other places of public resort, where he used to harangue the people in order to increase his practice. He trod in a path untrodden before, consequently had many followers or imitators, from whence it came that those who affected the same jocose language were called " Merry Andrews," though seldom possessed of the same native humour. He professed himself a Carthusian, lived in celibacy, drank water three times in the week, wore a shirt made of hair, and every night hung his burial sheet at his bed's feet. Although a person of a singular turn of mind, he must have been a man of learning and strong natural powers ; for he was physician to Henry the Eighth, and a member of the College of Physicians in London.

He was the author of many other works besides the [ 45 ]one mentioned above. Their titles were, " The Miller of Abingdon," in imitation of Chaucer ; "Merry Tales of the Wise Men of Gotham ; "" The Prompluary of Medicine ; " " The Doctrines of Health," &c.; also " The Introduction to Knowledge," a Poem, which doth teach a man" (according to what he says in the title-page) " to speak part of all manner of languages, and to know the usage and fashion of all manner of countries, and for to know the most part of all manner of coins in money, which is current in every region." He died in the Fleet, London, in April, 1549. It is not probable that he was there for debt, as he left property behind him to a considerable amount, in the county of Norfolk ; which he bequeathed, together with his house, furniture, &c. , in Winchester, to a Richard Matthews, whom he appointed his heir, without mentioning his kindred at all, if he had any. - Hay's History of Chichester.

HURSTMONCEUX CASTLE,

about three miles north-east of Pevensey, is allowed to be the handsomest brick-built castle in the kingdom. By whom it was erected is not known. It appears by Doomsday-book to have been the lordship and estate of Godwin, Earl of Kent. It was fortified by Roger de Fienne in the reign of Henry the Sixth; he also at the same time enlarged the Park with 600 acres of land : when entire, the Castle must have had a magnificent appearance, the moat is kept dry, the entrance is over the old draw-bridge between two lofty embattled towers ; the building is nearly square, the principal front faces the south, and has six octagon towers of great beauty ; the interior was most splendidly fitted up in the old style ; the carved work in oak was admirably executed, few of its lofty and -. [ 46 ]spacious apartments being without some design in that art. The well-known comedy of the " Drummer or Haunted House," took its rise from an incident which happened at this Castle. The whole of the interior of this splendid building was taken down in 1777. The plans of the interior of this Castle are preserved by the Earl of Ashburnham . The Castle consists of three Courts, the largest of which was cloistered round ; the Hall was of large dimensions, and at its upper end were three spacious rooms, one of them sixty feet long, and beyond them was the Chapel. This part of the building, including the Hall and Kitchen, reached to the upper story ; the oven in the bakehouse was fourteen feet in diameter ; the left side of the entrance gate was a long gallery intended for a stable in case of siege: under the corner tower on the eastern side was the prison, having a stone post with an iron chain attached ; the rooms above in the south front were the best apartments, and in every window of the many galleries leading to them was painted the Alnat or Wolf Dog, the ancient supporter of the Fienne Arms. Many private staircases curiously constructed in brick, without any wood-work, led to these galleries ; the great staircase was forty feet square, the towers by the gateway in the south front are eighty-four feet high ; the north and south fronts were 206 feet, and the east and west 214 feet long.

In the church, which is close by, are several monuments of the Dacres, formerly lords of the Castle, particularly one of Thomas Lord Dacre, who suffered death at the age of twenty-four, for being an accessory in the murder of Sir Nicholas Pelham's gamekeeper. It seems that a party, of whom his Lordship was one, in a youthful frolic, had engaged to take a [ 47 ]deer from Pelham's grounds, but meeting with resistance, one of the game-keepers received an un-. fortunate blow, from which he never recovered ; this was adjudged murder, and all of those concerned in the affray were considered alike guilty of murder, and in consequence suffered death. Lord Dacre, from his excellent character, and from its being proved that he was not present when the blow was given, was much pitied ; and the King's rigour for not showing mercy much disapproved.

Sir Roger Fienne (who embattled the Castle in the reign of Henry the Sixth) was succeeded by his son Richard Fienne, who married Joan, daughter of Sir Thomas Dacre, from whom it passed to his grandson Thomas ; he was succeeded also by his grandson Thomas Lord Dacre, the same that suffered death as an accessory to the above murder ; since which time, by purchase and marriage, it has passed into the hands of H. F. Naylor, Esq. , T. R. Kemp, Esq., M.P. for Lewes, W. D. Gillon, Esq., and its present proprietor, H. B. Curteis, Esq., M.P. for Rye.

FAIRLIGHT

is situated about two miles to the north of Hastings. From this spot, which rises gradually to an elevation of 599 feet, the eye wanders over a rich and beautiful country of hill and dale varied with numerous towns; awide expanse of the British Channel extending from Beachy-head to the South Foreland, a distance of eighty miles, and bounded by the cliffs of Boulogne.

To those who are capable of climbing the hills of Hastings we would recommend them to follow the path leading over the east hill, passing a small cottage to the left, the chosen retreat of Canning from the fatigues of office, then proceed up the valley of Ec[ 48 ]clesbourne to the Fish Ponds, a most romantic spot, from which visitors are now debarred access by its present tenant, Mr. Arckoll. A small portion of its beauties can be seen from the road .

DRIPPING WELL .

Passing the little gate which leads to the well, you arrive upon a smooth terrace on the verge of the cliff, having a most beautiful view of the ocean ; a flight of steps leads down to the dripping well, embosomed in trees of the most fantastic forms ; the path winds round the dell and again opens upon a beautiful valley, in the centre of which is

FAIRLIGHT GLEN,

watered by a stream having several small falls, but the upper one is most worthy of notice. At the top of the glen is Fairlight-place, the residence of Joseph Planta, Esq., one of the representatives for this town: the road branching off to the right leads to the

LOVERS' SEAT,

Where youth, from sympathy, a visit pay,
And age, to pass a tedious hour away :
Recall past anxious scenes of youth to mind,
How Phoebe vow'd, and Ellen prov'd unkind,

A sigh escapes, (for often sighs prevail,
As oft a smile, at flattering fancy's tale,)

— J. R. REED, Hastings, a Poem.

Passing the brow of the hill, which is slightly wooded, you arrive at the Lovers'-seat, pleasantly situated upon the summit of a cliff, clothed with foliage to its base. The original seat was destroyed, principally by its numerous devotees cutting their names on it . [ 49 ]Sitting down on the wooden bench now placed for the comfort of those tired in making the ascent, and casting your eyes to the left, are seen stretching far away to the east, hills now precipitous and now receding, and others clothed with bushes to the water's edge, interspersed with rugged rocks and green slopes ; on one of these heights is the signal station of Fairlight ; to the right is the Glen, and farther on, the bold and craggy cliffs of Hastings.

To the enthusiastic lover of the vastness, the beauty, and variety of nature, few situations are capable of impressing such feelings of pleasure as this spot. The melancholy and romantic tale of the Lovers'-seat is not a fiction ; its principal incidents happened in the early part of the late war, the heads of which we will relate-a full and particular account we cannot, as it would occupy more space than could be spared in a guide.

Captain L-b, a native of the neighbouring town of Rye, paid his addresses to Miss B., also of the same place ; after a time, for some cause or other known only to themselves, the friends of the lady objected to the match, and, to secure her from the visits of the gentleman, she was sent to reside with a friend at Fairlight-place, at that time a farm-house ; but as her lover had the command of the Stag revenue cutter, cruising from Dungeness to Beachy head, consequently, often passing Fairlight, it was not long ere the kerchief signal told the tale of the lady's whereabout, and still less time was occupied in climbing the cliff to meet his fair one : suffice it to say the meetings were often, and ended in a marriage at Hollington Church [ 50 ]

OLD ROAR.

In the centre of a thick wood, about two miles to the north-west of Hastings, is a fall of water known by the name of the " Old Roar ;" it is a small stream which rises a considerable distance up the glen, and runs unnoticed till it arrives at a rocky precipice, over which it falls perpendicularly forty feet into the basin below. The situation is wild and romantic, the best view of it is to be obtained by descending the narrow path on the left hand before you arrive at the fall ; it is very steep and difficult either to ascend or descend, and few ladies venture more than half way down ; after long heavy rains, a large body of water tumbles over with a great roar that is heard at a considerable distance. About one hundred yards above is another fall, known by the appellation of Glen Roar, but it is so difficult to force away through the thick underwood, that it is very seldom visited ; the fall is about fifteen or twenty feet. The most pleasant walk to or from the fall is through the vale of the hop gardens .

HOLLINGTON CHURCH

is distant from Hastings three miles and a-half, and is remarkable for its being situated in the middle of a wood, not having a house within a quarter of a mile of it. It is a very ancient structure, but when or by whom it was built is unknown. On the 16th September, 1834, a paper, on which the following simple lines were written in pencil, was found on a tombstone by the Rev. H. J. Rush, the vicar.

" Humble house of prayer,
Let my soul thy silence share ;
With no thoughtless step I tread
These sheltered precincts of the dead.

[ 51 ]

How beauteous is thy sylvan bound,
Where man's last home on earth is found-
So peaceful , that the robin's note
Alone, can aught of life denote :
His song a requiem seems to those
Who hear no more its liquid close.
The world so little intervenes
In these sublime umbrageous scenes ,
To fancy it may well appear
That she has found Elysium here."

This is one of the favourite spots for gipsy parties ; every requisite can be obtained at Mrs. Pain's, near Hollington-corner. The most pleasant walk is by Bohemia mansion.

BEAUPORT,

built by General Murray, and named after a village near Quebec, in Canada, (the proprietor being the first British governor of Quebec after its surrender to the English,) is a handsome modern building, and of late much improved by its present owner, Sir Charles Montolieu Lamb, Bart. It contains some very good paintings. The distance from Hastings is four miles .

ORE CHURCH,

two miles from Hastings, on the London road, is much frequented by visitors and inhabitants of Hastings, being a most delightful walk, either through the lane at the back of Wellington-square, or over the West-hill. The house adjoining the church is

ORE PLACE,

the seat of the Dowager Lady Elphinstone. It was built by John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and was [ 52 ]afterwards converted into a religious house. The present building is quite modern. About the house and grounds, relics of antiquity are not unfrequently found.

CROWHURST

was one of the many lordships possessed by Harold, Earl of Kent ; after the Conquest it was seized by the king, and by him given to Alan Fergant, Earl of Brittany and Richmond, as a reward for the services rendered by him at the battle of Hastings. The manor now belongs to Mrs. Papillion, the descendant of a younger branch of the ancient family of the Pelhams. The seat is situated on a gentle rise of the park, commanding most extensive views of the sea and surrounding country. About a mile and a-half from the seat is the church of Crowhurst, a plain simple edifice, having nothing worthy of particular attention ; in the churchyard are three or four yew trees, one in particular of a remarkable growth, measuring twenty-four feet in circumference. Adjoining is the ruin of an ancient chapel, supposed to have been built by one of the lords of the manor ; part of the ruin is now used for agricultural purposes ; there is a fine pointed arch window with trefoils in good preservation. The drive to Crowhurst is considered one of the most pleasant in the neighbourhood of Hastings.

BATTLE,

a market town in the hundred of the same name in the rape of Hastings, from which place it is distant seven miles, consists of one street running along a [ 53 ]gentle rise from north-east to south-east, with a population, in 1831, of 2999 persons. Its ancient name was Senlac, which was changed after the bloody conflict fought between the English and Normans on this spot, the 14th October, 1066. In the following year the Conqueror commenced an abbey upon the site where the battle had raged most fiercely, the high altar of its church being on the precise spot where the body of Harold was found ; here were said masses for the souls of those who had fallen in the conflict, in conformity with the views of that age. In this church the Conqueror offered up his sword and coronation robe ; in which also was kept the famous catalogue of all the Normans of consequence who came over with the duke to England. There are many copies of the roll extant ; the original was seen by Leland, who has given the contents in the first tome of his Collectanea ; but modern antiquarians in general concur in the opinion of Sir William Dugdale, that the list was often falsified by the monks, and the names of those persons inserted who wished to be considered of Norman extraction .

The abbey was dedicated to St. Martin, and filled with Benedictine monks from the abbey of Marmontier in Normandy ; all the lands for a league around the house were given to it, besides churches, manors, &c., which were greatly enlarged in subsequent reigns ; its prerogatives and immunities were equal to those enjoyed by the monks of Christ Church, Canterbury ; they were exempt from episcopal and other ecclesiastical jurisdiction ; they had the exclusive right of inquest on all murders committed within their lands, the property of all treasure found on their estates, the right of free warren, and the church was made a sanctuary in cases of homicide ; the abbot was mitred and a peer in parliament, having the royal power of pardoning any condemned thief whom [ 54 ]he should pass or meet in going to execution. The abbey was fortified in the reign of Edward the Third. At the dissolution, in the twenty-sixth of Henry the Eighth, its income was valued at £880. 148. 7½d. , according to Dugdale, or £987. 0s. 104d., according to Speed ; the abbot received a pension of £66. 13s. 4d., and sixteen officers and monks had smaller sums settled upon them. The site and demesnes of the abbey were granted by the king to a person named Gilmer, who pulled down great part of the buildings in order to sell the materials ; the land was afterwards purchased from him by Sir Anthony Browne, who began to convert what was left of the abbey building into a mansion, which was finished by his son, Lord Montague. When the property was purchased by Sir Thomas Webster, the building was found to have gone so much to decay, as to be quite uninhabitable ; the present dwelling was therefore repaired on one side of the quadrangle of the old abbey. The proprietor is Sir Godfrey Webster .

The abbey stands on a gentle rise, having before it a rich and beautiful country of hill and dale ; the wooded valley winding to the south-east, with the hills of Hastings in the distance, is introduced in the painting of the battle of Hastings, occupying the eastern part of the noble hall ; which is also decorated with coats of mail and antique arms. Though the abbey is greatly demolished, yet the ruins show the ancient magnificence of the structure. The abbey church stood on the eastern side of the grand entrance ; the only vestiges are some stone coffins near the gate, and nine elegant arches which appear on the outside of the house ; they formerly belonged to the inside of the cloisters. Contiguous to the church are the ruins of the refectory. There is another beautiful building, a little detached from the [ 55 ]abbey, having twelve windows on one side, and six on the other ; the dimensions are 166 feet by 35 ; it is strongly buttressed on the outside : this appears of older date than the other portions of the abbey, and was originally used by the monks to give entertainments at stated times to their numerous tenantry. That part of the abbey which faces the town contains the grand entrance ; it is altogether a very rich and elegant specimen of Gothic architecture, being lofty and square, with battlements on the top, and an octagon tower at each corner ; the front is adorned with neat pilasters and arches. A wing of this pile was used by the people of Battle as a town hall, until 1794, when the roof fell in, rendering it unfit for that purpose.

The church of Battle is dedicated to St. Mary, and is a very handsome structure, consisting of a nave, chancel, two aisles, and a substantial tower ; the windows of the north aisle are decorated with numerous figures and devices in painted glass. The font is handsome, and of great antiquity. On the north side of the chancel is a fine altar monument, to the memory of Sir Anthony Browne, standard bearer to king Henry the Eighth ; he is lying on his back in armour : beside him is the effigy of his lady ; she is supposed to have been the fair Geraldine, so highly spoken of for her personal beauty by Surrey in his amatory lays. There are several mills in the neighbourhood for the manufacture of gunpowder, for which the place is remarkable ; it is well known to sportsmen by the name of Battle powder, and considered quite equal to that of Dartford. Considerable business is transacted at the weekly market, on Thursday ; also at that held the second Tuesday in every month. There are two fairs, on Whit Monday, and 22nd November. The town also pos[ 56 ]sesses a charity school for forty boys. The abbey and grounds can be seen only on Monday.

ASHBURNHAM .

About four miles beyond Battle, and twelve from Hastings, is Ashburnham, from which a very ancient family derives its name. Bertram de Ashburnham was sheriff of the three counties, Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, when William of Normandy invaded England ; after the battle of Hastings he defended Dover Castle, and was beheaded by the Conqueror for not immediately delivering it up to him ; the family did not through this lose their estates, though they were looked upon by the king as his enemies, consequently they did not appear in public for along time. In the reigns of Richard the Second and Henry the Fourth, John Ashburnham was knight of the shire for Sussex, and sheriff of Surrey and Sussex ; his son and grandson Thomas, in Edward the Fourth and Henry the Seventh's reigns, held the same office. William Ashburnham was one of the first who took up arms for Charles the First ; he was major-general of the king's forces in the west, and governor of Weymouth. Though he committed a great mistake after the defeat of the king's party, by conducting his sovereign to Colonel Hammond, governor of the Isle of Wight, who gave him into the power of the army, yet his attachment to the king was never for one moment doubted, either by Charles the First or Second ; the latter, after his restoration in 1649, rewarded him with the place of cofferer. His elder brother John was groom of the bedchamber to their majesties Charles the First and Second .

In the church, which was built by John Ashburnham in 1633, are preserved in a glass case, lined with red velvet, some relics of the unfortunate Charles [ 57 ]the First ; they consist of the shirt in which he was beheaded, faintly stained with blood, his white silk drawers, and the sheet in which the body was wrapped after the execution. Mr. John Ashburnham attended him on the scaffold at Whitehall, when he presented him, as a last token, his watch ; this is also carefully preserved among the relics : the face of it is composed of flowers in mosaic. These articles were bequeathed by Bertram Ashburnham, Esq., in 1743, to the clerk of the parish, and his successors for ever, to be exhibited as great curiosities ; and are to be seen only on Monday.

BODIAM CASTLE

is distant from Hastings sixteen miles, standing in a low situation, surrounded by a moat, seven feet in depth, and extending from the walls to the land, east and west, 116 feet, north and south 106 feet . It was erected in 1386, by Sir Edward Dalyngrudge, who accompanied his father, Sir John, in the army of Edward the Third, to France, where they fought in the battles of Cressy and Poictiers, but afterwards tarnished the glory there gained, by joining Sir Robert Knowles in his tyrannous exactions in the north of France ; having amassed great riches by plunder, and exacting large ransoms from those who fell into his hands, he returned to England, in the early part of the reign of Richard the Second, and built the castle of Bodiam .

Though in ruins, it still presents to the eye in its exterior, an extensive and magnificent pile, the outer walls being almost entire. [ 58 ]The grand entrance, which is on the north side of the castle, was defended by a barbican tower, drawbridge, and causeway; on each side of the gate are two lofty square towers, machicolated ; the spiked iron portcullis over the entrance remains entire : there were also two additional ones in the passage leading to the court of the castle, dividing it into two vaulted rooms, with perforations in the ceiling for pouring down boiling lead upon the assailants. On the southern side is the sally-port, also defended by a portcullis, with similar perforations in the groined roof, and the exterior machicolated as the grand entrance ; on the opposite side of the moat is a pier of masonry, on which the drawbridge landed, a distance of ninety feet.

Sir William Waller, after taking Arundel Castle, despatched a party of soldiers to destroy all the strongholds of the Royalist gentry of Sussex, and among the number dismantled was Bodiam, leaving it a mere shell.

THE HARBOUR.

Hastings had formerly a good harbour - , which was of sufficient depth to allow of large vessels to lie and unload at its pier. This pier, which ran in a south-eastern direction, from Nos. 11 and 12, Parade, to what are now called the pier rocks, situated below the fort, was destroyed by a storm in the reign of Elizabeth. Camden says, " The queen granted a contribution towards building a new harbour, which was begun, but the contribution was quickly converted*nbsp;[ 59 ]into private purses, and the public good neglected." The remains of the pier are visible at half-tide, consisting of enormous fragments of rock, and three or four rows of piles, some running towards the south, others to the south-east .

THE CUSTOM HOUSE,

a mean-looking building, is in the fish market, where duties for foreign articles are received, and registers, licences, and passports are granted.

For a more detailed account of the town and neighbourhood, see Ross's Shilling Guide. [ 60 ]

BY-LAWS FOR REGULATING HACKNEY COACHES AND OTHER CARRIAGES .

Classes of carriages.	6. That the following fares shall be charged by the drivers of all hackney coaches, flys, or other carriages of the undermentioned classes, and each carriage shall, if required, carry the following number of persons ; two children under the age of seven years being considered as one person. FIRST CLASS.-Full-sized carriages, drawn by two horses, carrying, if required, four persons inside, and one on the box, exclusive of the driver ; except chariots, which shall, if required, carry three persons inside, and one on the box, besides the driver. SECOND CLASS.-Full-sized carriages, drawn by one horse, or two ponies or mules, carrying, if required, four persons, besides the driven. THIRD CLASS. Small carriages, drawn by one or more pony or ponies, mule or mules, ass or asses, and carrying, if required, two persons, besides the driver.
	FARES FOR TIME.
	To commence from the time of leaving the stand.
		1st Class		2nd class		3rd class
		s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
Fares for time.	For every hour or any less time......	3	0	2	6	2	0
	For every additional quarter of an hour, or any less time	0	9	0	7½	0	6

[ 61 ]

FARES FOR DISTANCE .
		1st class.		2nd class.		3rd class.
		s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
Fares for distances .	For any distance not exceeding half a mile, including the distance from the stand, or place from whence the carriage shall be called, to the place where the fare shall be taken up.	1	6	1	0	0	9
	For any distance not exceeding one mile	2	0	1	6	1	0
	For every additional half mile, or any less distance	1	0	0	9	0	6
	That a fare within one mile and a half of the limits of the Hastings Improvement Act, shall be charged according to distance; and beyond such distance, and within five miles of the Town Hall at Hastings, by time. And if the fare is set down beyond one mile and a half of the limits of the said act, half the fare in addition is to be paid for back carriage.
Carriage may be detained ten minutes, without any extra charge	8.- That every carriage hired for a distance may be detained, to take up the fare, ten minutes, without any extra charge; but if kept beyond that time, the person hiring the same shall pay a proportion of the fare, as allowed for time, for so long as the same may be detained.
Carriage hired and sent away without fare.	9. - That when any carriage shall be called, to proceed to the place to take up the fare, and shall be sent away without such fare, the driver, or person attending the same, shall be entitled to demand and receive one shilling.

[ 62 ]

COACHES.

The road coach throughout to London, leaves the Castle Hotel every morning at ten.

Tonbridge Wells every morning at half-past ten o'clock, from the Castle Hotel.

Staplehurst from the Castle Hotel every morning at nine o'clock .

There is also a conveyance to Maidstone and Rye from the above Hotel every day. [ 63 ]

THE PRINCIPAL WALKS AND RIDES IN THE ENVIRONS OF HASTINGS.

	MILES			MILES
Ashburnham	11		Fairlight Glen	1½
Battle	7		Fairlight Place	1½
Beauport	4		Fish Ponds	1⅓
Bexhill	6		Hollington Church	3
Bohemia	0½		Icklesham	5
Bopeep	2		Lover's Seat	1¾
Broomham Park	4		Old Roar	2
Bulverhythe	3½		Ore Church	2½
Catsfield	9		Pett	4
Crowhurst	4		Rye	11
Dripping Well	1½		St. Leonards	1
Ecclesbourne	0½		St. Mary's	0½
Fairlight Church	2¼		Westfield	5
Fairlight Down	2		Winchelsea	8½

[ 64 ]

AND THE COAST ROAD FROM MARGATE TO PORTSMOUTH.

TO LONDON.			TO MARGATE
		MILES			MILES
Battle	7		Guestling	4
Robertsbridge	5	12	Winchelsea	4	8
Hurst Green	2	14	Rye	3	11
Flimwell	4	18	Lydd	12	23
Stone Crouch	2	20	New Romney	3	26
Lamberhurst	3	23	Hythe	9	35
Woodsgate	5	28	Sandgate Castle	2	37
Tunbridge	5	33	Folkstone	2½	39½
Sevenoaks	6¾	39¾	Dover	8½	47
Riverhead	1½	41¼	Ringwold	6	54
Madam's-court-hill	2¾	44	Walmer	1½	55½
Farnborough	5	49	Deal	1½	57
Mason's Hill	3½	52½	Sandwich	5	62
Bromley	0¾	53¼	Ebbes Fleet	2	64
South End	2¼	55½	Cliffs End	1¼	65¼
Lewisham	2	57½	St. Lawrence	1¼	66½
Newcross Turnpike	1¾	59¼	Ramsgate	0¾	67¼
London	3¾		St. Peters	3	70¼
	-	63	Margate	3
					73¼

[ 65 ]

TO PORTSMOUTH				MILES
(Through Brighton)			Fishbourne	2	72
	MILES		Nutbourne	3½	75½
Bexhill	6		Emsworth, Hants	1½	77
Pevensey	8	14	Havant	2	79
Eastbourne	5½	19½	Bedhampton	1	80
East Dean	2½	22	Corham	3½	83½
Seaford	5¼	27¼	Portsea Bridge	0½	84
Blachington Fort	1	28¾	Hilsea Barracks	1	85
Bishopstone	0¾	29	Portsmouth	3
Newhaven	2	31		-	88
Brighton	4	40	TO LEWES
Shoreham Bridge	7¾	47¾	Battle	7
The Pad	0¼	48	Boreham Street	8	15
Lancing	1	49	Gardner Street	17
Sompting	1	50	Horsebridge	4	21
Patching Pond	5	55	Ringmer	9	30
Angmering Park	1	56	Lewes	3
Arundel	4	60		-	33
Almsford	3	63	ANOTHER ROAD
Mackerel's Bridge	0¾	63¾	Ninfield Stocks	9
Croker Hill	2¼	66	Boreham Street	5	14
Maulding	2	68	Lewes, as before	18
Chichester	2	70		-	32

[ 66 ]

TIDE TABLE.

MOON'S AGE		HIGH WATER.		LOW WATER.
		Hours.	Min.	Hours.	Min.
New.	Full.	10	48	5	0
Days.	Days.
1	16	11	36	5	48
2	17	12	24	6	36
3	18	1	12	7	24
4	19	2	0	8	12
5	20	2	48	9	0
6	21	3	36	9	48
7	22	4	24	10	36
8	23	5	12	11	24
9	24	6	0	12	12
10	25	6	48	1	0
11	26	7	36	1	48
12	27	8	24	2	36
13	28	9	12	3	24
14	29	10	0	4	12

[ 67 ]

 

[ 68 ]