From the 1840s, railways brought cheap fish down from the north and just 100 years later, war closed the beach entirely to the fishing trade. Now, no more than a little fishing goes on from the Marina.

Then came Dr Russell, the Prince Regent and fashionable folk . Pressure on housing forced the fishing families to move further inland and to seek work in the more profitable building and service trades. And so the decline went on.

As the town grew, despite some tension between landsmen (market gardeners, agricultural labourers) and fishermen, fishing flourished in the late 16th century. The storms of the early 18th century destroyed the beach and pushed the resident population up into poor housing in the town itself.

Brian took us through the ups and downs of 1,000 years of fishing in Brighton. At the time of the Domesday Book, when the local seas were teeming with fish, the 4,000 herring which the fishermen had to give to the lord of the manor may not have been too tall an order.

Two of the 8 papers directly involve Sussex. One, by Diccon Hart, is about Plumpton Place, the other by Nathalie Cohen (NT) is on 'Moated Sites at National Trust Properties in Kent and Sussex'.

...which combines new research and insights on moated sites in the south-east of England, while considering themes and approaches which can be applied to older excavations.

Overview: Moated sites in South-East England: 21st-century research and insights. The Surrey Archaeological Society Medieval Studies Forum and CBA-SE are pleased to come together for this joint conference...

...and surviving Anglo-Saxon charters, Anglo-Saxon Sussex, Anglo-Saxon dynasties and etymological echoes from the Beowulf story left behind in the landscape of Beddingham, Hamsey, Ringmer, and beyond.

This talk offers a brief outline of the Beowulf story, including the source of the original manuscript and the current academic consensus on it. It will then address some clear errors in interpretation and some fascinating links between the Beowulf Manuscript...

Excavations began in 2017 and finds indicate the main occupation is in the Medieval/Post Medieval period. This talk reviews the excavation findings and how research can shed light on the ownership and use of the site. The question we have been asking is “where’s the pub?”

In his rather febrile existence, Belloc found comfort and repose in his Sussex home, which found its deepest expression in his celebrated Sussex novel The Four Men: A Farrago 1911, a book that describes a 90-mile-long journey on foot across the English county of Sussex.

But it will also explore the spiritual side of this formidable man, who lamented the increasing materialism of the western world. Belloc lived the life of the outsider, frequently taking up unpopular causes and finding himself embroiled in political and religious controversies.

Hilaire Belloc, though born in France in 1870, spent his youth and most of his adult life in Sussex, living first in Slindon, and later at Shipley. This talk will include extracts from Belloc’s many essays and poems eulogising his adopted county.

The meeting is at St Saviour's Church Hall, Spencer Road, Eastbourne BN21 4UT on Friday 28th November. Tony’s talk starts at 7.30pm with doors open 7.00pm.

The event is free to members; guests £4 (cash only) on the door.

For more info: www.EastbourneArchaeology.com

After the lecture will be social time with drinks and nibbles.

This talk, taking in regions around London and further afield, looks at horses, coaches and plenty of Sussex mud. It will make you glad that you have a car or can catch a bus or a train. Even walking could be better than coach travel in the 17th century.

Travel in the past was not easy, and Sussex was notorious for its bad roads, particularly in the clay regions of the Weald. It was not until the mid-eighteenth century, when Turnpike Acts improved the county’s roads, that journeys became less of a problem.

The books include a large run of Sussex Archaeological Collections (Volumes: 8, 27, 29, 42-45, 71-75, 77-8, 81-158, 161). Ideally to be sold as one lot.
Other books include a large number of books on Ancient Egypt, various site guides, and some non-fiction paperbacks.