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Hastings Town Wall

In the civil parish of Hastings.
In the historic county of Sussex.
Modern Authority of East Sussex.
1974 county of East Sussex.
Medieval County of Sussex (Rape of Hastings).

OS Map Grid Reference: TQ82500953
Latitude 50.85649° Longitude 0.59161°

Hastings Town Wall has been described as a certain Urban Defence.

There are masonry footings remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

The old town was protected towards the sea by a wall which stretched across the mouth of the valley from the castle headland to the East cliff. The wall was provided with towers at each end and had three gates. (PastScape–ref. VCH)

Part of Town Wall between Winding Street and John Street. Built in late C14 to protect town from French. Very scanty remains now exposed by demolition. (Listed Building Report)

The early part of this period coincided with wars with France and Spain, resulting in expansion of coastal defences in the 16th century. Given this context and the lack of earlier evidence for walls, the first record of town defences – a reference in 1556 to the Sea Gate, and in 1558 to the walls themselves – probably relate to what were newly built defences (Martin, Martin and Wittick 1985). The wall stretched across the lower end of the Bourne valley and had three gates (from east to west, the Pulpit Gate, the Bourne Gate, and the Sea Gate). The eastern end of the fort terminated in the East Fort, possibly part of the postulated mid-16th- construction, although a reference to finishing works on it in 1596 could suggest that it was an addition. A west fort, below the castle at the west end of George Street, is first recorded in the mid- 17th century (ibid; Martin, Martin and Chubb 2009). A Survey of the Sussex coast in 1587, in obvious response to the greater Spanish threat, described the ordnance at Hastings including three brass Portugal 'bases', a culverin, two sacres, two minions, and a robinet (Lower). New guns were acquired in 1627, which, after temporary removal in 1645 to 1656, were finally decommissioned in 1660. Both forts were rebuilt in the early 1690s (following a minor bombardment by the French in 1690 (VCH 1937)). By 1715 the corporation had built a storehouse within the east fort and its military function appears to have ceased by 1734. The west fort, however, remained operable. The two eastern town gates remained in use in 1750, but the Sea Gate may have been removed by then, and records of maintenance of the wall suggest that it had become less important – and often neglected – from the mid-17th century (Martin, Martin and Wittick 1985; Martin, Martin and Chubb 2009). (Harris 2010)
Comments

Built in late C14 and usually suggested to be a protection from French. However this coast was very susceptible to coastal erosion, particularly during gales, so likely to have had some sea defence function in reality, as well as allowing toll collection at the gates, expressing civic pride and being a defence from pirate and French raids. The town was not defensible from a serious assault if troops occupied East Hill. Very scanty remains now exposed by demolition. There are no records of murage, or other documentation regarding the walls.
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

Data >
PastScape   County HER   Scheduling   Listing   I. O. E.
Maps >
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Sources of information, references and further reading
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This record last updated 26/07/2017 09:19:30

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