Lyminster siege castle (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Warningcamp; Pynham

In the civil parish of Lyminster.
In the historic county of Sussex.
Modern Authority of West Sussex.
1974 county of West Sussex.
Medieval County of Sussex (Rape of Arundel).

OS Map Grid Reference: TQ027063
Latitude 50.84710° Longitude -0.54254°

Lyminster siege castle has been described as a Siege Work although is doubtful that it was such.

There are uncertain remains.

Description

500 yards to the south {of Waringcamp} there is another possible site, towards Lyminster. The remains are in the corner of a field now adjancent to the A27, but then close to the old Roman road. On ground rising quite steeply from the Arun, there is a low mound, roughly circular, with a diameter on the top of about 25 feet, and lying to the north there are signs of a bank enclosing a rectangular area stretching about 75 feet from the mound.
The site backs onto still rising ground behind which is a private estate, and the modern road cuts it off to the south, so the demensions of the original can not be recovered. But what remains bears the same relationship towards Arundel Castle as the site at Waringcamp. Perhaps this part of Henry I's blockade, sited within supporting distance of the Waringcamp site, enabling the garrison of one to block the ford, and the other the road? The two works would have been intervisible unless the land was wooded then. (Purton)

Comments

Suggested as a siege work of the 1102 siege of Arundel castle. Nothing is recorded in the archaeological databases although some recorded lynchets may be the reported bank. Purton, himself write he can 'make no claim that they represent a siege earth+ timber fort, only point out that there are modest earthworks there'. It should be noted there was an Augustian priory just opposite this site.
This general location, at the end of a causeway over the Arun, is certainly a likely place from some sort of controlling military presence although Gatehouse is not convinced the earthwork mentioned by Purton are evidence of these. The Augustinian priory (called Calcetto - the Latin for causeway) is said to have been founded before 1151 but well after 1102. Was this founded on land that had used as a siege camp?

Sources of information, references and further reading

Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record.

Books
- Page, Wm, 1907, 'Houses of Augustinian canons: Priory of Pynham' VCH Sussex Vol. 2 p. 80-1 (On Priory only) online transcription
Periodical Articles
- Purton, Peter, 1998, 'The siege castles at Arundel' Postern Vol. 8 p. 13-4
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Dr Peter Purton, 5-12-2013 pers corr.

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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