Archaeology of Lewes
Lewes has a rich history and has many sites of archaeological interest.
There are a large number of books and other sources (including the Sussex Archaeological Collection) on the history and archaeology of Lewes. These can be found in the library at Barbican House. Lewes library also has a good section on the archaeology and history of Lewes, but it is not as extensive as the Barbican House library. On the plus side, it is possible to borrow some of the books from the Lewes Library whereas Barbican House library is reference only. Reflecting the wealth of archaeology, virtually all new construction, however small, requires archaeological investigation and report. The reports relating to significant excavations are included in the Sussex Archaeological Collections. The Sussex Archaeological Forum puts together a summary of all fieldwork taking place in East and West Sussex however minor. The newsletter of the LAG includes extracts relating to Lewes from the forum's summaries.
We want to provide a forum for publication of interesting articles and pieces on the history or archaeology of Lewes. To this end we have created this page. If you would like to have your article or piece included on the LAG website please send it to Sue Berry, Chair email. We can't promise to include it but we hope to.
To kick things off we are pleased to include an article by Martin Cohen who is an author and Lewesian. Martin's article gives an interesting and entertaining account of the history and archaeology of Lewes. This provides both an excellent place to start learning about Lewes' past and a lively interpretation of the existing sources to excite debate. A Brief History of Lewes
But if you are after more of a list of the main archaeological sites and excavations in Lewes, then a good starting point to look is the chapter by David Millum included in 'The Archaeology of the Ouse Valley, Sussex to AD 1500' edited by Dudley Moore, Michael J Allen and David Rudling (see Chapter 10 pages 105 to 110) (published by the Archaeopress Publishing Ltd 2016).
Paula Stanyer
January 2018