178-608: Eastbourne ( / ˈ iː s t b ɔːr n / ) is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex , on the south coast of England, 19 miles (31 km) east of Brighton and 54 miles (87 km) south of London. It is also a local government district with borough status . Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head , the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the larger Eastbourne Downland Estate . The seafront consists largely of Victorian hotels,
356-554: A county borough , making it independent from East Sussex County Council . Eastbourne became a non-metropolitan district on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , with East Sussex County Council once more providing county-level services to the town. East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial county in South East England . It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to
534-672: A maritime climate with warm summers and mild winters. The local climate is notable for its high sunshine levels, at least relative to much of the rest of England – Eastbourne holds the UK record for the highest recorded amount of sunshine in a month, 383.9 hours in July 1911. Temperature extremes recorded at Eastbourne since 1960 range from 31.6 °C (88.9 °F) during July 1976, down to −9.7 °C (14.5 °F) In January 1987. Eastbourne's coastal location also means it tends to be milder than most areas, particularly during night. A whole six months of
712-522: A pier , theatre , contemporary art gallery and a Napoleonic era fort and military museum . Although Eastbourne is a relatively new town, there is evidence of human occupation in the area from the Stone Age . The town grew as a fashionable tourist resort largely thanks to prominent landowner William Cavendish , later to become the Duke of Devonshire . Cavendish appointed architect Henry Currey to design
890-416: A Frankish pope. Adrian disclaims all belief in the rumour, but it is clear it had been a concern to him. The enemies of Offa and Charlemagne, described by Adrian as the source of the rumour, are not named. It is unclear whether this letter is related to the legatine mission of 786; if it predates it, then the mission might have been partly one of reconciliation, but the letter might well have been written after
1068-472: A Mercian victory, but there is no evidence for Offa's authority over Kent until 785: a charter from 784 mentions only a Kentish king named Ealhmund , which may indicate that the Mercians were in fact defeated at Otford. The cause of the conflict is also unknown: if Offa was ruling Kent before 776, the battle of Otford was probably a rebellion against Mercian control. However, Ealhmund does not appear again in
1246-588: A Neolithic camp and burial grounds. The area is also a nationally uncommon tract of chalk grassland rich in species. Another SSSI which partially falls within the Eastbourne district is Seaford to Beachy Head . This site, of biological and geological interest, covers the coastline between Eastbourne and Seaford, plus the Seven Sisters country park and the Cuckmere valley. Several nature trails lead across
1424-459: A body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Eastbourne", but informally known as the corporation or town council. One of the new council's first projects was to build Eastbourne Town Hall , which was designed by W. Tadman Foulkes, and built between 1884 and 1886 under supervision of Henry Currey , the Duke of Devonshire's architect. In 1911 Eastbourne was elevated to be
1602-418: A charter of Ecgberht's on the grounds that "it was wrong that his thegn should have presumed to give land allotted to him by his lord into the power of another without his witness", but the date of Ecgberht's original grant is unknown, as is the date of Offa's revocation of it. It may be that Offa was the effective overlord of Kent from 764 until at least 776. The limited evidence for Offa's direct involvement in
1780-414: A charter that freed ecclesiastical lands from all obligations except the requirement to build forts and bridges—obligations which lay upon everyone, as part of the trinoda necessitas . Offa's Kentish charters show him laying these same burdens on the recipients of his grants there, and this may be a sign that the obligations were being spread outside Mercia. These burdens were part of Offa's response to
1958-623: A contemporary art gallery; and the Towner Eastbourne gallery, which celebrated its centenary in 2023 and hosted the award ceremony for the Turner Prize on 5 December of that year. The coastal towns of Brighton and Hove, Bexhill-on-Sea, Hastings and Eastbourne attract many day trippers during the summer to visit the beaches. Brighton and Hove have a range of attractions including the Royal Pavilion . Beginning in 1787, it
SECTION 10
#17327656085872136-515: A dissertation by Richard Russell extolled the medicinal benefits of the seaside. His views were of considerable benefit to the south coast and, in due course, Eastbourne became known as "the Empress of Watering Places". Eastbourne's earliest claim as a seaside resort came about following a summer holiday visit by four of King George III 's children in 1780 (Princes Edward and Octavius and Princesses Elizabeth and Sophia ). In 1793, following
2314-507: A field near the town. It is believed that the minting of these coins may have led to Æthelberht's beheading by Offa of Mercia , as it had been struck as a sign of independence. Describing the coin, expert Christopher Webb, said, "This new discovery is an important and unexpected addition to the numismatic history of eighth century England." Following the Norman conquest , the Hundred of what
2492-469: A great earthen barrier that runs approximately along the border between England and Wales . It is mentioned by the monk Asser in his biography of Alfred the Great: "a certain vigorous king called Offa ... had a great dyke built between Wales and Mercia from sea to sea". The dyke has not been dated by archaeological methods, but most historians find no reason to doubt Asser's attribution. Early names for
2670-501: A history of the English church called Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum ; the history only covers events up to 731, but as one of the major sources for Anglo-Saxon history it provides important background information for Offa's reign. Offa's Dyke , most of which was probably built in his reign, is a testimony to the extensive resources Offa had at his command and his ability to organise them. Other surviving sources include
2848-453: A later continuation of Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica (written anonymously after Bede's death) the king was "treacherously murdered at night by his own bodyguards", though the reason why is unrecorded. Æthelbald was initially succeeded by Beornred , about whom little is known. The continuation of Bede comments that Beornred "ruled for a little while, and unhappily", and adds that "the same year, Offa, having put Beornred to flight, sought to gain
3026-448: A marina, shops and several thousand houses, along with luxury flats, was formerly home to many rare plants. There has been continued growth in other parts of the town, and the central marshland has become farmland and nature reserves. In 2009, the new Towner Gallery was opened, abutting the listed Congress Theatre built in 1963. In 2016–19 extensive remodelling work was undertaken to the prominent Arndale Centre, which takes up most of
3204-479: A pendant. The variety of these depictions implies that Offa's die-cutters were able to draw on varied artistic sources for their inspiration. Offa's wife Cynethryth was the only Anglo-Saxon queen ever named or portrayed on coinage, in a remarkable series of pennies struck by the moneyer Eoba. These were probably derived from contemporary coins from the reign of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VI , who minted
3382-583: A plaque on chalet number 2 at Holywell. The Second World War saw a change in fortunes. Initially, children were evacuated to Eastbourne on the assumption that they would be safe from German bombs, but soon they had to be evacuated again because after the fall of France in June 1940 it was anticipated that the town would lie in an invasion zone. Part of Operation Sea Lion , the German invasion plan, envisaged landings at Eastbourne. Many people sought safety away from
3560-555: A population of less than 4,000 in 1851 to nearly 35,000 by 1891. In 1883, it was incorporated as a municipal borough ; a purpose-built town hall was opened in 1886. This period of growth and elegant development continued for several decades. During the First World War , Summerdown Camp, a convalescent facility, opened in 1915 near the South Downs to treat soldiers who were injured during trench warfare or seriously ill. It
3738-549: A problematic document known as the Tribal Hidage , which may provide further evidence of Offa's scope as a ruler, though its attribution to his reign is disputed. A significant corpus of letters dates from the period, especially from Alcuin , an English deacon and scholar who spent over a decade at Charlemagne 's court as one of his chief advisors, and corresponded with kings, nobles and ecclesiastics throughout England. These letters in particular reveal Offa's relations with
SECTION 20
#17327656085873916-619: A replay. It is the only fully professional men's team in the county. The oldest club in East Sussex is Eastbourne Town F.C. , which was founded in 1881. Lewes F.C. is a semi-professional football club. The men's first team is in the Isthmian League Premier Division. It also has a successful women's team , which in 2023–24 was competing in the second-tier Women's Championship against teams supported by much larger clubs, including some with their men's team in
4094-423: A request that his son Ecgfrith should also marry Charlemagne's daughter Bertha: Charlemagne was outraged by the request, and broke off contact with Britain, forbidding English ships from landing in his ports. Alcuin's letters make it clear that by the end of 790 the dispute was still not resolved, and that Alcuin was hoping to be sent to help make peace. In the end diplomatic relations were restored, at least partly by
4272-482: A self-administered unitary authority ; it was granted city status in 2000, whilst remaining part of the ceremonial county of East Sussex. The area of East Sussex County Council's jurisdiction is divided into five local government districts . Three are large rural districts (from west to east): Lewes , Wealden , and Rother . Eastbourne and Hastings are mainly urban areas. The rural districts are further subdivided into civil parishes . Geologically, East Sussex
4450-490: A series showing a portrait of his mother, the later Empress Irene , though the Byzantine coins show a frontal bust of Irene rather than a profile, and so cannot have been a direct model. Around the time of Jænberht 's death and replacement with Æthelheard in 792–93, the silver currency was reformed a second time: in this "heavy coinage" the weight of the pennies was increased again, and a standardised non-portrait design
4628-581: A steam locomotive, and Volk's Electric Railway , which runs from Brighton's Palace Pier to Brighton Marina along the seafront. Volk's is the oldest operational electric railway in the world. There are also several castles that attract many visitors, as indicated in the Landmarks section above. Annual events also promote tourism to the county. Brighton Pride is one of the UK's largest and oldest pride parades and other pride events take place at Eastbourne and Hastings. The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
4806-533: A street plan for the town, but not before sending him to Europe to draw inspiration. The resulting mix of architecture is typically Victorian and remains a key feature of Eastbourne. As a seaside resort, Eastbourne derives a large and increasing income from tourism, with revenue from traditional seaside attractions augmented by conferences, public events and cultural sightseeing. The other main industries in Eastbourne include trade and retail, healthcare, education, construction, manufacturing, professional scientific and
4984-540: A struggle between Offa and Charlemagne, but the disparity in their power was enormous. By 796 Charlemagne had become master of an empire which stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Hungarian Plain , and Offa and then Coenwulf were clearly minor figures by comparison. The nature of Mercian kingship is not clear from the limited surviving sources. There are two main theories regarding
5162-524: A survey of coastal defences in the southeast, approval was given for the positioning of infantry and artillery to defend the bay between Beachy Head and Hastings from attack by the French. Fourteen Martello Towers were constructed along the western shore of Pevensey Bay , continuing as far as Tower 73, the Wish Tower at Eastbourne. Several of these towers survive: the Wish Tower is an important feature of
5340-532: A survivor of the Black Hole of Calcutta atrocity which led to the British conquest of Bengal . Richard Trevithick , the inventor of the steam locomotive, is reported to have spent some time here. Eastbourne remained an area of small rural settlements until the 19th century. Four villages or hamlets occupied the site of the modern town: Bourne (or, to distinguish it from others of the same name, East Bourne)
5518-408: A total farmed area of 108,825 hectares. They employed just over 4000 people and, in 2020, produced a gross value added of £66 million. Livestock grazing accounts for almost 40% of the farmed area, with there being approximately six times as many sheep as cattle. Fishing is limited but there are still fishing fleets, notably at Rye and Hastings, although the number of boats is much reduced. Historically,
Eastbourne - Misplaced Pages Continue
5696-476: A town named Burlington, was abandoned, but on 14 May 1849 the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway arrived to scenes of great jubilation. With the arrival of the railway, the town's growth accelerated. Cavendish, now the 7th Duke of Devonshire , recruited Henry Currey in 1859 to lay out a plan for what was essentially an entire new town – a resort built "for gentlemen by gentlemen". The town grew rapidly from
5874-607: A transformation of the Mercian economy away from its origins as a grouping of midland peoples. The burhs are forerunners of the defensive network successfully implemented by Alfred the Great a century later to deal with the Danish invasions. However, Offa did not necessarily understand the economic changes that came with the burhs , so it is not safe to assume he envisioned all their benefits. In 749, Æthelbald of Mercia had issued
6052-453: A twelfth-century chronicler, records that in 771 Offa defeated "the people of Hastings", which may record the extension of Offa's dominion over the entire kingdom. However, doubts have been expressed about the authenticity of the charters which support this version of events, and it is possible that Offa's direct involvement in Sussex was limited to a short period around 770–71. After 772, there
6230-464: A vision of English unity; and what he left was a reputation, not a legacy." His son Ecgfrith succeeded him after his death, but reigned for less than five months before Coenwulf of Mercia became king. In the first half of the 8th century, the dominant Anglo-Saxon ruler was King Æthelbald of Mercia , who by 731 had become the overlord of all the provinces south of the River Humber . Æthelbald
6408-454: A vision of English unity; and what he left was a reputation, not a legacy." It is now believed that Offa thought of himself as "King of the Mercians," and that his military successes were part of the transformation of Mercia from an overlordship of midland peoples into a powerful and aggressive kingdom. Offa died on 29 July 796, and may be buried in Bedford , though it is not clear that
6586-438: A witness on charters and presides at synods without Hygeberht, so it appears that Offa continued to respect Canterbury 's authority. A letter from Pope Adrian to Charlemagne survives which makes reference to Offa, but the date is uncertain; it may be as early as 784 or as late as 791. In it Adrian recounts a rumour that had reached him: Offa had reportedly proposed to Charlemagne that Adrian should be deposed, and replaced by
6764-833: Is a large multi-arts festival held every May. There is a wide range of museums and art galleries in East Sussex. Notable amongst these are the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery ; the Hove Museum of Creativity ; the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery ; Hastings Contemporary ; Charleston Farmhouse near Lewes, with an exhibition devoted to the artistic work of the Bloomsbury Group ; the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, which houses
6942-559: Is a short distance from East Sussex and easily accessible by road and rail from most of the county. Despite its name, Brighton City Airport , the former Shoreham Airport, is in West Sussex. Three airports service small private planes, helicopters and flying schools: Spilsted Farm near Hastings; Kittyhawk Aerodrome near Lewes; and Deanland Airfield , also near Lewes. A ferry operates from Newhaven to Dieppe in France twice daily in
7120-596: Is also a Roman villa near the entrance to the Pier and the present Queens Hotel. In 1953, skeletal remains of a woman who lived around 245 AD were discovered in the vicinity of Beachy Head on the Eastbourne Downland Estate . The remains were found in 2014 to be of a 30-year-old woman who grew up in East Sussex , but had genetic heritage from sub-Saharan Africa, giving her black skin and an African skeletal structure. Her ancestors came from below
7298-510: Is currently owned by the Duke of Devonshire and was extensively remodelled in the early Georgian era when it was renamed Compton Place . It is one of the two Grade I listed buildings in the town. Eastbourne has Cornish connections, most notably visible in the Cornish high cross in the churchyard of St Mary's Church which was brought from an unspecified location in Cornwall. In 1752,
Eastbourne - Misplaced Pages Continue
7476-448: Is likely that both London and Middlesex were quickly under Offa's control at the start of his reign. The East Saxon royal house survived the 8th century, so it is probable that the kingdom of Essex retained its native rulers, but under strong Mercian influence, for most or all of the 8th century. It is unlikely that Offa had significant influence in the early years of his reign outside the traditional Mercian heartland. The overlordship of
7654-1024: Is located at Sedlescombe . East Sussex has many theatres and performance venues, including the Theatre Royal in Brighton and the Brighton Dome , the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts at the University of Sussex, the Royal Hippodrome Theatre and Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne, and the White Rock Theatre in Hastings. The annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera takes place at Glyndebourne near Lewes. The Brighton Festival
7832-636: Is much higher than the UK's average of about 1,340 hours of sunshine a year. The relief of the county reflects the geology. The chalk uplands of the South Downs occupies the coastal strip between Brighton and Eastbourne. There are two river gaps: the Rivers Ouse and Cuckmere . The Seven Sisters , where the Downs meet the sea, are the remnants of dry valleys cut into the chalk; they end at Beachy Head , 530 feet (162 m) above sea level. To
8010-467: Is no evidence that Northumbria was ever under Mercian control during Offa's reign. Offa was frequently in conflict with the various Welsh kingdoms. There was a battle between the Mercians and the Welsh at Hereford in 760, and Offa is recorded as campaigning against the Welsh in 778, 784 and 796 in the tenth-century Annales Cambriae . The best known relic associated with Offa's time is Offa's Dyke ,
8188-522: Is no further evidence of Mercian involvement in Sussex until c. 790, and it may be that Offa gained control of Sussex in the late 780s, as he did in Kent. In East Anglia, Beonna probably became king in about 758. Beonna's first coinage predates Offa's own, and implies independence from Mercia. Subsequent East Anglian history is quite obscure, but in 779 Æthelberht II became king, and was independent long enough to issue coins of his own. In 794, according to
8366-559: Is not a major manufacturing or industrial area of the United Kingdom. Of the companies registered, the leading category in 2023 was "construction", followed by "real estate activities". An important contribution to the county's economy comes from the fact that many residents of Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne and Hastings commute to London or work remotely for companies outside the county. There were 1,720 agricultural holdings in East Sussex (excluding Brighton and Hove) in 2022, with
8544-492: Is noteworthy for two reasons: it is the first recorded consecration of any English king, and it is unusual in that it asserted Ecgfrith's royal status while his father was still alive. Offa would have been aware that Charlemagne 's sons, Pippin and Louis , had been consecrated as kings by Pope Adrian , and probably wished to emulate the impressive dignity of the Frankish court. Other precedents did exist: Æthelred of Mercia
8722-479: Is now Eastbourne, was held by Robert, Count of Mortain , William the Conqueror's half brother. The Domesday Book lists 28 ploughlands, a church, a watermill, fisheries and salt pans. The Book referred to the area as 'Borne'. 'East' was added to 'Borne' in the 13th century, renaming the town. A charter for a weekly market was granted to Bartholomew de Badlesmere in 1315–16; this increased his status as Lord of
8900-508: Is now known as Old Town, and this surrounded the bourne (stream) which rises in the present Motcombe Park; Meads, where the Downs meet the coast; South Bourne (near the town hall); and the fishing settlement known simply as Sea Houses, which was situated to the east of the present pier. By the mid-19th century most of the area had fallen into the hands of two landowners: John Davies Gilbert (the Davies-Gilbert family still own much of
9078-724: Is part of southern anticline of the Weald : the South Downs , a range of moderate chalk hills which run across the southern part of the county from west to east and mirrored in Kent by the North Downs . To the north lie parallel valleys and ridges, the highest of which is the Weald itself (the Hastings beds and Wealden Clay). The sandstones and clays meet the sea at Hastings; the Downs, at Beachy Head . The area contains significant reserves of shale oil, totalling 4.4 billion barrels of oil in
SECTION 50
#17327656085879256-400: Is referring to the report of the legatine mission in 786, which issued statutes that the Mercians undertook to obey. At the start of the 8th century, sceattas were the primary circulating coinage . These were small silver pennies, which often did not bear the name of either the moneyer or the king for whom they were produced. To contemporaries these were probably known as pennies, and are
9434-454: Is said to have nominated his son Coenred as king during his lifetime, and Offa may have known of Byzantine examples of royal consecration. Despite the creation of the new archdiocese, Jænberht retained his position as the senior cleric in the land, with Hygeberht conceding his precedence. When Jænberht died in 792, he was replaced by Æthelheard, who was consecrated by Hygeberht , now senior in his turn. Subsequently, Æthelheard appears as
9612-495: Is that Ecgfrith "has not died for his own sins; but the vengeance for the blood his father shed to secure the kingdom has reached the son. For you know very well how much blood his father shed to secure the kingdom on his son." It is apparent that in addition to Ecgfrith's consecration in 787, Offa had eliminated dynastic rivals. This seems to have backfired, from the dynastic point of view, as no close male relatives of Offa or Ecgfrith are recorded, and Coenwulf , Ecgfrith's successor,
9790-672: Is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , a collection of annals in Old English narrating the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The Chronicle was a West Saxon production, however, and is sometimes thought to be biased in favour of Wessex; hence it may not accurately convey the extent of power achieved by Offa, a Mercian. That power can be seen at work in charters dating from Offa's reign. Charters were documents which granted land to followers or to churchmen and were witnessed by
9968-468: Is the pursuit and encouragement of an active interest in the study of the history of Eastbourne and its immediate environs and the dissemination of the outcome of such studies. As the major landowner, the Cavendish family has had strong connections with Eastbourne since the 18th century. The current president of the society is William Cavendish, Earl of Burlington . Containing over 1,500 articles about
10146-474: Is the world's longest-running motoring event. To qualify, cars must have been built before 1905. It is also the world's largest gathering of veteran cars. The race finishes on Madeira Drive in Brighton. For visitors who wish to explore East Sussex by car, there are many interesting and attractive towns and villages, such as Alfriston ; Battle , site of the Battle of Hastings; Ditchling ; Herstmonceux , with
10324-666: The A26 which carries traffic from Newhaven and Lewes north into Kent; and the south coast trunk route, which starts in Folkestone (Kent) as the A259 trunk road , and traverses the south coast to Eastbourne , where it becomes the A27 trunk road and heads westwards towards Chichester in West Sussex and ultimately to Honiton in Devon. All the main roads suffer from congestion and traffic problems:
10502-571: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , "King Offa ordered King Æthelberht's head to be struck off". Offa minted pennies in East Anglia in the early 790s, so it is likely that Æthelberht rebelled against Offa and was beheaded as a result. Accounts of the event have survived in which Aethelberht is killed through the machinations of Offa's wife Cynethryth, but the earliest manuscripts in which these possibly legendary accounts are found date from
10680-472: The Battle of Hastings in 1066. Earlier industries included fishing, iron-making, and the wool trade, all of which have declined or been lost completely. Sussex was historically sub-divided into six rapes . From the 12th century the three eastern rapes together and the three western rapes together had separate quarter sessions , with the county town of the three eastern rapes being Lewes . This situation
10858-545: The Bristol Channel . The total length of this section is about 64 miles (103 km). Other earthworks exist along the Welsh border, of which Wat's Dyke is one of the largest, but it is not possible to date them relative to each other and so it cannot be determined whether Offa's Dyke was a copy of or the inspiration for Wat's Dyke. The construction of the dyke suggests that it was built to create an effective barrier and to command views into Wales. This implies that
SECTION 60
#173276560858711036-562: The Chronicle ' s "three years" is an error, and should read "thirteen years", which would mean Egbert's exile lasted from 789 to 802, but this reading is disputed. Eadburh is mentioned by Asser , a 9th-century monk who wrote a biography of Alfred the Great : Asser says that Eadburh had "power throughout almost the entire kingdom", and that she "began to behave like a tyrant after the manner of her father". Whatever power she had in Wessex
11214-856: The East Coastway Line (including the Marshlink Line ); the Hastings line ; and the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line . There are three heritage railways : the Kent and East Sussex Railway operates from Tenterden in Kent to Bodiam ; the Bluebell Railway from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead ; and the Lavender Line Steam Railway is a one-mile line at Isfield , near Uckfield . Trains in
11392-419: The Litlington White Horse and the Long Man of Wilmington , which are both situated in the Sussex Downs . East Sussex has no motorways, and even dual carriageways are sparse in the county. The main roads through the county are those part of the radial pattern from London: the A21 from Kent to Hastings; the A22 from Surrey to Eastbourne; and the A23 from Gatwick to Brighton. Cross-country routes include
11570-446: The Local Government Act 1894 these areas were transferred to Kent . In 1974 East Sussex was made a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county , and the three county boroughs became districts within the county. At the same time the western boundary was altered, so that the Mid Sussex region (including Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath ) was transferred to the non metropolitan county of West Sussex . In 1997, Brighton and Hove became
11748-443: The Martello towers and Eastbourne Redoubt . Battle Abbey , built to commemorate the Battle of Hastings ; Bateman's , home of Rudyard Kipling ; Hammerwood Park , one of the first examples of Greek Revival architecture in the UK; and the University of Sussex buildings at Falmer are among interesting buildings. Bexhill-on-Sea is also home to the De La Warr Pavilion . East Sussex also includes two chalk hill figures , being
11926-418: The Seven Sisters , where eroded dry valleys create an undulating skyline. The county does not contain large rivers, but its largest are the Rother , which forms part of the boundary with Kent, the Cuckmere , and the Ouse , which rises in West Sussex and flows through Lewes before reaching the English Channel at Newhaven . East Sussex is part of the historic county of Sussex , which has its roots in
12104-422: The Town Hall on Grove Road, and East Sussex County Council , based in Lewes . There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area . Eastbourne was an ancient parish . It was governed by its vestry , in the same way as most rural areas, until 1859 when the parish was made a local government district , governed by a local board. Eastbourne become a municipal borough in 1883, governed by
12282-492: The kingdom of Sussex comes from charters, and as with Kent there is no clear consensus among historians on the course of events. What little evidence survives that bears on Sussex's kings indicates that several kings ruled at once, and it may never have formed a single kingdom. It has been argued that Offa's authority was recognised early in his reign by local kings in western Sussex, but that eastern Sussex (the area around Hastings) submitted to him less readily. Symeon of Durham ,
12460-404: The "Bedeford" named in that charter was actually modern Bedford. He was succeeded by his son, Ecgfrith of Mercia , but according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Ecgfrith died after a reign of only 141 days. A letter written by Alcuin in 797 to a Mercian ealdorman named Osbert makes it apparent that Offa had gone to great lengths to ensure that his son Ecgfrith would succeed him. Alcuin's opinion
12638-438: The 10th century, when this title was standard for kings of England. The best evidence for Offa's use of this title comes from coins, not charters: there are some pennies with "Of ℞ A" inscribed, but it is not regarded as definite that this stood for "Offa Rex Anglorum." In Anglo-Saxon England , Stenton argued that Offa was perhaps the greatest king of the English kingdoms, commenting that "no other Anglo-Saxon king ever regarded
12816-423: The 11th and 12th centuries, and recent historians do not regard them with confidence. The legend also claims that Æthelberht was killed at Sutton St. Michael and buried four miles (6 km) to the south at Hereford , where his cult flourished, becoming at one time second only to Canterbury as a pilgrimage destination. To the south of Mercia, Cynewulf came to the throne of Wessex in 757 and recovered much of
12994-462: The 760s when Offa is known to have intervened in Kent. Offa rescinded grants made to Canterbury by Egbert, and it is also known that Jænberht claimed the monastery of Cookham , which was in Offa's possession. In 786 Pope Adrian I sent papal legates to England to assess the state of the church and provide canons (ecclesiastical decrees) for the guidance of the English kings, nobles and clergy. This
13172-578: The A27 which connects Eastbourne to Portsmouth is one of the busiest trunk roads in the UK. Bus routes serve all the main areas of settlement and many of the villages in the county. The railways serve the main towns in a similar fashion to the roads. Until the closures of many branch railways in the 20th century, rural East Sussex was well-served by rail: few such branch lines escaped the Beeching cuts so that today only main-line services remain. They include
13350-597: The Burne, or Bourne, is the small pond in Motcombe Gardens. The bubbling source is guarded by a statue of Neptune . Motcombe Gardens are overlooked by St. Mary's Church, a Norman church which allegedly lies on the site of a Saxon 'moot', or meeting place. This gives Motcombe its name. In 2014, local metal-detectorist Darrin Simpson found a coin minted during the reign of Æthelberht II of East Anglia (died 794), in
13528-499: The Downs to areas such as the nearby villages of East Dean and Birling Gap , and landmarks like the Seven Sisters, Belle Tout Lighthouse and Beachy Head. Eastbourne's greater area comprises the town of Polegate , and the civil parishes and villages of Willingdon and Jevington , Stone Cross , Pevensey , Westham and Pevensey Bay village. All are part of the Wealden District. Within Eastbourne's limits are: There
13706-552: The Franks. Charlemagne's letter also refers to exiles from England, naming Odberht, who was almost certainly the same person as Eadberht Præn , among them. Egbert of Wessex was another refugee from Offa who took shelter at the Frankish court. It is clear that Charlemagne's policy included support for elements opposed to Offa; in addition to sheltering Egbert and Eadberht he also sent gifts to Æthelred I of Northumbria . Events in southern Britain to 796 have sometimes been portrayed as
13884-516: The Hwiccan kings as reguli , or kinglets, under his authority; and it is likely that he was also quick to gain control over the Magonsæte, for whom there is no record of an independent ruler after 740. Offa was probably able to exert control over the kingdom of Lindsey at an early date, as it appears that the independent dynasty of Lindsey had disappeared by this time. Little is known about
14062-576: The Manor and benefited local industry. During the Middle Ages the town was visited by King Henry I and in 1324 by Edward II . Evidence of Eastbourne's medieval past can be seen in the 12th-century Church of St Mary, and the manor house called Bourne Place. In the mid-16th century Bourne Place was home to the Burton family, who acquired much of the land on which the present town stands. This manor house
14240-407: The Mercians who built it were free to choose the best location for the dyke. There are settlements to the west of the dyke that have names that imply they were English by the 8th century, so it may be that in choosing the location of the barrier the Mercians were consciously surrendering some territory to the native Britons . Alternatively, it may be that these settlements had already been retaken by
14418-795: The Premier League. Cricket had its origins in the counties of Kent , Surrey and Sussex. There is no team representing East Sussex. It combines with West Sussex as the Sussex County Cricket Club , playing first-team matches at the County Ground in Hove and reserve-team matches in both East and West Sussex. There are around 25 local clubs playing the game in East Sussex. There are around 15 rugby clubs in East Sussex, with many of them fielding several teams including women's and girls' teams. Seaford Rugby Club claims
14596-527: The Saharan region, at a time when the Roman Empire extended only as far as North Africa. These remains have now been DNA tested and found to originate from Cyprus , not sub-Saharan Africa. An Anglo-Saxon charter, around 963 AD, describes a landing stage and stream at Burne. The original name came from the 'Burne' or stream which ran through today's Old Town area of Eastbourne. All that can be seen of
14774-524: The South East region'. The situation was especially bad between May 1942 and June 1943 with hit–and–run raids from fighter–bombers based in northern France. Ultimately, 187 civilian people died in the borough through enemy action. In the summer of 1956, the town came to national and worldwide attention when John Bodkin Adams , a general practitioner serving the town's wealthier patients, was arrested for
14952-573: The Weald. The High Weald is heavily wooded in contrast to the South Downs; the Low Weald less so. Part of the Weald is the Ashdown Forest . The location of settlements in East Sussex has been determined both by its history and its geography. The original towns and villages tended to be where its economy lay: fishing along the coast and agriculture and iron mining on the Weald. Industry today tends to be geared towards tourism, particularly along
15130-507: The Wealden basin according to a 2014 study, which then Business and Energy Minister Michael Fallon said "will bring jobs and business opportunities" and significantly help with UK energy self-sufficiency. Fracking in the area is required to achieve these objectives, which has been opposed by environmental groups. East Sussex, like most counties by the south coast, has an annual average total of around 1,750 hours of sunshine per year. This
15308-481: The Welsh, implying a defensive role for the barrier. The effort and expense that must have gone into building the dyke are impressive, and suggest that the king who had it built (whether Offa or someone else) had considerable resources at his disposal. Other substantial construction projects of a similar date do exist, however, such as Wat's Dyke and Danevirke , in what is now Germany as well as such sites as Stonehenge from millennia earlier. The dyke can be regarded in
15486-617: The West Saxon throne. Even if Offa did not assist Beorhtric's claim, it seems likely that Beorhtric to some extent recognised Offa as his overlord shortly thereafter. Offa's currency was used across the West Saxon kingdom, and Beorhtric had his own coins minted only after Offa's death. In 789, Beorhtric married Eadburh , a daughter of Offa; the Chronicle records that the two kings combined to exile Egbert to Francia for "three years", adding that "Beorhtric helped Offa because he had his daughter as his queen". Some historians believe that
15664-512: The agency of Gervold, the abbot of St Wandrille . Charlemagne sought support from the English church at the council of Frankfurt in 794, where the canons passed in 787 at the Second Council of Nicaea were repudiated, and the heresies of two Spanish bishops, Felix and Elipandus , were condemned. In 796 Charlemagne wrote to Offa; the letter survives and refers to a previous letter of Offa's to Charlemagne. This correspondence between
15842-511: The ancestry of Mercian kings of this period. One is that descendants of different lines of the royal family competed for the throne. In the mid-7th century, for example, Penda had placed royal kinsmen in control of conquered provinces. Alternatively, it may be that a number of kin-groups with local power-bases may have competed for the succession. The sub-kingdoms of the Hwicce , the Tomsæte and
16020-621: The ancient kingdom of the South Saxons , who established themselves there in the 5th century AD, after the departure of the Romans . Archaeological remains are plentiful, especially in the upland areas. The area's position on the coast has also meant that there were many invaders, including the Romans and later the Normans , following the defeat of the English army by William the Conqueror at
16198-413: The annual payment of 365 mancuses that Offa promised to Rome. There are other Western copies of Abbasid dinars of the period, but it is not known whether they are English or Frankish. Two other English gold coins of the period survive, from two moneyers, Pendraed and Ciolheard: the former is thought to be from Offa's reign but the latter may belong either to Offa's reign or to that of Coenwulf, who came to
16376-481: The area; many of them small and local in scope. State and independent secondary schools include Lewes Old Grammar School , which celebrated its 500th anniversary in 2012. Overall, more than 50 serve East Sussex, including further education colleges in larger towns. A number of independent boarding schools that also cater to day students are located in the county, including Brighton College and Roedean . The Pestalozzi Children's Village, an international foundation,
16554-492: The artistic quality of these images exceeds that of the contemporary Frankish coinage. Some of his coins carry images of his wife, Cynethryth —the only Anglo-Saxon queen ever depicted on a coin. Only three gold coins of Offa's have survived: one is a copy of an Abbasid dinar of 774 and carries Arabic text on one side, with "Offa Rex" on the other. The gold coins are of uncertain use but may have been struck to be used as alms or for gifts to Rome. Many historians regard Offa as
16732-414: The assignment of those lands to laypeople. In the 770s, an abbess named Æthelburh (who may have been the same person as Offa's daughter of that name) held multiple leases on religious houses in the territory of the Hwicce ; her acquisitions have been described as looking "like a speculator assembling a portfolio". Æthelburh's possession of these lands foreshadows Cynethryth 's control of religious lands, and
16910-495: The award of a pallium to Lichfield depended on "deception and misleading suggestion". Another possible reason for the creation of an archbishopric at Lichfield relates to Offa's son, Ecgfrith of Mercia . After Hygeberht became archbishop, he consecrated Ecgfrith as king; the ceremony took place within a year of Hygeberht's elevation. It is possible that Jænberht refused to perform the ceremony, and that Offa needed an alternative archbishop for that purpose. The ceremony itself
17088-642: The border territory that Æthelbald had conquered from the West Saxons. Offa won an important victory over Cynewulf at the Battle of Bensington (in Oxfordshire ) in 779, reconquering some of the land along the Thames. No indisputably authentic charters from before this date show Cynewulf in Offa's entourage, and there is no evidence that Offa ever became Cynewulf's overlord. In 786, after the murder of Cynewulf, Offa may have intervened to place Beorhtric on
17266-596: The burning of an effigy of the Pope . The event attracts tens of thousands of spectators every year. There are also many other bonfire societies in East Sussex. Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. is the most successful club in East Sussex, playing in the Premier League in 2024–25 and also competing in the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League . It has appeared once in the FA Cup final , in 1983, losing to Manchester United after
17444-469: The castle of the same name; Lewes; Rottingdean ; and Rye . The Lewes Bonfire is a set of bonfire celebrations held on Guy Fawkes Night , which both celebrates the uncovering of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and commemorates the memory of the seventeen Protestant martyrs from Mayfield burned at the stake between 1555 and 1557. It has a history of religious antagonism and anti-popery, including
17622-458: The city. Offa's diplomatic relations with Europe are well documented, but appear to belong only to the last dozen years of his reign. In letters dating from the late 780s or early 790s, Alcuin congratulates Offa for encouraging education and greets Offa's wife and son, Cynethryth and Ecgfrith . In about 789, or shortly before, Charlemagne proposed that his son Charles marry one of Offa's daughters, most likely Ælfflæd . Offa countered with
17800-461: The cliff edge vertical and white. The chalk contains many fossils such as ammonites and nautilus . The town area is built on geologically recent alluvial drift, the result of the silting up of a bay. This changes to Weald clay around the Langney estate. A part of the South Downs, Willingdon Down is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest . This is of archaeological interest due to
17978-514: The coast and shut up their houses. Restrictions on visitors forced the closure of most hotels, and private boarding schools moved away. Many of these empty buildings were later taken over by the services. The Royal Navy set up an underwater weapons school, and the Royal Air Force operated radar stations at Beachy Head and on the marshes near Pevensey . Thousands of Canadian soldiers were billeted in and around Eastbourne from July 1941 to
18156-608: The coastal strip where towns such as Bexhill-on-Sea , Eastbourne , and Hastings are located. Newhaven and Rye are ports, although the latter is also of historical importance. Peacehaven and Seaford serve as dormitory towns . Away from the coast are former market towns such as Hailsham , Heathfield and Uckfield ; Crowborough is a centre for the Ashdown Forest. Lewes , the County town of East Sussex; Battle , with its Norman Conquest beginnings, and Wadhurst are
18334-499: The coins referred to in the laws of Ine of Wessex . This light coinage (in contrast to the heavier coins minted later in Offa's reign) can probably be dated to the late 760s and early 770s. A second, medium-weight coinage can be identified before the early 790s. These new medium-weight coins were heavier, broader and thinner than the pennies they replaced, and were prompted by the contemporary Carolingian currency reforms. The new pennies almost invariably carried both Offa's name and
18512-526: The company operating it owed Brighton and Hove Council £48 million. Brighton Palace Pier , Eastbourne Pier and Hastings Pier serve as entertainment centres that attract many visitors. Several other piers built in the heyday of day tripper visits by train no longer exist, notably St Leonards Pier , in St Leonards-on-Sea , and the West Pier in Brighton, parts of which can still be seen in
18690-464: The contemporary Frankish currency. Coin portraits of Offa have been described as "showing a delicacy of execution which is unique in the whole history of the Anglo-Saxon coinage". The depictions of Offa on the coins include a "striking and elegant" portrait showing him with his hair in voluminous curls, and another where he wears a fringe and tight curls. Some coins show him wearing a necklace with
18868-522: The continent, as does his coinage , which was based on Carolingian examples. Offa's ancestry is given in the Anglian collection , a set of genealogies that include lines of descent for four Mercian kings. All four lines descend from Pybba , who ruled Mercia early in the 7th century. Offa's line descends through Pybba's son Eowa and then through three more generations: Osmod, Eanwulf and Offa's father, Thingfrith. Æthelbald, who ruled Mercia for most of
19046-403: The county are largely rural, and the largest settlement is Crowborough (21,990). For local government purposes, East Sussex comprises a non-metropolitan county , with five districts, and the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove. East Sussex and West Sussex historically formed a single county, Sussex . The north-east of East Sussex is part of the Weald , a sandstone anticline that
19224-693: The county are operated by Southern , Southeastern , Thameslink and Great Western Railway . Southern is the key operator for the county, operating services along the West Coastway and East Coastway routes, as well as trains from Brighton , Eastbourne , Seaford and Hastings to London Victoria , and to a lesser extent London Bridge , which is also where trains to/from Uckfield go. Southeastern operate trains from London Charing Cross to Hastings. Thameslink operate trains from Brighton to Bedford . There are no airports offering scheduled flights in East Sussex. London's second airport, Gatwick Airport ,
19402-558: The distinction of playing its home games below sea level. The fourth stage of the 1994 Tour de France ended in Brighton after departing from Dover . The route included a climb over Ditchling Beacon. The hilly nature of the Downs presents a good challenge for cyclists and there are at least eight cycling clubs in East Sussex. There are 42 golf courses in East Sussex, many on downland. Four of these (2 in Brighton and Hove, one in Eastbourne and one in Crowborough) are public courses;
19580-511: The dyke in both Welsh and English also support the attribution to Offa. Despite Asser's comment that the dyke ran "from sea to sea", it is now thought that the original structure only covered about two-thirds of the length of the border: in the north it ends near Llanfynydd , less than five miles (8 km) from the coast, while in the south it stops at Rushock Hill , near Kington in Herefordshire, less than fifty miles (80 km) from
19758-582: The east of Beachy Head lie the marshlands of the Pevensey Levels, formerly flooded by the sea but now enclosed within a deposited beach. At Bexhill the land begins to rise again where the sands and clays of the Weald meet the sea; these culminate in the sandstone cliffs east of Hastings. Further east are the Pett Levels, more marshland, beyond which is the estuary of the River Rother . On
19936-411: The establishment of a rival archdiocese at Lichfield . The issue must have been discussed with the papal legates in 786, although it is not mentioned in the accounts that have survived. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports a "contentious synod" in 787 at Chelsea , which approved the creation of the new archbishopric. It has been suggested that this synod was the same gathering as the second council held by
20114-422: The far side of the estuary are the dunes of Camber Sands . The highest point in the county is Ditchling Beacon on the South Downs, which has a maximum elevation of 248 m (814 ft) and is classed as a Marilyn . The Weald occupies the northern borderlands of the county. Between the Downs and Weald is a narrow stretch of lower lying land; many of the rivers and streams occupying this area originate in
20292-517: The fisheries were of great importance. The Seven Sisters Park is part of the South Downs National Park . Beachy Head is one of the most famed local attractions, along with the flats along Normans Bay . Apart from the physical landmarks such as the Downs and the Weald, East Sussex has a great many landmarks of historical interest. There are castles at Bodiam , Herstmonceux , Lewes and Pevensey ; and defence works such as
20470-478: The fishermen. The fishing hamlet at Holywell was taken over by the local water board in 1896 to exploit the springs in the cliffs. The water board's successors still own the site, and there is a pumping station but little evidence of the hamlet itself, as by now even most of the foundations of the cottages have gone over the cliff. As with the rest of the British Isles and South Coast, Eastbourne experiences
20648-513: The forty years before Offa, was also descended from Eowa according to the genealogies: Offa's grandfather, Eanwulf, was Æthelbald's first cousin. Æthelbald granted land to Eanwulf in the territory of the Hwicce, and it is possible that Offa and Æthelbald were from the same branch of the family. In one charter Offa refers to Æthelbald as his kinsman, and Headbert, Æthelbald's brother, continued to witness charters after Offa rose to power. Offa's wife
20826-406: The historical record, and a sequence of charters by Offa from the years 785–89 makes his authority clear. During these years he treated Kent "as an ordinary province of the Mercian kingdom", and his actions have been seen as going beyond the normal relation of overlordship and extending to the annexation of Kent and the elimination of a local royal line. After 785, in the words of one historian, "Offa
21004-498: The history of Eastbourne, the Society's indexed journal, The Eastbourne Local Historian , is the major historical resource for the town and has been published quarterly since its inception in 1970. Over the years, the Society has published various books and booklets about the history of Eastbourne, twelve of which are currently in print. The South Downs dominate Eastbourne and the Eastbourne Downland Estate can be seen from most of
21182-583: The history of the East Saxons during the 8th century, but what evidence there is indicates that both London and Middlesex, which had been part of the kingdom of Essex, were finally brought under Mercian control during the reign of Æthelbald. Both Æthelbald and Offa granted land in Middlesex and London as they wished; in 767 a charter of Offa's disposed of land in Harrow without a local ruler as witness. It
21360-427: The kingdom between 765 and 776 includes two charters of 774 in which he grants land in Kent; but there are doubts about their authenticity, so Offa's intervention in Kent prior to 776 may have been limited to the years 764–65. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that "the Mercians and the inhabitants of Kent fought at Otford " in 776, but does not give the outcome of the battle. It has traditionally been interpreted as
21538-482: The kingdom of the Mercians by bloodshed." It is possible that Offa did not gain the throne until 758, however, since a charter of 789 describes Offa as being in the thirty-first year of his reign. The conflict over the succession suggests that Offa needed to re-establish control over Mercia's traditional dependencies, such as the Hwicce and the Magonsæte . Charters dating from the first two years of Offa's reign show
21716-545: The kings who had the authority to grant the land. A charter might record the names of both a subject king and his overlord on the witness list appended to the grant. Such a witness list can be seen on the Ismere Diploma , for example, where Æthelric, son of king Oshere of the Hwicce, is described as a " subregulus ", or subking, of Æthelbald's. The eighth-century monk and chronicler the Venerable Bede wrote
21894-565: The land in Eastbourne and East Dean ) and William Cavendish , Earl of Burlington. The Gilbert family's holdings date to the late 17th and early 18th centuries when barrister Nicholas Gilbert married an Eversfield and Gildredge heiress. (The Gildredges owned much of Eastbourne by 1554. The Gilberts eventually made the Gildredge Manor House their own. Today the Gildredge name lives on in the eponymous park.) An early plan, for
22072-412: The later medium coinage. There is also evidence that coins were issued by Eadberht , who was Bishop of London in the 780s and possibly before. Offa's dispute with Jænberht may have led him to allow Eadberht coining rights, which may then have been revoked when the see of Lichfield was elevated to an archbishopric. The medium-weight coins often carry designs of high artistic quality, exceeding that of
22250-544: The latter half of the 20th century, there were controversies over the demolition of Pococks, a 15th-century manor house on what is now the Rodmill Housing Estate, and the granting of planning permission for a 19-storey block at the western end of the seafront. The latter project (South Cliff Tower) was realised in 1965 despite a storm of protest led by the newly formed Eastbourne and District Preservation Committee, which later became Eastbourne Civic Society, and
22428-433: The legates, but historians are divided on this issue. Hygeberht , already Bishop of Lichfield , became the new archdiocese 's first and only archbishop, and by the end of 788 he received the pallium , a symbol of his authority, from Rome. The new archdiocese included the sees of Worcester , Hereford , Leicester , Lindsey , Dommoc and Elmham ; these were essentially the midland Anglian territories. Canterbury retained
22606-520: The light of these counterparts as the largest and most recent great construction of the preliterate inhabitants of Britain. Offa ruled as a Christian king, but despite being praised by Charlemagne 's advisor, Alcuin , for his piety and efforts to "instruct [his people] in the precepts of God", he came into conflict with Jænberht , the Archbishop of Canterbury . Jænberht had been a supporter of Ecgberht II of Kent , which may have led to conflict in
22784-420: The men of the southeast turned to him "because earlier they were wrongly forced away from his relatives". This is likely to be an allusion to Ealhmund, and may imply that Ealhmund had a local overlordship of the southeastern kingdoms. If so, Offa's intervention was probably intended to gain control of this relationship and take over the dominance of the associated kingdoms. The evidence for Offa's involvement in
22962-479: The mission, sent by the legates to Pope Adrian , gives details of a council held by George in Northumbria, and the canons issued there, but little detail survives of Theophylact's mission. After the northern council George returned to the south and another council was held, attended by both Offa and Jænberht, at which further canons were issued. In 787, Offa succeeded in reducing the power of Canterbury through
23140-465: The mission. Offa was a generous patron of the church, founding several churches and monasteries, often dedicated to St Peter . Among these was St Albans Abbey , which he probably founded in the early 790s. He also promised a yearly gift of 365 mancuses to Rome; a mancus was a term of account equivalent to thirty silver pennies, derived from Abbasid gold coins that were circulating in Francia at
23318-471: The most powerful Anglo-Saxon king before Alfred the Great . His dominance never extended to Northumbria , though he gave his daughter Ælfflæd in marriage to the Northumbrian king Æthelred I in 792. Historians once saw his reign as part of a process leading to a unified England, but this is no longer the majority view: in the words of historian Simon Keynes , "Offa was driven by a lust for power, not
23496-528: The murder of an elderly widow . Rumours had been circulating since 1935 regarding the frequency of his being named in patients' wills (132 times between 1946 and 1956) and the gifts he was given (including two Rolls-Royces ). Figures of up to 400 murders were reported in British and foreign newspapers, but, after a controversial trial at the Old Bailey , which gripped the nation for 17 days in March 1957, Adams
23674-419: The name of the moneyer from whose mint the coins came. The reform in the coinage appears to have extended beyond Offa's own mints: the kings of East Anglia , Kent and Wessex all produced coins of the new heavier weight in this period. Some coins from Offa's reign bear the names of the archbishops of Canterbury, Jænberht and, after 792, Æthelheard. Jænberht's coins all belong to the light coinage, rather than
23852-630: The off-season and three times daily in the summer. Both vehicles and foot passengers are accepted. Among the long-distance footpaths in East Sussex are the South Downs Way ; 1066 Country Walk , High Weald Landscape Trail , Saxon Shore Way , Sussex Border Path , Sussex Ouse Valley Way , Vanguard Way , Wealdway and The Monarch's Way . The Universities of Sussex and Brighton are based in East Sussex, with facilities in Brighton , Falmer and Hastings . Over 150 primary schools serve
24030-429: The only reason the papacy agreed to the creation was because of the size of the kingdom of Mercia. Both Coenwulf and Leo had their own reasons for representing the situation as they did: Coenwulf was entreating Leo to make London the sole southern archdiocese, while Leo was concerned to avoid the appearance of complicity with the unworthy motives Coenwulf imputed to Offa. These are therefore partisan comments. However, both
24208-558: The other claimant, Beornred . In the early years of Offa's reign, it is likely that he consolidated his control of Midland peoples such as the Hwicce and the Magonsæte . Taking advantage of instability in the kingdom of Kent to establish himself as overlord, Offa also controlled Sussex by 771, though his authority did not remain unchallenged in either territory. In the 780s he extended Mercian Supremacy over most of southern England, allying with Beorhtric of Wessex , who married Offa's daughter Eadburh , and regained complete control of
24386-491: The other three towns of significance. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex ( Brighton & Hove has a separate table) at current basic prices published Archived 4 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of pounds. Measured by the number of registered companies, East Sussex
24564-583: The pattern was continued in the early 9th century by Cwoenthryth , the daughter of King Coenwulf . Either Offa or Ine of Wessex is traditionally supposed to have founded the Schola Saxonum in Rome, in what is today the Roman rione , or district, of Borgo . The Schola Saxonum took its name from the militias of Saxons who served in Rome, but it eventually developed into a hostelry for English visitors to
24742-509: The power of Canterbury may have been motivated by Offa's desire to have an archbishop consecrate his son Ecgfrith as king, since it is possible Jænberht refused to perform the ceremony, which took place in 787. Offa had a dispute with the Bishop of Worcester , which was settled at the Council of Brentford in 781. Many surviving coins from Offa's reign carry elegant depictions of him, and
24920-622: The reduction in status of his subject kings, sometimes to the rank of ealdorman . He was ultimately unsuccessful, however; Ecgfrith only survived in power for a few months, and ninth-century Mercia continued to draw its kings from multiple dynastic lines. There is evidence that Offa constructed a series of defensive burhs , or fortified towns; the locations are not generally agreed on but may include Bedford , Hereford , Northampton , Oxford and Stamford . In addition to their defensive uses, these burhs are thought to have been administrative centres, serving as regional markets and indicating
25098-430: The remainder private, semi-private or resorts. Other popular sports include sailing, bowls , stoolball , and tennis. Offa of Mercia Offa (died 29 July 796 AD) was King of Mercia , a kingdom of Anglo-Saxon England , from 757 until his death in 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa , Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald . Offa defeated
25276-559: The richer western part was constrained by the Downs and has remained largely unchanged. In 1981, a large section of the town centre was replaced by the indoor shops of the Arndale Centre . In the 1990s, both growth and controversy accelerated rapidly as a new plan was launched to develop the area known as the Crumbles, a shingle bank on the coast to the east of the town centre. This area, now known as Sovereign Harbour , containing
25454-551: The run-up to D-Day . Units of the very secretive and highly effective No. 3 (Jewish) Troop of the No. 10 Commando , composed of native German speaking Austrian and German Jewish refugees, trained in Eastbourne. The town suffered badly during the war, with many Victorian and Edwardian buildings damaged or destroyed by air raids. Indeed, by the end of the conflict it was designated by the Home Office to have been 'the most raided town in
25632-545: The sea opposite the Brighton i360. Originally, the profits from the i360 were seen as a potential source of funds to rebuild the West Pier, but that now seems unlikely. Other important tourist attractions within East Sussex include Ashdown Forest , Drusillas Zoo Park near Alfriston and Michelham Priory . The county has two narrow-gauge railways, the Hastings Miniature Railway , which is powered by
25810-438: The sees in the south and southeast. The few accounts of the creation of the new archbishopric date from after the end of Offa's reign. Two versions of the events appear in the form of an exchange of letters between Coenwulf , who became king of Mercia shortly after Offa's death, and Pope Leo III , in 798. Coenwulf asserts in his letter that Offa wanted the new archdiocese created out of enmity for Jænberht; but Leo responds that
25988-456: The size of Offa's territory and his relationship with Jænberht and Kent are indeed likely to have been factors in Offa's request for the creation of the new archdiocese. Coenwulf's version has independent support, with a letter from Alcuin to Archbishop Æthelheard giving his opinion that Canterbury's archdiocese had been divided "not, as it seems, by reasonable consideration, but by a certain desire for power". Æthelheard himself later said that
26166-480: The southeast. He also became the overlord of East Anglia and had King Æthelberht II of East Anglia beheaded in 794, perhaps for rebelling against him. Offa was a Christian king who came into conflict with the Church, particularly with Jænberht , the Archbishop of Canterbury . Offa persuaded Pope Adrian I to divide the archdiocese of Canterbury in two, creating a new archdiocese of Lichfield . This reduction in
26344-434: The southern English which had been exerted by Æthelbald appears to have collapsed during the civil strife over the succession, and it is not until 764, when evidence emerges of Offa's influence in Kent, that Mercian power can be seen expanding again. Offa appears to have exploited an unstable situation in Kent after 762. Kent had a long tradition of joint kingship, with east and west Kent under separate kings, though one king
26522-658: The surrounding countryside of the Eastbourne Downs . A Bronze Age site of national importance was discovered in Hydneye lake at Shinewater in 1995. Celtic people are believed to have settled on the Eastbourne Downland in 500 BC. There are Roman remains buried beneath the town, such as a Roman bath and section of pavement between Eastbourne Pier and the Redoubt Fortress. There
26700-400: The technical sector. Eastbourne's population is growing; between 2001 and 2011, it increased from 89,800 to 99,412. The 2011 census shows that the average age of residents has decreased as the town has attracted students, families and those commuting to London and Brighton. In the 2021 census, the population of Eastbourne was 101,689. Flint mines and Stone Age artefacts have been found in
26878-422: The threat of "the pagan seaman". Offa issued laws in his name, but no details of them have survived. They are known only from a mention by Alfred the Great , in the preface to Alfred's own law code. Alfred says that he has included in his code those laws of Offa, Ine of Wessex and Æthelberht of Kent which he found "most just". The laws may have been an independent lawcode, but it is also possible that Alfred
27056-514: The throne in 796. Nothing definite is known about their use, but they may have been struck to be used as alms. Although many of the coins bear the name of a moneyer, there is no indication of the mint where each coin was struck. As a result, the number and location of mints used by Offa is uncertain. Current opinion is that there were four mints, in Canterbury , Rochester , East Anglia and London. The title Offa used on most of his charters
27234-453: The time. Control of religious houses was one way in which a ruler of the day could provide for his family, and to this end Offa ensured (by acquiring papal privileges) that many of them would remain the property of his wife or children after his death. This policy of treating religious houses as worldly possessions represents a change from the early 8th century, when many charters showed the foundation and endowment of small minsters, rather than
27412-515: The town centre, and was originally built by Legal & General Assurance in the 1980s. This was then renamed The Beacon. The remodelling including the addition of a brand new cinema run by Cineworld. On 22 November 2019, a fire broke out in the basement of the Claremont Hotel . The nearby Pier Hotel was also evacuated. Eastbourne Local History Society was founded in 1970. It is a charitable, not-for-profit organisation in whose objective
27590-476: The town's seafront and was the subject of a painting by James Sant RA, and part of Tower 68 forms the basement of a house on St. Antony's Hill. Between 1805 and 1807, a fortress known as the Eastbourne Redoubt was built as a barracks and storage depot, and armed with 10 cannons. A connection with India comes in the shape of the 18th-century Lushington monument, also at St Mary's, which commemorates
27768-589: The town. These were originally chalk deposits laid down under the sea during the Late Cretaceous , and were later lifted by the same tectonic plate movements that formed the European Alps, during the middle Tertiary period. The chalk can be clearly seen along the eroded coastline to the west of the town, in the area known as Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters , where continuous erosion keeps
27946-502: The two kings produced the first surviving documents in English diplomatic history. The letter is primarily concerned with the status of English pilgrims on the continent and with diplomatic gifts, but it reveals much about the relations between the English and the Franks . Charlemagne refers to Offa as his "brother", and mentions trade in black stones, sent from the continent to England, and cloaks (or possibly cloths), traded from England to
28124-447: The unidentified Gaini are examples of such power-bases. Marriage alliances could also have played a part. Competing magnates, those called in charters "dux" or "princeps" (that is, leaders), may have brought the kings to power. In this model, the Mercian kings are little more than leading noblemen. Offa seems to have attempted to increase the stability of Mercian kingship, both by the elimination of dynastic rivals to his son Ecgfrith, and
28302-525: The west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement is the city of Brighton and Hove , and the county town is Lewes . The county has an area of 1,792 km (692 sq mi) and a population of 822,947. The latter is largely concentrated along the coast, where the largest settlements are located: Brighton and Hove (277,105), Eastbourne (99,180), and Hastings (91,490). The centre and north of
28480-423: The witness list as king of Kent. Another king of Kent, Ecgberht , appears on a charter in 765 along with Heahberht; the charter was subsequently confirmed by Offa. Offa's influence in Kent at this time is clear, and it has been suggested that Heahberht was installed by Offa as his client. There is less agreement among historians on whether Offa had general overlordship of Kent thereafter. He is known to have revoked
28658-412: The world at large with so ... acute a political sense". Many historians regard Offa's achievements as second only to Alfred the Great among the Anglo-Saxon kings. Offa's reign has sometimes been regarded as a key stage in the transition to a unified England, but this is no longer the general view among historians in the field. In the words of Simon Keynes , "Offa was driven by a lust for power, not
28836-449: The year have never fallen below 0 °C (32 °F), and in July the temperature has never fallen below 8.3 °C (46.9 °F). All temperature figures relate to the period 1960 onwards. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Cfb " (Marine West Coast Climate/ Oceanic climate ). There are two tiers of local government covering Eastbourne, at district and county level: Eastbourne Borough Council , based at
29014-405: Was Cynethryth , whose ancestry is unknown. The couple had a son, Ecgfrith , and at least three daughters: Ælfflæd, Eadburh and Æthelburh. It has been speculated that Æthelburh was the abbess who was a kinswoman of King Ealdred of the Hwicce , but there are other prominent women named Æthelburh during that period. Æthelbald, who had ruled Mercia since 716, was assassinated in 757. According to
29192-449: Was "rex Merciorium", or "king of the Mercians", though this was occasionally extended to "king of the Mercians and surrounding nations". Some of his charters use the title "Rex Anglorum," or "King of the English," and this has been seen as a sweeping statement of his power. There is debate on this point, however, as several of the charters in which Offa is named "Rex Anglorum" are of doubtful authenticity. They may represent later forgeries of
29370-436: Was a community known as Norway, Eastbourne in the triangle now bounded by Wartling Road, Seaside and Lottbridge Drove. The name being a corruption of North Way, as this was the route to the north. The area is now a housing estate and the only evidence there was a Norway are a Norway Road and the local church whose sign reads "St Andrew's Church, Norway". The former fishing hamlet of Holywell (local pronunciation 'holly well')
29548-399: Was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales , who became King George IV in 1820. A more recent attraction is the Brighton i360 , a 162 m observation tower on the seafront, which opened on 4 August 2016 to provide extensive views over Brighton and Hove, the South Downs and the English Channel . The tower has never achieved forecast visitor numbers and in June 2023
29726-412: Was formalised by Parliament in 1865, and the two parts were made into administrative counties , each with its own elected county council in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888 . In East Sussex there were also three self-administered county boroughs : Brighton , Eastbourne and Hastings . Upon its foundation, East Sussex included the south of Tunbridge Wells and the south of Lamberhurst ; by
29904-415: Was found not guilty . He was struck off for four years but resumed his practice in Eastbourne in 1961. According to Scotland Yard 's archives, he is thought to have killed up to 163 patients in the Eastbourne area. After the war, development continued, including the growth of Old Town up the hillside (Green Street Farm Estate) and the housing estates of Hampden Park , Willingdon Trees and Langney . During
30082-572: Was introduced at all mints. None of Jænberht's or Cynethryth's coins occur in this coinage, whereas all of Æthelheard's coins are of the new, heavier weight. There are also surviving gold coins from Offa's reign. One is a copy of an Abbasid dinar struck in 774 by Caliph Al-Mansur , with "Offa Rex" centred on the reverse. It is clear that the moneyer had no understanding of Arabic as the Arabic text contains many errors. The coin may have been produced to trade with Islamic Spain ; or it may be part of
30260-713: Was no doubt connected with her father's overlordship. If Offa did not gain the advantage in Wessex until defeating Cynewulf in 779, it may be that his successes south of the river were a necessary prerequisite to his interventions in the south-east. In this view, Egbert of Kent's death in about 784 and Cynewulf's death in 786 were the events that allowed Offa to gain control of Kent and bring Beorhtric into his sphere of influence. This version of events also assumes that Offa did not have control of Kent after 764–65, as some historians believe. Offa's marital alliances extended to Northumbria when his daughter Ælfflæd married Æthelred I of Northumbria at Catterick in 792. However, there
30438-413: Was once an extensive woodland. The highest point in this area is Crowborough Hill (242 m (794 ft)), part of the High Weald uplands. The south-west of the county is part of the South Downs , a rolling chalk escarpment that stretches west into West Sussex and Hampshire. Ditchling Beacon (248 m (814 ft)) is the highest point. Where the downs reach the sea, they form high cliffs such as
30616-404: Was one of a number of strong Mercian kings who ruled from the mid-7th century to the early 9th, and it was not until the reign of Egbert of Wessex in the 9th century that Mercian power began to wane. The power and prestige that Offa attained made him one of the most significant rulers in early medieval Britain , though no contemporary biography of him survives. A key source for the period
30794-450: Was renamed the Eastbourne Society in 1999. Local conservationists also failed to prevent the construction of the glass-plated TGWU conference and holiday centre (the building now operating as The View Hotel), but were successful in purchasing Polegate Windmill , thus saving it from demolition and redevelopment. Most of the expansion took place on the northern and eastern margins of the town, gradually swallowing surrounding villages. However,
30972-405: Was situated by the cliff on a ledge some 400 yards to the southwest of the public garden known as the Holywell Retreat. It was approached from what is now Holywell Road via the lane between the present Helen Gardens and Bede's School , which leads to the chalk pinnacle formerly known locally as 'Gibraltar' or the 'Sugar Loaf'. The ground around the pinnacle was the site of lime kilns also worked by
31150-512: Was the first papal mission to England since Augustine had been sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 597 to convert the Anglo-Saxons. The legates were Bishop George of Ostia , and Theophylact, the bishop of Todi . They visited Canterbury first, and then were received by Offa at his court. Both Offa and Cynewulf , king of the West Saxons, attended a council where the goals of the mission were discussed. George then went to Northumbria, while Theophylact visited Mercia and "parts of Britain". A report on
31328-417: Was the largest of this type in the UK during this war, treating 150,000; 80% were able to return to fight. The facility was dismantled in 1920. An exhibition about the history of the camp was held in Eastbourne for several months in 2015. In 1926, the Eastbourne Corporation Act enabled the creation of the Eastbourne Downland Estate . A royal visit by George V and Queen Mary in March 1935 is commemorated by
31506-444: Was the rival, not the overlord, of Kentish kings". Mercian control lasted until 796, the year of Offa's death, when Eadberht Præn was temporarily successful in regaining Kentish independence. Ealhmund was probably the father of Egbert of Wessex , and it is possible that Offa's interventions in Kent in the mid-780s are connected to the subsequent exile of Egbert to Francia. The Chronicle claims that when Egbert invaded Kent in 825,
31684-415: Was typically dominant. Prior to 762 Kent was ruled by Æthelberht II and Eadberht I ; Eadberht's son Eardwulf is also recorded as a king. Æthelberht died in 762, and Eadberht and Eardwulf are last mentioned in that same year. Charters from the next two years mention other kings of Kent, including Sigered , Eanmund and Heahberht . In 764, Offa granted land at Rochester in his own name, with Heahberht on
#586413