Everything about Anderitum totally explained
Anderitum was a
Saxon Shore Fort in the
Roman province of
Britannia. It is located at in eastern
Pevensey in the
English county of
East Sussex and was later converted into a
medieval castle known as
Pevensey Castle.
Roman fort
It was built by the
Romans during a time when Britain was still part of the Roman Empire. Recent
dendochronological dating of wooden foundation piles have dated this to AD
290. At this time the south and east of the province
Britannia were under constant attack from marauding
barbarian tribes, namely the
Jutes and
Saxons. The south and eastern seaboards of Britannia were collectively known as 'the Saxon Shore' and several large forts were built to defend it.
The fort was built on what was then peninsula of land rising above the coastal marshes. The sea washed over what is now Pevensey Marshes surrounding Anderida on three sides, so giving a safe and sheltered landing point. This marshy inlet of the sea, extending inland as far as
Hailsham, was studded with small areas of high land which remained as islands at high tide so giving the place-names of Rickney, Horse Eye, North Eye and Pevensey. All are derived from the Old English word 'eye' meaning island.
The
Roman road leading west away from the fort was built much earlier than the fort itself. There was probably a port already in existence in the area when the fort was built, though this has yet to be found.
The fort was repaired, probably by the great Roman General
Stilicho, about AD
400.
The massive Roman
enceinte still stands but little damaged.
Saxon fort
The
sub-Roman Brythons apparently occupied the fort in
491, though whether this was part of a long term residency or a temporary one necessitated by
Saxon raids is unclear. The
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that they were massacred there by King
Aelle of Sussex in that year.
The site was next occupied in
1042, when the
Anglo-Saxon Earl of Wessex, Harold Godwinson (later King
Harold II) established a strong point here, improving fortifications by digging ditches within the walls of the Roman fort. The English army remained at the fort during the summer of
1066 before abandoning it to meet the invading Norwegians further north.
Later castle
After the Saxon defeat at the
Battle of Hastings, the
Normans briefly used the fort as a temporary camp before it was converted into a
castle around
1100. Occupation continued until the
Elizabethan era.
Further Information
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