The Sussex Archaeological Society, founded in 1846, is one of the oldest county-based archaeological societies in the UK. A registered self-funding charity whose charitable aims are to enable people to enjoy, learn about and have access to the heritage of Sussex. This is done by opening six historic sites in Sussex to visitors, providing research facilities in its library, running excavations, providing a finds identification service and offering a variety of walks, talks and conferences on the archaeology and history of Sussex. Its headquarters are at Bull House, High Street, Lewes, Sussex. The current chief executive of the society is Andrew Edwards. As well as the supervision of excavations within Sussex, the SAS publishes the '' Sussex Archaeological Collections'' and an annual report, and administers the Long Man of Wilmington. The six historic properties and museums open to the public are: *

Fishbourne Roman Palace Fishbourne Roman Palace (or Fishbourne Villa) is located in the village of Fishbourne, Chichester in West Sussex. The palace is the largest Roman residence north of the Alps. and has an unusually early date of 75 CE, around thirty years afte ...

Lewes Castle Lewes Castle is a medieval castle in the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. Originally called Bray Castle, it occupies a commanding position guarding the gap in the South Downs cut by the River Ouse and occupied by the towns of Lewes and Cliff ...

and Barbican House Museum * Anne of Cleves House, Lewes * Michelham Priory * Marlipins Museum,

Shoreham-By-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in West Sussex, England. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to its west by the Adur Valley and to its south by the River Adur and Shoreham Beach on th ...

The Priest House, West Hoathly The Priest House is a Grade II* listed fifteenth century timber framed hall house in the centre of West Hoathly, in West Sussex, England. It is close to The Cat Inn and St Margaret's Church. It is now a museum, open to the public six days a week ...

In 2020 the society received a £250,000 grant from the

National Lottery Heritage Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

to cover costs during the Covid-19 pandemic. The society received £323,800 from the British government's

Culture Recovery Fund The Culture Recovery Fund is a grants programme issued by the UK Government as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund aims to financially support cultural organisations in England (such as theatres, museums, and music venues) which had bec ...

in 2021.

Investigations

In April 2006, the society started an archeological investigation into the

Tide Mills Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

area. The investigation is expected by Newhaven Local & Maritime Museum to include not only the

tide mill A tide mill is a water mill driven by tidal rise and fall. A dam with a sluice is created across a suitable tidal inlet, or a section of river estuary is made into a reservoir. As the tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one-way ga ...

, but also to record the entire East Beach site: Mills, Railway Station, Nurses Home,

Chailey Heritage Marine Hospital The ruins of the Chailey Heritage Marine Hospital stand to the seaward side of Tide Mills, east of Newhaven, Sussex, in England. History The hospital, which was built to provide aftercare and recovery for disabled boys who had undergone surgery ...

, Newhaven Seaplane Base and the later holiday homes and the Newhaven Marconi Radio Station of 1904.

Notable members

* William Henry Blaauw (founder member) * George Slade Butler * Garth Christian (Council member) *

Peter Drewett Peter Ladson Drewett (1947 – 1 April 2013) was an English archaeologist and academic, best known for his work in Sussex. Drewett was brought up in Croydon, where he first became interested in archaeology; he began working on excavations in his e ...

Walter Godfrey Walter Hindes Godfrey, CBE, FSA, FRIBA (1881–1961), was an English architect, antiquary, and architectural and topographical historian. He was also a landscape architect and designer, and an accomplished draftsman and illustrator. He was ...

James Henry Hurdis James Henry Hurdis (1800-1857) was an amateur artist and the elder son of James Hurdis, a renowned professor of poetry. He is known for his many portraits of notable Sussex people. The cult of the Sussex Martyrs is said to have been started usin ...

(founder member) *

Mark Antony Lower Mark Antony Lower F.S.A. M.A. (1813–1876) was a Sussex historian and schoolteacher who founded the Sussex Archaeological Society. An anti-Catholic propagandist Lower is believed to have started the "cult of the Sussex Martyrs", although he wa ...

(founder member and employed as secretary) *

Mark Aloysius Tierney Mark Aloysius Tierney (September 1795, in Brighton – 19 February 1862, at Arundel) was an English Catholic historian. Life After his early schooling under the direction of the Franciscans in Baddesley Green, Warwickshire, he was educated at ...

secretary * John George Dodson, (member from 1852-)

Publications

The society has published an official journal, ''Sussex Archaeological Collections'', annually since 1848 with a few gaps. It is sent to members and subscribers, and exchanged with other similar societies. The current editor is Jaime Kaminski.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Archaeology of England Archaeological Archaeological Archaeological organizations