Balsdean is a deserted hamlet in a remote

downland Downland, chalkland, chalk downs or just downs are areas of open chalk hills, such as the North Downs. This term is used to describe the characteristic landscape in southern England where chalk is exposed at the surface. The name "downs" is deriv ...

valley east of

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

, England, on record since about 1100. It was formerly a chapelry of the parish of

Rottingdean Rottingdean is a village in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. It borders the villages of Saltdean, Ovingdean and Woodingdean, and has a historic centre, often the subject of picture postcards. Name The name Rotting ...

, and its territory touched that of the mother parish only at a single point. Despite its remoteness, it falls within the boundaries of the city of

Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority area, ceremonially in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administe ...

. The valley of Balsdean is the most reliable migration stopover in Sussex of the rare Arctic and high mountain breeding wader the dotterel. The flinty fields are thought to resemble its mountain breeding grounds.

History

Bronze Age

The nearby hill known as the Bostle is the site of a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

cemetery consisting of a group of three large Bronze Barrows, with other barrows located nearby.

Roman

Roman occupation of the neighbourhood has been recorded by two notable finds. In 1757 a Roman dagger was found in a tumulus at Balsdean. In 1798 a stoneware urn or jar was unearthed, containing upwards of a thousand Roman copper coins. Some were faintly plated, or washed, with silver, and they were so little damaged that their relief remained perfectly sharp. Therefore, they could not have been much, if at all, in circulation. They were of the time of Valerian, who reigned AD 225, Gallienus, Claudius, Quintilius, Posthumus, Victorinus, Marius, and Tetricus.

Saxon

An Anglo-Saxon barrow cemetery consisting of 27 early Anglo-Saxon barrows have been recorded in the vicinity of the Bronze Age cemetery on The Bostle.

Medieval

Balsdean was a hamlet, which consisted of two farms, Norton and Sutton, more generally known as Norton and Balsdean.

Later history

Norton farm was used as a

lunatic asylum The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...

in the early nineteenth century: by the twentieth century it had become uninhabited. Balsdean Manor house and two workers' cottages were inhabited until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when the population was evacuated and the buildings were used for target practice by Allied

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

. These buildings, including the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

chapel by then used as a barn, were never rebuilt and the people never returned. The only building still remaining is a derelict post-war barn complex. There is a modern farm named after the original Balsdean Farm on the fringe of Rottingdean, and from there most of the ancient farmlands of Balsdean are still worked. Part of the original sheepdown is now protected by the Castle Hill

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

. Much of the former sheepdown, however, is now the site of the Brighton suburb of Woodingdean, the building of which started around 1918.

References

External links

Newmarket Hill: Exploring the natural and local history of the South Downs between Brighton and Lewes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balsdean Brighton and Hove Deserted medieval villages in East Sussex Hamlets in East Sussex