Things I Learned in Pevensey

1. The Normans introduced castles to England. Castles were the key to the Norman conquest of the island in 1066. They were built with high mottes, or mounds, which were protected by a wall or palisade. The motte was not only an effective stronghold against invaders, but it also served as a symbol of Norman power to the conquered Anglo-Saxons.

2. William wanted to land at Hastings, but the wind complicated his crossing of the English Channel. Instead he landed at Pevensey Bay and then made haste for Hastings.

3. Pevensey Castle was originally a Roman fort called Anderida. After the Romans withdrew in the 5th century, a small Briton community lived within the walls until 491 when the Saxons besieged the fort and slew all the inhabitants. Pevensey disappears from all documentary evidence until 1066 when the Normans showed up. That’s about five and a half centuries unaccounted for!

4. A flooded dungeon floor doesn’t necessarily look flooded from above, just wet. Luckily I learned this second hand (sorry, AC!)

5. British Castle Museum curators are quite good at providing children with something interesting to look at while their parents take in an exhibit. I learned about The Story of Castles. And from The Story of Castles I learned how early castles were built first of wood and then later converted to stone.

6. There is such a thing as a battered and deep fried Mars bar. We came across this “delicacy” at a fish and chips place near the Pevensey rail station.

7. The Brits will fry just about anything in a chipper.

8. My husband will try just about anything that comes out of a chipper.