1066 is the best known date in English history and the Norman Conquest profoundly affected the people of Sussex.  The Domesday Survey of 1086 gives a uniquely detailed view of local settlements and their people. Many of our institutions developed in the Late Saxon period but with the Normans land ownership changed as did the church leaders. New cathedrals and castles were built and a fully feudal social order imposed.
 
This course will look at change and continuity in Sussex between the 11th and 16th centuries CE. Topics will include the lead-up to 1066 and its aftermath, rural settlement, towns, castles and churches, housing, the Black Death, industry and trade, always with an emphasis on the Sussex experience.

Half term - Monday 12th - Friday 16th February 2024

My earliest archaeological experience was in excavation, firstly on prehistoric sites in Wessex and then several years rescue work. Eventually I became more interested in what went on beyond the trench and am now mainly involved in landscape archaeology. This necessitates some knowledge of monuments as diverse as Bronze Age barrows and 19th century military earthworks but my main interests lie in European Late Prehistory and developments after the retreat of the Roman Empire.
After many years in medical research at Surrey University I undertook doctoral research with the late Peter Drewett and David Rudling at Sussex University and have been teaching for about 25 years at the CCE at Sussex University, Collyers College, Horsham and various adult education classes.