Archaeology of the Ouse Valley, Sussex, to AD 1500

by Dudley Moore (Editor), Michael J. Allen (Editor), David Rudling (Editor)

The Ouse valley, East Sussex, is a key communication route from the Channel coast, via the Downs (and the historic county town of Lewes), to the wide expanse of the Weald. It traverses and encompasses landscapes and archaeological sites of both regional and national importance – all connected by the river Ouse and its valley. This is the first review of the archaeology of this important landscape – from Palaeolithic to medieval times by contributors all routed in the archaeology of Sussex. Binding together the archaeology is a review of the geoarchaeology and palaeo-environment following which the chapters document the collective archaeology and potential from the Palaeolithic of Boxgrove vs Piltdown, via Mesolithic archaeology from the textbook excavations of Grahame Clark to recent 21st century investigations. Monuments of causewayed enclosures, long barrows and round barrows represent some of the Neolithic and Bronze Age evidence with some extraordinary finds recorded in the Bronze Age. From hillforts and villas, to medieval rural and urban excavation; the Ouse valley represents a microcosm of the wider region, the contributions collectively reveal the importance and significance of this valley to the development of landscape history and society of a quintessential English county. The narrative concludes with the first detailed research agenda for the Ouse valley.

Table of Contents

Dudley John Moore

an appreciation and tribute to ‘a life well lived’ (Sarah Green)

Foreword. CCE (University of Sussex) and its three Sussex River Ouse teaching, learning and research (David Rudling)

1. studying the Ouse Valley (Dudley Moore)

2. Holocene geoarchaeology and palaeo-environment

setting the scene (Michael J. Allen)

3. Palaeolithic record of the Sussex Ouse Valley (Matt Pope and Jenny Brown)

4. Mesolithic (Diana Jones)

5. Neolithic (Steve Sutcliffe)

6. Bronze Age, a north-south divide (Lisa Jayne Fisher)

7. Iron Age (Stuart McGregor)

8. Impact of Rome (David Rudling)

9. Anglo-Saxons (Simon Stevens)

10. The Upper Ouse in the Medieval period (AD 1066 to 1499) (David H. Millum)

11. Lower Ouse in the Medieval period (AD 1066 to 1499) (David J. Worsell)

12. Research priorities for the Ouse valley (Michael J. Allen and David Rudling

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 7, 2016

About the author

Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE, was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.

Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s and became famous as half of the popular television double-act he formed with Peter Cook. His fame as a comedic actor was later heightened by his success in Hollywood movies such as 10 with Bo Derek and Arthur in the late 1970s and early 1980s, respectively. He was often known as "Cuddly Dudley" or "The Sex Thimble", a reference to his short stature and popularity with women.