Excete Parish Church marker
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright for Photograph: Creative Commons |
Location
| Street: | Seaford Road |
| Town: | Seaford |
| Parish: | West Dean |
| Council: | Lewes District Council |
| County: | East Sussex |
| Postcode: | BN25 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Road or Wayside |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | On the Downs overlooking Cuckmere Haven from the eastern side of the river |
| In the AZ book: | East Sussex |
| Page: | 157 |
| Grid reference: | M1 |
| The A-Z books used are A-Z East Sussex and A-Z West Sussex (Editions 1A 2005). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. Sevenoaks. | |
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Makers
| Name : | Mr. Andrews |
| Role: | Stonemason |
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General Information
| Commissioned by: | Sussex Archaeological Society & the Ecclesiastical Commissioners |
| Construction period: | 1913 |
| Installation date: | 1913 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Sussex Archaeological Society & the Ecclesiastical Commissioners |
| Object listing: | Not listed |
| Description: | A rough hewn inscribed block of stone marking the site of the old 11th century Parish Church of Excete |
| Inscription: | PARISH CHURCH OF EXCETE BUILT PROBABLY IN THE XITH. CENTURY AND ABANDONED IN THE XVTH. CENTURY [THE PARISH BEING INCORPORATED WITH WEST DENE IN 1528] THE FOUNDATIONS WERE UNCOVERED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE REVND. G.W.A. LAWRANCE RECTOR OF WEST DENE AND THE SUSSEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY AND THE SITE RESERVED BY THE ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSIONERS 1913 |
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Classification
| Categories: | Religious, Roadside / Wayside, Free Standing, Commemorative |
| Object type1: | Marker |
| Object subtype1: | Inscribed stone |
| Subject type1: | Non-figurative |
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Object Parts
| Part 1: | Inscribed block |
| Material: | Rough hewn stone |
| Height (cm): | 80 |
| Width (cm): | 60 |
| Depth (cm): | 60 |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Good |
| Risk assessment: | No known risk |
| Condition 1 of type: | Surface |
| Condition 1: | Corrosion, deterioration |
| More details: | Inscription wearing due to exposed position and weather |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 15/08/2008 |
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History
| History: | The village of Excete (Exceat) no longer exists. It is assumed that the name originated from the Saxon; 'the land of the Aese' who were the first kings of Kent. It is likely that the village originated in Saxon times, primarily as a fishing village, protected as it was from the weather by the Cuckmere valleys. Alfred the Great built a palace in nearby West Dean, and it is possible that Excete was one of his main naval bases in his war with the Vikings. After the Norman Conquest in 1066 the village was handed over to Robert, Count of Mortain, the half brother of King William. He gave the land to the Monastery of Grestein, and their priory at Wilmington. King Edward I visited the village in 1305 indicating that the village still held importance, particularly with its association with Seaford and the Cinque Ports. It continued to be important until the 1300s when its population was significantly reduced due to the Black Death. Eventually, after also suffering French raids, the village was abandoned by the mid 1400s. |
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References
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Photographs
Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
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