Object Details

Excete Parish Church marker

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Location
Makers
General Information
Classification
Object Parts
Object Condition
History
References
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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:HERE FORMERLY STOOD THE
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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