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Site Name:
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Batsford (Clippenham) Furnace |
OS Reference:
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TQ 6310 1530
Click here to view on Where's The Path |
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Parish:
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Herstmonceux |
Former Parish:
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Hundred:
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Foxearle |
District:
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Wealden |
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County:
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East Sussex |
River Basin:
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Ashbourne |
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Site Type:
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Furnace, Gunfoundry |
Period:
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Modern |
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Century:
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17, 16 |
Geology:
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Ashdown Beds |
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Geology notes:
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Earliest known date:
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1571 |
Latest known date:
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1645 |
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Dating evidence:
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Built in 1571 by Thomas Glydd and Simon Colman on land leased from Gregory Fiennes, Lord Dacre. Glydd was the occupier recorded in 1574, although one version of the list does place him with Colman, another version mistakenly records Glydd as owner. Colman assigned the lease to Herbert Pelham in 1577 without Dacre's knowledge (BL Add. Ch. 30187; TNA REQ2/34/49; APC X, 176, 190), and he was sending iron to Pevensey by water (Salzmann 1910, 59). The furnace is referred to in the boundary-clause of a land transaction of 1591 as 'a watercourse from Batsford Furnace to Chilthurst Bridge', not indicating whether it was in operation (ESRO AMS 1981). References in the accounts of Herstmonceux Castle suggest that the furnace was still in operation in 1644-5 with iron being taken by barge to Pevensey (Lennard, 1905).
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Site Description:
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Bay:
L 85m H 4m/4m breached by stream SW end.
Water System:
Pen pond 240m upstream (bay L 80m H 2.5m).
Working Area:
Wheelpit at SW end in present stream. (Excavated 1978:Bedwin 1980:89-112.)
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Scheduled Monument Number:
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HER Reference:
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MES4877 (ANA) |
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Bay Height (m.):
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4 |
Bay Length (m.):
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85 |
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Classis Britannica tiles:
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No |
Samian pottery:
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No |
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Cylindrical slag plugs:
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No |
Two-finery forge:
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No |
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Excavation?:
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Yes |
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Excavation Details:
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See Bedwin 1980.
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Description of site vegetation:
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Slag Heap Area (m. sq) :
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Slag heap grade (Hodgkinson 1999):
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Persons Involved in Discovery:
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References:
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Goring, J. J.. (1978) 'Wealden Ironmasters in the Age of Elizabeth', in E. W Ives, R. J. Knecht & J. J. Scarisbrick (eds.) Wealth and Power in Tudor England. The Athlone Press. London. pp. 204-27
(for this site see page(s) 206)
Lennard, T. B.. (1905) Extracts from the household account book of Herstmonceux Castle. Sussex Archaeological Collections. 48. pp. 104-137
(for this site see page(s) 112, 130)
Salzmann, L. F.. (1910) The Inning of Pevensey Levels. Sussex Archaeological Collections. 53. pp. 32-60
(for this site see page(s) 59)
Straker, E. (1931) Wealden Iron. Bell. London
(for this site see page(s) 360)
Bedwin, O. (1980) The excavation of a late 16th century blast furnace at Batsford, Herstmonceux, East Sussex, 1978. Post-Medieval Archaeology. 14. pp. 89-112
Cleere, H. F. and Crossley, D. W.. (1995) The iron industry of the Weald. Merton Priory Press. Cardiff
(for this site see page(s) 312)
anon.. (1974) Inventory of Iron Sites visited by WIRG. Bulletin of the Wealden Iron Research Group. 1st series, 7. pp. 10-27
(for this site see page(s) 24-5)
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Persons with known connections to this site:
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Colman, Simon - Co-lessee 1571-7
Fiennes, Gregory - Owner 1571-94?
Fiennes, Margaret - Owner ?1594-1612
Glidd, Thomas - Builder/ Occupier 1571-7
Lennard, Francis - Owner 1630-62?
Lennard, Henry - Owner 1612-1616
Lennard, Richard - Owner 1616-30
Pelham, Herbert - Lessee/ironmaster 1577-?
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Documents:
(click to download)
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Images:
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