Hastings Bulverhythe - (Landing place of the citizens)

General Details

Our area of Bulverhythe also includes the manors of Filsham and Pebsham originally Petit Ihamme which is mentioned in the Cinque Ports Charter. Bulverhythe was a manor near Crowhurst and was the harbour for the burgh of Hastings and a haven for fishermen before the land rose and the water left the valley. The area was used by the Romans to ship iron products from the bloomeries near Beauport to the port at Hastings.

Bulverhythe is originally an Anglo Saxon name Burgh wara hythe meaning the harbour of the people who live in the burgh(fortification) this is a burgh recorded by Alfred the Great as a defense against the Vikings . There is some evidence that William the Conqueror and his troops landed in this area, although it is possible that they landed further to the west near Hooe or possibly even Pevensey .

In 1310 the Lord of the manor John de Bretagne was granted a weekly market and an annual fair by King Edward II.

In 1359 a reference to Bulverhythe as a limb of the Cinque Ports is found in a document by Edward III , in which the manor was mentioned as supplying one ship together with Petit Ihamme (originally Pyppels Ham and now Pebsham ). The area was also used to execute felons within the Cinque Ports , the criminals were drowned in a local watercourse called Stordisdale.

The area was very marshy, and a ferry is mentioned in 1335. The chapel of St Mary is described as having a causeway which linking it to Hastings in 1369.

Bulverhythe was important as an export port for the Wealden iron industry until the late 1700's, probably shipping the cannons and iron goods from the Ashburnham forge and foundry . On 14th january 1748 the Dutch East Indiaman the Amsterdam ran ashore about 1/2 mile from Bulverhythe. The ship was a new ship of about 700 tons armed with 52 guns and with an original crew of 333 men. The ship was on its way from Amsterdam to Batavia with a cargo of silver, and had taken 2 months to get from Amsterdam to Beachy Head, where she had lost her rudder and all control. The crew had lost about 100 men to sickness in this time. In recent times the wreck has been thoroughly excavated during the 1980's.

One of the great Martello Towers was built at Bulverhythe in the 1800's as a defense against Napoleon . The first gunner was in place in March 1806, and was a scottish gunner who had been invalided from the army in Europe.

In 1823 annual horse races were established at Bulverhythe Salts, the same area in 1841 was the termination point for the Brighton to Hastings main line railway service. The railway was continued to St Leonards in 1846.

Views

Services

Bulverhythe has a number of local shops and services.

Map

Hastings Bulverhythe is shown as the red symbol on the map.

Nearby Villages
(click on symbol to see the village page)