Battle is mainly known for its battlefield and abbey, and of course the infamous conflict of 1066 itself. But what about the history of the town itself?
The Romans were settled nearby before Battle even existed: in the period AD100-200 there was a major Roman ironworks at Beauport Park about two miles south east of the town. Nothing can be seen today (except some fascinating artefacts in Battle Museum) but the ironmaking here was on such a scale that it provided the vast Roman Empire with about half of its needs.
Battle was established because of the abbey – the first townspeople were the craftsmen and labourers who helped remove the hill, build the abbey and support the monks. Looking over the 'Abbey Green', you can imagine crowds of pilgrims in centuries gone by, bull baiting and pelting petty criminals in the stocks.
From the top of the Abbey Gatehouse, which is now accessible, you will see the striking pattern of medieval land allocation: long thin cultivation strips, unusually still visible today, at the back of the dwellings. The abbot enjoyed a special authority within the leuga (league) around the abbey and was not subject to the authority of the local bishop. This also gave the town a special status, including becoming a legal centre for several centuries.
In the twelfth century Henry I granted a charter for holding a fair at St Martin’s tide in November – which continued until 1967. There were royal visits over the centuries: William II was at the consecration of the Abbey in 1095; King John visited at least twice and Henry III also dropped by on his way to Lewes to meet Simon de Montfort in 1265.
Famously Battle’s Abbot Hamo de Offington, a warrior monk, beat off a French attack on Winchelsea in 1377. More recently, Queen Elizabeth II attended the commemoration of the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings.
Battle’s influence gradually waned after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII and closure of the abbey in 1538 when the King granted it to Sir Anthony Browne, one of his courtiers. But in later centuries the town took on fresh identities. The ease of local charcoal-making brought Battle fame in the 17th and 18th centuries for its gunpowder, rated by Daniel Defoe as the finest in Europe.
This is still remembered today by the Battle Bonfire Boyes and their 'guy', who leads the bonfire procession every year before being returned to Battle Museum. From the mid 16th century Battle was a centre of the thriving Wealden iron industry; locally cast cannon helped defeat the Spanish Armada and were used throughout the wars of the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the eighteenth century these industries gradually declined due to the Industrial Revolution in the North but there was still activity: for instance, the town then became a centre for clocks. However, the town’s military connections were not done and military barracks were based outside Battle during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the early 1830s Battle was one of the centres of unrest over agricultural poverty, with William Cobbett heavily involved, speaking both at the George Hotel and at the north of the town. In subsequent decades Battle followed the pattern in Victorian England of improvements in public health, schools, and transport. In the 20th century the town’s young men and women made their sacrifices in two World Wars, commemorated by the steel statue created by Guy Portelli at the North Trade Road roundabout in 2016.
Today Battle is a thriving town full of independent shops, cafés and restaurants, with strong traditions and a full calendar of events.
