• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
The History of Brighton
By Tim LambertTHE BEGINNING
Brighton began as a Saxon village. The Saxons conquered Sussex in the 5th century AD. One of them was called Beorthelm. He owned a farm (in Saxon a tun) called Beorthelm's tunwhich, intime grew into the town of Brighton. As well as farmers there were fishermen in the village.Brighton overlooked a cliff and the fishermen's huts were under this cliff on the foreshore. Thechurch of St Bartholomew was first mentioned in 1185. (Though it probably existed long beforethen).
THE MIDDLE AGES
In 1313 Brighton gained a charter. This was a document granting the merchants the right to formtheir own local government and certain other privileges. A fish market was held daily on the beach. There was also a weekly pig market and a weekly corn market as well as a general marketwhere all kinds of goods were sold. Once a year there was a fair. (A fair was like a market butwas held annually and attracted buyers and sellers from all over South East England).The earliest map of Brighton shows a little town about one quarter of a mile square. There were4 streets, North Street, West Street, East Street and South Street. In the middle of the 4 streetswere allotments. The Lanes started as pathways between them. By 1500 Middle Street existed.There were also fishermen's huts along the shore. The 4 streets formed the boundaries of thetown. The space between Middle Street and East Street was called the Hempshares and hempwas grown there for fishermen's nets. (The Lanes started as little paths between gardens or allotments).Brighton suffered from the continuous erosion of the coast. In 1340 it was stated that the sea hadrecently 'swallowed' 40 acres of farmland.
 
The first fortification at Brighton was the bulwark, which was a tower built next to the town in1497.Brighton town council consisted of 12 men chosen from 'the most respectable, wealthier anddiscreeter' inhabitants, 8 fishermen and 4 landmen. They chose one of themselves tobe theConstable, responsible for law and order for one year. When one of the 12 died the other 11selected somebody to replace him.
THE 16th CENTURY
The French burned down Brighton in 1514. This was easily done as nearly all the buildings wereof wood, with thatched roofs. On the other hand, they could be easily rebuilt.In 1545 the French returned. A writer said the French commander 'Came forth into the seas andarrived on the coast of Sussex before Brighthamstead(Brighton) and set certain of his soldiers onland to burn and spoil the country, but the beacons were lit (to warn people in the surroundingcountryside and summon their aid) and the inhabitants thereabouts came down so thick, that theFrenchmen were driven to fly with loss of diverse of their numbers so that they did little hurtthere'.By 1580 there were 400 fishermen and 102 landmen living in Brighton. So it probably had a population of around 2,500. By the standards of the time Brighton was a fair sized market town.There were 80 fishing vessels.In 1558 'there was granted to the inhabitants of that town by the Lords one parcel of landcontaining in length, 30 feet long and 16 feet in breadth'. This parcel of land was used to buildthe blockhouse. The blockhouse was a circular fort, 50 feet in diameter, 16 feet in height withwalls 8 feet thick. It had 6 large guns and 10 small cannons. It stood near the Southern end of Middle Street. A wall 14 or 16 feet high, with placements for guns extended 400 feet eastwardsto East Street and westward to West Street. There were 4 gates, East gate, Porters gate, MiddleGate and West gate.
 
THE 17th CENTURY
Despite the building of the blockhouse in 1635 the local Justice of the Peace complained of thelack of defences at Brighton.In 1651, shortly after the civil war, Charles II persuaded the Scots to invade England to help himregain his crown. The attempt was foiled. The Scottish army was defeated at Worcester and theking narrowly avoided capture. He made his way, in disguise to Brighton, and was smuggledabroad.In the 17th century the fishing industry in Brighton suffered a decline. This was because of aseries of wars with the French and the Dutch. Their navies prevented fishing vessels from goingfishing, e.g. in 1694 a writer said 'Our poor town of Brighton has been this day suddenlysurprised by 4 French ships and pestered by them since 11 am. As yet they have not done usmuch harm, having positioned themselves so near to us as to shoot over the town'. Two moreFrench vessels arrived but the townsfolk armed themselves and assembled. Eventually theFrench sailed away.The modern name of the town, Brighton, first appeared in 1660. By 1810 it was the official nameof the town. In 1665 a free school opened in the town on the Hempshares. In the same year aBowling Green opened on the Old Steine.
THE 18th CENTURY
In 1703 England was struck by a severe storm. In Brighton it 'stripped a great many houses,turned up the lead off the church, otherthrew 2 windmills and laid them flat on the ground'. Asecond storm in 1705 demolished houses below the cliff, along the foreshore. In 1723 groinswere built. However the two storms severely damaged Brighton, which was already suffering aneconomic depression. Brighton declined in size to perhaps 1,500 people in the early 18thcentury. And the ocean continued to erode the seashore. First it destroyed the houses under thecliff, then, by 1760 began to undermine the cliff itself. Brightons fortifications were slowlyundermined and destroyed by the sea.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...