BATTLE, EAST SUSSEX

'Battle' is a small village in the local government district of Rother in East Sussex, England, about 5 miles (8 km) from Hastings, and the site of the Battle of Hastings, where William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II to become William I in 1066.

Contents

The Abbey

The town

Gunpowder works

Rail transport

John Bodkin Adams

External links

Sources

See also

The Abbey

Battle Abbey was founded to commemorate the battle, and dedicated in 1095. The high altar of the Abbey church was reputedly on the spot where Harold died. The Abbey gateway is still the dominant feature of the south end of the main street, although little remains of the rest of the Abbey buildings. The remaining cloisters, part of the west range, were leased to Battle Abbey School shortly after World War I, and the school remains in occupancy to this day. Although referred to as ''Battle Abbey'', it is actually named ''St. Martin's Abbey''.

The town

The town of Battle was gradually built around the Abbey, and later developed a reputation for the quality of the gunpowder produced in the area. In the mid 1700s, the town supported five watchmakers in the High Street. Today, Battle is known as a tourist destination.
The local bonfire society, Battel Bonfire Boyes, is claimed to be the oldest of the Sussex Bonfire Societies^[1]. The importance of Bonfire Night in Battle is because it is located in the wooded Weald of Sussex. Most of the area was heavily wooded, which provided oak and other timbers for Navy Shipyards, power for making cannons (shipped to Portsmouth or Chatham), cannon balls and gunpowder.
Battle was a refuge in World War I, and tunnels still exist, leading from various fields and cellars to Battle Abbey itself. However, they are deemed unsafe and are now closed.
The band Keane hails from Battle.

Gunpowder works

The first gunpowder mill in Battle was built in 1676 when John Hammond was granted permission to build a mill on land owned by the Abbey^[2]. A gunpowder works was located in Powdermill Lane - the remains of which have been converted into a hotel. The Duke of Cleveland refused to renew the licence in 1847 after many mishaps^[2], including one occasion in 1798 on which more than 15 tonnes of gunpowder were left in the oven for too long and exploded.

Rail transport

Battle railway station (designed by William Tress) lies on the Hastings Line, north of Crowhurst and south of Robertsbridge. There was once a station known as Mountfield Halt between Battle and Robertsbridge but this closed on 6 October 1969.
The station is managed by and the services are provided by Southeastern.

John Bodkin Adams

John Bodkin Adams, the suspected serial killer, attended a shooting meeting in Battle on 30 June 1983. While staying at the Battle Abbey Hotel he slipped on the concrete steps and fractured his left hip. He was taken to hospital but died of left ventricular failure on 4 July. In 1957, he had been tried at the Old Bailey on two counts of murdering his patients, but was controversially found not guilty. He was suspected, however, by pathologist Francis Camps of killing 163 patients.^[4]

External links

★ Battle Web Site Local Tourism & Community Web Site

★

Sources

1. http://www.battelbonfire.co.uk/
2. http://www.battlemuseum.org.uk/guy_fawkes.htm
3. http://www.battlemuseum.org.uk/guy_fawkes.htm
4. Cullen, Pamela V., "A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams", London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006, ISBN 1-904027-19-9

See also

Battle of Hastings