Other Points of Interest

Naval Heritage

Cinque Ports

The legend of England's maritime power was born in the C13th, amidst the narrow, winding streets and medieval houses of the seven Cinque Ports of East Sussex and Kent. Three of the head ports were Hastings and the 'Two Antient' Towns of Rye and Winchelsea. They were the key to any sea travel by the monarch, with the ships from the Cinque Ports forming the professional nucleus of the navy.

Martello Towers

Pevensey Bay was part of the Napoleonic defenses of England in the early 1800's. An example of a Martello tower can be seen here.

Smuggling

Smuggling, made famous by Rudyard Kipling in his poem, 'A Smuggler's Song', is known to have existed in the 1066 Country area since the 13th Century, when Edward I introduced the Customs system. By the end of the 17th Century, offering an attractive alternative to a life of poverty, it had expanded into a widespread occupation, which affected the lives of many East Sussex residents.

The romantic image of the smuggler is far from the truth, as can be testified by the activities of the ruthless Hawkhurst Gang, one of the many smuggling gangs to work out of Rye. Using the Mermaid Inn, Mermaid Street, Rye as one of their bases, they did not hesitate to torture or murder anyone who stood in their way.

In 1821 the National Coastguard Service took over the policing of the coastline, succeeded shortly after by the reform of the Customs service. These were two of the factors which soon led to the demise of smuggling in the area.

Perhaps one of the most infamous smugglers was Russell Thorndike's fictional hero, Dr Christopher Syn, by day a respectable vicar, by night the 'Scarecrow', the much feared and admired head of the smugglers gang 'The Men of the Marsh'.