Hello and welcome to today's history lesson.

My name is Mr. Merrett, and I'll be guiding you through today's lesson.

So let's get started.

Today's history lesson, looking at the Norman England historic environment, we're focusing on the Normans and Pevensey Castle, and by the end of today's lesson, we'll be able to describe how the Normans made use of Pevensey Castle.

In order to do that, we need to use some key terms, and our key terms for today are castle and economic.

A castle is a defensive structure, which is also designed to be a place of permanent residence, and economic is relating to the organisation of money, industry, and trade of a country or region.

Today's lesson will consist of two separate learning cycles and our first learning cycle is looking at Pevensey's military role.

So let's get started.

Now, Pevensey Castle played a significant part in the Norman Conquest and later the Norman occupation of England.

William the Conqueror chose it as a landing site on the 28th of September, 1066, when beginning his fight to become king of England due to its excellent defensive properties both natural and manmade.

Its location upon a peninsula surrounded by natural harbours and marshland with only a narrow spit connecting it to the mainland made Pevensey an excellent site for military operations as it was difficult to attack and easy to reinforce.

In addition to this, the vast Roman walls that had stood for approximately 800 years provided additional security for its defenders.

Fortunately for William, there was no need for the Normans to attack the vast Roman walls that constituted Pevensey Castle prior to the Norman landing as it had been left undefended.

William ensured that this mistake would not be repeated when he became king.

The Normans made substantive changes to Pevensey Castle in order to increase its defensive capabilities.

By the end of the first day of occupation, William the Conqueror had erected the first Norman motte-and-bailey castle in England within the grounds of the walls.

He had also dug a ditch across the spits.

He had reinforced the more dilapidated parts of the Roman walls and he'd established an observation point on one of the Roman D towers to provide advanced warning should the Anglo-Saxons attack.

Although these measures proved unnecessary at the time as the Anglo-Saxons did not launch an attack on Pevensey, the Normans recognised the strategic importance of Pevensey and continued to build upon their progress after William was crowned King of England.

Pevensey was located on main route between London and Normandy.

Swiss defence is essential to maintain lines of communication between William's territories.

Okay, let's have a quick check for understanding now.

Where was the first motte-and-bailey castle that the Normans constructed in England located? Was it at Dover, at Hastings, or at Pevensey? Make your choice now.

Okay, if you chose C, then well done.

That's the correct answer.

William entrusted Pevensey and the surrounding rape, which was the traditional name for an administrative district in Sussex to one of his most trusted followers, his half brother Robert, Count of Mortain.

Robert and the other trusted lords who held Sussex were given power similar to those of the March Earls of Wales and on the borders of Scotland.

William considered Sussex to be a frontier region that needed protecting by men he trusted completely.

Robert added further reinforcements to the Roman walls and began converting the motte-and-bailey castle from a wooden structure into a more permanent stone structure.

The impact of this was most keenly felt by the local Anglo-Saxons.

Anglo-Saxon rebellions occurred all over England but not in Pevensey.

The Anglo-Saxons had little experience of attacking castles and the sight of the Norman Castle inside of the Roman forts was designed to be extremely intimidating and would've discouraged the locals from acting on their animosity towards the Norman invaders.

Pevensey was part of the former earldom of Wessex, which had been the personal domain of the former Anglo-Saxon King Harold II or Harold Godwinson, he's better known.

A rebellion here may well have been expected.

The lack of a rebellion is testament to the effectiveness of Pevensey Castle as a tool of intimidation.

Pevensey Castle remained a site of military importance after the death of William the Conqueror.

The rebellion of 1088 saw the rebel leader in England, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, the brother of Robert, Count of Mortain, take control of Pevensey Castle in preparation for the expected invasion of his choice for king, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy and William the Conqueror's oldest son.

Odo and his brother planned for Robert Curthose to emulate his father by using Pevensey Castle as a staging post for an invasion of England.

Instead, the brothers were placed under siege by King William II or William Rufus, as he's better known, for a period of six weeks.

And although Odo surrendered, he only did so because his soldiers ran out of food and faced starvation.

The defences of Pevensey Castle had proven to be impregnable.

Pevensey Castle was also where King Henry I stationed himself in the summer of 1101 when expecting his own invasion from his older brother, Robert Curthose.

Robert Curthose instead chose to invade elsewhere on the coast.

He actually landed in Portsmouth, possibly because he was put off by the prospect of a fully defended Pevensey Castle.

Okay, here's another check for understanding now and it's a discussion-based question.

I'd like to think a lack of a rebellion in Pevensey post-Norman Conquest is a testament to what? So pause the video while you consider that question and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hope you've gone okay with that question.

So you might have said that Pevensey was part of the former earldom of Wessex, which have been the personal domain of the former Anglo-Saxon King, Harold II or Harold Godwinson.

A rebellion here might have been expected, and the lack of a rebellion is testament to the effectiveness of Pevensey Castle as a tool of intimidation.

So hopefully, you've got an answer somewhat similar to myself there as well.

And let's have another check for understanding now.

I'd like to identify two instances where Pevensey Castle continued to play a role in the Norman occupation of England after 1066.

So was it the Harrying of the North in 1069? Was it the revolt of the Earls in 1075? Was it the rebellion of 1088? Or was it Robert Curthose's invasion in 1101? So choose two of those options now.

All right, if you chose C and D, then very well done.

Those are the correct answers.

Right, let's go for our first task for today.

I'd like to explain two ways in which Pevensey Castle was militarily important to the Normans.

So first of all, identify two ways and then explain that level of importance of Pevensey Castle.

Pause the video while you complete this task and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back, hope you've gone okay with that task.

Let's think about what you could have said then.

So you might have said one way in which Pevensey Castle was militarily important to the Normans was as a tool to intimidate the local population.

Anglo-Saxons across England had rebelled against Norman rule, and as Pevensey was at the heart of the lands owned by the former Anglo-Saxon king, Harold II or Harold Godwinson, it'll be fair to assume that there will be rebellions here too.

However, the local population of Pevensey never rebelled, which could well be due to the fear inspired by the Norman motte-and-bailey castle surrounded by the large Roman walls that dominated the local area.

Another way in which Pevensey Castle was militarily important to Normans was as a site for challenges to the throne of England.

Although the local Anglo-Saxons in Pevensey never rebelled against the Normans, others did.

The rebellion of 1088 saw King William II or William Rufus' uncle, Bishop Odo of Bayeux and his brother Robert, Count of Mortain, endure a six-week siege in Pevensey Castle after they backed Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, for the crown of England.

King Henry I also anticipated Robert Curthose attacking Pevensey Castle in an attempt to claim the throne in 1101.

So if you've got different ways that Pevensey was militarily important to what I've discussed, absolutely fine, as long as you've explained them and supported them with evidence, that's the key thing there.

Okay, let's move on then to our second and final learning cycle for today, which is looking at Pevensey's economic boost.

Now across the country, the Normans used castles as a base from which to harvest the rich resources of England.

And Pevensey Castle was no exception.

England was known to be a rich land in the 11th century and within 20 years of his conquest, William had gathered a complete record of how much tax he was able to extract from the people of his new territory.

The local lord, or if the lord was absent, as was the case of Pevensey, the sheriff was responsible for the collection of taxes from the local population.

The sheriff of Pevensey worked out of the castle and used it to secure the taxes of the people of Pevensey before the money was transferred to the treasury in Winchester.

The castle provided a safe location for the sheriff to operate from, which was essential.

The tax collector for an invasive people was not likely to be a popular person.

Shortly after the Norman Conquest, Robert, Count of Mortain, established a town close to Pevensey Castle.

Now, historians are actually unsure as to whether this was the village of Pevensey itself, which is located to the east of the castle, and in which case it would've been on the very end of the peninsula that Pevensey Castle was located on, or the village of Westham to the west of the castle, which would've been on the mainland just outside of that spit of land.

This was a common practise across England.

Settlements were established near the castles or existing settlements increased in size due to the protection that castles afforded citizens.

Pevensey's settlement very quickly grew in size and wealth.

In the 1070s, Robert was collecting 14 shillings a year in rent from the 27 burgesses who lived there.

Burgesses is the name that was used for people who lived in the town, townsfolk, at the time.

However, by 1086, Pevensey settlement had grown to become one of the top 20% largest settlements in England.

60 burgesses now lived there, which is more than doubling the population, and Robert was now collecting 39 shillings a year in rent from them.

As this settlement had not existed before the Norman Conquest, this is clear evidence that the Normans provided a significant economic boost to the local area.

Other evidence suggests the same thing.

The coastline of Sussex under Normans was one of the most densely populated areas in England, boasting a population density of 20 people per square mile, which was twice the average for England at this time.

Just to put that figure into a little bit of context, London today has a population density of 5,640 people per square mile.

So we're not talking about huge numbers of people but for the time period, they were large numbers.

Lewes, in the adjacent rape to Pevensey, was one of the only 18 towns in 1086 to have a population of more than 2,000 people.

Many schools nowadays have a population of more than 2,000 people.

So again, just putting that into context by today's standards, we are not large numbers.

For the context of the time though, Lewes was a big town.

Now, a larger population meant that more wealth could be generated through tax and trade.

However, there is evidence contradicting the notion that the Normans boosted the economy of the region surrounding Pevensey, at the very least, in the short-term.

The devastation that William the Conqueror's army wreaked on Pevensey and the surrounding lands in Sussex was considerable.

The value of estates in Sussex fell by an estimated 40% immediately after the Norman Conquest due to the Norman's pillaging.

Even by 1086, the wealth generated by Sussex as a whole was between an estimated 10 to 25% lower than it had been in 1066.

This evidence suggests that wealth in Sussex under the Normans was concentrated in specific areas that being close to castles whilst other areas remained wasted.

This therefore also lends weight to the idea that Pevensey Castle provided an economic boost to the local population albeit because much of the rest of Sussex have not recovered from the events the Norman, of invasion.

Okay, let's have a check for understanding now.

So I'd like to identify two impacts of the Norman Conquest on the economy of Sussex.

Was it that the capital of England was moved to Sussex? Was it the coastline had one of the densest populations in England? Was it that silver was mined extensively? Or was it that wealth dropped by under 25% across the county? So choose two of those options now.

Okay, if you chose B and D, then very well done.

Those are the correct answers.

And another check for understanding now.

How do we know that Pevensey was growing in size and importance under the Normans? Was it because a royal castle was built to replace the old castle? Was it the king regularly came to visit? Or was it that the town doubled in size between the 1070s and 1086? So choose your option now.

Okay, if you chose C, then very well done.

That's the correct answer.

Okay, let's go for our next task for today then.

So I'd like you to consider to what extent was the Sussex economy affected by the Norman Conquest? Now, when I say affected, that can mean either positively or negatively.

I'd like you to use at least two pieces of evidence to support your answer.

So pause the video whilst you complete this task and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hope you've gone okay with that task.

Let's think of what you could have said then.

So you might have said one way in which the Sussex economy was affected by the Norman Conquest was the destruction caused by the Normans pillaging the area during their invasion of 1066.

It is estimated that the wealth of Sussex declined by 40%, meaning that nearly half of the wealth of Sussex was wiped out by the Norman Conquest.

Another way in which the Sussex economy was affected by the Norman Conquest was the transfer of people and wealth to the areas surrounding the castles the Normans built.

The holder of the rape of Pevensey, Robert, Count of Mortain, established a settlement beside the walls of Pevensey Castle.

By 1086, it had grown to become one of the top 20% largest settlements in England and brought Robert 39 shillings a year in rents.

If you've got different points to myself, that's absolutely fine, as long as you've got the evidence to back it up.

That's the key thing there.

And let's go for our next task for today.

I've got an interpretation on the screen there.

That's from Andeep, and he says, "The most important outcome of the Norman Conquest for Pevensey was the use of the castle to intimidate the local people." And I'd like to consider, to what extent do you agree with Andeep's interpretation? Now, I'd like you to include at least one piece of evidence in support of Andeep's interpretation, at least one piece of evidence to contradict it, and then I'd like you to explain what your opinion regarding Andeep's interpretation actually is.

So it's a balanced answer that I'm looking for here.

Pause the video whilst you complete this task and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hope you've gone okay with that task, let's think about then what you could have said.

So you might have said, "I agree with Andeep's interpretation to some extent, Pevensey Castle must certainly have been intimidating to the local Anglo-Saxon population as the combination of the Norman motte-and-bailey castle with the Roman walls made it a larger and better defended structure than the vast majority of castles that Normans built in England.

The consequence of this was that Pevensey suffered from no local rebellions, despite rebellions being relatively common across much of England following the Norman Conquest.

However, there are counter arguments to Andeep's interpretation.

The economic impact of the Norman Conquest on Pevensey was dramatic.

The town that was built by Robert, Count of Mortain, beside the walls of Pevensey grew rapidly in size and quickly began generating a great deal of wealth.

Between the 1070s and 1086, Robert's annual taxes from this settlement grew from 14 shillings to 39 shillings.

Links can be made between these consequences following the Norman Conquest in Pevensey.

The economic growth exhibited by the town would've made the burgesses as well as Robert, Count of Mortain, richer, which would've made the local Anglo-Saxons happier and less likely to rebel.

Conversely, if there had been rebellions, then it is likely that economic growth would've been stunted.

It would therefore be fair to say that the intimidating appearance of Pevensey Castle made rebellions less likely, which had the effect of improving Pevensey's economic growth." So hopefully, you have an answer similar to mine.

What you can see there at the end is that I've actually made links between the two different points.

So I've drawn those different elements of Andeep's interpretation together, and I've demonstrated that I understand how they interact with each other.

And if you can do that as well, then that'll give you a really, really strong answer.

Okay, let's summarise today's lesson now then.

Pevensey Castle was the stepping stone for the Norman Conquest and was the site of the first motte-and-bailey castle built by the Normans in England.

Even after the Normans had established themselves in England, Pevensey Castle continued to play an important role.

The economy of Sussex became focused around the castles that Normans have built with large population centres developing around them.

A town attached to Pevensey Castle grew to become a significant urban centre within a few years of its establishment.

Thank you very much for joining me today.

Hopefully, you've enjoyed yourself.

Hope you've learned something, and hopefully, I'll see you again next time, bye-bye.