NHER 18976 (Monument record) - Site of Lewes/Sculham's medieval manor and chantry chapel

6 March 1983. Area of earthworks in two fields either side of avenue leading to Priory Farm. Under permanent pasture.
Appears to be remnants of a moat in western field which originally extended into orchard to west.
In eastern series of platforms?
Observed but not closely plotted.
Identified by R. Silvester (NAU) March 1983.
R. Silvester (NAU) March 1983.

Referred to in Sussex Notes and Queries. See (S1) and (S2).
Findspot of effigy removed from church, found in about 1780 'in a ditch not far from the Priory House' and returned to church. 'Masses of bricks' found in cultivation in around 1936.
See references above, copies filed under NHER 2210 and 1910.
E. Rose (NAU) 20 April 1983.

August-September 1983.
Detailed survey of earthworks by R. Silvester (NAU), see file.
See NA XXXIX (S3) - manor of Lewes priory with chapel in 13th century in this area.
Davison in (S4) says that this is not Lewes Manor, which he places at site NHER 11959, but the manor of Sculham's which had a chapel in the 13th century - formerly located at site NHER 18947, q.v.

1989-1990. Further fieldwork carried out as part of Fenland Evaluation Project.
Ditches of moat augered for waterlogged deposits and soil profiles.
A dossier has been prepared- copy in file.
M. Leah (NAU) August 1986.

For full details of wares, flint types etc. see Fenland Folders (S5).

Under excellent pasture, grazed by horses. Earthworks as described in Silvester survey of 1989-90. Under no threat in present ownership, but certainly candidate for scheduling under Monument Protection Programme.
H. Paterson (NLA) 25 September 1996.

(S6) speaks of a chantry chapel 'one mile from West Walton church'. Could this be the chapel in this manor house? Of the chapels known in the parish it is the only one roughly a mile from the church.
E. Rose (NLA) 23 February 2000.