Battlefields›Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491

Early Medieval

Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491

Q: Who won Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491?

South Saxons (Aelle) was victorious. The defeated side was Romano-British defenders of Sussex coast. South Saxons established in Sussex; British driven into the Weald; Anderitum (Pevensey) captured and its defenders killed in 491, per the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

477

East Sussex, England

Era

Early Medieval

Battle Type

Campaign

Location

East Sussex, England

Status

Unregistered

The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated

Romano-British defenders of Sussex coast

Victor

South Saxons (Aelle)

Outcome

South Saxons established in Sussex; British driven into the Weald; Anderitum (Pevensey) captured and its defenders killed in 491, per the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

The Battle

History & Significance

Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491 was an early medieval campaign, fought in the area of East Sussex, England in 477. South Saxons (Aelle) prevailed over Romano-British defenders of Sussex coast. South Saxons established in Sussex; British driven into the Weald; Anderitum (Pevensey) captured and its defenders killed in 491, per the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491 lies on Wealden Group, bedrock that formed in the Barremian. The rock here is sandstone and siltstone, interbedded.

Casualties & Losses

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states of the 491 siege of Anderitum that Aelle and Cissa 'killed all who lived there; there was not even one Briton left', though historians regard this total-annihilation language as legendary convention rather than a verified figure.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491

This page covers Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview

An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.

Monuments

The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.

Battlefields

The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.

Roman Britain

The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.

Domesday

The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.

Civil War

The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.

Geology

The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.

LiDAR

Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.

Local Names

What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.

Historical Maps

Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.

Literature

The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.

Legal

The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.

Spotlight

A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.

Target Zones

For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.

Timeline

The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.

First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491 report

Or see a real report first

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491

Pevensey Castle: a Saxon Shore fort, Norman defences, a medieval enclosure castle, and later associated remains

Scheduled monument · ~0.1 mi

Pevensey Castle is a complex fortified site in Sussex that originated as a Roman Saxon Shore fort of the late third century, built to defend the coast against Germanic raiders. The Romans constructed distinctive D-shaped outer walls, portions of which survive to substantial height, enclosing an a…

Piotr Zarobkiewicz / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Martello tower no 64 at the Crumbles, 1.3km north east of Langney Point

Scheduled monument · ~1.7 mi

Martello tower no 64 at the Crumbles is a defensive fortification built during the Napoleonic Wars, constructed as part of the coastal defence network established along the Sussex coast between 1804 and 1812. The tower is a circular brick structure typical of Martello towers, designed to provide…

David Dixon / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Martello tower no 55, 500m south west of Normans' Bay Station

Scheduled monument · ~2.2 mi

Martello tower no 55 is a defensive coastal fortification constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, part of the extensive chain of Martello towers built along the Sussex coast in the early nineteenth century. The tower exhibits the characteristic cylindrical or near-cylindrical form typical of thes…

Alexis Markwick / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

Martello tower no 66, 320m north east of Langney Point

Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Martello Tower No. 66 is a circular defensive tower constructed during the Napoleonic Wars, forming part of the chain of fortifications built along the Sussex coast between 1805 and 1812. The tower, located near Langney Point east of Eastbourne, follows the standard design of these coastal defenc…

J2hey / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Deserted medieval village of Northeye, 885m south-west of Old Road Farm

Scheduled monument · ~2.7 mi

Deserted medieval village of Northeye is a scheduled ancient monument located in Sussex, south-west of Old Road Farm, comprising the earthwork remains of a settlement that was inhabited during the medieval period. The site preserves ridge-and-furrow field systems and toft platforms characteristic…

Alexis Markwick / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Herstmonceux Castle

Scheduled monument · ~3.5 mi

Herstmonceux Castle is a brick-built fortress constructed in 1441 by Sir Roger de Fiennes, representing one of the earliest and most impressive examples of large-scale brick construction in England. The castle features a substantial rectangular curtain wall with corner towers and a gatehouse, ori…

The original uploader was Welshie at English Wikipedia. / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Medieval moated site and associated earthworks, Pound Piece, Manxey

Scheduled monument · ~1.4 miles

Shinewater Bronze Age settlement

Scheduled monument · ~2.2 miles

Other Early Medieval Battles

Battle of Wippedesfleot

466

England

Battle of Crayford (457)

Anglian Assault on Roman York (c.450-500 AD)

450

Yorkshire, England

In the same landscape

Battles near Aelle of Sussex: Landing and Early Sussex Battles, c.477 to 491

Raid on Pevensey Bay, French 1377

1377

~0.1 miles away

Siege of Pevensey Castle 1088, Odo of Bayeux rebellion

Siege of Pevensey Castle (Anarchy)

1088

~0.1 miles away

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around East Sussex

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in the UK — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near East Sussex View a sample report

All Battlefields