BattlefieldsBattle of Mearcredesburne (485)
Early Medieval

Battle of Mearcredesburne (485)

485
East Sussex, England
Also known as: South Saxon border battle
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
East Sussex, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Uncertain
VS
Victor
Uncertain
Outcome
Recorded as indecisive border conflict in Sussex
The Battle

History & Significance

One of a series of battles recorded in the Chronicle during the South Saxon conquest of what is now East Sussex. The name refers to a boundary stream — likely a marker of contested territory between the Jutish and Saxon zones of expansion. These fragmentary records show that the Anglo-Saxon takeover of the southeast was a prolonged, contested process rather than a rapid conquest.

Forces Involved

c.500–1,500 per side; skirmish during South Saxon conquest of East Sussex.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around East Sussex

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — 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