Rottingdean- Study
Target Locations
As we discover the 'hot spots' of Rottingdean we will post them here,
So far we have information about,
The Black Prince
Edward the Black Prince
Born: 15th June 1330 at Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Prince of Wales
Died: 8th June 1376 at Westminster Palace, Middlesex
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Edward, Prince of Wales was called Edward of Woodstock, after his birthplace, and has, more recently, been known as The Black Prince. He was the eldest son of King Edward II of England , and father to King Richard II of England. Edward, an exceptional military leader and popular during his life, died one year before his father and thus never ruled as king. The throne passed instead to his son Richard. Edward of Woodstock at the age of sixteen joined his father King Edward at the battle of Crécy, which was fought on the 26th August 1346. King Edward had ordered the Prince to wear on that day a richly ornamented black cuirass. |
This is the reason Edward became known through history as the 'Black Prince". Although another theory is that the French referred to him as the Black Prince after he had won some very bloody battles against them.
At Poitiers in 1356, he won his greatest victory, capturing the French king, Jean II, and his rich baggage. The French forces were so diminished by this battle it took them almost 15 years before they could regroup into anything like the force they were prior.
At Nájera in Castile in 1367 the Black Prince defeated Henry of Trastamara of Spain, who had usurped the throne of his half-brother, Pedro 'the Cruel'.
The Black prince had two sons Edward and Richard. Edward died aged Six years and Richard went on to be King Richard II.
The Black Prince returned to England a year before his death in 1376
It would seem that the Black Prince spent his life in victorious battles against the French during the 100 year war.
So what's his connection to Rottingdean and why is his ghost suppose to be resident in the Village. The Year following the death of the infamous enemy to the French The Black Prince, The village of Rottingdean fell to siege from a French naval invasion where on the village green the French rounded up some of the Black princes favorite knights and personal assistants before capturing them and holding them for ransom.
Can you just imagine the Black Prince must of been turning in his grave. The ghost of the Black prince has been seen in the grounds of the grange that overlooks the village green where this event took place back in 1377.
The Tea Rooms
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The Old Cottage Tea Rooms, Build 1589 (according to their sign) is a wonderful example of this age of building, inside it has the original floor and many things that are still there from its past history.
We have a statement from a former |
employee about the ghost in the garden that moved inside the cottage.
"My job was to keep the gardens clean and tidy in the evening, often I would be there by myself. I often saw at the end of the garden a grey figure, only ever visible out of the corner of my eye, but I always had the impression it was a female figure".
"Later I learned from a photo inside that during restoration works a box of personal artifacts belonging to a woman was found beneath a stair case, and since it was opened, the woman has been seen in the cottage".
"Also, when I have been alone, I have heared someone enter the front door and walk through the northern room into the far kitchen at the far door, when I have gone to see who it was, there would be no one there".
"Go into the cellar, look at the eastern wall, it is bricked up, no one would ever explain why"?
"Plus, look at the photo on the tea room website that shows the rear garden, there is a grey patch in the middle of the picture, most likely a lense flare, but coincidental that it is over the exact spot I used to see the grey figure".
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We have enjoyed a good few egg mayonnaise sandwiches in there the food is great quality and a friendly price. i'de fully recommend a visit and see if you can spot the grey lady for us while your there. |
The Black Horse formally The Black Hole,
The Plough
The Grange
The French Invasion known as 'Pirates' of 1377
St Margaret's Church
Captain Dunk
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Captain Dunks house, once the village butchers shop i believe, apparently under the house there is a network of various tunnels used by smugglers, and on the site of a chestnut tree was where the old whipping post and stocks were located. |
Captain Dunk was a butcher by day an smuggling gang leader by night, under his house was found that he had dug a cavern that linked onto the network of tunnels the smugglers used, to store his contraband.
There are records of Dunk being fined £500 for his smuggling which was a vast sum of money in those days also ten of his men were sent to Hawsham Gaol or as they saw it they were sent to collage to improve their manners.
Captain Dunk even arranged for some of his own men to be publicly whipped in an attempt to keep his name in the clear.
The Long Barrows and the ancient warrior,
The Smugglers Windmill
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Known as Beekon Mill, This Famous old Smock-mill was built in 1802 and served for the best part of 80 Years. in 1905 it was renovated and in 1923 it was leased to the preservation trust. In 1929 Brighton Corporation became the landowner and completed its full renovation in 1935. in 1966 it was repaired with new sweeps and weather boarding by the Rottingdean Preservation |
Society , subsequent repairs were also carried out in 1972 and in 1988 where the sweeps were again repaired. It isn't by mistake or design that the sweeps are placed in the position that they are in.
We discovered a local legend that suggests that while the sweeps are in the X position it signals smugglers out at sea that it is not safe to land hence the village is safe from the many ghostly smugglers that haunt this Sussex village.
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'Picture taken from an exhibit inside the grange museum at Rottingdean,
The area where the windmill is situated was one of the warning beacon sites commissioned by King Henry VIII to be lit as part |
of a chain of beacons across the south coast to warn of impending invasion.
The Grounds are noted as being an ancient burial ground with several human remains being unearthed including that of an ancient warrior buried with his sword, which was later stolen.
Kipling Gardens
A Public WC
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There is a public toilet just outside the beautiful Kipling Gardens with a ghostly tale all of its own,
The story goes that there was a member of the Delaware county paranormal research team holidaying in the UK and they visited Rottingdean on |
their travels, while having a picnic in the Kipling gardens the 4 year old daughter wanted to use the 'bathroom' once taken to this public convenience the daughter refused to enter the building protesting that the building was somebodies house. As any adult in the situation would, the adult picked her up to take her inside to show her that it wasn't somebodies house but in fact a public convenience. The child once inside still refused to be there saying that it was the house of a lady and a man had come in through the window to kill her. The child named this man as Eric.
Rottingdean Club