Pevensey, the Port and the Levels
G.C Sacret MA
edited by Robert Slater
There was a dusty folder under the desk of the Court House Museum in Pevensey.
It had sat there for over thirty years. It contained a loose-leaf history of Pevensey and the Levels and had been written by someone called G C Sacret.
Geoffroy Sacret had in fact (although to begin with no one knew) been one of the people who worked hard when the Museum was founded just over fifty years ago. An ex teacher and historian (A Classics teacher in King Edwards School Birmingham) he had written a history of the area and probably had every intention of it being published after it had been given to the Court House.
That was back in the 1980s and with his death the folder remained on the shelf, occasionally read but largely unknown. A couple of years ago I read the manuscript and could not believe the detailed history it contained and resolved to publish the book.
Several months later the book was published and what a brilliant tale of Pevensey it tells starting right from Roman days through floods, digging of the Havens, the Commissioner of the Sewers and even Pevensey’s role in exporting Cannon and Cannon Balls!!
The launch day was set for October 2018, lots of people were invited and, in a surprise, twist the Museum Curator managed to contact one of Mr Sacrets daughters who lived nearby in Lewes and it transpired all three daughters lived locally and they all attended the book launch.
So now you can look back through the history of Pevensey as a Port, see how a sixty ton boat could sail to Pevensey Bridge right up till the end of the C17th, How the fishermen of Pevensey supplied fish to the soldiers on the Agincourt Campaign under their obligations as a non-corporate Cinque Ports member and how the Sea shaped the village history
The Book ‘Pevensey the Port and the Levels’ is available on Amazon or from Robert Slater (contact 07740 828215 or slaterjas@aol.com) or from the Court House when open
—Robert Slater
Bay Life reader, Jenny William comments
Oh wow! We got a copy of the manuscript about 20 years ago and it is so interesting. Might have to treat ourselves to a copy of the actual book.
