Six wives of One King day 6

Day 6 Lewes.
The English weather finally caught up with us in Lewes, but the rain didn’t dampen our resolve to see the town and the important historic features. History in Lewes is always just around the corner.

For a start it has a castle, what self respecting town doesn’t have one? But this castle has seen real action, in 1264 Simon de Montford beat Henry III at Lewes and forced Henry to sign the Mis of Lewes, a document that gave us the Parliament that we know today. Henry got his own back the following year at the battle of Evesham, Simon was killed. We had a very engaging chat with a group of dedicated ladies who are sewing a tapestry to commemorate the battle, suing dyes and wool thread that would have been around at the time. It has to be ready by Christmas so the panels can be mounted and ready to display in May of next year.
Looking out over the soft rolling countryside of the south downs from the top of the castle keep is a beautiful sight, even if it has been raining.

Also in Lewes is the Priory ruins, not much to look at now but one of the largest and most important in the whole country until Thomas Cromwell destroyed it during the dissolution. Some of the buildings in Lewes are made from the stones taken from the Priory over the years. Nearby there is Anne of Cleves house, given to her as part of the divorce settlement , she didn’t live there but enjoyed the rental income. The building also holds the town museum and the iron works museum an internationally important collection of the iron workers art.

A couple of hundred years ago Thomas Paine, a radical thinker and agitator wrote and debated his ‘Rights of Man’ and ‘Common Sense’ documents that led to the American war of Independence.

There was also plenty of time to wander around this grand town and browse the antique shops.