to have fallen in upon the font, which may account for its comparatively well-preserved state. It is a rather curious fact that many iron arrow-heads, from four to six inches in length were found among the debris.
It ought to be mentioned, that not long before our excavations, Mr. Gurr, the worthy tenant of the ground (who at this moment holds, in plurality, the offices of constable, port-reeve, over-seer, market-clerk, and custodian [of the castle] of Pevensey), accidently discovered the well of this redoubtable fortress. It lies within the enclosure, southward of the chapel, and near the foot of the mound of the ancient keep (6 in the plan). Lord Burlington having liberally contributed the funds, Mr. Gurr opened the well which is of very remarkable construction. It is seven feet in diameter, and steined with solid ashlar. After descending forty feet it gradually contracts and is continued to the depth of fifty, where it is further narrowed to a frame-work of solid oak of square form, and little more than two feet across. It is to be regretted that this well has been filled to within a few feet of the top by rain-water, so that the peculiar structure of the lower part of it cannot be more accurately noted without the laborious removal of this large body of water. I must not omit to state that among other objects brought up during the emptying of this well there were several of those large spherical masses of green sand-stone — generally supposed to be catapult balls[1] — which have so often been found in the castle, and some skulls which upon examination by competent persons have been pronounced to be those of wolves.
If our labours have yielded no results of very striking interest, I trust that they will still be deemed of a nature to repay the cost of time and money expended upon them. At all events we cannot be censured for not having brought to light objects which might reasonably have been expected to be met with on such a site. Sculptured marble, and votive altar, and polished column have been there, and have alike perished in the lapse of ages, as the natural result of continuous occupation; so that little now remains of the once
- ↑ They are of various sizes from nine to fifteen inches diameter. Many of them are still lying in different parts of the castle.
