Contact Brighton Museum Publication for this 1983 booklet by D. Anderson, C. Dudley, W.& A. Bradley, illustrated by L. Jones
'Brighthelmston' was the old name for what is now the city of Brighton. There have been many stories about who the earliest settlers were. Few of these stories are based on scientific fact.
I. Taylor, who wrote The Brighthelmstone Directory in 1770 believed that the area had been a favourite residence of the Druids, who had built a large number of altars in the Brighton region. He supposed that the Druids liked the open countryside, the woodlands of oak and the sea, so they had come to Brighton long before the Romans.
In reality the earliest known settlements are:
Archeological finds from early settlements in Sussex can be seen in Brighton Museum Church Street (a 2 minute walk from the Royal Pavilion) in the same building as Brighton Library.
The museum publishes a book Hollingbury Camp - its archeology and history (1983) by David Anderson, Caroline Dudley, Wenda Bradley and Allan Bradley.
Brighton Museum is as interesting as the Royal Pavilion itself. The museum should be your starting place if you are interested in archeology, Roman and Saxon history.
Lewes Museum of Sussex Archeology, Worthing Museum and Art Gallery, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum Singleton, Chichester District Museum and Hove Museum and Art Gallery all have sections or displays where you can learn about keeping sheep on the Sussex Downs. Sheep-farming was important to the survival of the South Downs and the inhabitants of the area for thousands of years. The wool trade had been Britain's leading occupation for thousands of years and between 1700 and 1900 there were very large flocks of sheep on the Sussex Downs. Wool was Britain's main source of wealth up until the industrial revolution. As Britain's population grew, it was still very important to provide the people in the towns with cheap lamb to eat and woollen clothing to wear. Britain's shepherds made a big contribution to the country's economy. Visit the museums for more information about how shepherds lived, their homes, the tools of their trade and what their work involved.
Today, the Downs suffer from loss of grassland since most of the sheep-farming has been replaced by cereal production. Much of the habitat for many different plants and butterflies has been lost. Both the National Trust and the Countryside Agency are concerned about the conservation of the South Downs. The Countryside Agency is currently trying to identify a boundary for a South Downs National Park.