Portslade History Trail. 1000 years of history in a one mile walk

15th Century Portslade

15th century Portslade

The 15th century was a turning point in mankind’s evolution – not physically, but intellectually, as the late medieval period entered early renaissance.

This century saw: the earliest version of the piano; glass windows in the houses of the rich in 1420; the invention of the printing press in 1440; the first printed book in England in 1477; Da Vinci designed the parachute in 1485; Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492; and whisky was invented in Scotland in 1494.

Many battles occurred, including the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, where Henry V defeated the French against all odds. The Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of Lancaster and York, saw Henry Tudor defeat Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and crowned Henry VII. He was the last English monarch to achieve the position through military force.

In 1401, the Prior of St Pancras, Lewes wrote to the Pope in Rome, detailing a list of tithes required from 20 churches in the South of England – Portslade’s St Nicolas Church was one of them. Twenty shillings a year was paid to Lewes Priory (an unskilled manservant earnt 20 shillings a year). A tithe is a tenth of someone’s income that they pay as tax to the church.

In 1450, Richard West was Lord of Portslade Manor. In 1459 he received a grant of £40 a year for life for his services against the Yorkist rebels. He died in 1476 and his son Thomas West, Lord de la Warr, became Lord of Portslade Manor. He was a supporter of Henry VII and obtained large grants of land in Sussex. He mortgaged Portslade and other manors in 1497 to Ralph Bukberd of London.

The late 15th century saw women own property, run businesses, divorce their husbands, become scholars, writers and warriors. They influenced society to the point that the traditional jousts transformed from being strictly training for war, into events which culminated in music and dancing.

Food was frequently bread and pottage - a thick stew containing anything edible. Water was often unsafe to drink, so ale was drunk and would make up 20% of a peasants calorie intake.

The Portslade population would have been living in about 20 buildings, centred around the manor. Life expectancy was 30. However, if you survived to the age of 21, your life expectancy was late 60’s.

Researched & written by Stuart Jameson

Pictured:

1. The Mona Lisa by De Vinci.

2. The Battle of Agincourt

3. Lewes Priory, as it is today

4. Thomas West, Lord of Portslade Manor

5. Pottage for dinner

6. A typical 15th century village