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The Roman Occupation
church of St. George, portions of which still exist on the eastern side. There is no record of the discovery of Roman remains upon the hill.[1]
The foundations of a certain building near the south-western edge of the cliff, discovered by Mr. T. Ross, presented no features to which he felt justified in ascribing a Roman origin. Future excavations may lead to further evidence ; in the meantime, there is nothing sufficiently characteristic about the large bank, (though it has a somewhat pre- Roman appearance), or the other smaller banks, to enable us to determine their age.
Traces of Roman occupation have never been known to occur in or about the Castle or West Hill.
- ↑ The gold coin of Theodosius Magnus (elected 379 -- ob. 395) was not found on the hill, but below the cliff, among the shingle, after a severe storm on October 3rd, 1857. Coins of all ages are frequently discovered below the shingle. The author knew a man at Hastings, who made a precarious livelihood by systematically examining the minute fissures of the rocks below the shingle, in which he frequently discovered coins, and many other objects, tightly wedged edgeways into the crevices. They are difficult to detect, save by a trained eye. This person informed the author that he was continually on the watch for movement in the sand and shingle, as frequently the next tide covered over the rock-floor below the beach. Of course, the greatest displacements take place during stormy weather. These objects when moved with the drift might be transported for great distances along the coast, and sink to the bottom of the beach in virtue of their higher specific gravity.
