#8 'A history of Chailey in 50 images'

The eighth image in my history of the parish in 50 images. This rather overgrown byway leads down to the Red Ghyll and it is believed to have played a significant role in May 1264 as this is the route taken by Simon de Montfort's army on its overnight march from Fletching to Offham and the Downs above Lewes where they surprised the numerically superior forces of Henry the third and his son Price Edward. One local legend is that after the battle de Montfort's victorious men washed their weapons clean of blood in the stream at the bottom of the ghyll as they departed north - hence the name 'red' ghyll. In reality of course almost all the streams around here run red (or at least orange) from the iron oxide in the water.

Previous entries in this history are on: 5th, 8th, 22nd and 27th January, 2nd, 11th and 17th February.