Sussex, being set on the coast of Britain, has always been at the sharp end whenever the British Iles have faced invasion on Europe, whether it be the Romans, Saxons, or the Normans.

No country likes to be invaded, especially if the invasion is successful. With it comes change of government, laws, and civil rights. However, when the Romans invaded in 43AD and held their occupation of Sussex for 367 years, it turned out to be hugely beneficial to the county.

The Invasion

In 43AD, the Romans invaded Sussex under the command of Titus Flavius Vespasianus, who later became the Emperor Vespasian. There is no definite record of where the Romans landed. Some have speculated that perhaps they arrived at Chichester Harbour.

When reviewed, the Roman invasion is sometimes looked upon as being friendly, or even invited. However, like with any invasion, bloodshed could not be avoided. The fighting was not as severe as in other parts of Britain, such as East Anglia, but lives were lost non-the-less.

Politics

Throughout history, the Romans have been renowned for their success when invading other territories. When they invading Sussex, they knew they needed to gain control over the people as quickly as possible. Once the fighting had ceased, they realised their best way of achieving this would be to sponsor a local puppet king who already had authority over the people. As expected, this did not go as smoothly as it sounds as the people would still have rebelled against their new leadership, but it was the most efficient way to move forward.

The Romans chose Tognidubnus, sometimes spelt Cogidubnus, to sponsor on this occasion. He was one of the leading lights of the Regnenses tribe who lived in Sussex and Surrey. Chichester was chosen as the site upon which to build their stronghold  and soon constructed a garrison to protect their position.

Chichester

The Romans took over Chichester and made it their own town. They named it Noviomagus Reginorum. They improved its defences and set about expanding its facilities, even though Regnenses was likely to have already had some sort of settlement at Chichester.

Many changes have been made to Chichester over time. New settlements were successfully built over the original Roman one. Examples of these are the Norman, Medieval, Georgian, and other modern cities. As such, it is very difficult for architects to be sure of the layout of Roman Chichester. There are still studies looking into the Roman settlement, but to date the best buildings identified are sited immediately north of Chichester’s Market Cross.

There were numerous buildings identified; West Street holds the location of Roman baths, there are likely barracks in Chapel Street, and it is thought there is a basilica under the site of Chichester Cathedral. An amphitheatre was also excavated partly underneath and partly near the Market care park towards Whyke, though this was later built over.

The Cogidubnus Stone is one remnant of Roman Chichester that can easily be seen. It records the erection of a temple to Minerva by the Guild of Smither. In 1723 the Stone was excavated and is now situation outside the Assembly Rooms in North Street, Chichester.

Villas and Palaces

There is a lot of evidence of the Romans occupation in Sussex. There are villa remains in Angmering, Arundel, Southwick, West Blatchington, Chilgrove, and UpMarden. There are other building remains and artefacts that have also been recorded. Though, besides all of this buried history, there are two sites that stand out above the rest.

Fishbourne Roman Palace:

The Palace is arguably the most preserved, best presented, and largest Roman Palace in Britain. A large part of the original Palace and its estate is buried under the village of Fishbourne and may never be recovered. However, it is still clear that it was a substantial seat of power and wealth. Some have theorised that Togidubnus and his successors lived within the Palace and its estate.

It is obvious why this location was chosen for the Palace to be built. It is situated by what would have been a well-used waterway, allowing the Palace significant control over the important international traffic within this small corner of the Roman Empire. The waterway mentioned is the Birdham Channel of Chichester Harbour, which would have been navigable right up to Fishbourne Creek.

Bignor Roman Villa:

Another example of a fine Roman building is the Bignor Roman Villa. Like so many great archaeological digs, the site was discovered by accident. It is much smaller than the Palace, but it has be converted into a fine museum within the farmstead of Bignor.

Stane Street

This is a long, straight road from Chichester to London, and remains the biggest physical mark that the Romans left on Sussex.

Like all stereotypical Roman roads, Stane Street runs pretty much straight for its course. It points exactly towards the spire of Chichester Cathedral 10 miles away. This can be seen when standing on the Downs above Gumber Farm north of Slidon, looking straight down the street.

Stane Street was a significant part of the Roman military force. Remains of posting stations have been discovered at Hardham near Pulborough and Alfoldean near Horsham. These would have been used to relay messages along this Roman motorway.

The Fall of the Roman Empire

The Romans’ eventually became comfortable with its occupation in Britain and took their prescence here for granted. As the Empire grew in wealth, the Romans’ grew fat and lazy and neglected their military. They forgot that it was their armies that had made them great in the first place.

Though the Roman Empire was immense, its stronghold was Rome, and Sussex was a long way from there. Rome was still their home and their main priority. Their enemies knew their army was not as it used to be and were taking advantage of that fact. By 410AD, the people of Sussex were starting to worry about the threat of the Saxons to their land. They looked to the Romans for protection but were told by Emperor Honorius to fend for themselves. By that point, the Romans were too busy coping with the threat to their lands in Italy to worry about a place as remote as Sussex.

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