Though the exact date is not known, Elizabeth I gave the Manor of Bexhill to Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, as a reward for his loyal service and long standing friendship – that is one of the connections between the King’s German Legion being in Dorset and moving to Bexhill.
Though the exact date is not known, Elizabeth I handed the Manor of Bexhill to Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, as a reward for his loyal service and long standing friendship – that is one of the connections between the King’s German Legion being in Dorset and moving to Bexhill.
The first image is a scanned copy of the original and shows the hilltop village with the 25 acre Kings German Legion Infantry Barracks to the west – this filled the area north of Belle Hill and west of Chantry Lane. To the North West, on Bexhill Down, can be seen the Cavalry and Artillery Barracks. This was in the area of Broad Oak Lane, West Down Road, Down Road, and Heatherdune Road area.
The other two images are scanned images of paintings by Francis Grose (dated c 1804), which show the Barracks and land around.
The image on the left shows the west end of the Infantry Barracks, looking uphill (East) from what is now London Road, showing some of the substantial buildings which were probably all timber framed.
The image on the right shows the west or lower part of Belle Hill seen from the barracks. This shows some of the timber framed weather boarded buildings and shops with flat roofs, thought to have been built to take advantage of the trading opportunities the barracks would have provided for civilians.