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80-543: Lamb House is a Grade II* listed 18th-century house situated in Rye , East Sussex , England, and in the ownership of the National Trust . The house is run as a writer's house museum . It has been the home of many writers, including Henry James from 1897 to 1914, and later E. F. Benson . Lamb House was built in 1722 by James Lamb, a wealthy wine merchant and local politician. In the winter of 1726 King George I took refuge at

160-586: A market town . The old part of the town within the former town walls has shops, art galleries and restaurants. Additionally, Rye is known for oast houses in the surrounding villages and hamlets Many have been converted into private residences, however a few, like the Playden Oasts Inn, remain open to the public. The great attractiveness of the town has kept it on the tourist trail, especially its "perfect cobbled lanes, like Mermaid Street, which must be one of Britain's most photographed". A 2020 report praised

240-626: A 1909 Baptist chapel in Cinque Ports Street, replacing the Rye Particular Baptist Chapel of 1754 (which itself stood on the site of an older Quaker meeting house); former Congregational and Independent churches; and a Methodist chapel. Rye is a local commercial centre for the Romney Marsh and Walland Marsh areas, as well as being a tourist spot. Rye Farmers' Market takes place on Strand Quay every Thursday morning. Rye has

320-468: A barn at Etchingham and were taking it to Hastings in a cart. James Stanford of the Hawkhurst Gang rode round the area and collected about thirty men with horses and weapons. After drinking brandy to bolster their courage, they attacked the revenue party at Silver Hill between Hurst Green and Robertsbridge , shooting Carswell dead and capturing the soldiers. One of the smugglers, George Chapman,

400-450: A community radio station which launched on FM on 7 March 2022 and is called Cinque Ports Radio on 95.1FM. This station broadcasts across Romney Marsh and Hythe on 100.2FM and on 95.1FM across Rye, Winchelsea and surrounding areas. Cinque Ports Radio replaced Shoreline FM 100.2 which broadcast since January 2020. Shoreline FM now being an online only service for Rye, Romney Marsh and Hythe called Shoreline Easy. The town’s local newspaper

480-468: A considerable amount of contraband from three large cutters at Pevensey , from which the smuggled goods were carried inland by around 500 pack horses. Sometime in the early 1740s Jeremiah Curtis, who had been part of a violent gang in the Hastings area, joined forces with the Hawkhurst Gang, and was one of its most brutal members. It was Curtis who led the whipping and beating to death of Richard Hawkins,

560-456: A farm labourer from Walberton whom they suspected of stealing two bags of the gang's tea. Hawkins was taken to the Dog and Partridge inn at Slindon to be interrogated. When he died of his injuries, his body was found weighted with rocks in a lake 12 miles (19 km) away at Parham Park in the spring of 1748. Parham Park was owned by Sir Cecil Bishopp, 6th Baronet . In October 1747, members of

640-609: A few miles further to the east with the Bird Observatory located in the old lighthouse. The recent redevelopment of the Rye wharf for the RX fishing fleet has provided modern amenities for the landing and storage of fish. Most is sold wholesale through the regional market in Boulogne , though there is a trend for Rye to develop as a gastronomic centre in the style of Newquay or Padstow , featuring

720-532: A group from east Hampshire and was intended to be landed at Christchurch Bay, but was captured by a revenue vessel Swift commanded by Captain William Johnson on 22 September 1747. The goods were then taken to Poole, after the crew had escaped in a small boat. At a meeting in Charlton Forest Richard Perrin from Chichester , who had gone to Guernsey to buy the goods, made an agreement with

800-457: A secret passageway. Those historic roots and its charm make it a tourist destination, with hotels, guest houses, B&Bs, tea rooms, and restaurants. Rye has a small fishing fleet, and Rye Harbour has facilities for yachts and other vessels. The name of Rye is believed to come from the West Saxon ieg meaning island. Medieval maps show that Rye was originally located on a huge embayment of

880-531: A well-established reputation as a centre for shops trading antiques, collectors' books, and records, and has many art galleries selling works by local artists and potters with changing exhibitions throughout the year. Rye's general weekly market takes place on the marketplace car park by the station every Thursday. Until the foot-and-mouth disease crisis in 2001 (which closed all livestock markets in England), livestock sales were held frequently at Rye. Rye Castle Museum

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960-499: A £50 reward for each smuggler who was captured. Eventually, Thomas Kingsmill, alias Staymaker; William Fairall , alias Shepherd; Richard Perin, alias Pain, alias Carpenter; Thomas Lillywhite; and Richard Glover were all indicted for being concerned, with others, in breaking into the King's Custom-house, at Poole, and stealing thirty hundred weight of tea, value £500 or more. Mary Owen, the illegitimate daughter of Sir Cecil Bishopp, 6th Baronet,

1040-603: Is Rye News . Rye has a non-League football club, Rye Town FC , who play their home matches at The Salts. The club, which was formed in 2016, plays in the East Sussex Football League, and replaced the now defunct Rye United FC (formerly Rye & Iden United) of the Sussex County Football League, which folded in 2014. Rye has a rugby union club, Rye RFC, who compete in the Sussex 2 league. The club

1120-592: Is a secondary school in Rye. The two primary schools, Tilling Green Infant School and Freda Gardham Community School, were replaced by a new school, Rye Primary, adjacent to the secondary institution, in September 2008. The original Rye Primary School was situated just off Ferry Road near the railway crossing. Past and present places of worship in Rye include St Mary's, the Anglican parish church with Norman origins; St Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic church , rebuilt in 1929;

1200-481: Is a weather-beaten stone, known as the Smugglers' Stone, that was erected in 1749 to record the place of execution of six smugglers and the burial place of one of the convicted smugglers who died before his execution could be carried out. The inscription reads: Near this place was buried the body of William Jackson, a prescribed smuggler, who upon a special commission of oyer and terminer held at Chichester on

1280-498: Is an extensive walled garden, designed by Alfred Parsons at the request of Henry James, which is open to the public along with the house. In 2006 Lamb House was subject to extensive exterior refurbishment, including the application of bird control proofing measures to prevent seagulls from nesting and blocking the internal parapet drainage systems. The measures included the use of a new technique of horizontal parallel wires to prevent gulls from landing. Several sections of stonework and

1360-631: Is located on two sites, on East Street and at the Ypres Castle. One of the tourist websites includes a picture tour of the town Rye Art Gallery was established as a Trust in the early 1960s. Located at 107 High Street and incorporating the former Ypres Studio in Ockmans Lane, home of artists Mary Stormont (1871–1962) and her husband Howard Gull Stormont (1859–1935), it provides a focus for contemporary visual art, which it exhibits alongside heritage artworks from its permanent collection. Rye also stands at

1440-600: Is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as possessing 189 households, marking it as a significant settlement at the time. The cellars of the Mermaid Inn date from 1156. As one of the two "Antient Townes" ( Winchelsea being the other), Rye was to become a limb of the Cinque Ports Confederation by 1189, and subsequently a full member. The protection of the town as one of the Cinque Ports was very important, due to

1520-520: The Sheriff of Kent in order that they could be hung up in chains, the former at Goudhurst, the latter at Horsendown Green, where he once lived. Seven of the gang were tried at Chichester assizes and sentenced to hang. One of their number died in gaol before sentence could be carried out. The rest were hanged north of Chichester on the Broyle. The principal murderers' bodies were then hung in chains , one on

1600-884: The gibbet cage which was famously used to display the hanged body of the murderer John Breads in 1742, and the pillory last used in 1813 in the case of a local publican who assisted the escape of the French General Armand Philippon . Apart from the Town Council, the majority of local government functions are exercised by Rother District Council, with its headquarters in Bexhill-on-Sea, and East Sussex County Council, based in Lewes. The Rother District Council ward of Rye and Winchelsea returns two councillors. The East Sussex County Council division of Rye and Eastern Rother returns one councillor. Since 1983, Rye has been part of

1680-576: The parliamentary constituency of Hastings and Rye , prior to which it had its own seat. The current Member of Parliament, since 2024, is Helena Dollimore of the Labour Party . Rye stands at the point where the sandstone high land of the Weald reaches the coast. The medieval coastline (see map above), with its large bay, enabled ships to come up to the port. The original course of the River Rother then reached

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1760-468: The 16th day of January 1748-9 was, with William Carter, attained for the murder of William Galley, a custom house officer and who likewise was together with Benjamin Tapner, John Cobby, John Hammond, Richard Mills the elder and Richard Mills the younger, his son, attained for the murder of Daniel Chater. But dying in a few hours after sentence of death was pronounced upon him he thereby escaped the punishment which

1840-593: The A259 route around Rye were met with local opposition and never received any priority in the building programme. In addition to the half-hourly 100/101 Dover-Hastings Stagecoach long-distance bus service, buses connect Rye with other towns and villages, including Tenterden , Hastings, and Tunbridge Wells . Rye railway station is on the Marshlink line between Hastings and Ashford . This now provides an hourly service from Eastbourne to Ashford International connecting with

1920-694: The Cinque Ports Confederation and a bastion against invasion on the Channel Coast, has always had close links with the crown. King Edward III and the Black Prince defeated the Spanish in Rye Bay in 1350 in the battle of Les Espagnols sur Mer , but Queen Elizabeth I gave the town the right to use the title "Rye Royal" following a visit in 1573. King Charles I described Rye as "The cheapest sea-towne for

2000-775: The English Channel called the Rye Camber, which provided a safe anchorage and harbour. Probably as early as Roman times, Rye was important as a place of shipment and storage of iron from the Wealden iron industry. Rye, as part of the Saxon Manor of Rameslie, was given to the Benedictine Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy by King Æthelred ; it was to remain in Norman hands until 1247. The town of Rye

2080-576: The Garden Room as a base for their writing during the summer months. The Garden Room was destroyed by a German bomb in 1940. Benson wrote lovingly of both the garden and house, which he renamed "Mallards", in his popular Mapp and Lucia novels. Lamb House is the subject of Joan Aiken 's supernatural book The Haunting of Lamb House (1993), comprising three novellas about residents of the house at different times, including James and Benson (both of whom also wrote ghost stories). Other tenants have included

2160-476: The Local Government Act of 1972 and, although officially considered to be a rural parish , Rye's governing body – because of its history – is that of a Town Council. That Council has one electoral ward, electing 16 members, one of whom then is elected mayor of Rye. In Rye Town Hall , the list of the mayors of Rye is unbroken going back to the 13th century. Two gruesome relics of Rye's violent past include

2240-563: The Portsmouth Road near Rake, two on Selsey Bill , one near Chichester at Rook's Hill and one at Horsmonden in Kent. With the cruel deaths of Galley and Chater, among others, causing national outrage, the names of known smugglers were published in the London Gazette . Any smuggler so listed was instructed to hand themselves in within 40 days of the publication date. In all, at least 75 of

2320-535: The Rastrums Wharf (which was renovated in the 1980s) has the capacity to take large ships up to 80 metres (260 ft) on a high tide. Considerable investment has been made in facilities for both the fishing fleet berthed at Rye and the commercial wharves at Rye Harbour. Rye fishing boats are code-lettered RX (from "Rye, Sussex"; this registration is also used by the Hastings fishing fleet) and land fish daily. Some of

2400-588: The River Brede before leaving the town boundary. The houses along New Winchelsea Road date from the 1930s, built on the excavations from the Royal Military Canal. The gardens run down to the river, with fishing and boating rights. Most of Rye's inhabitants live outside the Citadel area. Rye, over the centuries, has successively been an entrepôt port, a naval base , a fishing port , an agricultural centre, and

2480-457: The Rother to be kept navigable at all. With the coming of bigger ships and larger deepwater ports, Rye's economy began to decline, and fishing and particularly smuggling (including owling , the smuggling of wool) became more important. Imposition of taxes on goods had encouraged smuggling since 1301, but by the end of the 17th century, it became widespread throughout Kent and Sussex, with wool being

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2560-411: The alleged network of tunnels built by the gang. However, many hidden cellars and remote barns could have been used for storage so it is unlikely that tunnels would have been needed at that period when large armed gangs operated openly, often riding through the larger towns in daylight. In 1740, riding officer Thomas Carswell and a party of dragoons found about 15 cwt (750 kg) of smuggled tea in

2640-479: The area include Joseph Conrad ; Ford Madox Ford ; Stephen Crane ; Rumer Godden and the naturalist W. H. Hudson . H. G. Wells , Lytton Strachey and Virginia Woolf were also visitors to Rye. Lamb House and the town of Rye feature prominently in Benson's Mapp and Lucia novels, as Mallards House and Tilling , respectively. In the mid-1980s, Rye was used as a location by LWT in its adaptation of

2720-588: The catch is sold at the quayside, though most is sold through the great regional market in Boulogne. Rye also is an important yachting base, offering the only safe haven for many miles in either direction along this section of Channel coast. Yachts may currently moor either at Rye Harbour or at the Strand Quay at the edge of the town. Numerous plans have been proposed for a modern yacht marina to be built at Rye, but each has foundered on economic or planning grounds. At

2800-623: The centre of a network of nature reserves, some of national importance. The Rye Harbour SSSI lies to the south and includes the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. The neighbouring Pett Levels and Pools, and the Pannel Valley nature reserve are accessible via Winchelsea and Winchelsea Beach a few miles to the west, whilst Scotney Lake lies just off the Lydd road and the RSPB reserve at Dungeness lies

2880-583: The coast of Ireland. Since 2010, the RNLI has operated an Atlantic 85 -class inshore lifeboat at Rye Harbour. Between 1696 and 1948, six ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS  Rye . During the 1803–1805 Napoleonic invasion threat, Rye, Dover, and Chatham were regarded as the three most likely invasion ports, and Rye became the western command centre for the Royal Military Canal . The canal

2960-602: The commerce that trading brought. One of the oldest buildings in Rye is Ypres Tower , which was built in 1249 as "Baddings Tower", to defend the town from the French, and was later named after its owner, John de Ypres. It is now part of the Rye Museum. Rye received its charter from King Edward I in 1289, and acquired privileges and tax exemptions in return for ship-service for the crown. The "Landgate" (the only surviving one of four original fortified entrances to Rye) dates from 1329 in

3040-417: The copper roof were replaced. The works lasted for three months, from April to June. As of 2018, the house will no longer be tenanted and the first floor will be open to the public for the first time. During summer 2014, Lamb House was used as the fictional "Mallards" for a BBC TV adaptation of E. F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia . A temporary replica of the Garden Room was constructed for filming. The series

3120-540: The county force in 1889 a new police station was provided in Church Square. In 1892 the strength of the town police, now amalgamated, was one sergeant and three constables. In May 1940, during the darkest days of World War II, the Rye fishing fleet was invited to participate in Operation Dynamo , the seaborne rescue of the stranded British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk , but refused to do so. Rye, being part of

3200-634: The earliest topographical panoramas, dating from the 17th century when the town was still an island port, is in the style of Hendrick Danckerts and on display in Rye Castle Museum. Later landscapists who recorded views of the town have included Thomas Girtin , William Daniell , and J. M. W. Turner . During the 20th century, the harbour and its marshy surroundings were a particular draw for such artists as Paul Nash , Eric Ravilious and John Piper . In addition, Edward Burra lived near Rye and frequently painted its marshy surroundings, buildings in

3280-428: The early years of the reign of King Edward III . It is suitable only for light vehicles. In 2015, some 25 tonnes of pigeon excrement that had built up had to be removed from Landgate Arch for fear of damaging the ancient structure. The River Rother originally took an easterly course to flow into the sea near what is now New Romney . However, the violent storms in the 13th century (particularly in 1250 and 1287 ) cut

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3360-521: The gang led a successful raid against a government Custom House in Poole in Dorset , which was holding about thirty hundredweight (3,360 lbs) of tea, thirty-nine casks of brandy and rum, and a small bag of coffee captured from the smugglers' ship Three-Brothers in September. The shipment from Guernsey , worth about £500 (equivalent to £101,472 in 2023), had been organised by the Hawkhurst Gang working with

3440-539: The gang were hanged or transported . In addition, 14 of the gang had their bodies hung in chains (gibbeted). Gibbeting was usually reserved for murderers and occasionally mail robbers ; so was an unusual punishment for smugglers, but reflected how seriously the authorities took the actions of the Hawkhurst Gang. In Kent and Sussex there are numerous 'memorials' and plaques commemorating those gang members executed and gibbeted in 1749. On Broyle Road, in Chichester, there

3520-430: The heinousness of his complicated crimes deserved and which was the next day most justly inflicted upon his accomplices. As a memorial to posterity and a warning to this and succeeding generations this stone is erected AD 1749. According to the author Alex Preston , a street named Dumb Woman's Lane , located near Winchelsea , owes its name to the smugglers removing the tongue of a local woman after she informed on them to

3600-488: The high-speed Class 395 service to London St Pancras . Gatwick Airport may be reached by rail via Eastbourne or Lewes . Before World War II , a summer steamship service ran from Rye to Boulogne . Rye was also the terminus for the prewar Rye & Camber Tramway , built to serve golf courses and Camber Sands ; it was closed to the public at the outbreak of World War II, never reopened, and scrapped in 1947. Several long-distance footpaths can be joined by walkers in

3680-461: The house after his ship was washed ashore at nearby Camber Sands . James Lamb gave up his bedroom for the King, while Mrs Lamb gave birth to a baby boy during the night. The child was named George and the king consented to be the boy's godfather. A detached Garden Room, with a large bay window overlooking the street, was built at right angles to the house in 1743, and originally served as a banqueting room. Both Henry James and E. F. Benson later used

3760-419: The journey. The Customs Service offered a large reward of £500 for their capture. Several months after the raid, a member of the gang known as Diamond was captured and gaoled at Chichester . He had been recognised by a Fordingbridge resident, a shoemaker named Daniel Chater, who was given a small bag of tea by Diamond. Chater may not have intended to betray Diamond, but word of his knowledge got around. He

3840-574: The largest commodity. When luxury goods were also added, smuggling became a criminal pursuit, and groups – such as the Hawkhurst Gang who met in The Mermaid Inn in Rye – turned to murder and were subsequently hanged. In the 1500s, there was a small Huguenot community at Rye and neighbouring Winchelsea. Since 1803, lifeboats have been stationed at Rye although the lifeboat station is now at Rye Harbour about 2 miles (3.2 km) downriver from

3920-591: The latter end of the 18th century, Rye was connected to the turnpike trust system of roads. One of these, the Flimwell Turnpike, took passengers towards London; the second ran from Hastings eastwards through the town. These two roads are now the A268 and the A259 . The Monk Bretton Bridge over the Rother was built in 1893 and provided a link with Rye and New Romney via Brenzett . In the 1980s and 1990s, proposals to bypass

4000-487: The local gang, then taken north to the Red Lion Inn at Rake . After burying the customs officer alive in a nearby fox earth they kept Chater chained to a shed at Trotton for several days before deciding to kill him. They threw Chater down a well at Lady Holt Park and dropped stones on top of him. Although smuggling gangs were generally supported by the local population as they provided much-needed and well-paid work,

4080-590: The local men to recover the contraband. Thirty armed men, including Thomas Kingsmill , his lieutenant William Fairall , and about seven other Hawkhurst men, rode to Poole, stopping to rest in the New Forest . Arriving in Poole, at about 11 pm, they found that the customs house was under the guns of a naval sloop . The more local men were for abandoning the attempt, but the Hawkhurst men said they would continue alone, and it

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4160-599: The mediaeval Cinque Ports confederation, it was at the head of an embayment of the English Channel , and almost entirely surrounded by the sea. At the 2011 census, Rye had a population of 4,773. Its historical association with the sea has included providing ships for the service of the Crown in time of war, and being involved in smuggling. The notorious Hawkhurst Gang used its ancient inns The Mermaid Inn and The Olde Bell Inn , which are said to be connected to each other by

4240-468: The medieval streets "often wonky houses and it is easy to get lost in the town's history". Camber Sands beach, "with its moody sand dunes and long sandy beach", is nearby. The town and its surrounding areas were branded " 1066 country" because of the historic aspects. Few statistics are published for Rye as a town, but an estimated one million visits were made in 2016. Since the Second World War ,

4320-572: The militia were well enough trained to shoot dead Kingsmill's brother George in the first volley of the Battle of Goudhurst fought around the St. Mary's church . Two more smugglers died before the gang withdrew. The gang members were not only smugglers but robbers and extortionists. Arthur Gray was apprehended in 1748 and indicted on charges of felonious assembly with the intention of carrying away goods that customs duty had not been paid – in other words smuggling. He

4400-470: The murderous brutality of the gang had turned the residents against them. At Goudhurst , the people formed the Goudhurst Band Of Militia led by "General" William Sturt, a former army corporal. Enraged by this defiance, Thomas Kingsmill , a native of the town, threatened to burn the town and kill the residents, setting an appointed time, 21 April 1747. When the gang attacked on the appointed day,

4480-479: The novelist Rumer Godden , the author and academic A. C. Benson , the author and politician H. Montgomery Hyde , the artist and publisher Sir Brian Batsford , politician William Mabane, 1st Baron Mabane , the literary agent Graham Watson, the actor Dominic Rowan and his family, and the writers John Senior and Sarah Philo. In 1950 the widow of Henry James's nephew gave Lamb House to the National Trust . Some of James's personal possessions are on display, and there

4560-480: The novels. Later a BBC adaptation of Mapp and Lucia was filmed in Rye in the summer of 2014. And in May 1958 the author Georgette Heyer spent some time in the town, researching background for several scenes for what became her novel The Unknown Ajax , set in 1817. The town and its striking surroundings have frequently served as subject for painters, many of whose works are now on display in its art gallery. One of

4640-436: The provision of fish for our house". George I whilst returning from visiting his continental possessions in 1726 was grounded on Camber Sands and spent the next four days in Rye, being accommodated at Lamb House . Historically, Rye was an independent borough granted rights of governance under its charter of 1289, with its own appointed Mayor of Rye and chosen jurats (magistrates). These independent powers were terminated by

4720-470: The river flows southward into Rye Bay. River Rother and the environs of Rye Harbour are managed and maintained by the Environment Agency . The Rivers Brede and Rother also form part of the Royal Military Canal between Winchelsea and Iden Lock. The town is part of the remotest and least populated area of southeastern England, on the edge of Romney Marsh and within 3 km of the coast. A part of

4800-427: The royal navy, cou'd be restor'd", but thought it very doubtful that large ships would be able to use the port again. Rye has also produced and attracted many writers, some of whom lived at Lamb House which is one of the town's most notable historic residences and now owned by the National Trust . Residents have included Henry James , who lived there between 1898 and 1916, and E. F. Benson . Others who lived in

4880-529: The sea at Romney to the northeast. Storms in the English Channel in the 13th century, coupled with reclamation of the bay, brought huge quantities of gravel through longshore drift along the coast, blocking the port entrance. The course of the river has also changed over the centuries so that Rye now stands on the river at the point of its confluence with the River Tillingham and the River Brede , whereas

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4960-451: The second Saturday after 5 November, the "Bonfire Boys" stage the annual Rye Bonfire featuring a torch-lit parade through the streets of the town, supported by visiting Bonfire Societies from all over the Sussex Bonfire Societies Confederation. This is followed by a "gurt 'normous bonfire" where the chosen "effigy" of the year is ceremoniously blown up, and a spectacular firework display. This event typically attracts over 10,000 visitors to

5040-401: The town and even local characters. Hawkhurst Gang Named after the village of Hawkhurst , the gang was first mentioned as the Holkhourst Genge in 1735. The gang was based in the "Oak and Ivy Inn", Hawkhurst. A secondary headquarters was The Mermaid Inn in the town of Rye , where they would sit with their loaded weapons on the table. Many local legends and folklore are based on

5120-399: The town has become a centre for ceramics . The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected many East Sussex businesses in 2020–2021. East Sussex Council estimated in September 2020 that "more than £45 million" was expected to be "injected into the county’s economy to aid recovery from the impact of Covid-19". Apart from its tourist base, Rye continues to operate as a port. At Rye Harbour,

5200-415: The town off from the sea, destroyed Old Winchelsea, and changed the course of the Rother. Then the sea and the river combined in about 1375 to destroy the eastern part of the town and ships began use the current area (the Strand) to unload their cargoes. Two years later, the town was sacked and burnt by the French, and it was ordered that the town walls be completed, as a defence against foreign raiders. Rye

5280-436: The town, and results in the town's roads, and the main roads to London, Hastings, and Ashford, being clogged up and closed to traffic from the early evening onwards. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South East and ITV Meridian . Television signals are received from the Dover and the local relay transmitters. Rye’s local radio stations are BBC Radio Sussex on 104.5 FM, Heart South on 102 FM and

5360-474: The town, but only a minority of the housing stock, lies on the original rocky heights (the Citadel) and contains the historic buildings including St Mary's parish church, the Ypres Tower (part of the Town Wall), Lamb House and many of the houses on Mermaid Street, Watchbell Street, and Church Square. The main road skirts the town to the south after crossing the river; Winchelsea Road leads to New Winchelsea Road, formerly Royal Military Road, which runs parallel to

5440-458: The town. The worst disaster in RNLI history concerning a single vessel, and in the 20th century, occurred in 1928, when the lifeboat Mary Stanford sank with all hands; 17 men were drowned. The incident is recorded by a tablet at Winchelsea church, by the imposing memorial at Rye Harbour Church and by the folk song "The Mary Stanford of Rye". A new Mary Stanford was commissioned by the RNLI two years later, and stationed at Ballycotton on

5520-444: The town. The Saxon Shore Way which starts at Gravesend , Kent, and traces the coast as it was in Roman times, passes through Rye en route to Hastings ; the 1066 Country Walk leads from Rye to Pevensey ; the High Weald Landscape Trail goes to Horsham ; and the Royal Military Canal Path follows that waterway to Hythe . Rye College (formerly called Thomas Peacocke Community College, and before that Thomas Peacocke School)

5600-404: The use of fresh local produce from the sea. The annual "Rye Bay Scallop Festival" which takes place each year in February was first proposed by the then Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, Kate Roy, as a means of promoting the "Rye Bay Catch". Every year in September, Rye hosts its annual two-week Arts Festival which attracts a world-class series of performers in music, comedy, and literature. On

5680-501: Was acquitted. Kingsmill, Fairall and Perrin were found guilty and sentenced to death. Richard Glover was found guilty, but recommended for mercy by the Jury and became the only member of the gang to be pardoned. Jeremiah Curtis escaped before he could be brought to justice. He went to northern France, joining the Irish Brigade in Gravelines . Kingsmill, Fairall and Perrin were executed at Tyburn on 26 April 1749. The bodies of Thomas Kingsmill and William Fairall were delivered to

5760-629: Was broadcast on BBC1 over three nights in December 2014. 50°57′00″N 0°43′58″E  /  50.9499°N 0.7327°E  / 50.9499; 0.7327 Rye, East Sussex Rye is a town and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex , England, two miles (three kilometres) from the sea at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother , the Tillingham and the Brede . An important member of

5840-441: Was considered one of the finest of the Cinque Ports, though constant work had to be done to stop the gradual silting up of the river and the harbour. Also, a conflict arose between the maritime interests and the landowners, who gradually "inned" or reclaimed land from the sea on Romney and Walland Marsh, and thus reduced the tidal flows that were supposed to keep the harbour free of silt. Acts of Parliament had to be passed to enable

5920-580: Was executed at Tyburn on Wednesday 11 May 1748. In 1748 the government issued a list of men wanted for murders, burglaries and robberies in Sussex as well as the Custom-house break-in at Poole. The list was published in The London Gazette along with a request for information leading to the arrest of the smugglers. Any informant was promised a royal pardon and as a further encouragement it offered

6000-408: Was formed in 1991 and field both adult and youth teams. The rugby club and its playing fields are located on New Road. Several mentions of the "small English seaport" were made by travel writers between the 16th and 18th centuries. Among them, Daniel Defoe described the state of the harbour and its approaches, believing that "Rye would flourish again, if her harbour, which was once able to receive

6080-643: Was later called as a witness by the customs service, but he and an elderly revenue officer, William Galley, got lost while travelling to the remote downland village of East Marden to identify Diamond to a Justice of the Peace , Major Battine. They stopped at the White Hart Inn at Rowlands Castle , a smugglers pub, where the landlady fetched smugglers William Jackson and William Carter to investigate them. They were given drink until they fell asleep and their documents were discovered, beaten and tied to horses by members of

6160-471: Was later executed and gibbeted in his home village of Hurst Green. On one occasion when the gang was drinking at the Mermaid Inn in Rye , some twenty of them visited the nearby Red Lion , firing their guns in the air. A young bystander, James Marshall, who took too keen an interest in them, was taken away and never seen again. The gang generally operated freely in the area, as when in 1744 they unloaded

6240-524: Was married to Thomas Lillywhite. Sir Cecil wrote two letters to the Lord Justice in an appeal for clemency, on behalf of Thomas Lillywhite. The Lord Justice, wrote back admonishing Sir Cecil for his views. Thomas Lillywhite's defence was that he looked after the horses while the Poole raid was taking place, he was not aware of what was happening at the time, also he was not armed. Sir Cecil Bishopp provided one of his character references. Thomas Lillywhite

6320-400: Was planned from Pett Level to Hythe , but was not completed until long after the threat had passed. From 1838 to 1889, Rye had its own borough police force. It was a small force, often with just two officers. Rye police frequently had difficulties on Bonfire night (5 November) and special constables were recruited to help deal with the problems bonfire gangs caused. After amalgamation with

6400-409: Was then agreed that they would all continue. It was soon realised that as the tide fell the ship's guns would no longer be in sight of the customs house. The gang broke into the customs house around 2 am on 8 October, escaping on horseback with the tea. They left the brandy, rum and coffee at the customs house, presumably due to insufficient transport. The smugglers were not opposed at any stage of

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