Battle of Lewes 1264
Outline: officially registered battlefield boundary.
Key facts
| Date (year) | 1264 | Historic England NHLE name |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 13th century | derived |
| Period | Norman & medieval | derived |
| Country | England | derived |
| Registered area | 97.3 ha | Historic England |
| Grid reference | TQ 39829 10977 | Historic England |
| Historic England list entry | 1000018 | Historic England |
| Designated | 1995-06-06 | Historic England |
About the battle
The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264. It marked the high point of the career of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, and made him the "uncrowned King of England". Henry III's forces left the safety of Lewes Castle and St. Pancras Priory to engage the barons in battle and were initially successful, with Henry's son Prince Edward routing part of the baronial army with a cavalry charge. However, Edward pursued his quarry off the battlefield and left Henry's men exposed. Henry was forced to launch an infantry attack up Offham Hill where he was defeated by the barons' men defending the summit. The royalists fled back to the castle and priory and the King was forced to sign the Mise of Lewes, ceding many of his powers to de Montfort.
Visiting the battlefield
There remains some uncertainty over the precise location of the battle, with Offham Hill's eastern and lower slopes now covered by modern housing. Recently, a new consensus on the location of the main engagement places it on the current location of HM Prison Lewes. Contemporary sources suggest the initial engagement took place along the approximate lines of what is now Nevill Road. The top and southern slopes of the hill remain accessible by footpaths across agricultural land, and the ruins of the priory and Lewes castle itself are also open to the public.
Location
- OS grid reference: TQ 39829 10977
- Approximate centre of registered area: 50.8809, -0.0136
- Registered area: 97.3 hectares
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Lewes (revision 1376128297), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Location”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battlefield data © Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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Browse more: battles in England · Norman & medieval · 13th century battles