Prehistoric Saddlescombe
Nestled in a fertile, winding valley, Saddlescombe made a perfect prehistoric settlement for farming. A variety of archaeological finds have been found nearby - including Bronze Age loom weights and axe heads, and Mesolithic arrow heads.
The Middle Ages
The farm changed hands from Saxons to Normans and the Domesday survey of 1086 provides our first detailed record of farming life at Saddlescombe. As a sheep and corn farm it provided large tax revenues and had an estimated population of 135 people.
The Knights Templar (1234 - 1308)
An inventory from 1308 gives a glimpse of farming life in the late medieval period. The Templars continued to manage Saddlescombe as a sheep and corn farm, with agricultural profits helping to pay for protection of the pilgrim routes to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.