Rape of Hastings
Rapes are territorial divisions, peculiar to Sussex, that were used for administrative purpose.[1] Medieval sources and place name evidence suggest that there were people living in what became the Rape of Hastings by the late 8th century.The people who were known as the Haestingas were a separate group to those of the South Saxons.The Haestingas became a sub-kingdom of the Kingdom of Sussex before being annexed by the Kingdom of Wessex[2] William the Conqueror granted the rape of Hastings to his cousin, Robert, Count of Eu, shortly after the Norman Conquest.At 197 metres (646 ft) tall, Brightling Down in the High Weald is the highest point in the rape.