Iron Age forts have been excavated on both the East and West Hills.
Įvidence of prehistoric settlements have been found at the town site: flint arrowheads and Bronze Age artefacts have been found. However, the absence of any archaeological remains of or documentary evidence for a Roman fort at Hastings suggest that Hæstingaceaster may refer to a different settlement, most likely that based on the Roman remains at Pevensey. The place name Hæstingaceaster is found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for 1050, and may be an alternative name for Hastings. Symeon of Durham records the victory of Offa in 771 over the Hestingorum gens, that is, 'the people of the Hastings tribe.' Hastingleigh in Kent was named after that tribe. This is derived from the Old English tribal name Hæstingas, meaning 'the constituency (followers) of Hæsta'. The first mention of Hastings is found in the late 8th century in the form Hastingas. Hastings- Boats making the Shore in a Breeze, by John James Chalon, 1819
