The Town of Rye

[@kambrose1549]

A really good description Thankyou! At 16 I cycled to Rye from Folkestone. The striking thing about the journey was a strong wind coming at me across what seemed like endless bleak Marsh lands. Eventually I could see Rye sitting on its hill. A very striking sight from the flat plain below.

[@jim-bob-outdoors]

I have recently found your channel, and its nice to hear a American perspective of my local area. Also I find your accent perfect for this type of video. Keep up the good work.

[@LostsTVandRadio]

Excellent! It's a long time since I visited Rye and you've prompted me to return!

[@tonyadeney1245]

very good video - brit grew up in Kent - often overlooked counties around london have a lot of interesting history - lullingstone roman villa chartwell and the coast makes a great walk - national trust path TICK

[@Tony-gv6ty]

Great informative show Thankyou. I visted here when I lived in Brighton before moving to Southampton area.

[@PinnedonPlaces]

This was super interesting to listen too, love the extensive research you've done. A fabulous job, thank you for sharing!! Enjoying the content.

[@galinatarasova6886]

Thank you! Brilliant!👍👏

[@architectofechoes4]

Been to Rye countless times, there is or was a scale model of Rye in the Heritage Centre which had a 30 minute show depicting a potted history of Rye with a light/audio and sound FX show with narration. Tiny lights would come on in various little houses & inns as the stories unfolded. My kids loved it years ago. I seem to remember Gregory Peck walking up Mermaid street in the film Captain Horatio Hornblower. And the creator of Captain Pugwash lived next to Ypres Tower/Gun Garden.

[@tango6nf477]

Thank you, this is a very interesting and respectful production, sadly some visitors from overseas making videos about British towns like to concentrate on negatives and look for things they find funny rather than points of interest. You are Married to a Britisher so perhaps that has enabled you to understand and appreciate Britain more than a short stay visitor might. I shall now explore your other videos as if they are as good as this one they will be right up my street!

[@martinrye712]

As a Rye I have to say its a real wonderful place

[@toddbilleci8563]

Brilliant video, thanks!

[@carrickrichards2457]

Do explore Pevensey, another Sussex (non-corporate associated) Cinque port (now 2 miles from the sea).

[@SussexYank]

It's in my To-Do list, yes!

[@MrJohnL21]

You mentioned Spike Milligan, who is buried in the grounds of the church in Winchelsea just up the road from Rye . As well as being a poet, writer, musician, comedian, etc., Mr. Milligan was (and is) perhaps best known to the British as the chief scriptwriter and a star of the iconic BBC radio 'Goon Show' in the 1950's and 60's, which still has a huge following in the UK today through recordings of the shows and was one of the chief inspirations for the world-famous 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' .

[@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401]

He was great...wonderful program!

[@SussexYank]

I first ran into Spike when I saw a copy of his book "Mussolini, his Part in My Downfall" in a used book shop in the US, and it looked interesting, so I bought it. Had never heard of him to that point (BBC programs were nonexistent in the US back then). But after enjoying the book, I worked to find more of that series, though I never found them all. Having reminded myself of him while researching for this video, I shall now resume the hunt!

[@bridgetkeyes6170]

Hi - try charity shop book piles and sooner or later you'll find more memoirs. Having been born in India - his family lived over the border in Reigate, Surrey when the second World war broke out. Enjoyed the mix of history and travelogue and trawling back through the channel to learn more.

[@mehitabel6564]

Very interesting, thank you. I'm over in the Cotswolds and travel most of the UK but am least familiar with Sussex and Kent. We stayed overnight in Rye at The Standard Inn, and that night the wind romped about the town so it was like being in a ship at sea, the timber frame creaked so much. We loved it, and will return. Like you I have a keen interest in history. Other than Rye, we don't know much of Sussex, so I'm a new subscriber.

[@SussexYank]

I lived in Cheltenham as a teen many, many years ago, and love to revisit the area when I get a chance! I attended Cheltenham Grammar School (now Pate's) during that time.

[@Lily-Bravo]

@@SussexYank Familiar with Rye, (Sussex parents) now near Cheltenham, lovely to see my areas appreciated. Welcome home!

[@stirlingmoss4621]

Really nice. I do like Rye.

[@sirdudleynightshade8747]

The name "Rye" would have derived from "ey" being a suffix meaning "island" as in Hackney (in London) meaning "Haakon's Island", ditto Bermondsey meaning "Bermond's Island, also in London.

[@SussexYank]

That is valuable information, for which I thank you!

[@Lily-Bravo]

@@SussexYank Someone has mentioned the Norwegian word for island and if you listen to the pronunciation of that it has a sort of breathy throaty start, (akin to the "ch" in "loch") which I can imagine our famed inability to reproduce unusual foreign language sounds could have morphed into the "R" of Rye.

[@stirlingmoss4621]

I may have missed the mention, but, there is a quaint story of King George I, thus: An exceptionally severe storm provided an unintentional royal visit in January, 1726, King George I coming ashore at Camber. On hearing the news, James Lamb, the Mayor, rode out of the town with some of his jurats, escorted the King into the town and offered him the hospitality of his home. As Mrs. Lamb had just given birth to a son, the king obligingly stood godfather to the boy, presenting him with a handsome silvered bowl. It has often been said that, as the king could only speak German and Lamb only English, conversation must have proved exceedingly difficult. Perhaps, an answer is to be found in the fact that the King was a fluent speaker of Latin and that Lamb, like Walpole, conversed in that language. On his departure, His Majesty, escorted by the Mayor and Jurats, went through Longer Street (now called High Street) where the town’s trained band stood under arms and lined the street: the bells rang in the church tower and the great guns and small arms roared out their loyal farewell.

[@SussexYank]

Thanks for the lovely story!

[@kennethbowry1521]

Great work my favorite town in the south of this country, just wish I could live there.

[@johnboy2562]

Glad you mentioned Spike Milligan, all his books are quite easy to find. Did you know that on his gravestone is carved "I Told You I Was ill" in Gaelic. He wanted it in English but the miserable idiots at the church wouldn't let him. A true genius.🙂

[@danjames5552]

Interesting fact about rye is that one set of Bob marleys grandparents come from there (the rasta bloke )And it's my favourite place in the UK .

[@TheWorldofGood79]

That's interesting as Bob Marley played his first UK gig in 1972 just along the coast in Bexhill on Sea at The De La Warr Pavillion. Also Spike Milligan has links to Rye, Bexhill, where he was stationed during WW2 & Pevensey Bay where he had a holiday home, all along the same coast.

[@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401]

Very enjoyable...my cycling school days were on the southeastern side, down to Arundel Castle and the Isle of Wight. However, my main study year was in Denmark, so I recognized the old Norse ieg, for island, at once. Since r is a trilled letter, I frankly believe the combination to be a misunderstanding...perhaps the person was just clearing his throat( that is how the Danes(Jutes) laughingly describe their language.) In any case, ieg and Rye mean island. Hope I did not just muddy the waters ! Sarah in Greensboro, North Carolina USA

[@SussexYank]

No, you are making the waters very clear!

[@VincentComet-l8e]

Fascinating - thanks for posting!

[@ricktownend9144]

Many thanks for this enjoayble video; I also have stayed at the lovely Mermaid Inn, many years ago. Another former resident (actually sometime mayor) of Rye was E F Benson, whose 'Mapp and Lucia' stories still give much pleasure: one episode I recall is where Lucia gives a 'bridge party' at which she announces mysteriously that 'I invited Georgie, but he wouldn't come - and he wouldn't tell me why' ... there was a shocked silence, while everyone wondered who would have been left out if Georgie had been able to come! EFB called the town 'Tilling' (presumably from the Tillingham river), but it is quite recognisable as Rye. Earlier, the author Henry James lived for several years in Rye, in 'Lamb House' - where Benson also lived later on. Look forward to your next exploration!

[@RonSeymour1]

Thank you, the amount of research you put in is amazing. Do you happen to know why a lot of the roofs in the town have gone 'rusty'? Are their ferrous elements in the local clay?

[@SussexYank]

That's an interesting observation! Hadn't noticed that before, and I can't say I know what is up with that. I doubt it has to do with ferrous materials in the clay, though. Since the discoloration seems to originate from the roof peaks, there may be iron in the peak roof flashing.

[@RonSeymour1]

Don't be so sure, Google says this: Built from iron-stained sandstone, the castle has the iconic square plan. If it is in one building I am guessing it will be in most.@@SussexYank

[@jillybrooke29]

We have many places which end in eye meaning Island. I live in a place called Langney (Eastbourne) which meant Long island - in the sea, it is now surrounded by marshy land and the sea is now 2 miles away from where I live but the far end Langney Point is near the seafront. NB Cinque pronounced Canque..French for five

[@tomnicholson2115]

You do present you're vidios with an abundence of historical facts, I've lived in England (midlands area) my whole life but never been to Sussex. It's very interesting listening to you talk about the things you research about in and around Sussex 👍

[@SussexYank]

Thanks! It's a lot of fun doing the research for the videos, and I learn a lot.

[@SwanLake-2024]

Many thank you for a lovely video: really enjoyed it. I've got some technical questions to ask you. What is the best way to contact you, if I may, please?

[@SussexYank]

You can contact me using my email: [e-mail]

[@SwanLake-2024]

@@SussexYank Many thank you, Sir.

[@lezking5060]

Thank you for this interesting video. We have visited Rye a few times, but never stayed there. That might well change, as we never seem to do it justice when we visit... so at least an overnight stay might be in order!

[@sharynkhan1104]

I dare you to stay at the mermaid inn

[@mikesaunders4775]

The West Saxon 'Ieg' would be pronounced Eye or Ay, the G being silent. Many towns in England have this element in it, usually as ey as in Chertsey in Surrey or Bermondsey (Beormund's Island) in London. A related word is Eyot, a small island in a river. It is often spelt 'Ait'.

[@SussexYank]

As usual, I learn a lot from my commenters! Thanks!

[@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401]

Any English word ending in ey denotes an association with an island ...from Old Norse: Danish, in this case. Not surprising, since England was almost Daneland at one time.

[@annoyingchannel8812]

Milligan didn't live in Rye. He lived across the Brede valley from Winchelsea, the neighbouring Cinque Port and that is where he is buried.

[@SussexYank]

Noted! I assumed that he lived in Rye from the biographical information I found online. One source listed him in a list of notable people as "Other residents of the town and environs have included..." and another said that he died "near Rye, East Sussex". Further checking confirms his actual place of death was his home in Udimore near Winchelsea. I've visited Winchelsea, and have stood on the grounds of St. Thomas church where he is buried, but didn't know at the time that that was his place of burial.

[@Icipher353]

Every now and then the KZbin algorithm throw up something really interesting and unexpected. I live in Melbourne, Australia and we have a little town down the coast called Rye, and after watching this video, I’m now wondering if the Rye here is named after the one in Sussex.

[@SussexYank]

Glad you liked it! Your Rye probably is named after this one. What historical info I could find said that the town in Australia was originally named Tootgarook, but changed in 1870 to Rye. Besides the town of Rye which is the subject of this video, there are 11 others in the UK, US, and AUS. Not to mention two rivers in the UK with that name! There are also several Sussexes in the world: the original in England, a few in the US, and one in Australia: the Sussex Land District in WA. My video, "What is Sussex?" discusses this.

[@colinlegrys9434]

If anyone is contemplating visiting Sussex they had better be quick, all our villages are being swamp by housing developments driven by a national housing shortage. Funny how we never had an housing before legal immigration which is currently running at over half a million a year.

[@SussexYank]

I do see that happening in some places.

[@samvimes5124]

Just FYI, Hythe is pronounced like scythe.

[@SussexYank]

Thanks for that! I just checked with my British Bride and she didn't know that's how it's pronounced, either! So I erred in good company! Disconnects between spelling and pronunciation exist everywhere, unfortunately, and not just in England! For some fun, go to the Jay Foreman channel, and watch the video titled "Why are British place names so hard to pronounce?"

[@SussexYank]

@@sharynkhan1104 - Gaelic and other Celtic languages are very interesting! I'm working on a video about our travels in Cornwall right now, and I do attempt to pronounce some Cornish words in it.