thoughthemanufacturenearthatplacehaslongsinceceased。
AlthoughthemakingofironwasthuscarriedoninvariouspartsofEnglandintheMiddleAges，thequantityproducedwasaltogetherinsufficienttomeettheordinarydemand，asitappearsfromourearlyrecordstohavelongcontinuedoneoftheprincipalarticlesimportedfromforeigncountries。Englishironwasnotonlydearer，butitwasmuchinferiorinqualitytothatmanufacturedabroad；andhenceallthebestarmsandtoolscontinuedtobemadeofforeigniron。Indeedthescarcityofthismetaloccasionallyledtogreatinconvenience，andtopreventitsrisinginpriceParliamentenacted，in1354，thatnoiron，eitherwroughtorunwrought，shouldbeexported，underheavypenalties。Fornearlytwohundredyears——thatis，throughoutthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturies——theEnglishmarketwasprincipallysuppliedwithironandsteelfromSpainandGermany；theforeignmerchantsoftheSteelyarddoingalargeandprofitabletradeinthosecommodities。Whilethewoollenandotherbranchesoftradeweremakingconsiderableprogress，themanufactureofironstoodstill。Amongthelistsofarticles，theimportationofwhichwasprohibitedinEdwardIV。’sreign，withaviewtotheprotectionofdomesticmanufactures，wefindnomentionofiron，whichwasstill，asamatterofnecessity，allowedtocomefreelyfromabroad。
ThefirstindicationsofrevivalintheironmanufactureshowedthemselvesinSussex，adistrictinwhichtheRomanshadestablishedextensiveworks，andwheresmeltingoperationswerecarriedontoapartialextentintheneighbourhoodofLewes，inthethirteenthandfourteenthcenturies，wheretheironwasprincipallymadeintonailsandhorse-shoes。Thecountyaboundsinironstone，whichiscontainedinthesandstonebedsoftheForestridge，lyingbetweenthechalkandooliteofthedistrict，calledbygeologiststheHastingssand。
Thebedsruninanorth-westerlydirection，byAshburnhamandHeathfield，toCrowboroughandthereabouts。Inearlytimestheregionwascoveredwithwood，andwasknownastheGreatForestofAnderida。
TheWeald，orwildwood，aboundedinoaksofgreatsize，suitableforsmeltingore；andtheproximityofthemineraltothetimber，aswellasthesituationofthedistrictintheneighbourhoodofthecapital，sufficientlyaccountfortheSussexiron-worksbeingamongthemostimportantwhichexistedinEnglandprevioustothediscoveryofsmeltingbypit-coal。