Andredswald Forest

I have been reading a book called A New History Of England by L.C.B Seaman. On page 12  he writes of official conversation to Christianity by the English "Between 597 and 660, all the English, except those of The Isle Of Wight and Sussex almost isolated by the great forest of    Andredswald, had been converted......." etc. 

I have become curious as to this great forest and it's history.  What are the historical records of its existence, what of it's extent, when did it get cleared and become but an historical record, are there any books on the subject, how would Seaman know that it's existence was the cause of the slowness of Christian conversion in Sussex etc etc? 

Thanks.     

its an interesting name, because in German Wald means forrest. is this also true in this case or coincidence?

I don't know why he says that the weald isolated Sussex and the Isle of Wight. If you imagine that the christian belief came to Kent across the channel, as a result of the kentish-frankish relationship under Ethelberth, than we had to ask the question why not to Sussex? If you look to the greater english kingdoms, those of the heptarchy, then you can see that Kent (597) and east Anglia (around 629, and again 630) became the first anglosaxon kingdoms with christian rulers. As bretwaldas they used their influence, so that the Roman christianity could spread into Bernicia and Deira too. But the pagan (or non-roman christian) neighbours, especially Mercia, were important enemies. Under the Northumbrian bretwaldas christianity spread into Essex under Sigeberht in 653.

The South was under the influence of the pagan Wessex and Mercia The christian belief came to wessex under Cynegils and again under Cenwalh about the 670th. The kingdom of Wight under Atwald was conquered in 686 by Caedwalla of Wessex and Sussex was conquered  in that year, too. But the first episcopat was founded in 709 in Chichester. Mercia became christian in the years after the death of Penda in 655.