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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


m 


BBS 


THE 


HISTORY  OF  EAST  GRINSTEAD. 


BY 


WALLACE    HEKRY    HILLS. 


EAST   GRINSTEAD: 

FARNCOMBE    &    CO.,   LIMITED,   PUBLISHERS, 

LEWES,  EASTBOVKNE  AND  EAST  GRINSTEAD. 

1906. 


TO 


JOHN    C.    STENNING,    ESQ., 

Who  was  the  first  to  write  a  History  of  East  Grinstead, 
and  whose  great  knowledge  and  valuable  collection  of 
documents  concerning  the  Town  have  been  freely  placed 
at  my  disposal,  this  Volume  is  respectfully  dedicated  by 
his  grateful  Servant, 

W.  H.  HILLS. 


S2031 


LOCAL 


PBEFACE. 


TJ^ROM  an  enormous  mass  of  material  available,  never  yet  collected 
into  one  volume,  and  much  of  it  never  before  put  into  print,  I 
have  selected  that  which  is  of  general  as  distinguished  from  purely 
antiquarian  interest.  I  have  endeavoured  to  sketch  the  rise  and 
progress  of  the  town  and  the  history  of  its  institutions — those  which 
have  passed  away,  as  well  as  those  which  still  exist. 

In  my  researches  I  have  received  valuable  help  from  very  many, 
both  old  friends  and  those  who,  until  this  work  was  taken  in  hand, 
were  entire  strangers  to  me.  My  grateful  thanks  are  especially  due 
to  the  officials  at  Somerset  House,  the  Record  Office,  the  Charity 
Commission  and  Brighton  Free  Library  and  of  the  L.B.  &  S.C.  Eailway 
Company  for  courteous  assistance  readily  rendered  at  all  times.  I 
also  desire  to  express  my  gratitude  for  the  loan  of  documents  and  rare 
books  and  for  help  in  other  ways  to  the  Most  Noble  the  Marquess  of 
Abergavenny,  the  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Liverpool,  Sir  Augustus 
Oakes,  the  Rev.  D.  Y.  Blakiston,  Mr.  J.  Batchelar  (Lingfield),  Mr. 
W.  H.  Campion  (Danny),  Mr.  F.  GK  Courthope  (Lewes),  the  Rev.  C. 
W.  Payne  Crawfurd,  Mr.  R.  P.  Crawfurd,  Mr.  Jury  Cramp  (Horsham), 
the  Chaplain  and  Mother  Superior  of  St.  Margaret's,  Mr.  C.  H. 
Everard,  Mr.  D.  W.  Freshfield,  Miss  M.  K.  Gainsford  (Keston),  Mr. 
A.  H.  Hastie,  Mr.  Evelyn  A.  Head,  Mr.  W.  A.  Head,  Mr.  James 
Harrison,  Mr.  E.  P.  Whitley  Hughes,  Mr.  Alan  Huggett,  Mr.  S.  J. 


X.  PREFACE. 

Huggett,  Mr.  J.  E.  Lark,  Mr.  John  Mooii,  Mr.  J.  R.  Fearless,  Mr.  J. 
J.  Pierce  (Lamberhurst),  Mr.  R.  G.  Payne,  Mr.  J.  Rice,  Mr.  H.  Smeed, 
Miss  Stenning,  Mr.  J.  C.  Stenning,  Mr.  W.  V.  K.  Stenning,  Mr.  Alan 
Stenning,  Rev.  C.  N.  Sutton  (Withyham),  Rev.  A.  J.  Swainson,  Mr. 
John  Tooth,  Mr.  F.  Tooth,  Mr.  A.  W.  True  and  Mr.  Edward  Young. 

My  grateful  thanks  are  particularly  due  to  Mr.  R.  P.  Crawfurd, 
Mr.  A.  H.  Hastie,  Mr.  Evelyn  A.  Head  and  Mr.  J.  C.  Stenning  for 
their  great  assistance  in  reading  and  correcting  proofs.  In  fact  I  have 
received  nothing  but  kindness  from  all  I  have  approached,  and  my 
task  has  thereby  been  made  an  exceedingly  pleasant  one.  To  mention 
all  the  published  works  which  have  been  consulted  would  be  impossible, 
but  it  is  only  right  that  I  should  acknowledge  the  great  help  which 
the  Sussex  Archaeological  Society's  Collections  have  been  to  me. 

I  sincerely  hope  this  book  will  be  found  to  supply,  in  some  small 
measure,  a  want  which  has  long  been  felt. 


W.  H.  HILLS. 


LAXSDOWXE  HOUSE, 

EAST  GKIX  STEAD, 

APRIL,  1906. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAVTER  PAGES 

I.     EAST  GRINSTEAD. 

The  Origin  of  the  Name — Ashdown  Forest — Royal 
Properties — The  Sackville  Ownership — Area — 
Population — Rateable  Value — The  Borough — 
The  Medway — Industries — Traders'  Tokens — 
The  Town  Arms  1-18 

II.     THE  DOMESDAY  SURVEY    19-21 

III.  THE  BOROUGH  OF  EAST  GRINSTEAD  AND  ITS  MEMBERS 

OF  PARLIAMENT. 

Members  elected  from  1300-1  to  1831,  with 
Biographies  and  Notes  on  Local  Families — 
Election  Petitions — The  Eight  of  Voting — 
Burgage  Holders  —  The  Reform  Act  —  The 
Abolition  of  the  Parliamentary  Borough  — 
County  Elections 22-62 

IV.  THE  PARISH  CHURCH:  ITS  VICARS,  REGISTERS  AND 

TITHE  OWNERS. 

The  Establishment  of  a  Church — Its  Destruction 
by  Fire— The  Rebuilding— The  Fall  of  the 
Tower— The  Last  Rebuilding — Church  Loans 
and  Rates — The  Restoration — Gifts — The  Bells 
— The  Church  Terrier — List  of  Vicars,  with 
Biographies — The  Registers — The  Tithes  and 
their  Owners  —  The  Payne  and  Crawfurd 
Families  —  Chantries  and  Fraternities  —  St. 
Mary's  Church 03-86 


Xll.  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGES 

V.     NONCONFORMIST  AND  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCHES. 

The  Countess  of  Huntingdon's  Church — Moat 
Congregational  Church — The  Wesleyan — The 
Eoman  Catholic  Church  —  Other  Places  of 
Worship  87-95 

VI.     SACKVILLE  COLLEGE. 

The  Founder— His  Will— The  Statutes— The  60 
years'  Law-suit  —  Sources  of  Income  —  The 
Warden — List  of  Wardens,  with  Biographies — 
Assistant  Wardens 96-107 

VII.     EAST  GRINSTEAD  AND  ITS  MANORS. 

Grinstead  and  Sheffield  Grinsted — Brambletye  and 
Lavertye — Imberhorne  —  Shovelstrode — Place- 
land  —  Duddleswell  —  Walhill  —  Walstead  — 
Ashurst  or  Grinsted  Wild — Standen — Brock- 
hurst  — Hazelden — By  sshecourt — Maresfield — 
Mayes — Bower — Goddenwick — Pixtons 108-121 

VIII.     THE  PAROCHIAL  CHARITIES. 

The  London  Road  Almshouses  —  The  Church 
Street  Almshouses — Henry  Smith's  Charity — 
The  Payne  Endowment — Thomas  Hall's  Charity 
— Haire's  Charity— John  Smith's  Trust— The 
Hoper  Trust— Rev.  B.  Slight's  Trust — John 
Southey  Scholarships — Felbridge  School — The 
Evelyn  Monument — Felbridge  Beef  and  Faggot 
Charity 122-140 

IX.     THE  IRON  INDUSTRY  :   WITH  SOME  NOTES  FROM  A 
CARRIER'S  JOURNAL  OF  1761  TO  1769. 

List  of  Local  Furnaces — Surreptitious  Exportation 
of  Guns — The  Work  at  Gravetye,  The  Warren 
and  Millplace — The  Timber  Industry — Some 
Curious  Recipes  141-146 


CONTENTS.  Xlll. 

CHAPTER  PAGKS 

X.     EAST  GRINSTEAD  AND  ITS  COACHING  HISTORY  :  WITH 
SOME  NOTES  ON  THE  BATCHELAR  FAMILY. 

The  London  and  Lewes  Eoad — Coach  Services — 
John  Batchelar's  Diary — A  Newspaper  Duel — 
The  Change  of  the  London  to  Brighton  Route 
— The  Establishment  of  the  Railway — Connec- 
tions with  Three  Bridges  and  Godstone — The 
Last  Coach  147-154 

XI.     TOLL-GATES  AND  ROAD  MANAGEMENT. 

The  First  Turnpike  Trust— A  Table  of  Weights 
Allowed — The  Tolls  Payable — Farming  the 
Tolls — The  Measurement  of  every  Road  in  the 
Parish  155-160 

XII.     THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  RAILWAY. 

Early  Agitation— The  First  Local  Bill— The  East 
Grinstead  to  Three  Bridges  Line — A  Local 
Company— Transfer  to  the  L.B.  &  S.C.R.  Co.— 
Extension  to  Tunbridge  Wells — The  Low-level 
Line — The  Parish  Pound — Lengths  of  Line — 
The  First  Time  Tables  161-165 

XIII.  THE  VOLUNTEER  MOVEMENT. 

The  North  Pevensey  Legion — Plans  for  Resisting 
Invasion — Disbandment  of  the  Legion — Forma- 
tion of  a  Rifle  Corps — Local  Contingents  in  the 
Boer  War  • —  Officers  of  the  Local  Corps  — 
Sergeant  Instructors  166-175 

XIV.  SOME  LOCAL  WORTHIES. 

John  Rowe — Bishop  Kidder — Spencer  Perceval — 
The  Rev.  C.  J.  Paterson— The  Rev.  F.  Mills— 
Dr.  Epps — Thomas  Cramp  and  his  Diary — Mrs. 
Neighbour — Sir  Edward  Blount — John  Payne, 
Sheriff  of  Sussex — The  Paynes  of  East  Grin- 
stead — The  Sussex  Diarists  and  Local  References  1 76-1 99 


XIV.  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEII  PAGES 

XV.     THE  ABERGAVENNY  FAMILY  AND  KIDBROOKE. 

The  Building  of  Kidbrooke — Successive  Owners 
— The  Abergavenny  Vault — List  of  Burials 
therein 200-205 

XVI.     DR.  NEALE  AND  ST.  MARGARET'S. 

The  Life  of  Dr.  J.  M.  Neale— The  Founding  of 
St.  Margaret's — Its  Branches — Qualifications 
for  the  Sisterhood — Rev.  Laughton  Alison  ....  206-213 

XVII.     THE  BURNING  or  THE  MARTYRS. 

Foxe's  Reference — The  Families  and  Homes  of 

the  Martyrs 214-215 

XVIII.     CRIMINAL  RECORDS. 

The  Assizes— Fall  of  the  Court  House  Floor — 
The  Rents  of  Assize  and  Irnberhorne  Manor — 
Police  Courts  and  Constables— The  Wall  Hill 
Mail  Robbery — The  Law's  Severity  in  Olden 
Time — The  Agricultural  Riots — The  Sussex 
Smugglers  —  A  Brambletye  Suit  —  A  High 
Treason  Trial  216-227 

XIX.     THE  CARE  OF  THE  POOR. 

Ancient  Poor  Laws  Locally  Applied — The  Old 
East  Grinstead  Workhouse  and  the  Webster 
Law  Suit— Guardians  and  Rural  District  Council  228-233 

XX.     PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS  AND  IMPROVEMENTS. 

The  Local  Board  and  Urban  Council — Street 
Watering — The  Drainage  System — The  Burial 
Board  and  Cemetery — Tree  Planting — Fairs 
and  Markets — The  Fire  Brigade — The  County 
Court— The  Post  Office — East  Grinstead  Cricket 
— Cottage  Hospitals — The  General  Dispensary 
— Literary  and  Scientific  Institutions — Public 
Halls  and  Meeting  Places  —  The  National 
Schools— The  Modern  School -Banks..  ,  234-263 


CONTENTS.  XV. 

CHAPTER  PACKS 

XXI.     FRIENDLY  SOCIETIES  AND  KINDRED  ORGANISATIONS. 

The  Freemasons — The  Foresters — The  Shepherds 

—The  Odd  FeUows 264-267 

XXII.     LIMITED  LIABILITY  COMPANIES. 

The  Gas  and  Water  Company —  Sanitary  Laundry 
Company — Constitutional  Club  Company — Rice 
Brothers,  Limited — The  Southdown  and  East 
Grinstead  Breweries,  Limited  —  A.  &  C. 
Bridgland,  Limited — Farncombe  &  Company, 
Limited — Fosters,  East  Grinstead,  Limited — 
II.  S.  Martin,  Limited — John  Stenning  &  Son, 
Limited 268-274 

ADDENDA 275 

LIST  OF  SUBSCRIBERS 277-280 

INDEX  TO  LOCAL  PLACE  NAMES  .    283-288 


EAST     GEINSTEAD. 


CHAPTER    I. 

EAST  GRINSTEAD  is  a  town  of  considerable  antiquity 
and  importance.  As  its  name  implies,  it  possibly  owes 
its  origin  to  the  fact  that  it  was  a  "green  stede"  or  a 
pasture  clearing  ("East"  being  added  later  to  distin- 
guish it  from  West  Grinstead)  in  that  great  Forest  of 
Anderida,  120  miles  long  by  30  miles  wide,  which 
formed  an  almost  impenetrable  barrier  stretched  along 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  County  of  Sussex,  but 
which,  in  time,  got  cut  up  into  several  minor  forests,  of 
which  that  of  Ashdown  was  one  of  the  most  extensive. 
This  latter  is  now  mainly  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
parishes  of  Buxted,  Forest  Row,  Hartfield,  Maresfield, 
Fletching  and  Withyham.  The  site  of  the  Forest  of 
Anderida  can  be  still  traced  in  a  complete  line  from 
Tunbridge  Wells  to  Horsham,  there  remaining  to  this 
day  portions  known  as  the  Forests  of  Frant,  Broadwater, 
Ashdown,  Worth,  Tilgate,  Balcombe  and  St.  Leonard's. 
In  Saxon  times  it  must  have  been  the  scene  of  many 
wild  forays  and  freebooting  encounters.  The  kingdom 
of  Sussex  was  founded  by  Ella  in  491.  In  650  it  was 
ruled  by  Ethelwald  and  was  unsuccessfully  invaded  by 
Ceadwalla,  a  Prince  of  Wessex,  who  was  repulsed,  how- 
ever, and  had  to  seek  refuge  in  the  Forest  of  Anderida, 
where  he  drew  to  his  side  a  band  of  outlaws,  whose 
numbers  so  increased  that  finally  he  met  and  slew  King 
Ethelwald  in  battle.  Then  followed  years  of  bloodshed, 
of  which  this  district  must  have  seen  its  full  share.  In 
time  the  kingdom  was  conquered,  and  annexed,  in  803, 
by  Egbert,  King  of  Wessex,  to  his  dominions. 

From  the  time  of  Edward  III.  down  to  the  reign  of 
Charles  I.  Ashdown  Forest  was  strictly  preserved  as  a 
Royal  hunting  ground,  and  our  Monarchs  often  followed 


2  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

the  chase  within  its  boundaries.  It  formed  part  of  the 
possessions  of  John  of  Gaunt,  fourth  son  of  Edward  III., 
by  whom  it  was  enclosed,  becoming  known  as  Lancaster 
Great  Park.  The  hunting  castle,  erected  by  the  Duke 
of  Lancaster,  was  in  the  Vechery  Wood  (a  name  derived 
from  the  Norman-French  "vacherie" — a  cow-house  or 
dairy) — a  part  of  the  Buckhurst  property,  but  now 
belonging  to  Mr.  S.  M.  Samuel,  M.P.  Herds  of  deer  and 
swine  formerly  roamed  at  will  through  its  glades  and 
woods ;  wolves  and  wild  boars  had  haunts  therein ;  less 
than  a  century  ago  eagles  frequented  its  almost  untrodden 
warrens ;  and  the  now  rare  blackcock  was  often  seen. 
Mr.  John  Turley,  a  local  poet,  in  a  volume  issued  in 
1856,  records  the  fact  of  two  eagles  being  caught  alive 
in  dog  traps  some  years  before  on  the  Forest.  They 
were  brought  to  Counsellor  Staples,  who  lived  at  Hurst- 
an-Clays,  and  the  men  in  charge  of  them  started,  later 
on,  to  take  them  to  London.  They  never  reached 
the  Metropolis,  however,  for  a  press-gang  seized  the 
men,  and  the  fate  of  the  birds  is  unknown.  The 
presence  of  deer  in  the  Forest  gave  rise  to  several  of 
the  local  names,  such  as  Hart-field,  Buck-hurst,  Buck- 
stead  (now  Buxted),  Hind-leap  and  Kid-brook.  The 
last  of  the  wild  deer  was  killed  by  the  Hartfield  Harriers 
about  1808. 

In  time  the  Forest  became  neglected,  fences  went  to 
decay,  the  public  gradually  began  to  regard  it  as  a  sort 
of  no-man's  land,  and  in  1611  common  rights  were 
granted  over  about  6,400  acres,  of  which  some  800  were 
in  East  Grinstead  parish.  In  1625  the  Earl  of  Dorset 
was  appointed  Master  of  the  Forest,  Governor  and 
Master  of  the  Game  and  Keeper  and  Surveyor-general 
of  the  Woods.  This  appointment  was  made  by  the 
Duchy  of  Lancaster. 

When  Charles  I.  was  dethroned,  Parliament  took 
possession  of  all  the  Royal  lands  and  Cromwell  had  a 
very  careful  survey  made  of  the  Forest.  To  inhabitants 
in  East  Grinstead  rights  were  confirmed  over  two 
sections,  in  all  723  acres  in  extent,  one  part  lying 
between  Plawhatch,  Wych  Cross  and  Kidbrook,  and  the 


GENERAL    DESCRIPTION.  3 

other  between  Mudbrook,  Dallingridge  and  Plawhatch. 
Between  thirty  and  forty  persons  were  named  as  possess- 
ing these  rights  and  they  were  allowed  to  turn  out  445 
head  of  cattle.  On  April  1st,  1662,  the  Forest  was 
leased  to  the  Earl  of  Bristol  for  99  years,  at  £200  a 
year,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  he  made  much  use  of  his 
tenancy.  The  rent  was  made  part  of  the  Queen  Dowager's 
jointure,  but  the  Earl  did  not  pay  it,  made  no  profit 
from  the  grant  and  allowed  it  to  become  void.  In  1678 
the  Forest  was  granted  to  Charles,  Earl  of  Dorset,  and 
his  heirs  for  ever,  and  in  his  descendants  it  is  still 
vested. 

The  open  part  of  the  Forest,  to  be  preserved  for  ever 
for  public  enjoyment,  is  now  managed  by  a  Board  of 
Conservators,  the  first  election  of  whom  took  place  on 
August  18th,  1885.  How  its  present  name  was  derived 
is  unknown,  certainly  not  from  the  number  of  ash-trees, 
for  of  such  scarcely  any  traces  can  be  found.  The  present 
name  may  be  a  corruption  of  the  word  "  Archedown." 
The  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  word  "  Forest"  must  not 
be  taken  as  applying  to  that  wild  tract  which  formerly 
surrounded  East  Grinstead.  In  mediaeval  times  a  forest 
meant  an  extensive  territory  of  uncultivated  ground,  not 
necessarily  a  thickly  wooded  portion  of  country.  It  was 
regulated  by  special  laws  and  guarded  by  special  officers. 
Dr.  Cox,  in  his  book  on  parochial  histories,  says : 

A  forest  included  within  its  boundaries,  not  only  the  King's  land, 
but  often  also  many  manors  belonging  to  private  lords,  whose  rights, 
however,  were  much  restricted,  for  they  could  not  change  their  land 
from  pasture  to  arable,  nor  cut  down  their  woods,  nor  make  enclosures 
such  as  would  prevent  the  free  access  of  the  larger  game.  Though  a 
forest  was  unenclosed,  it  frequently  had,  within  its  limits,  several 
parks,  which  were  always  enclosed  by  a  wall  or  pale. 

The  Royal  properties  in  East  Grinstead  were  not 
confined  to  the  Forest  area,  but  extended  into  the  town 
itself.  In  1650  a  survey  was  made  of  certain  lands 
and  tenements  in  East  Grinstead,  "  late  pcell  of  the 
possessions  of  Charles  Stewart,  late  King  of  England, 
as  pte  and  pcell  of  the  Dutchy  of  Lancaster,"  and  though 
the  Earls  of  Dorset  had  sold  or  leased  those  properties, 

B    2 


4  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

the  Commissioners  valued  them  among  the  Royal  estates. 
They  included  a  messuage  and  dwelling-house  called  the 
George,  with  its  four  burgages,  two  barns,  stable,  stall, 
garden,  orchard  and  yard,  occupied  by  Robert  Pickering, 
who  had  recently  built  the  house  of  stone  and  had  secured 
a  demise  of  it  for  ever  on  the  payment  to  the  Earl  of 
Dorset  of  twelve  pence  and  to  Richard  Amherst  of  forty 
pounds.  A  second  property  was  Hartscroft,  or  Bushfield, 
or  Bushcroft,  of  4£  acres,  in  the  tenure  of  Edward  Paine, 
who  had  acquired  it  of  two  persons  named  Allen  Carr, 
possibly  father  and  son  (one  was  Vicar  of  East  Grinstead), 
for  £40.  A  third  was  known  as  Digman's  Mead  or 
Katteraw's  Mead  and  two  parcels  called  the  Riddens, 
of  11  acres,  then  held  by  Richard  Cole,  whose  family 
acquired  this  also  of  the  Carrs  for  £120.  Katteraws  is 
no  doubt  a  corruption  of  "  Katherines  "  and  was  a  meadow 
originally  belonging  to  the  chantry  or  guild  of  that  name. 
The  revenue  arising  to  the  King  from  these  three  and  one 
other  property  in  Lingfield  was  £6  per  annum,  and  a  jury 
sitting  at  East  Grinstead  on  May  20th,  1646,  apportioned 
a  rent  of  £2  to  the  George,  £1  to  Hartscroft,  £2  to 
Digman's  Mead  and  £1  to  the  Lingfield  property. 
Cromwell's  Commissioners  valued  the  improved  rent  four 
years  later  at  £24.  10s.  and  reported  that  they  were 
unable  to  ascertain  by  what  right  or  title  the  vendors 
had  sold  to  the  tenants  named.  But  we  know  now  that 
there  was  established  in  the  town,  a  least  a  century 
before  this  date,  a  fraternity  or  merchant  guild  of  St. 
George  and  St.  Catherine.  It  had  a  chapel  and  owned  a 
messuage  called  the  George.  In  1547,  on  the  abolition 
of  chantries,  the  George  and  other  premises  belonging  to 
St.  Catherine's  Chantry  passed  to  Edward  VI.  by  Act  of 
Parliament,  and  in  1551  the  King  granted  these  premises 
in  fee  simple  to  John  Johnson  and  others  for  the  use  of 
Lord  Richard  Sackville,  who  thereupon  granted  the 
premises  to  his  son,  Thomas,  for  60  years,  and  about  six 
weeks  later  granted  them  in  reversion  for  99  years  to 
William  Sackville.  But  in  the  same  year  the  premises 
came  again  to  the  Crown  on  an  exchange  made  with 
Lord  Clinton. 


GENERAL   DESCRIPTION.  O 

For  a  very  long  time  the  Sackville  family  owned  the 
greater  part  of  the  town  proper,  the  final  portions  of 
their  property  being  sold  on  June  8th,  1882.  They 
were  not  bad  landlords  and  often  dealt  generously  by 
the  town.  The  following  extracts  from  the  Stewards' 
Accounts  relating  to  East  Grinstead,  being  payments 
made  on  behalf  of  Charles,  Duke  of  Dorset,  are  interest- 
ing:— 

£      s.     d. 
Pd.  to  the  Poor  in  Sackville  Colledge  in  East  Grinstead 

for  two  years  pension  at  Michmas,  1696    241   11     8 

Charge  for  two  special  Courts  at  East  Grinstead 116     0 

1698.  Paid   Mr.    William   Smith    and    others    for    the 
purchase  of  560  acres  of  land  in  Ashdowne  Forest. . . .     280     0     0 

1699.  A  horse  sent  to  Knowl,  which  was  seized  in  my 
Lord's  Borough  of  East  Grinstead,  upon  conviccon  of 
one   who   was   executed  for  picking   a  pocket   there. 
Charge  in   seizing   of   the  horse  on  conviccon  of  the 
pickpocket   at   East    Grinstead    and    sending    him    to 

Lewes 10  0 

Of  Mr.  Edward  Head  for  East  Grinstead  Parsonage  per 

ann.  £120,  for  one  year,  due  at  Michas,  1700  120  0  0 

Of  Matthew  Lant,  Esq.,  for  a  croft  of  land  p.  ann.  luiiijs, 

for  two  years  rent  due  at  Michmas,  1720  002  8  0 

Of  Mr.  Head  for  East  Grinstead  Parsonage  p.  ann.  cxxu 

for  the  like 240     0     0 

Of  the  Widow  Cheal,  vice  Head,  for  a  Cottage  on  East 

Grinstead  Common  p.  ann.  x8  for  the  like 001  0  0 

Of  John  King  for  a  Tenemt  near  Sackvil  Colledge  in  East 
Grinstead,  formerly  p.  ann.  1",  but  lately  burnt  down, 
so  remains  for  the  like 0  0  0 

Of  John  Heaver  for  a  windmill  newly  erected  on  East 

Grinstead  Common,  p.  ann.  xiijs  iiijd,  for  the  like  ....  001  6  8 

Casual  profits.  Timber,  wood,  faggots,  &c.,  in  the  Manor 

of  Imberhorne  167  1 1  0 

Paid  Mr.  Staples  and  Mr.  Millington,  which  his  Grace  was 
pleased  to  order  to  be  paid  to  the  poor  Sufferers  by 
ffire,  lately  happening  at  East  Grinstead,  as  by  two 
acquittances  appears 40  0  0 

Paid  him  two  years  Pension  to  the  Poor  of  Sackville 
Colledge,  at  East  Grinstead,  due  at  Michmas,  1720, 
being  cxxij"  i"  viijd  p.  ann.,  as  by  acquittances 
appear 244  3  4 

Paid  Mr.  Edward  Head,  which  his  Grace  was  pleased  to 
order  him,  for  collecting  Eastgrinsted  quit  rents,  due  at 
Michmas,  1718,  as  by  acquittances  appears 001  0  0 


6  HISIORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

The  parish  of  East  Grinstead  was  originally  the  largest 
in  Sussex,  with  the  possible  exception  of  Kirdford  and 
Rotherfield  before  Frant  was  taken  from  the  latter.  It 
consisted  of  about  15,138  acres,  but  the  exigencies  of  local 
government  in  time  demanded  that  this  rather  unwieldy 
district  should  be  divided,  so  in  1894  the  district  of 
Forest  Row  was  created  a  separate  parish,  taking  8,635 
acres  and  leaving  East  Grinstead,  which  is  co-terminous 
with  the  urban  district  formed  in  1884,  with  6,503. 
According  to  the  Tithe  Commutation  approved  on  July 
26th,  1842,  the  parish  then  contained,  of: — 

A.  II.       P. 

Arable  land     4,569     2     5 

Meadow  2,034     0     5 


Pasture 

Hop 
Common 
Glebe 
Wood 


2,595     2     7 

20     1   18 

1,265     0  31 

200 

4,585     1     8 


The  last  occasion,  so  far  as  is  known,  of  "  beating  the 
bounds"  of  the  Parish  of  East  Grinstead  took  place  on 
May  23rd,  1808,  and  two  following  days.  At  Baldwins 
Hill  on  this  occasion  the  boundary  stone  was  moved  from 
private  land  to  its  present  position  in  the  roadway. 

According  to  a  license  granted  to  Edward  and  James 
Woodman,  in  1635,  to  sell  wine,  "Forest  Roe"  was  also 
then  known  as  "  Walhatch."  This  latter  may  be  a 
contraction  of  Wallhill  Hatch,  Wallhill  being  a  farm  near 
Forest  Row  and  the  Hatch  or  entrance  to  the  Forest  of 
Ashdown  being  named  from  the  nearest  recognised  point. 
These  hatches,  or  forest  gateways,  had  an  upper  and  a 
lower  division,  the  latter  for  the  passage  of  persons  on 
foot  and  the  upper  to  prevent  the  deer  leaping  over  the 
barrier. 

It  is  difficult  to  get  at  any  very  accurate  idea  of  the 
population  of  East  Grinstead  in  early  days,  but  in  167(> 
a  religious  census  was  taken  of  the  Province  of  Canter- 
bury, inquiries  being  sent  to  all  ministers  and  church- 
wardens as  to  the  number  of  persons  above  16  years  of 
age,  "  by  common  account  and  estimation  inhabiting 
within  each  parish."  The  return  from  East  Grinstead 


GENERAL   DESCRIPTION.  7 

showed  a  total  population  of  800  above  the  age  named, 
though  this  is  possibly  an  approximate  estimate.  It 
would  make  the  total  population  of  East  Grinstead  about 
1,100.  Those  concerned  were  also  ordered  to  ascertain 
11  what  number  of  Popish  recusants  are  there  among  such 
inhabitants  ?  "  They  found  that  there  were  only  five  in 
this  parish.  Thirdly,  they  were  required  to  state  "  what 
number  of  other  dissenters  are  resident  in  such  parishes 
which  either  obstinately  refuse,  or  wholly  absent  them- 
selves from  the  communion  of  the  Church  of  England  ?  " 
East  Grinstead  was  found  to  contain  28  of  such,  so  that 
the  seed  of  Nonconformity  had  not  taken  very  deep  root  at 
that  date.  This  left  767  "  Conformists."  In  the  whole 
county  at  that  time  there  were  only  about  52,000  inhabi- 
tants over  16  years  of  age  and  of  these,  all  but  385  Papists 
and  2,452  "  Sectaries,"  were  returned  as  members  of  the 
Church  of  England.  A  somewhat  similar  census  was 
taken  again  in  1 724,  when  it  was  ascertained  that  out  of 
310  families  in  the  parish  of  East  Grinstead  eleven  were 
Presbyterian,  one  was  Quaker  and  one  Anabaptist,  all  the 
rest  belonging  to  the  Established  Church.  This  would 
mean  a  total  population  then  of  about  1,250. 

The  first  properly  organised  census  of  England  was 
made  in  1801  and  has  been  continued  every  10  years 
since,  generally  being  taken  on  the  first  Sunday  in  April. 
Until  1891  the  parish  included  Forest  Row  and  no 
separate  returns  were  made  for  the  town  and  country 
divisions  of  the  parish.  Appended  are  the  complete 
returns  for  the  whole  parish  of  East  Grinstead  from  the 
commencement : 

1801  2,659 

1811  2,804 

1821  3,153 

1831  3,364 

1841  3,586 

1851  3,820 

1861  4,266 

1871  5,390 

1881  6,968 

1891  , 7,569 

1on1   (  East  Grinstead 6,094  )  Q  Rin 

1901  <   -r,  ,   -r,  ctzial         8,610 

(  Forest  Kow    2,516) 


5  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

It  is  difficult  to  compare  the  present  rateable  value  of 
the  parish  with  any  of  the  very  early  figures  obtainable, 
but  the  few  following  facts  are  interesting : 

May  7th,  1333.  The  value  of  taxes  and  rates  in  East  Grinstead 
was  returned  at  £3.  4s.  Id. 

April  loth,  1524.  The  total  value  of  the  rates  in  East  Grinstead 
was  returned  at  £5.  14s.  6d. 

February  20th,  1620.  Total  value  of  the  rates  in  East  Grinstead 
returned  at  £6.  4s.  8d. 

June  18th,  1649.  A  return  made  this  day  showed  that  the  total 
value  of  all  lands,  quit  rents  and  tithes  in  East  Grinstead  was 
£3,178.  9s. 

The  rateable  value  of  the  real  property  in  the  parish 
has  shown  a  very  large  increase  during  the  last  80  years, 
as  the  following  figures  will  show : 

March  25th,  1825  £4,141 

1826  3,949 

1827  4,459 

1828  3,974 

1829  4,025 

1842  9,720 

1852  9,145 

March  25th,  1864  (when  the  first  valuation 

list  on  the  present  lines  came  into  force)  £16,380 

March  25th,  1874     19,932 

„         „        1884     28,741 

„         „        1894      41,540 

„        1904:- 

East  Grinstead.  £37,845  )       , ,  _,.„ 
Forest  Eow    ..      17,128)       &4'y7 
November,  1905  :  — 

East  Grinstead.  £42,076  \ 

Forest  Eow    . .     17,755  )       °y'8d 

The  increase  of  values  during  the  last  half  century 
has  been  very  great.  A  typical  instance  is  afforded  by 
the  two  houses  which  formerly  stood  where  the  premises 
of  Rice  Bros.,  Limited,  now  are.  These  were  sold  by 
Mr.  Morphew  in  1850  for  £150  and  bought  by  Messrs. 
Rice  Bros.  40  years  after  for  £750. 

Apart  from  its  history  as  a  parish,  East  Grinstead  has 
a  very  distinct  and  interesting  history  as  a  borough. 
At  one  time  the  town  formed  a  part  of  the  Royal  possess- 
sions  which  went  with  the  Castle  of  Pevensey,  and  it  is 
still  in  the  Pevensey  Rape,  one  of  the  ancient  divisions 


GENERAL   DESCRIPTION.  9 

of  the  County  of  Sussex,  now  used  principally  for  excise 
and  ecclesiastical  purposes.  Henry  I.  gave  the  estates  to 
Gilbert  de  Aquila,  whose  son  forfeited  them  by  engaging 
in  a  rebellion,  when  the  King  re-took  possession  and 
settled  them  on  his  grandson,  who  afterwards  became 
Henry  II.  This  monarch  assigned  them  to  William,  son 
of  King  Stephen,  who  held  them  until  Henry  came  to 
the  throne  and  four  years  later  surrendered  them  back  to 
his  lord,  conditionally  that  he  should  have  an  hereditary 
right  to  all  lands  belonging  to  his  father,  King  Stephen, 
before  he  became  King  of  England.  The  King  there- 
upon returned  the  estates  to  the  family  of  de  Aquila, 
who  appear  to  have  enjoyed  them  quietly  for  some  years. 
In  the  reign  of  Henry  III.  the  head  of  this  family  made 
himself  obnoxious  to  the  King,  and,  as  he  went  over  to 
Normandy  without  the  Royal  license,  the  King  seized  all 
his  property,  which  included  his  manor  of  East  Grinstead, 
and  in  1234  granted  it  to  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  but 
seems  to  have  taken  it  back  six  years  later,  when  he  gave 
it  to  Peter  de  Savoy,  who  was  uncle  to  his  Consort.  A 
few  years  later  the  property  appears  to  have  once  more 
reverted  to  the  Crown,  and  the  King  then  gave  it  to 
Prince  Edward  and  his  heirs,  Kings  of  England,  on 
condition  that  it  should  never  be  severed  from  the  Crown 
— a  condition  not  long  observed. 

In  the  thirteenth  century  the  mother  of  King  Edward  I. 
held  the  Barony  of  the  Eagle  and  with  it  the  Borough 
and  Hundred  of  East  Grinstead.  The  Hundred  of  East 
Grinstead  was  described  as  an  escheat  of  the  Normans, 
an  escheat  being  a  property  reverting  to  the  Crown  by 
reason  of  the  failure  of  lawful  heirs  or  the  offences  of 
the  owners.  The  jurors  of  the  Hundred  of  East  Grin- 
stead  reported  about  the  same  time  that  there  were  in 
the  "Barony  of  Aquila  (Latin  for  an  eagle)  62  knights' 
fees  which  pertained  to  the  Castle  Guard  of  Pevensey." 
A  "knight's  fee,"  as  applied  to  land,  represents  no  definite 
quantity,  but  anything  between  one  and  five  hundred 
acres  of  cultivable  land. 

King  Edward  I.  paid  one  visit  to  his  mother's  borough. 
He  came  from  Horsham  on  Tuesday,  June  30th,  1299, 


10  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

and  departed  on  Wednesday,  July  1st,  for  Leigh,  on  his 
way  to  Canterbury,  where  he  was  married  for  the  second 
time  on  September  10th.  In  connection  with  this  Royal 
visit  a  record  is  in  existence  of  the  following  payments : 

To  the  Clerk  of  the  Marshalsea,  advanced  for  the  cure  of  certain 
sick  horses  of  the  King  by  the  hand  of  Nicholas  the  Marshal,  10s., 
and  for  8  quarters  of  oats  at  2s.  6d.,  20s.;  to  the  Clerk  of  the  Kitchen, 
for  2  quarters  of  wheat  bought  of  Isabella  de  Puleyne  at  Chichester 
at  6s.  per  quarter,  12s. ;  to  the  Clei'k  of  the  Pantry,  for  6  score  gallons 
of  beer  bought  from  Gunnora,  wife  of  Walter  Alewede,  4s.  2d. ;  and 
for  55  gallons  of  beer  from  Peter  de  Hakenden,  4s.  7d. 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  the  lordship  of  the  town 
belonged  to  Reginald  Cobham,  Lord  Stereborough,  who 
in  1340  procured  a  charter  of  free-warren,  namely,  an 
exclusive  right  to  kill  all  hares,  rabbits,  partridges  and 
pheasants  over  its  area,  and  he  left  it  so  privileged  to  his 
son,  Reginald,  in  1361. 

According  to  the  Harleian  MSS.  an  inquisition  was 
taken  in  1559  in  regard  to  the  extent  of  the  Borough  of 
East  Grinstead,  and  the  jurors  found  that  it  was — 

a  Liberty  of  itself,  without  any  intermeddling  of  ye  hundred,  or  vice 
versa ;  is  within  ye  parish  of  East  Grinstead,  within  ye  Dutchy  of 
Lancaster  and  ye  liberty  of  ye  same.  There  is  contained  within  the 
said  boro'  of  lands  and  tenements,  as  they  are  divided,  48  burgages,  47 
Portlands,  24  cottages,  besides  a  stable  and  a  smith's  forge,  and  there 
be  divers  owners  of  the  said  burgages.  The  burgage  holders  and 
cottagers  are  all  the  Queen's  tenants,  and  hold  their  tenements  of  her 
Majestie,  as  of  her  Manor  of  East  Grinstead,  by  fealty  only  and  suit 
of  Court.  This  boro'  is  within  the  Liberty  of  the  Dutchy  and  within 
ye  parish  of  East  Grinstead  only,  and  there  is  no  more  of  ye  boro'  of 
East  Grinstead,  but  only  ye  town,  and  yet  there  is  a  common  or  heath, 
which  is  a  common  appendant  to  ye  said  boro',  and  lieth  also  within 
ye  said  boro'  and  is  altogether  within  ye  said  parish  of  East  Grinstead 
and  within  ye  said  Dutchy  and  Liberty  of  ye  same.  This  boro' 
boundeth  to  ye  lands  of  John  Duffield,  called  Browning's  Cross,  and 
to  ye  glebe  land  of  ye  Parsonage  of  north  part ;  to  Love  Lane  of  ye 
east  part ;  to  ye  lands  of  John  Duffield  the  elder,  and  lands  late  John 
Leedes  of  ye  south ;  of  ye  Queen's  highway  leading  from  said  boro' 
to  Westleigh  and  to  ye  lands  late  Richard  Homewood  west.  Ye  said 
common  or  heath  boundeth  to  Edw.  Goodwin's  lands  south ;  to  certain 
copyhold  lands  belonging  to  Imberhorne  manor  and  ye  demesne  lands 
of  said  manor  west ;  to  ye  lands  of  Thos.  Sands,  Esq.,  lands  Birchcroft, 
Edw.  Goodwin's  lands,  a  croft  late  Thos.  Durkins,  ye  lands  of  Win. 
Outred  and  John  Besh,  lands  belonging  to  ye  George  Inn  and  Win. 
Langridge's  tenements ;  and  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  there  is  on 
ye  common  or  heath  one  little  piece  of  ground  called  the  Windmill 


GENERAL   DESCRIPTION.  11 

Place,  wch  Henry  Duffield  purchased  to  him  and  his  heirs  of  King 
Henry  VII.,  with  one  tenement  and  a  piece  of  ground  lying  west  of 
ye  said  common  and  called  Ye  New  House,  wch  Edw.  Duffield  now 
hath  and  holdeth. 

The  Duffields  were  long  resident  in  East  Grinstead 
and  one  of  them  named  Thomas,  a  yeoman,  was  convicted 
for  participating  in  1541,  at  Laughton,  with  Lord  Dacre, 
in  that  unfortunate  poaching  affray  which  brought  this 
nobleman  to  the  gallows.  The  mill  spoken  of  was  not 
pulled  down  until  about  1900. 

On  May  15th,  1626,  the  Hundred  of  East  Grinstead 
was  ordered  to  raise  money  for  10  barrels  of  powder  to 
be  kept  in  store  and  also  to  keep  the  beacons  sufficiently 
repaired  and  watched.  A  year  later,  on  August  llth, 
the  Hundred  was  called  on  to  find  3s.  and  two  men 
towards  a  press  of  50  required  from  the  county,  no  doubt 
to  help  in  our  ill-fated  struggles  in  France  and  Spain. 

The  Alderman  or  High  Constable  of  the  Hundred 
had  annually  to  appear  at  a  "  Sheriffes  turne  Court" 
held  upon  Berwick  Common  on  the  Thursday  in  Whitsuii 
week.  In  a  return  to  Parliament,  dated  June  1st,  1650, 
the  duties  of  the  "Aldermen"  are  thus  quaintly  set 
forth  :- 

The  Aldermen  of  the  sevall  hundreds  (wch  are  chosen  at  ye  leetes  for 
evy  hundred  one)  are  then  to  appeare,  and  to  certify  how  many  head 
borrowes  are  in  each  hundred,  and  to  bi-ing  12  men  with  every  alderman 
according  to  custome,  to  make  a  grand  inquest,  and  the  head  borrows 
of  evy  borrough  in  the  said  hundreds  are  to  appeare  wth  two  side  men, 
wth  each  of  them  to  psent  all  publique  abuses  wthin  their  said  borroughs 
and  hundreds ;  any  of  these  fayling  are  severally  amerced,  viz',  the 
Aldermen  xxs  each  at  the  least,  and  their  jurates  vjs  each,  the  head- 
borrough  each  iij"  iiijd  at  ye  least,  ye  side  men  vjd,  and  all  deodans 
fellons  goods,  fugetives  and  fellows  of  themselves,  &c.,  psented  and 
amerced,  and  all  publique  annanses,  all  ye  fines  and  amercants  at  y* 
said  court  are  levied  by  ye  feodary  BailifFe  of  ye  Dutchy,  and  ought  to 
be  accompted  or  compounded  for  by  him  .  .  . 

A  deodand  was  a  personal  chattel  which  had  been  the 
immediate  occasion  of  the  death  of  a  rational  being  and 
for  that  reason  " given  to  God"  —that  is,  forfeited  to  the 
King  to  be  applied  to  pious  uses  and  distributed  in  alms 
by  his  high  almoner.  The  Crown,  however,  frequently 
granted  the  right  to  deodands  to  devolve  with  certain 
lands.  They  were  abolished  in '1846. 


12  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

"Annanses,"  or  annants,  or  annates,  were  the  "first 
fruits,"  or  a  year's  income  of  a  spiritual  living,  given  to 
the  Pope  on  the  death  of  a  bishop,  abbot,  or  parish  priest, 
and  paid  by  his  successor.  At  the  Reformation  they  were 
vested  in  the  King  and  by  Queen  Anne  restored  to  the 
church  and  appropriated  to  the  augmentation  of  poor 
livings,  forming  the  nucleus  of  the  well-known  Queen 
Anne's  Bounty  Fund. 

It  is  impossible  to  conceive  what  a  vast  difference  there 
would  have  been  in  the  whole  character  of  the  town  and 
neighbourhood  if  East  Grinstead  but  possessed  a  navigable 
river.  Our  forefathers  were  not  blind  to  the  advantages, 
both  commercial  and  otherwise,  which  the  district  thus 
lost  and  they  made  several  attempts  to  remedy  the 
deficiencies  of  nature.  In  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
years  of  the  reigri  of  Charles  II.,  Parliament  passed  an 
Act  for  making  the  river  Medway,  which  originates  from 
a  number  of  little  streams  rising  in  and  around  East 
Grinstead  and  Turners  Hill,  navigable  in  the  counties  of 
Kent  and  Sussex.  This  vast  work  was  never  executed 
and  65  years  later  private  individuals  took  the  matter  up 
and  got  a  second  Act  passed  authorising  the  formation  of 
a  company,  to  be  called  "  The  Company  of  Proprietors 
of  the  Navigation  of  the  River  Medway,"  and  the  making 
of  that  river  navigable  from  Maidstone  to  Forest  Row, 
but  this  enterprise  lingered  on  in  imagination  only  until 
the  country  gradually  became  covered  with  a  network  of 
railways,  when  the  project  was  finally  abandoned. 

For  centuries  the  town  proper  consisted  of  only  one 
straggling  street  reaching  from  the  paygate,  which  stood  at 
the  east  end  of  the  High  Street,  to  a  spot  near  the  present 
Literary  Institute.  There  were  a  few  houses  between 
there  and  the  White  Lion.  The  town  was  entered  from 
the  London  direction  under  a  magnificent  avenue  of 
elms,  which  occupied  both  sides  of  the  roadway  from 
where  the  Tunbridge  Wells  railway  line  now  goes  under 
it  to  Queen's  Road,  and  a  portion  of  which  still  remains 
on  the  Placeland  Estate. 

The  Common,  already  referred  to,  commenced  just 
beyond  the  White  Lion  Hotel  and,  but  for  a  few  isolated 


GENERAL   DESCRIPTION.  13 

cottages,  formed  a  wild  open  tract  reaching  practically 
from  the  town  to  Felbridge  and  from  Baldwins  Hill  to 
Imberhorne.  The  Duke  of  Dorset,  as  Lord  of  the 
Manor,  began  its  enclosure  about  1760  and  his  successors 
continued  it  until  the  only  public  piece  now  remaining 
is  the  Ling-field  Road  Recreation  Ground.  At  North  End 
formerly  stood  the  public  lime-kilns.  Farmers  used  to 
fetch  chalk  by  road  from  Lewes  and  make  their  own 
lime,  for  agricultural  purposes,  in  the  kilns  on  the 
Common.  These  were  used  by  whoever  needed  them 
and,  as  may  be  imagined,  disputes  in  regard  to  their 
occupation  were  not  rare.  The  cartage  of  chalk  was 
so  great  and  so  necessary  an  industry  that  by  many 
general  and  local  Acts  carts  conveying  it  were  exempted 
from  the  payment  of  tolls,  but  a  special  clause  was 
inserted  in  the  last  Act  governing  the  East  Grinstead 
roads  (1850),  withdrawing  this  exemption  in  regard  to 
chalk  and  lime  and  continuing  it  in  regard  to  lime  only 
when  being  conveyed  for  use  in  improving  land. 

The  town  has  never  had  much  more  than  its  residential 
and  sporting  capacities  and  its  agricultural  industry  to 
depend  on.  It  has  long  been  the  centre  of  a  very  fair 
timber  trade,  and  at  one  time  was  enriched  by  the  iron 
industry,  but  no  large  manufactories  have  ever  been 
established,  though  many  industries,  such  as  brewing 
and  mineral  water  making,  boot  and  harness  manufactur- 
ing, have  been  well  represented  in  a  moderate  way. 
The  quill  pen  manufactory  established  by  Mr.  Palmer, 
the  issuer  of  penny  and  twopenny  bank-notes,  gained  a 
wide  repute  and  secured  for  the  establishment  the  grant 
of  the  Royal  Arms,  the  only  one  ever  obtained  by  a 
local  tradesman,  arid  still  to  be  seen  over  the  premises, 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Dixon.  The 
old  felt  hat  manufactory  was  a  fairly  large  one.  Thomas 
Boille,  assistant  warden  of  Sackville  College,  and  who 
issued  his  own  farthing,  was  a  hatmaker  here  in  1680 
and  in  1798  William  Tooth  was  carrying  on  the  same 
business.  It  was  located  where  the  boot  shop  of  Mrs. 
Roberts,  in  the  London  Road,  now  stands.  The  Tooth 
family  then  owned  almost  all  the  land  between  what  is 


14  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

now  London  Road  and  Hill  Place,  including  Glen  Vue, 
Queen's  Road  andWest  Street,  then  mainly  of  an  agricul- 
tural character.  A  diary  kept  by  the  great  grandfather 
of  Messrs.  Frederick  and  Edwin  Tooth,  who  are  now 
partners  in  business  in  the  High  Street,  contains  the 
following  concerning  his  nephew : 

December  19th,  1827,  John  Tooth  sailed  in  the  "Bencoolen,"  Captain 
John  Martin,  Master,  for  Van  Diemans  Land  and  New  South  Wales, 
with  hops,  rum,  porter  and  hats  for  sale. 

His  brother  had  established  himself  as  a  brewer  at 
Cranbrook  and  thence  came  the  hops,  rum  and  porter 
which  formed  part  of  this  miscellaneous  cargo.  The 
hats  came  from  East  Grinstead.  The  goods  apparently 
sold  well,  for  John  Tooth  settled  down  in  Sydney, 
established  a  brewery  there  and  died  worth  over 
£300,000.  His  descendants  have  come  back  to  England 
and  are  famous  for  their  munificent  donations  to  national 
and  charitable  institutions. 

As  already  mentioned  a  few  of  our  traders  have  had 
their  own  coins.  In  the  reign  of  Charles  I.  and  during 
the  Commonwealth,  before  regal  copper  money  was 
brought  into  general  use,  many  tradesmen  issued  tokens 
of  a  farthing  value,  and  the  following  were  struck  by 
East  Grinstead  residents : 

1.  Obv.:  THOMAS  .  BODLE  .  ix.     (The  Mercers'  Arms.) 
Rev. :  EAST  .  GRIMSTED  .  SVSEX.     T.  E.  B. 

Thomas  Bodle  was  a  mercer  and  hat  maker.  The 
name  is  a  fairly  common  one  in  Sussex,  and  Mr.  Lower 
suggests  it  was  possibly  corrupted  from  Bothel. 

2.  Obv. :  WILL  .  CLIFTON  .  SVSEX.     (A  sugar  loaf.) 
Rev. :  ix  .  EAST  .  GRIMSTED.     W.  S.  C. 

This  trader  was  apparently  a  grocer,  but  the  name  is 
not  a  common  one  in  the  district. 

3.  Obv. :  AT  .  THE  .  CATT  .  ix  .  EAST  (A  cat). 
Rev.:  GREEXSTED  .  1650.  T.  E.  P. 

This  was  issued  by  the  proprietor  of  what  is  now  the 
Dorset  Arms.  The  famous  old  coaching  house  has  borne 
several  names.  It  comprised  two  of  the  36  burgages, 
giving  its  tenant  a  right  to  a  vote  for  the  Members  of 


GENERAL   DESCRIPTION.  15 

Parliament,  and  when  first  built  was  called  "  The  Newe 
Line."  Subsequently  it  was  named  "The  Ounce"  and 
afterwards  "  The  Cat,"  both  these  titles  being  derived 
from  the  two  leopards  which  form  the  supporters  of  the 
Dorset  arms.  It  was  not  called  "The  Dorset  Arms" 
until  the  "Dorset  Head,"  which  stood  where  Barclay 
and  Co.'s  Bank  now  is,  was  done  away  with.  This  was 
originally  named  "  The  Chequer,7**  and  gave  the  name  to 
the  mead  in  the  rear,  which  was  subsequently  attached 
to  the  Crown  Hotel.  John  Taylor's  "  Catalogue  of 
Tavernes  in  tenne  Shires  about  London,"  published  in 
1636,  says: 

At  East-Greensteed  John  Langridge  and  Henry  Baldwin  ;  the  signes 
at  East  Greensted  are  the  Crown  and  the  Cat. 

In  1811  The  Dorset  Arms  was  let  at  £30  a  year,  and 
The  Crown,  with  its  "  outhouses,  stables,  yard,  garden 
and  bowling  green,"  at  the  same  figure.  Both  then 
belonged  to  the  Sackville  family.  A  considerable  farm 
at  that  time  went  with  the  Crown,  including  the  Friday, 
Chequer  and  Hips  fields,  and  this  farm  was  valued  at 
£42  a  year.  The  three  coins  named  above  were  all 
farthings ;  the  next,  though  practically  of  the  same  size, 
was  a  halfpenny : 

4.    Obv.  :    *RICH    .    PAGE    .    AND    .    HEX    .    SEASTID.       (A  Cl'OWn.) 

Rev.:  *EAST  .  GRIMSTED  .  IN  .  SVSSEX.     THEIR   HALF  PENY. 

Richard  Page  also  issued  a  Hellingly  halfpenny  in 
1669,  and  he  may  have  been  in  partnership  with  Seastid 
in  East  Grinstead.  The  latter  name  is  a  rare  one,  but 
may  be  .the  same  as  Isted  or  Histed,  both  of  which  are 
possessed  by  old  local  families. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  copper 
coinage  ran  very  short,  and  tradesmen  again  issued  their 
own  tokens  in  vast  quantities.  The  only  local  one  was 
issued  by  J.  H.  Boorman,  a  grocer  and  draper : 

Obv. :  The  Freemasons'  Arms,  supporters,  crest  and  motto,  with 

legend  "  PRO  BONO  PTJBLICO." 
Rev. :  The  script  cypher  "J.  H.  B."  in  the  field,  with  a  pair  of 

scales  above  and  "1795"  below  and  legend  "EAST 

GRINSTEAD    HALFPENNY." 

Edge :  PAYABLE  AT  j  -f-  H.  BOORMAN    0  +  0  +  0. 


16  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

Our  traders  at  one  time  strongly  resented  the  intrusion 
of  outsiders,  for  the  House  of  Commons  minutes  for 
February  9th,  1705,  inform  us  that  a  petition  of  the 
aggrieved  shopkeepers  in  the  Borough  of  East  Grinstead 
was  presented  to  Parliament  against  continuing  the 
licensing  of  hawkers  and  pedlars,  and  praying  that 
some  effectual  remedy  might  be  had  to  suppress  such 
"intestine  enemies."  The  petition  was  referred  to  a 
committee  of  the  whole  House,  and  possibly  never 
thought  of  again. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  such  an  old  Parliamentary 
Borough  as  East  Grinstead  had  its  coat  of  arms  at  a  very 
early  date,  but  it  was  either  forgotten  or  in  abeyance  in 
1572.  In  this  year  Thomas  Cure,  of  Southwark,  was 
elected  M.P.  for  the  Borough  of  East  Grinstead,  and  he 
appears  to  have  signalised  his  return  by  procuring  for 
the  town  a  grant  of  arms,  presenting  to  the  township  a 
silver  seal  engraved  therewith.  What  appears  to  be  the 
original  parchment  grant  of  arms  from  the  Heralds 
College  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  Crawfurd  family, 
to  whom  it  has  probably  descended  from  their  ancestor, 
John  Payne,  of  East  Grinstead,  who  died  in  1579,  and 
is  one  of  the  burgesses  named  in  the  grant,  which  reads 
as  follows: — 

Be  it  remembered  that  Gilbert  Dethik  alias  Garter,  Principall  Kinge 
of  Armes  did  graunt  and  allowe  tlie  xxxth  day  of  May  anno  dni  1572 
Anno  Eegni  Eegine  Elizabethe  viiijto  At  ye  specyall  suyt  of  wyllyam 
Langridge  then  baylyffe  of  the  bowronage  towne  of  Estgrinsted  in 
ye  Countye  of  Sussex,  Edwarde  Goodwyne,  John  Payne,  Thomas 
Lullingeden  junior,  John  Duffylde,  Edward  Duffylde,  Thomas 
Lullingeden  senior,  James  Baldwin,  Robart  Hartfylde,  wyllyam  Bryan, 
Thomas  ffawrkenor,  John  Atree,  Edwarde  Langredge,  John  Saxpes, 
Henry  Browne,  Thomas  Dureky,  Thomas  Homewoode,  George  Partrydg 
and  John  Hazelden  then  being  burgesses  in  the  sayd  burrowe  towne 
and  other  the  inhabytants  of  the  sayde  towne.  fc!r  And  by  the 
procuremente  of  maister  Thomas  Cure  of  Sowthwarke  in  the  countye  of 
Surr'  esquyor,  the  paterne  of  ye  Seale  herein  enexed  to  be  a  paterne 
of  ye  seale  for  the  sayd  Borrorghe  towne,  and  that  ye  same  paterne, 
and  a  Seale  graven  in  sylver,  accordinge  to  the  same  paterne  was  cawsed 
to  be  made  and  geven  to  the  sayde  Bayliffe,  burgesses,  townshipe  and 
inhabj'tants  to  the  use  of  the  sayde  townshipe  by  the  sayd  Thorns'  Cure 
at  his  proper  cost  &  charges  only,  for  the  love  &  good  wyll  that  he  the 


GENERAL    DESCRIPTION. 


sayde  Thomas  Cure  bare  unto  the  sayd  Burrowe  towne  and  inhabytants 
thereof.     Dated  the  day  and  yeare  before  written. 

Per  me  Humfridum  Boydon 
1572 


ffinis 


A  Paterne  of  a  Seale  for  the  Borroughe 
Towne  of  Estgrinsteed  in  Sussex. 


Graunted  by  Garter  Principall 

Kinge  of  Armes 
by  me  Gilbert  Dethick, 
als  garter  principall 
King  of  armes. 


The  five  Prince  of  Wales  feathers  are  in  blue,  with  gold 
touches  to  the  tips,  the  ground  yellow,  the  rim  gilt  and 
the  letters  brown.  The  silver  seal  referred  to  has  long 
since  disappeared. 

According  to  some  authorities  the  town  had  another 
coat  of  arms — a  rose  surmounted  by  a  crown.  Cox's 
11  Magna  Britannia"  gives  a  ducal  crown,  with  rose  below 
and  "Sus"  "sex"  on  either  side,  as  the  arms  of  the 
town,  but  there  is  no  record  of  this  at  the  College  of 
Arms.  Some  local  bodies  have  adopted  this  rose  and 
crown  as  their  seal,  but  they  do  not  agree  either  as  to 
the  shape  of  the  rose  or  the  formation  of  the  crown.  The 
Gilbert  Dethick  who  signs  the  grant  was  first  Norroy 
and  then  Garter  King  of  Arms,  being  raised  to  the  latter 
office  on  April  29th,  1550.  He  was  succeeded  by  William 
Dethick  (possibly  his  son)  on  April  21st,  1586,  and  in 
connection  with  the  grant  to  East  Grinstead  it  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  about  this  time  gross  irregularities  with 
regard  to  the  granting  and  confirmations  of  arms  obtained 
in  the  Heralds  College.  "  Some  of  the  Heralds,"  we  are 
told,  "  had  taken  to  visiting  and  giving  grants  of  arms 
on  their  own  initiative,  which  they  had  no  right  to  do 
except  as  deputies  to  one  of  the  Kings  of  Arms."  Their 
action  brought  about  a  positive  scandal,  so  on  July  18th, 


18  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

1568,  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  as  Earl  Marshal  of  England, 
issued  fresh  regulations,  one  of  which  was  :— 

That  from  henceforth  there  shall  be  no  new  arms  granted  to  any 
person  or  persons  without  consent  thereunto  of  the  Earl  Marshall  had. 
Provided  always  that  it  shall  be  lawfull  for  Garter,  Clarenceux  and 
Norroy  and  every  other  of  them  jointly  together  to  give  new  crests 
and  confirinances  as  heretofore  they  have  done  .  .  .  and  that  no 
patents  of  arms  he  granted  unless  the  hands  of  the  three  Kings  of 
Arms  be  thereto  subscribed. 

Four  years  later  the  East  Grinstead  arms  were  granted. 
The  latter  part  of  the  Earl  Marshal's  rule  had  been 
generally  disregarded  and  new  grants  of  arms  continued 
to  be  issued  on  the  authority  of  the  Garter  or  one  of  the 
Kings  of  Arms  alone.  This  is  the  case  with  East 
Grinstead ;  Garter  alone  signs  it  and  the  Earl  Marshal's 
warrant  is  not  mentioned  and  presumably  was  not 
obtained.  The  order  had  so  little  effect,  and  the  scandal 
of  unauthorised  grants  increased  so  much,  that  the  public 
executioner  obtained  a  grant  with  the  Royal  Arms  of 
Aragori  and  Brabant !  This  was  too  much  and  the 
granter,  Segar,  successor  to  W.  Dethick,  was  sent  to 
prison  for  his  freely  bestowed  favours. 


THE  DOMESDAY  SUBVEY. 


CHAPTER    II. 

IN  the  year  1086  a  survey  was  completed  of  that 
portion  of  Great  Britain  ruled  by  William  the  Conqueror. 
Appended  is  a  translation  of  the  local  part  of  that 
very  famous  manuscript  volume,  written  at  Winchester 
from  notes  made  by  special  officers  sent  to  every  part  of 
the  realm.  Obsolete  names  and  words  are  explained  in 
parentheses,  the  renderings  being  mainly  those  suggested 
in  the  issue  of  Domesday  Book  published  by  the  Sussex 
Archaeological  Society,  or  the  Victoria  History  of 
Sussex  : — 

In  Grenestede  Hundred. 

In  Calvrestot  (Shovelstrode  Manor)  the  Earl  (Earl 
Robert  of  Mortain,  half-brother  to  William  the  Con- 
queror) has  1  hide  (probably  meaning  as  much  land  as 
one  plough  could  cultivate),  which  lay  in  the  rape  of 
Lewes.  It  is  now  outside  the  rape.  It  does  not  pay 
geld  (land  tax  called  "Dane-geld").  Alnod  held  it  of 
King  Edward  (Edward  the  Confessor).  There  is  land 
for  2  ploughs.  There  they  are  with  one  villein  (persons 
in  absolute  servitude  with  their  children  and  effects)  and 
3  bordars  (cottagers).  From  the  herbage  3  hogs.  From 
the  wood  5.  (Rents  were  then  often  paid  in  swine.) 
In  the  time  of  King  Edward  and  now  worth  20 
shillings. 

In  Celrestvis  (?  Shovelstrode  Manor)  Ansfrid  holds  one 
virgate  of  the  Earl  outside  the  rape.  It  has  never  paid 
geld.  ^Elmar  held  it  of  King  Edward.  There  is  land 
for  1  plough.  There  it  is  with  one  villein.  From  the 
wood  and  herbage  2  hogs.  In  the  time  of  King  Edward 
it  was  worth  5  shillings ;  now  7  shillings. 

In  Felsmere  (Falmer  or  Felbridge)  the  Earl  holds  1 
hide  and  a  half  outside  the  rape.  It  has  not  paid  geld. 
Villeins  held  it,  and  it  is  rated  in  the  manor. 

c  2 


20  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

In  Berchelie  (Burleigh,  Turners  Hill)  William  holds  1 
hide  and  a  half  of  the  Earl.  It  is  outside  the  rape.  It 
has  not  paid  geld.  In  the  time  of  King  Edward  Alfer 
held  it  of  the  Holy  Trinity  (probably  some  ecclesiastical 
establishment),  in  the  Manor  of  Odetone  (Wootton  Manor 
in  Westmeston),  as  the  hundred  testifies.  There  is  land 
for  4  ploughs.  There  are  3  villeins  and  1  plough.  In 
the  time  of  King  Edward  it  was  worth  20  shillings ; 
now  10  shillings. 

The  same  William  holds  Warlege  (Warley)  of  the 
Earl.  There  are  2  hides.  It  has  never  paid  geld ;  it  is 
outside  the  rape.  Ulueva  held  it  of  King  Edward  for  1 
manor.  There  is  land  for  5  ploughs.  There  are  3 
villeins  with  3  ploughs.  From  the  herbage  5  hogs  and 
wood  2  hogs.  Then  20  shillings;  now  15  shillings. 

The  same  William  holds  Sperchedene  outside  the  rape 
of  the  Earl.  It  lay  in  Wildetone  (a  Manor  of  Ashurst 
or  The  Wilde)  and  has  never  paid  geld.  Cano  held  it  of 
King  Edward.  There  is  land  for  half  a  plough.  It  was 
then  worth  3  shillings ;  now  2  shillings. 

Ansfrid  holds  2  hides  less  one  virgate  outside  the  rape 
of  the  Earl.  King  Edward  held  them.  They  lay  in  the 
Manor  of  Diceninges  (Ditchling),  and  have  not  paid  geld. 
There  is  land  for  6  ploughs.  From  the  wood  and  herbage 
6  hogs.  There  is  one  acre  of  meadow  and  one  iron  mine. 
(The  only  mine  mentioned  in  the  Sussex  survey.)  There 
are  six  villeins  with  two  ploughs.  In  the  time  of  King 
Edward  they  were  worth  15  shillings ;  now  20  shillings. 

The  same  Ansfrid  holds  half  a  hide  outside  the  rape. 
It  is  called  Halseeldene  (Hazelden ;  or  Hazeldene  in 
Dallington  ;  or  Haselden  in  Burwash).  Ulward  held  it 
of  King  Edward.  It  lay  in  Alitone  (Allington  in  St. 
John's,  Lewes)  and  has  never  paid  geld.  There  is  land 
for  2  ploughs.  It  was  worth  10  shillings :  now  5  shillings. 

The  same  Ansfrid  holds  half  a  hide  Biochest  (Buck- 
hurst  in  Withyham  ;  or  Brockhurst,  an  extinct  manor  in 
East  Grinstead ;  or  Burghurst,  near  Horsted  Keynes) 
outside  the  rape  of  the  Earl.  Frane  held  it  of  King 
Edward.  It  lay  in  Waningore  (Warringore  Manor  in 


THE   DOMESDAY    SURVEY.  21 

Chailey).  It  has  never  paid  geld.  There  is  land  for  1 
plough  and  there  it  is  with  one  villein.  It  was  worth  15 
shillings  ;  now  5  shillings. 

Ralph  holds  Branbertie  (Brambletye)  of  the  Earl. 
Cola  held  it  of  King  Edward.  It  then  and  now  vouched 
for  one  hide.  There  is  land  for  1  plough  and  a  half. 
There  is  a  priest  with  one  villein  and  one  plough  and  a 
hah0  and  14  bordars.  From  the  wood  and  herbage  12 
hogs  and  5  acres  of  meadow  and  I  mill  of  2  shillings. 
(This  mill  still  exists  and  is  occupied  by  Messrs.  Hohnden 
and  Son.  The  only  other  mill  in  the  district  was  at 
Hertevel — Hartfield — and  its  annual  rent  was  4s.  and 
350  eels,  rent  being  then  often  paid  in  eels,  which 
abounded  in  the  mill-ponds.)  In  the  time  of  King 
Edward  it  was  worth  30  shillings ;  now  20  shillings. 

The  same  Ralph  holds  Waslebie  (Whalesbeach  Farm 
in  East  Grinstead)  outside  the  rape  of  the  Earl.  There 
is  1  hide.  Fulchi  held  it  of  King  Edward.  It  lay  at 
Lovintune  (East  Lavant).  It  has  never  paid  geld.  There 
is  land  for  3  ploughs.  There  are  2  villeins  with  half  a 
plough.  It  was  worth  30  shillings ;  now  20  shillings. 

The  Earl  himself  holds  outside  the  rape  one  virgate 
and  a  half,  Standene.  (Possibly  Standen,  but  if  really 
outside  the  rape  then  Standean  in  Pyecombe  and 
Ditchling.)  Azor  held  it  of  King  Edward.  It  lay  at 
Bevedene  (Bevendean  in  Falmer).  It  has  never  paid 
geld.  It  is  accounted  for  and  rated  in  the  manor  of 
Torringes  (Tarring  Neville). 

The  Earl  himself  holds  Ferlega  (?Fairlight)  for  one 
rod.  It  is  outside  the  rape,  in  the  rape  of  Lewes.  It  lay 
at  Dicelinges( Ditchling).  It  has  never  paid  geld.  There 
is  land  for  half  a  plough.  There  is  one  villein  with  one 
plough.  It  was  worth  10  shillings  ;  now  5  shillings. 


THE  BOROUGH  OF  EAST  GRINSTEAD  AND  ITS 
MEMBERS  OE  PARLIAMENT, 


CHAPTER    III. 

FOR  more  than  530  years  the  Borough  of  East 
Grinstead  was  represented  by  two  Members  in  Parlia- 
ment and  the  town  has  sent  many  famous  men  to  the 
House  of  Commons.  The  privilege  was  possibly  first 
conferred  in  1295,  when  the  "First  Complete  and  Model 
Parliament "  met,  but  the  earliest  record  of  any  return 
is  in  the  year  1300-1,  the  29th  of  the  reign  of  Edward  I. 
The  right  of  voting,  when  it  came  to  be  exercised  by 
the  inhabitants,  was  almost  exclusively  confined  to  the 
holders  of  burgages,  and  the  number  of  this  class  of 
tenements  seems  never  to  have  exceeded  36,  of  which 
almost  the  whole  were  for  many  years  vested  in  the 
Sackville  family,  so  that  it  was  essentially  a  "  nomination 
borough."  The  last  patrons  of  the  nomination  borough 
were  the  Earl  De  la  Warr  and  the  Earl  of  Plymouth, 
their  Lordships  having  married  two  sisters,  co-heiresses 
of  the  Duke  of  Dorset,  a  former  patron.  A  burgage 
holder  was  a  burgess,  citizen  or  townsman  who  held  his 
land  or  tenement  direct  from  the  King,  or  other  lord,  for 
a  certain  yearly  rent,  or  who  held  it  under  socage — the 
tenure  of  one  over  whom  his  lord  had  a  certain  jurisdic- 
tion. There  were  several  kinds  of  socage,  the  most 
common  in  East  Grinstead  being  "free  socage,"  implying 
that  the  service  to  be  rendered  was  not  only  certain,  but 
honourable,  such  as  the  payment  of  a  merely  nominal 
yearly  sum  or  the  declaration  of  fealty,  meaning,  "If 
you  need  my  sword  to  be  drawn  on  your  behalf  it  shall 
be  at  once  unsheathed."  Thus  an  independent  free- 
holder or  a  tenant  under  any  but  the  King  or  Lord  of 
the  Manor  had  no  vote  whatever.  Appended  are  the 
names  of  Members,  so  far  as  they  can  be  ascertained, 


ITS    MEMBERS    OF   PARLIAMENT.  23 

with  brief  biographies  of  the  more  famous  and  notes  of 
petitions  and  other  events  of  interest : 

1300-1.     Willielmus  ate  Solere  and  Willielmus  le  Fughel. 

Both  these  were  East  Grinstead  people,  their  names 
appearing  in  a  local  subsidy  roll  of  that  date. 

1307,  Oct.  13th.     Galfridus  le  Fissher  and  Thomas  Squier. 
1309,  April   27th.      Willielmus   de   Holindale  vel   Holmdale   and 
Galfridus  le  Fisshere. 

It  was  evidently  the  first  named  of  these  two  members 
who  founded,  in  1325,  a  chantry  in  the  parish  church  of 
East  Grinstead  and  endowed  it  with  lands  in  the  parish 
and  rents  out  of  the  Manors  of  Duddleswell  and  Imber- 
horne.  There  were  Hollingdales  living  in  East  Grinstead 
at  the  Round  Houses  until  they  were  pulled  down  to 
make  room  for  the  Constitutional  Club. 

1311,  Aug.  8th.     Thomas  Flemyng  and  Galfridus  ate  Solere. 

1311,    Nov.    12th.     Willielmus   de   Holyndale   and   Johannes   atte 

Solere. 
1313,  Sept.  23rd.     Galfridus  le  Ku  and  Willielmus  de  Holyndale. 

For  the  four  next  Parliaments  no  returns  were  made 
for  the  Borough  of  East  Grinstead. 

1322,  Nov.  14th.     Willielmus  de  Holindale  and  Galfridus  Cocus. 

The  latter  was  possibly  the  same  person  as  "  le  Ku" 
returned  in  1313. 

1325,  Nov.   1 8th.     Willielmus  atte  Sol     ...  and  Willielmus  de 
Holy     .     .     . 

The  finals  of  both  these  names  are  defaced  in  the 
original  returns.  They  possibly  were  Solere  and  Holyn- 
dale. 

1348.     Willielmus  le  Couk  and  Johannes  atte  Solere. 

1354.  Thomas  Rous  and  Willielmus  le  Couk. 

1355.  Willielmus  Couk  and  Thomas  Rous. 
1357-8.  Willielmus  Couk  and  Thomas  Rous. 
1360.     Thomas  Rous  and  Johannes  Alfray. 

The  Alfreys  were  a  well-known  Sussex  family,  for  a 
long  time  owners  of  Gulledge  and  Tilkhurst,  which  now 
form  part  of  the  Imberhorne  estate. 

1360-1.  Thomas  Rous  and  Johannes  Alfray. 
1362.     Gregorius  atte  Hole  and  Johannes  Alfray. 


24  HISTORY   OP  EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

1363.     Gregorius  atte  Hole  and  Johannes  Alfray. 
1 364-5.  Gregorius  atte  Hole  and     .     .     .     Holyndale. 
1366.     Gregorius  atte  Hole  and  Eicardus  Clerk. 

1368.  Gregorius  atte  Hole  and  Johannes  Alfray. 

1369.  Thomas  Eston  and  Galfridus  Cook. 

1371.  Gregorius  atte  Hole. 

1372.  Galfridus  Cook  and  Gregorius  atte  Hole. 

1373.  Eicardus  Mayhew  and  Eicardus  Danyel. 

1378.     Eicardus  Hygon  and  Eicardus  Woghere  or  Wowere. 

"  Woghere"  is  possibly  the  same  as  the  modern  name 
of  Woolgar,  which  is  well  known  in  East  Grinstead  and 
common  throughout  Sussex. 

1381.  Johannes  atte  Sloughtre  or  Sleghtre  and  Johannes  Farlegh. 

1382.  Eicardus  Woghere  and  Eicardus  Danyel. 
1382-3.  Thomas  Wykes  or  Wyke  and  Johannes  Dyn. 

John  Dyn  or  Dyne  was  probably  descended  from  the 
Dynes  of  Wikedyn,  Northampton,  who  came  over  with 
the  Conqueror  and  branches  of  which  family  afterwards 
settled  at  Bethersden,  Kent,  and  Westfield  and  East 
Grinstead,  in  Sussex.  The  present  representative  of  this 
old  family  is  Mr.  John  Bradley-Dyne,  of  Lincolns  Inn, 
Barrister-at-law,  one  of  the  Conveyancing  Counsel  to  the 
Court  of  Chancery. 

1383.  Johannes  Sleghtre  and  Thomas  Wyke. 

1384.  Eicardus  Danyell  and  Eicardus  Wcghere. 

1385.  Eicardus  Danyel  and  Eicardus  Woghere. 
1387-8.  Johannes  Dyn  or  Dyne  and  Johannes  Heldele. 
1388.     Eicardus  Wowere  and  Willielmus  Nelond. 
1391.     Johannes  Alfray  and  Johannes  Dyn. 
1392-3.  Thomas  Easse  and  Thomas  Aleyn. 

1394-5.  Thomas  Farlegh  and  Willielmus  atte  Hulle. 
1396-7.  Johannes  Punget  and  Johannes  Dyn. 
1397.     Johannes  Dyn  and  Johannes  Punget. 
1399.     Johannes  Dyne  and  Eicardus  Woghere. 
1402.     Johannes  Dyne  and  Eicardus  Wowere. 
1407.     Johannes  Dyn  and  Eicardus  Wowere. 

In  this  year  the  Commons  established  the  Constitu- 
tional maxim  that  all  money  grants  must  originate  in 
their  House  and  not  in  the  Lords. 

1413.  Johannes  Hoke  and  Thomas  Aleyn. 

1414.  Johannes  Dyn  and  Thomas  Wower. 

1419.     Willielmus  Fenyngham  and  Johannes  Hamme. 

The  Fenningham  or  Frenyngham  family  lived  at 
Waldron  and  during  Jack  Cade's  insurrection  the  rebels 


ITS   MEMBERS   OF   PARLIAMENT.  25 

plundered  their  house  of  precious  stones  and  other 
valuables  and  held  the  owner,  William  Fenningham, 
possibly  the  member  who  sat  for  East  Grinstead  in  1436, 
to  ransom. 

1421.     Johannes  Wower  and  Ricardus  Fowell. 

The  Fowles  are  still  a  well-known  East  Grinstead 
family. 

1421.  Johannes  Alfray  and  Johannes  Wower. 

1422.  Willielmus  Fenningham  and  Johannes  Alfray. 

1423.  Johannes  Wowere  and  Johannes  Dyne. 
1425-6.  Johannes  Wowere  and  Georgius  Eyr. 

This  was  the  "Parliament  of  Bats,"  which  met  at 
Leicester,  so  called  because  the  members  had  to  take 
cudgels  to  protect  themselves. 

1427.     Johannes  Mason  and  Ricardus  Foull. 
1429.     Thomas  Bordeveld  and  Ricardus  Foghell. 
1430-1.  Johannes  Huddle  or  Hudde  and  Jacobus  Janyn. 

1432.  Jacobus  Janyn  and  Johannes  Hudde. 

1433.  Jacobus  Janyn  and  Thomas  Russell. 
1435.     Robertus  Davers  and  Johannes  Page. 
1436-7.  Willielmus  Fenyngham  and  Johannes  Wogher. 
1441-2.  Ricardus  Dalby  and  Willielmus  Redeston. 
1446-7.  Johannes  Alfray  and  Radulphus  A.  Legh. 
1448-9.  Johannes  Blakeney  and  Johannes  Stokke. 

1449.  Hugo  Huls  and  Johannes  Blakeney. 

1450.  Johannes  Alfray  and  Johannes  Westbourne. 

The  dates  hitherto  given  are  those  on  which  Parlia- 
ment was  summoned  to  meet.  In  the  original  records 
the  actual  dates  of  election  at  East  Grinstead  now  begin 
to  find  a  place,  and  where  these  can  be  ascertained  they 
are  inserted. 

1452-3,  Feb.  20th.     Ricardus  Strickland  and  Johannes  Alfray. 

1459.  Johannes  Alfray  and  Robertus  Rednesse. 

1460.  Thomas  Chaloner  and  Ricardus  Alfray. 

Thomas  Chaloner  lived  at  Deanlands,  Hurstpierpoint, 
and  was  one  of  the  well-known  Cuckfield  Chaloners.  He 
died  on  January  3rd,  1481.  In  1621-2  one  member  of 
the  family  married  Fortune  Mascall,  a  widow,  of  East 
Grinstead,  and  in  1632  Richard  Chaloner  was  a  mercer 
in  East  Grinstead.  He  married  Anne  Bryant,  of  this 
town,  and  then  removed  to  Cuckfield. 


26  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

1467.     Nicolaus  Morley  and  Ricardus  Alfray. 

1472,  Sept.  18th.     Ricardus  Lewknor  and  Robertus  Foster. 

Foster  has  always  been  a  fairly  common  name  in  East 
Grinstead.  The  Lewknor  family  occupied  a  very  high 
position  in  Sussex  from  1300  to  1550.  Its  members 
frequently  filled  the  office  of  High  Sheriff  and  represented 
East  Grinstead  and  other  towns  in  Parliament.  Richard 
Lewknor,  who  was  elected  M.P.  for  East  Grinstead  in 
1472,  lived  at  Brambletye.  He  was  Sheriff  of  the  County 
in  the  years  1471,  1492  and  1496.  When  Richard  III. 
came  to  the  throne  there  was  trouble  in  the  State  and 
Richard  Lewknor  was  one  of  several  called  on  to  besiege 
Bodiam  Castle,  which  the  rebels  were  holding  and 
which  belonged  to  Thomas  Lewknor.  He  served  in  two 
Parliaments  as  M.P.  for  this  Borough  and  died  February 
13th,  1503.  His  second  wife  was  Katherine,  daughter  of 
Lord  Scales,  to  whom  further  reference  will  be  found  in 
the  chapter  dealing  with  the  Charities  of  East  Grinstead. 

1477,  Dec.  31st.     Bicardus  Lewknor,  sen.,  and  Ricardus  Alfray. 
1529.     Willielmus  Rutter  and  Edwardus  Godewyn. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  the  "  Seven  Years'  Parlia- 
ment." From  the  22nd  year  of  King  Edward  IV.  down 
to  the  14th  of  Henry  VIII.  it  is  the  only  return  for  East 
Grinstead  of  which  any  record  has  been  preserved.  To 
a  certain  extent  this  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that 
Parliament  was  rarely  summoned.  It  only  met  once 
during  the  13  years  of  Henry  VII. 's  reign,  and  very 
rarely  during  the  first  20  years  of  Henry  VIII. 's. 

1541-2.     John  Sakevyle. 

This  apparently  was  the  first  member  of  the  illustrious 
Sackville  family  sent  to  Parliament  by  East  Grinstead. 
He  lived  at  Chiddingly,  and  married  an  aunt  of  Anne 
Boleyn's,  so  was  great  uncle,  by  marriage,  to  Queen 
Elizabeth.  He  died  on  October  5th,  1557,  and  was 
buried  at  Withy  ham.  He  willed  that  at  his  funeral  "  12 
great  tapers  of  viii.  Ib.  a  piece  be  alight  all  the  service 
time  and  every  man  receive  a  gown,  viid  and  his  dinner." 

1547.     Jasperus  Culpeper  and  Johannes  Sakvyle,  junior. 

The  Culpepers  were  a  very  old  Sussex  family  and  for 
a  long  period  of  years  occupied  Wakehurst,  the  mansion 


ITS   MEMBERS    OF   PARLIAMENT.  27 

there  being  built  by  Sir  Edward  Culpeper  in  1590.  They 
were  the  owners  of  "  divers  lands  and  tenements  in  East 
Grinstead,"  held  of  the  Manor  of  Walstede  "by  fealty 
only." 

1552-3,  Feb.  18th.     Sir  Eobert  Oxenbrege  and  George  Darell. 

Sir  Robert  Oxenbridge,  of  Brede,  was  a  famous  public 
character  and  statesman.  He  sat  for  the  County  of  Sussex 
in  1554,  1555  and  1557.  In  1539  he  was  one  of  the  Com- 
missioners of  Musters  for  the  Rape  of  Hastings,  and  in 
1551  was  Sheriff  of  Sussex.  He  was  Constable  of  the 
Tower  of  London  in  1556-7. 

The  Darell  family  for  a  time  resided  at  Scotney, 
Sussex. 

1553,  Sept.  25th.     Sir  Thomas  Stradling  and  John  Story,  D.C.L. 

According  to  an  ancient  historian  the  first  named  of 
these  Members  was  the  eldest  of  12  brothers,  "most  of 
them  bastards,"  who  had  "  no  living  but  by  extortion 
and  pilling  (? pillaging)  of  the  King's  subjects."  He 
was  born  in  1498,  his  father  being  Sir  Edward  Stradling, 
of  St.  Donats,  Glamorgan.  He  became  Sheriff  of 
Glamorgan  and  was  knighted  on  February  17th,  1549. 
He  represented  first  East  Grinstead  and  then  Arundel  in 
Parliament.  He  was  a  staunch  Roman  Catholic,  but 
early  in  1561  was  arrested  for  having  caused  four  pictures 
to  be  made  of  the  likeness  of  a  cross,  as  it  appeared  in 
the  grain  of  a  tree  blown  down  in  his  park  at  St.  Donats. 
For  a  long  time  he  was  kept  prisoner  in  the  Tower,  but 
was  finally  released  on  entering  into  a  bond  for  1,000 
marks  to  appear  when  called  on.  He  died  in  1571  arid 
was  buried  in  the  private  chapel  attached  to  St.  Donats 
Church. 

The  Member  returned  with  him  to  represent  East 
Grinstead — "  The  Blessed  John  Story,  Roman  Catholic 
martyr,"  according  to  one  authority,  and  "  the  bloody 
butcher  and  traitorous  rebel,"  according  to  another — had 
a  most  remarkable  career,  which  merits  more  than  passing 
notice.  He  was  a  north-countryman,  born  about  1510, 
and  early  became  a  lay  brother  of  the  Grey  friars.  He 
was  educated  at  Oxford,  took  the  B.C.L.  degree  in  1531 


28  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

and  four  years  later  was  appointed  Civil  Law  Lecturer, 
becoming    Principal    of    Broadgates    Hali    (afterwards 
Pembroke  College)  in  1537.     This  post  he  resigned  two 
years  later,  but  got  his  D.C.L.  degree  before  doing  so. 
In  1544  he  was  in  Boulogne  and  rendered  great  services 
during  the  siege  in  the  administration  of  the  Civil  Law. 
As  a  reward  for  his  services  he  received  a  fresh  patent 
for  his  office  at  Oxford  and  ranks  as  the  first  Regius 
Professor  of  Civil  Law  at  the  University.     Soon  after  the 
boy  Edward  VI.   came   to   the  throne    Story  recanted 
his    Romanist    opinions,    but    this    secession   was   only 
temporary.     He  strongly  opposed  the  Act  of  Uniformity 
and  caused  a  great  sensation  in  the  House  by  exclaiming, 
during  the  debate,  "  Woe  unto  the  land  whose  king  is  a 
child !  "     For  this  he  was  thrown  into  the  Tower  and 
thus  provided  the  first  known  instance  of  the  Commons 
punishing  one  of  their  own  members.     In  time  he  made 
submission  and  was  released,  but  thought  it  advisable  to 
get  out  of  England,  so  he  retired  to  Louvain  until  Mary 
came  to  the  throne.     Lady  Jane  Grey  safe  in  the  Tower 
he  at  once  came  back,  was  restored  to  his  Professorship 
and  a  month  later  was  elected  M.P.  for  East  Grinstead. 
He  soon  resigned  his  Oxford  appointment  and  became 
the  most  active  of  all  the  Queen's  agents  in  bringing 
heretics  to  trial  and  the  stake.     Foxe,  in  his  "  Book  of 
Martyrs,"  says   he  "  consumed   to  ashes   two   or   three 
hundred  blessed  martyrs,"  and  applies  to  him  some  of 
the  strongest  epithets  which  he  uses  throughout  the  work, 
such   as    "bloody   tyrant,"    "bloody   persecutor"    and 
"bloody  Nimrod."     In  1555  he  was  appointed  Queen's 
Proctor  for  the  trial  of  Cranmer.     On  Elizabeth's  accession 
he  renounced  all  foreign  jurisdictions,  but  in  1559  he 
made  a  speech  glorying  in  what  he  had  done  during 
Mary's  reign  and  quickly  found  himself   in    the  Fleet 
prison.      But  only  for  a  time.      Liberty,  however,  was 
almost  as  brief  and  his  next  compulsory  home  was  the 
Marshalsea.      From    here   he   escaped    to   the   Spanish 
embassy  and  was  smuggled  away  to  Flanders.     Philip 
II.  granted  him  a  pension,  the  Duke  of  Alva  put  him 
into  office  and  he  established  the  Inquisition  in  Antwerp. 


ITS    MEMBERS    OF    PARLIAMENT.  29 

In  England  a  plot  was  hatched  for  his  capture.  A  vessel 
sailed  to  Bergen,  Story  was  enticed  on  board  by  a  tale 
that  forbidden  books  were  among  the  cargo,  the  hatches 
were  battened  down,  the  vessel  at  once  set  sail  and  Story 
soon  found  himself  at  Yarmouth.  He  was  taken  to  the 
Tower  and  on  May  26th,  1571,  brought  to  trial  in 
Westminster  Hall  on  a  charge  of  inciting  the  Duke  of 
Alva  to  invade  England.  He  refused  to  plead  and 
claimed  to  be  a  Spanish  subject,  but  was  condemned 
for  treason,  sentenced  to  be  hung,  drawn  and  quartered, 
and  on  June  1st  this  sentence  was  carried  out  at  Tyburn 
in  its  entirety  and  with  cruelties  too  horrible  to  detail 
here.  Three  centuries  later  Pope  Leo  XIII.  honoured 
his  memory  by  raising  him  to  the  ranks  of  the  Blessed — 
one  stage  below  the  Saints — the  decree  of  beatification 
being  dated  December  29th,  1886. 

1554,  April  2nd.     Eicardus  Whalley  and  Anthoninus  Stapleton. 

Richard  Whalley  was  a  famous  man  in  his  day. 
Born  in  1499,  he  was  the  only  son  and  heir  of  Thomas 
Whalley,  of  Kirkton,  Northampton.  Introduced  at 
Court  he  ingratiated  himself  with  Henry  VIII.  by 
reason  of  his  grace  and  skill  in  martial  exercises,  and 
being  entrusted  with  some  work  in  connection  with 
the  suppression  of  monasteries  did  it  so  well  that  on 
February  26th,  1538-9,  he  was  rewarded  with  a  gift 
of  Welbeck  Abbey  and  other  lands.  Some  seven  years 
later  the  Manors  of  Sibthorp  and  Wimbledon  were 
added  to  his  possessions.  When  Somerset  became  Lord 
Protector  to  the  young  King  Edward  VI.  Whalley  was 
made  his  steward  and  for  a  time  stuck  to  him  through 
all  his  intrigues,  though  he  found  himself  in  the  Fleet 
prison  as  a  consequence.  But  when  Somerset  was 
arrested,  Whalley's  fidelity  gave  way  and  he  was  one 
of  the  principal  witnesses  against  him.  The  master 
went  to  the  block ;  the  man  was  deprived  of  all  his 
manors  and  on  September  19th,  1552,  was  committed 
to  the  Tower.  Immediately  on  Mary's  accession  he  was 
released,  and  a  few  months  later  was  sent  to  Parliament 
by  East  Grinstead.  He  subsequently  got  into  favour 


30  HISTORY    OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

with  Elizabeth,  and  on  July  3rd,  1561,  she  granted  him 
the  Manors  of  Whatton,  Hawkesworth  and  Towton,  and 
he  finally  passed  away  on  November  23rd,  1583,  despite 
all  his  troubles,  a  very  wealthy  man.  He  was  three 
times  married  and  was  the  father  of  25  children. 

1555,  Oct.  14th.     William  Berners  and  John  Wiseman. 
1557-8,  Jan.  18th.     Thomas  Sakevyle  and  Thomas  Parker. 

Thomas  Sackville  was  a  famous  statesman,  who  after- 
wards became  Lord  Buckhurst  and  first  Earl  of  Dorset. 
He  was  born  at  Buckhurst  in  1536,  and  as  a  youth 
showed  great  ability  and  wrote  some  poetry  which  won 
him  a  very  early  reputation,  while  a  play  of  his  was 
produced  with  great  success  at  Drury  Lane  175  years 
after  his  death.  He  was  first  elected  to  Parliament  for 
both  East  Grinstead  and  the  County  of  Westmoreland 
and  elected  to  sit  for  the  latter,  but  when  Elizabeth 
came  to  the  throne  he  chose  to  represent  East  Grinstead. 
For  six  years,  from  1561,  he  was  Grand  Master  of  the 
English  Freemasons.  He  became  attached  to  the  Court 
of  the  Virgin  Queen  and,  after  his  father's  death,  was 
granted  by  her  the  reversion  of  Knole.  He  was 
knighted  on  June  8th,  1566,  by  the  Duke  of  Norfolk, 
and  on  the  same  day  Ellizabeth  raised  him  to  the  degree 
of  a  peer,  making  him  Baron  of  Buckhurst.  In  1570 
he  was  sent  as  a  special  ambassador  to  Charles  IX., 
King  of  France,  and  a  year  later  was  one  of  the  peers 
who  tried  and  condemned  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  the  very 
man  who  knighted  him,  for  high  treason  by  reason  of 
his  connection  with  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots.  Lord 
Buckhurst  was  chosen  to  convey  to  this  unfortunate  lady 
her  sentence  of  death,  and  he  did  this  so  delicately  that 
she  presented  him  with  a  carving  from  her  private  chapel, 
a  gift  which  is  still  preserved  at  Knole.  His  conduct 
of  a  mission  to  the  low  countries  to  inquire  into 
complaints  against  the  Earl  of  Leicester  incurred  the 
Queen's  disfavour  and  on  his  return  he  was  confined  to 
his  house  by  her  orders  for  nearly  a  year,  during  which 
time  he  never  saw  his  wife  or  children.  The  Earl  of 
Leicester  dying  soon  after,  Lord  Buckhurst  stepped 
immediately  into  Royal  favour  again,  was  made  a  Knight 


ITS   MEMBERS    OF   PARLIAMENT.  31 

of  the  Garter  and  Chancellor  of  Oxford  University, 
being  finally  raised,  on  Lord  Burleigh's  death  in  1598, 
to  the  office  of  High  Treasurer  of  England,  in  which 
appointment  he  was  continued  by  King  James,  who 
made  him  Earl  of  Dorset  on  March  13th,  1604.  At  a 
Council  Meeting  at  Whitehall  on  April  19th,  1608,  he 
had  an  apopletic  seizure  and  died  suddenly,  leaving 
behind  him,  says  Southey,  "  an  umblemished  reputation 
in  murderous  times."  He  was  buried  at  Withyham. 

1558-9,  Jan.  14th.     Thomas  Sackvile  and  Humphrey  Lloyd. 
1562-3,  John  Sackvile  and  Lawrence  Banister. 

1571.  Sir  John  Jefferay  and  Henry  Berkley. 

Sir  John  Jefferay  was  raised  to  the  judicial  bench  five 
years  after  his  election  for  East  Grinstead.  Having  held 
the  appointment  a  year  and  a  half  he  became  Chief  Baron 
of  the  Court  of  Exchequer,  but  died  in  the  succeeding 
year  "  at  London  in  the  Ward  of  Collmans  Streate,  13 
May,  20th  Elizabeth."  His  mother  was,  before  her 
marriage,  Miss  Elizabeth  Whitfeld,  and  it  was  one  of  her 
relatives  who  afterwards  owned  Rowfant  and  carried  on 
the  ironworks  there.  Sir  John  was  a  considerable  owner 
of  property  in  and  around  the  parish  of  Chiddingly,  in 
Sussex. 

1572.  Thomas  Cure  and  Michael  Heneage. 

Thomas  Cure,  of  Southwark,  in  the  year  he  was  first 
elected,  presented  East  Grinstead  with  its  coat  of  arms. 
He  was  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Lavorty,  and  died  May 
25th,  1588. 

Michael  Heneage  in  turn  represented  Arundel,  East 
Grinstead,  Tavistock  and  Wigan.  He  was  a  famous 
antiquary,  and  he  and  his  brother  were  appointed  joint 
keepers  of  the  records  in  the  Tower.  Though  living  in 
London  he  was  a  landed  proprietor  in  Essex.  He  died 
December  30th,  1600. 

1584,  Oct.  22nd.     Francis  Alforde. 

1586,  Oct.  1st.     John  Coverte  and  Drew  Pickesse. 

The  first-named  of  these  members  lived  at  I^whurst  and 
was  the  second  son  of  Richard  Covert,  of  Slaugham.  He 
married  Charity,  daughter  of  Sir  Martin  Bowes,  jun., 


32  HISTORY   OF    EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

and  a  niece  of  his  father's  second  wife.     His  nuncupa- 
tive will  was  proved  in  1589,  and  contains  the  following: 

That  for  his  bodye,  his  disease  excepted,  he  was  as  sounde  as  any 
man  in  Englande,  and  concerning  his  landes  and  goodes,  if  he  had 
ten  1000  pounds  I  would  put  iny  brother  Walter  in  trust  withall,  unto 
whom  all  things  shall  goe  if  my  daughter  fail. 

The  Walter  named  was  his  elder  brother,  knighted  in 
1591,  and  the  builder  of  the  magnificent  mansion  at 
Slaugham,  of  which  only  ruins  now  remain. 

Drew  Pickesse  came  of  a  family  which,  for  a  brief 
period,  occupied  Brambletye. 

1588,  Oct.  21st.     Francis  Alford  and  Thomas  Frere. 
1592-3.     Reade  Stafford,  of  Bradford,  Berks,  and  John  Shurley,  of 
Isfield,  Sussex. 

The  latter  was  the  son  of  Sir  John  Shurley  and  died 
October  24th,  1611. 

1597,  Sept.  llth.     George  Ryvers  and  Eichard  Baker. 
1601,  Sept.  25th.     Henry  Compton  and  Q-eorge  Rivers. 

Henry  Compton,  of  Brambletye,  was  afterwards 
knighted.  He  built  the  house  which  now  stands  in  ruins. 
He  was  a  son  of  Sir  Henry,  afterwards  Baron,  Compton, 
of  Compton  Wynyates,  Warwick,  an  ancestor  of  the 
present  Marquess  of  Northampton.  He  married,  firstly, 
Cecille,  daughter  of  Robert,  Earl  of  Dorset,  and,  secondly, 
Mrs.  Mary  Paston,  a  daughter  of  Sir  George  Browne. 
The  name  is  derived  from  the  lordship  of  Compton,  near 
Warwick,  of  which  place  its  founders  were  lords  previous 
to  the  Conquest.  Sir  Henry,  for  many  years,  held  the 
post  of  Ranger  of  Ashdown  Forest  and  he  was  apparently 
a  very  easy-going  official,  for  there  are  several  instances 
on  record,  in  Parliamentary  reports,  of  his  allowing 
people  to  erect  houses  on  the  Forest  and  enclose  portions 
of  it  "  contrary  to  the  laws  in  force  "  and  exempting  the 
tenants  from  all  rents  or  service  for  the  same. 

1603-4,  Feb.  8th.     Sir  Henry  Compton  and  Sir  John  Swynerton. 

This  was  the  first  Parliament  of  James  I.  It  sat 
until  1610.  From  then  until  1614  there  was  no  sitting; 
then  "  The  Addled  Parliament"  met,  but  did  no  business. 


ITS   MEMBERS    OF   PARLIAMENT.  33 

1620-1,  Jan.  1st.     Sir  Henry  Coinpton  and  Thomas  Pelham. 

This  was  the  third  Parliament  of  James  and  the  first 
in  his  reign  to  do  any  real  work.  Thomas  Pelham  was, 
no  doubt,  the  second  holder  of  the  Pelham  baronetcy,  to 
which  he  succeeded  in  1624,  and  an  ancestor  of  the  present 
Earl  of  Chichester. 

1623-4,  Feb.  7th.     Sir  Robert  Heath  and  Mathias  Caldicote. 

Sir  Robert  Heath  was  made  Solicitor-General  on  Jan. 
22nd,  1620,  and  Attorney-General  on  Oct.  31st,  1625. 
When  the  House  met  on  Feb.  9th,  1625-6,  the  Speaker 
drew  the  attention  of  the  Members  to  the  fact  that  the 
Bailiff  of  East  Grinstead  had  returned  the  Attorney- 
General  as  a  Member  contrary  to  the  decision  the  House 
had  come  to  on  April  8th,  1614,  that  this  officer  of  the 
Crown  should  not  be  allowed  a  seat  in  Parliament.  The 
House  decided  to  uphold  this  decision,  and  the  next  day 
a  new  writ  was  ordered  to  be  issued  for  East  Grinstead 
in  the  room  of  Robert  Heath,  Attorney-General,  declared 
incapable  of  sitting.  He  became  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  1631  and  Chief  Justice  of 
the  King's  Bench  in  1643.  The  Heaths  were  a  well- 
known  Exeter  family,  who  from  1685  to  1785  owned 
and  resided  in  the  house  at  Ottery  St.  Mary,  the  present 
seat  of  Lord  Coleridge,  whose  ancestors  bought  it  from 
the  Heath  family  about  1795. 

1625-6.     Sir  Henry  Compton  and  Sir  Eobert  Heath. 
1625-6.     Sir  Henry  Compton  and  Robert  Goodwyne,  Goodwin  or 
Godwin. 

Robert  Goodwin,  a  Covenanter,  was  afterwards  knighted 
and  four  more  times  elected  for  East  Grinstead.  He  last 
sat  in  Richard  Cromwell's  Parliament,  which  met  on 
Jan.  26th,  1659. 

1627-8,  Feb.  18th.     Sir  Henry  Compton  and  Robart  Goodwyn. 

From  1629  to  1640  there  was  no  Parliament,  Charles  I. 
dissolving  it  because  of  the  u  seditious  carriage  of  some 
vipers,  members  of  the  Lower  House." 

1639-40,  March  4th.     Sir  Henry  Compton  and  Robert  Goodwin. 

This  was  the  "  Short  Parliament."  Charles  wanted 
money,  the  Commons  would  give  him  none,  so  he  dismissed 


34  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

them  after  they  had  sat  only  three  weeks.      The  East 
Grinstead   election   led   to   the   first  petition  of   which 
there  is  any  record  in  connection  with  this  borough.     It 
appears  that  some  of   the   inhabitants,  other  than  the 
burgage  holders,  were  allowed  by  the  Bailiff  of  East 
Grinstead,  Mr.  Blundell,  to  record  their  votes,  and  others, 
being  dissatisfied,  petitioned  Parliament,  which  met  on 
April  13th,  1640.     Mr.  White  got  13  votes,  Mr.  Goodwin 
14,  and   the   allegation  was   that   the   latter  made   "a 
feoffement  .   .   .  woh  did  multiply  voices."    Mr.  Goodwin 
affirmed  that  the  inhabitants  as  well  as  the  burgage  holders 
had  a  right  to  vote,  and  Parliament  at  that  time  upheld  him 
and  declared  him  and  Sir  Thomas  Compton  duly  elected. 
It  was  stated  during  the  hearing  of  this  case  that  Mr. 
Blundell,  the  bailiff,  threatened  both  at  the  time  of  elec- 
tion and  to  witnesses  who  were  going  to  give  evidence  at 
the  trial  that  if  people  would  not  vote  for  Mr.  White,  or 
if  they   raised   their   voices   for   Mr.   Goodwin,   "their 
servants  should  be  prest  and  their  carts  taken."     On  behalf 
of  the  Earl  of  Dorset,  however,  it  was  affirmed  that  he 
wrote  to  the  town  "  to  make  a  fair  and  a  very  free  elec- 
tion."    The  House  decided,  on  April  24th,  that  Sir  H. 
Compton  and  Mr.  Goodwin  were  well  elected,  and  they 
were  duly  called  to  their  seats  in  the  House.     Edward 
Blundell,  the  bailiff,  was  sent  for  by  the  messenger  of  the 
House,  "as  a  delinquent  for  misdemeanours  by  him  com- 
mitted at,  before  and  since  the  election."     How  the  over- 
zealous  Bailiff  subsequently  fared  the  House  of  Commons 
journals  do  not  record.     His  delinquencies  were  possibly 
overshadowed  by  the  more  serious  affairs  of  State.     The 
Bailiff  had  returned  Mr.  White  as  duly  elected,  but  that 
Member  was  returned  also  for  Rye,  and  elected  to  sit  for 
that  borough,  so  that  the   whole  petition,  so  far  as  it 
concerned  the  actual  representation  of  East  Grinstead, 
was  quite  a  useless  one. 

1640.     Richard,  Lord  Buckhurst,  and  Robert  Goodwin. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  complaint  about  this 
election  also,  for  on  Nov.  16th  the  Committee  of 
Privileges  reported  that  Lord  Buckhurst  was  well 


ITS    MEMBERS   OF   PARLIAMENT.  35 

elected  and  well  returned  to  serve  for  East  Grinstead, 
and  ought  to  be  admitted  to  sit.  On  Dec.  24th  a 
similar  report  was  presented  in  regard  to  Mr.  Goodwin. 
Accordingly  they  were  called  to  their  seats.  This  was 
the  memorable  "Long  Parliament,"  which  met  on  Nov. 
30th,  1640.  The  Civil  War  broke  out  on  Aug.  22nd, 
1642,  and  on  Jan.  30th,  1648-9,  Charles  I.  was  beheaded, 
but  the  Parliament,  or  such  as  remained  of  it,  for  its 
Members  were  less  than  100  in  number,  continued  sitting 
until  it  was  personally  expelled  by  Cromwell  on  April 
20th,  1653.  Lord  Richard  was  a  Royalist,  who  after- 
wards became  fifth  Earl  of  Dorset.  He  was  born  Sept. 
16th,  1622,  so  was  only  18  when  returned  for  East 
Grinstead.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  joined 
the  King's  forces  and  on  Sept.  12th,  1645,  was  disabled 
for  continuously  absenting  himself  from  the  service  of 
the  House.  After  Cromwell's  death  he  became  the 
leader  of  the  Royal  party  and  was  one  of  those  mainly 
instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  peaceful  restoration 
of  the  Monarchy. 

1645,  Oct.  10th.  John  Baker. 

This  was  the  by-election  held  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  disablement  of  Lord  Buckhurst.  There 
was  at  this  time  trouble  about  the  office  of  Bailiff  of 
East  Grinstead.  Mr.  Cole  and  Mr.  Bowyer  both  claimed 
to  hold  the  position ;  the  former  returned  Mr.  Pickering 
as  Member,  the  latter  Mr.  Baker.  In  February  of  the 
following  year  the  matter  came  before  the  House,  and  it 
was  decided  that  Mr.  Cole  had  no  claim  to  the  office  of 
Bailiff;  that  Mr.  Bowyer  had,  and  that  therefore  Mr. 
Baker  was  the  proper  person  to  sit  for  East  Grinstead. 

1653.  In  this  year  the  "Barebones"  Parliament 
assembled,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  East  Grinstead 
was  represented  therein.  Cromwell  called  together  an 
assembly  of  140  nominees,  "  men  faithful,  fearing 
God  and  hating  covetousness."  This  Parliament  soon 
voluntarily  resigned.  Cromwell  now  became  Lord  Pro- 
tector, and  called  his  first  real  Parliament  to  meet  on 
September  3rd,  1654.  This  was  dissolved  without  passing 

D  2 


36  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

a  single  Act.  Cromwell's  second  Parliament  met  in 
1656  and  his  third  in  1658,  and  the  records  of  the  repre- 
sentation of  East  Grinstead  again  become  obtainable. 

1658-9.     Sir  Robert  Goodwin  and  George  Courthope. 

This  Parliament  met  on  Jan.  27th,  dissolved  itself 
on  March  16th,  1659-60,  and  issued  writs  for  a  new 
Parliament  to  meet  on  April  25th,  1660,  which  assembly 
called  back  King  Charles  II.  to  the  throne. 

George  Courthope  was  a  man  of  considerable  repute 
in  his  day,  and  his  descendants  still  occupy  honoured 
positions  in  this  county.  He  wrote  his  autobiography, 
and  from  a  manuscript  copy  of  it,  the  only  one  known, 
in  Mr.  Courthope's  library  at  Whiligh,  the  following 
particulars  are  taken.  He  was  born  in  1616,  and  was  the 
only  son  of  Sir  George  Courthope,  of  Whiligh,  Ticehurst, 
a  Commissioner  of  the  Alienation  Office.  This  Commis- 
sionership  was  held  by  a  long  and  unbroken  succession  of 
Courthopes,  the  first  of  whom  was  appointed  by  Queen 
Elizabeth,  while  the  last  held  the  post  until  the  abolition 
of  the  office  in  the  reign  of  George  III.  After  spending 
some  time  at  the  Merchant  Taylors'  and  Westminster 
Schools,  young  Courthope  went  to  Oxford,  and  on  leaving 
the  University  joined  the  suite  of  the  Earl  of  Leicester, 
who  was  then  on  his  way  to  France  to  take  up  the  post 
of  English  Ambassador  at  the  French  Court.  But,  in 
consequence  of  an  accident,  Courthope  had  to  leave  the 
party  before  Paris  was  reached.  In  time  he  resumed  his 
travels  and  made  a  long  tour  through  Switzerland,  Italy 
and  other  countries  bordering  on  the  Mediterranean.  At 
Mitylene  he  was  arrested  on  a  charge  of  investigating, 
too  closely,  the  fortifications  of  that  island,  but  judicious 
— and  judicial — bribery  secured  his  early  release.  While 
at  Constantinople  he  got  news  of  his  father's  serious 
illness  and  hastened  home,  arriving  on  Christmas  Eve, 
1641,  in  time  to  see  his  father  before  he  died  at  their 
house  in  Leadenhall  Street,  London.  This  fine  old 
mansion  was  only  demolished  about  20  years  ago,  and 
the  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  spacious  range  of  build- 
ings known  as  Africa  House.  This  is  still  the  property 


ITS   MEMBERS   OF   PARLIAMENT.  37 

of  the  family,  and  came  to  them,  together  with  other 
houses  and  land  on  which  now  stands  a  great  part  of 
Liverpool  Street  Station,  when  the  subject  of  this  notice 
married  Elizabeth  Hawes,  a  daughter  of  his  father's  second 
wife  by  her  first  husband.  On  his  father's  death  he 
hurried  to  the  North  of  England  to  interview  Charles  I., 
to  whom  his  uncle,  Mr.  John  Courthope,  was  a  gentleman- 
in-waiting,  and  managed  to  secure  from  the  King,  on 
payment  to  His  Majesty  of  £1,300,  the  appointment  to 
the  Alienation  Commissionership,  which  had  been  held 
by  his  father  and  grandfather.  During  the  Protectorate 
he  was  summoned  to  appear  before  Cromwell's  Council  on 
a  charge  of  having  supplied  the  King  and  his  family  with 
money,  and  the  charge  was,  no  doubt,  to  an  extent,  true, 
but  the  trial  was  adjourned  sine  die  and  never  completed. 
On  the  restoration  of  Charles  II.  he  was  present  at  the 
great  banquet  given  by  the  King  at  Windsor  Castle,  being 
in  attendance  on  the  Earl  of  Northumberland,  Lord 
Lieutenant  of  Sussex.  That  same  morning  he  received 
the  honour  of  knighthood,  and  the  King  remitted  the  fee 
of  £100  usually  demanded  from  those  raised  to  this  dignity, 
and  also  granted  Sir  George  pardon  for  having  sat  as  M.P. 
for  East  Grinstead  in  the  Protectorate  Parliament.  Sir 
George  subsequently  sat  in  several  Parliaments  for  Sussex 
constituencies  and  finally  resigned  in  consequence  of 
severe  illness.  His  death  occurred  at  Whiligh  in  1 685,  and 
a  mural  tablet,  with  a  Latin  inscription,  in  Ticehurst 
Church,  commemorates  a  man  of  considerable  talent  and 
a  loyal  servant  of  his  King. 

1 661 ,  March  28th.    Charles,  Lord  Buckhurst,  and  George  Courthope. 

Lord  Buckhurst,  who  became  sixth  Earl  of  Dorset, 
was  born  on  Jan.  24th,  1637.  He  was  elected  to  Parlia- 
ment for  East  Grinstead  soon  after  the  restoration  of 
Charles  II.,  with  whom,  by  reason  of  his  courtly 
manners,  generous  nature  and  sprightly  wit,  he  became 
a  great  favourite,  being  appointed  a  gentleman  of  the 
bedchamber.  He  saw  some  active  service  against  the 
Dutch  and  went  on  several  embassies  to  France.  He 
was  made  Baron  of  Cranfield  and  Earl  of  Middlesex  in 


38  HISTORY    OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

1675,  and  went  to  the  House  of  Lords,  a  new  writ  being 
issued  for  East  Grinstead,  for  which  town  he  was  then 
Member,  on  April  4th  of  that  year.  On  the  accession 
of  James  II.  he  withdrew  from  the  Court,  being  strongly 
opposed  to  many  of  the  stringent  measures  directed 
against  the  Protestants.  He  was  one  of  those  mainly 
instrumental  in  placing  the  Prince  of  Orange  on  the 
throne,  and  he  got  his  immediate  reward  by  being  made 
Lord  Chamberlain  of  the  Household  to  King  William. 
On  Feb.  3rd,  1691,  he  was  created  a  Knight  of  the 
Garter.  He  died  at  Bath,  Jan.  19th,  1705-6,  and  a 
month  later  was  buried  at  Withy  ham. 
1678.  Capt,  Edward  Sackville. 

This  Member  was  son  of  Richard,  Earl  of  Dorset,  and 
he  died  while  representing  East  Grinstead.  He  was 
buried  at  Withyham  on  Oct.  18th,  1678,  and  a  new  writ 
was  issued  for  East  Grinstead  on  the  28th  of  the  same 
month. 

1678-9,  Feb.  14th.     Thomas  Pelham  and  Henry  Powle. 

This  election  seems  to  indicate  the  existence  of  a 
family  quarrel  between  some  members  of  the  Sackville 
family.  Richard,  Earl  of  Dorset,  died  on  August 
27th,  1677,  and  left  a  widow,  Frances.  In  1687 
Henry  Powle  appears  as  owner  of  the  Manor  of 
Imberhorne  "jure  uxoris,  Frs.  Countess  of  Dorset,"  he 
having  married  the  Dowager  Countess.  The  marriage 
was  apparently  ignored  by  the  Sackville  family,  for  at 
her  death  she  was  buried  as  "  The  Rt.  Horible.  Frances 
Countess  Dowager  of  Dorset,  wife  to  the  Rt.  Honble. 
Richard  Earl  of  Dorset,"  her  relationship  to  Mr.  Powle 
being  unmentioned.  The  Dorset  nominees  at  this  elec- 
tion would  appear  to  have  been  Thomas  Pelham  and 
Edward  Sackville.  They  were  opposed  by  Henry  Powle 
and  William  Scroggs.  The  bailiff  returned  the  two 
former  as  duly  elected.  It  was  in  this  year  that  the 
terms  Whig  and  Tory  first  came  into  use.  On  March 
18th,  1678-9,  as  soon  as  Parliament  met,  several  of  the 
inhabitants  of  East  Grinstead  complained  that  there  had 
been  an  undue  return  at  this  election  and  that  Henry 


ITS    MEMBERS    OF    PARLIAMENT.  39 

Powle  should  have  been  one  of  the  burgesses  returned  for 
the  Borough.  At  the  same  time  William  Scroggs  com- 
plained that  he  ought  to  have  been  returned  in  the  place 
of  Edward  Sackville.  Both  petitions  were  referred  to  the 
Committee  of  Privileges  and  Elections,  and  on  April  7th 
following  the  report  of  this  Committee  on  the  subject 
was  presented  to  the  House.  The  great  question  at  issue 
was  whether  the  inhabitants  at  large  or  the  burgage 
holders  only  had  the  right  of  election.  Records  from  the 
reigns  of  Mary,  Elizabeth,  James  I.  and  Charles  I.  were 
produced,  setting  forth  that  the  returns  of  Members  were 
made  by  "  The  Bailiff,  Burgesses  and  all  other  the 
Inhabitants,"  or  words  to  that  effect,  and  a  number  of 
witnesses  were  examined  to  bear  out  the  same  contention. 
Mr.  Robert  Goodwin,  a  former  M.P.  for  East  Grinstead, 
who  said  he  had  known  the  Borough  for  60  years, 
averred  that  he  was  always  elected  by  the  inhabitants 
as  well  as  the  burgage  holders.  Thomas  Cockett 
said  he  was  never  a  burgage  holder,  but  he  voted  for 
Mr.  Goodwin  40  years  before.  At  this  actual  election 
it  appeared  some  60  inhabitants  voted  for  Mr.  Powle  and 
no  more  than  18  for  anyone  else,  but  the  Bailiff  declined  to 
return  him.  Counsel  on  both  sides  agreed  that  the  inhabi- 
tants as  well  as  burgage  holders  had  a  right  to  elect,  but 
as  Mr.  Scroggs  had  not  petitioned  against  the  return  of 
Mr.  Pelham  his  petition  was  practically  rejected,  and  the 
Committee  decided  that  Mr.  Powle  should  have  been 
returned  instead  of  Mr.  Sackville.  The  House  adopted 
this  view  and  decided  to  amend  the  return,  which  was 
accordingly  done  on  April  14th,  1679.  But  Henry  Powle 
"  had  something  up  his  sleeve."  Had  the  petition  gone 
against  him  he  would  still  have  been  an  M.P.,  for  he  was 
also  elected  for  Cirencester,  and  immediately  the  House 
had  amended  the  return  and  he  had  ousted  Mr.  Sackville, 
he  declared  his  intention  of  sitting  for  Cirencester,  so  a 
new  writ  had  to  be  issued  for  East  Grinstead,  and  this 
was  done  on  the  very  same  day  as  the  Bailiff's  return 
was  amended.  Henry  Powle  was  a  man  of  high  repute. 
In  regard  to  his  subsequent  career  we  need  to  look  a  few 
years  ahead.  The  first  and  only  Parliament  of  James  II. 


40  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

was  a  packed  one.  It  was  prorogued  in  1685  and  finally 
dissolved  in  1687.  The  King,  in  the  meanwhile,  tried 
to  get  together  a  Parliament  of  Catholics  and  Noncon- 
formists, but  he  failed,  and  for  the  remainder  of  his  reign 
there  was  no  Parliament  in  England.  When  the  Prince 
of  Orange  came  over,  the  Convention  which  had  invited 
William  and  Mary  to  occupy  the  throne  changed  itself 
into  a  Parliament  without  an  election.  It  was  first  sum- 
moned to  meet  on  January  22nd,  1688-9,  at  9  a.m.,  and 
as  soon  as  the  Members  had  gathered  the  Earl  of  Wilt- 
shire rose  and  said,  "  There  is  an  honourable  person  in 
my  eye  whom  I  conceive  very  well  experienced  in 
methods  of  Parliament  and  in  every  way  qualified  for 
the  Speaker's  place."  He  thereupon  proposed  the  former 
Member  for  East  Grinstead  and  the  proposition  was 
unanimously  agreed  to.  Mr.  Powle  begged  the  House 
to  choose  some  more  worthy  person,  but  his  excuse  was 
not  allowed  and  he  continued  as  Speaker  until  a  new 
Parliament  met  on  March  20th,  1689-90,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Sir  John  Trevor. 

There  were  apparently  at  this  time  about  33  burgage 
holders  and  their  names  are  set  forth  in  the  following 
copy  of  a  parchment  document  still  in  existence : — 

EASTGEINSTED  BUEROUGH. 

A  Rental  of  the  Lords  rent  of  the  said  Burrough,  due  and  payable  to 
the  Right  Honorable  the  Countess  of  Dorsett,  from  the  yeare 
1678  to  thy  present  yeare  1683. 

£  s.  d. 

Edward  Payne,  Esqr.,  five  burges  and  six  portlands  ....      00  02  09 

Andrew  Ledger,  one  burgage    00  00  03 

William  Relfe,  one  burgage,  one  portland 00  00  06 

William  Austen,  one  burgage,  one  portland   00  00  06 

Robert  Mathew,  Jun.,  two  burges,  two  portlands    00  01  00 

Richard  Page,  two  burgages,  two  portlands   00  01  00 

Jarvas  Thorp,  one  burgage,  one  portland    00  00  06 

William  Taylor,  one  burgage,  one  portland    00  00  06 

Tobyas  Shewin,  one  burgage,  one  portland     00  00  06 

Widd  Moore,  one  burgage,  one  portland 00  00  06 

John  Butching,  one  burgage,  one  portland 00  00  06 

Thomas  Cooper,  one  burgage,  one  portland 00  00  06 

James  Levett,  two  burgages,  eleven  portlands    00  03  03 

Henry  Brasted,  one  burgage .      00  00  03 

Widd  Elmer,  one  burgage 00  00  03 


ITS    MEMBERS   OP    PARLIAMENT.  41 

£  s.  d. 

Thomas  Broomley,  one  burgage    00  00  03 

James  Linfeild,  three  burgages,  fower  portlands    00  01  09 

John  Bodle,  two  burgages,  two  portlands    00  01  00 

Alexander  Luxford,  Gent.,  one  burgage 00  00  03 

Robert  Wickersham,  one  burgage    00  00  03 

Thomas  Wood,  one  burgage 00  00  03 

Jeremy  Johnson,  Gent.,  one  burgage   00  00  03 

Bryan  Walton,  Esqre.,  4  burges,  5  portlands 00  02  03 

The  Occupiers  of  Mr.  Does,  2  burg"  and  2  portlands    . .  00  01  00 

William  Coster,  2  burgages,  4  portlands 00  01  06 

James  Blott,  one  burgage 00  00  03 

William  Putland  and  Tho.  Piggot,  one  burgage    00  00  03 

John  Butchingson,  2  burgages,  2  portlands     00  01  00 

John  Underbill,  two  burgages,  two  portlands 00  01  00 

William  Langridg,  One  burgage,  one  port 00  00  06 

William  Butching,  2  burgages,  2  portlands     00  01  00 

Edward  Payne,  Gent.,  one  burg,  one  port 00  00  06 

There  are  29  other  entries  of  cottagers  paying  2d. 
each,  but  the  occupation  of  these  did  not  confer  the 
privilege  of  voting.  The  total  rental  was  £1.  14s.  lid. 

The  manorial  rent  for  each  burgage  was,  therefore, 
threepence  and  for  a  portland  the  same.  The  portlands 
were  small  fields  or  portions  of  the  common-land  of  the 
Borough  allotted  to  burgages  in  much  the  same  way  as 
common  rights  of  pasture  on  Ashdown  Forest  were 
allotted  to  estates  in  East  Grinstead  and  other  parishes. 
The  Portland  Road  in  East  Grinstead  is  so  named 
because  some  early  deeds  of  that  estate  show  that  some  of 
the  portlands  were  there  situate.  It  ought  properly  to 
be  called  Portlands  Road,  its  present  name  suggesting 
that  it  had  something  to  do  with  the  Portland  family, 
which  is  not  the  case. 

1679,    Aug.    19th.      The   Hon.    Goodwyn    Wharton   and   William 
Jephson. 

The  Hon.  Goodwyn  Wharton  was  no  doubt  connected 
with  Lord  Wharton,  whose  descendant,  Philip  Wharton, 
was  created  Duke  of  Wharton,  January  20th,  1718,  but 
was  attainted  for  joining  the  Chevalier,  and  all  the 
family  honours  died  with  him.  Goodwyn  Wharton  was 
appointed  by  James  II.  one  of  the  Lords  of  the 
Admiralty. 


42  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

William  Jephson  belonged  to  Mallow  and  was  con- 
nected with  the  well-known  Jephson  family  of  Froyle, 
in  Hampshire,  ancestors  of  the  present  holders  of  the 
Jephson  baronetage. 

1680-1,  Feb.  llth.     Sir  Cyril  Wyche  and  Henry  Powle. 

This  Parliament  last  met  in  1681  at  Oxford,  but  only 
for  a  week,  and  was  not  called  together  again  during  the 
reign  of  Charles  II. 

1684-5,  March  19th.     Simon  Smith  and  Thomas  Jones. 

On  May  23rd,  1685,  John  Conyers  complained  to 
Parliament  of  the  undue  election  of  these  two  Members, 
but  nothing  was  done  in  the  matter. 

1688-9.     Sir  Thomas  Dyke,  Bart,,  and  Thomas  Sackville. 

This  was  the  Convention  which  called  William  of 
Orange  to  the  throne  and  afterwards  formed  itself  into  a 
Parliament. 

The  Dyke  family  belonged  to  Horeham,  Sussex,  and 
were  owners  of  the  Star  Inn  and  of  the  "two  burgages 
formerly  called  the  New  Inn,  alias  The  Ounce,  after- 
wards The  Cat  and  then  called  The  Dorset,"  the  famous 
old  house  not  being  so  last  named  until  the  Sackville  family 
acquired  the  freehold  from  Sir  John  Dixon  Dyke,  the 
third  Baronet,  and  who  married  a  Miss  Jane  Philadelphia 
Payne  Home,  of  East  Grinstead.  This  lady  was  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  George  Home,  of  London,  banker,  who 
is  buried  in  the  chancel  of  East  Grinstead  Church  (1738), 
under  a  stone  engraved  with  his  name  and  coat  of  arms. 
This  Mr.  Home  had  married  Philadelphia,  daughter  of 
Edwd.  Payne,  of  East  Grinstead  (1662-1713)  and  half- 
sister  of  Chas.  Payne,  of  East  Grinstead  and  Newick 
(1707-1734),  whose  monument  may  also  be  seen  on  the 
walls  of  the  chancel  of  our  Parish  Church,  so  that  old 
John  Payne,  of  Pixtons,  in  East  Grinstead,  who  died  in 
1507  and  whose  will  is  set  out  in  the  chapter  dealing 
with  the  church  history,  may  claim  amongst  his  many 
other  lineal  descendants  the  present  representative  of  the 
Hart  Dyke  family.  Sir  Thomas,  the  Member  for  East 


ITS   MEMBERS    OF   PARLIAMENT.  43 

Grinstead,  succeeded  his  father  as  Baronet  on  March  3rd, 
1677,  and  died  October  21st,  1706. 

Thomas  Sackville  belonged  to  Sedlescombe,  near 
Battle,  and  in  1 688,  replying  to  the  test  questions,  stated 
that  he  was  for  liberty  of  conscience  and  was  prepared 
to  support  the  King's  declaration  and  to  live  friendly 
with  those  of  all  persuasions  as  subjects  of  the  same 
Prince  and  as  good  Christians  ought  to  do. 

This  election  was  petitioned  against  by  John  Conyers, 
and  the  question  as  to  who  really  had  the  right  to  vote 
was  again  fully  gone  into.  Witnesses  were  called  on 
either  side,  some  averring  that  the  inhabitants  generally 
had  often  voted,  others  that  only  burgage  holders  had 
done  so.  The  Committee  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  privilege  did  not  rest  with  the  latter  only,  and  that 
John  Conyers,  and  not  Sir  Thomas  Dyke,  should  have 
been  declared  elected ;  but  the  House  disagreed  with  the 
report  and  Sir  Thomas  retained  the  seat. 

1689-90,    Feb.    25th.     Thomas   Sackville   and   Sir   Thomas   Dyke, 
Bart. 

Thomas  Sackville  died  while  still  Member,  and  a  new 
writ  was  issued  on  January  5th,  1692-3. 

1692-3,  Jan.  18th.     Simon  Smith. 

Smith  died  before  Parliament  was  dissolved  and  a  new 
writ  was  issued  on  Feb.  2nd,  1694-5. 

1694-5,  Feb.  26th.     Et.  Hon.  Lyonell,  Earl  of  Orrery  and  Baron  of 
Broghill. 

In  reference  to  this  by-election  the  Steward's  accounts  to 
Charles,  Duke  of  Dorset,  contain  the  following  entries  :— 

Charge  of  electing  my  Lord  Orrery  a  Burgess  for  the 
Borough  of  East  Grinstead  on  Mr.  Smith's  death  as 

by  bills £0044     05     10 

To  the  Eingers  in  Beer  x8 0000     10     00 

To  Mr.  Jodrell  for  the  Speaker's  order  06"  8d.  Secretary 
Blan  for  the  Warrant  x'.  Ld.  Keeper's  Secretary 
for  the  Writt  a  Guinea  being  then  xxv*.  To  the 
Sheriffe  for  the  precept  xl'.  To  the  Sollicitor  for 
his  fee  and  often  attending  xx"  in  all  0005  01  08 


44  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Lord  Orrery  was  connected  with  the  Dorset  family, 
being  the  son  of  Roger,  second  Earl  Orrery,  by  his 
marriage  with  Lady  Mary  Sackville,  daughter  of  Richard, 
fifth  Earl  of  Dorset.  He  died  August  24th,  1703,  and 
was  buried  at  Withyham. 

1695,  Nov.  19fch.     Sir  Thomas  Dyke,  Bart.,  and  John  Conyers. 

Four  days  before  this  election  the  leading  residents  of 
East  Grinstead  were  entertained  at  supper  at  the  expense 
of  the  Earl  of  Dorset,  the  meal  costing  him  £10.  16s.  6d., 
a  fair  sum  over  200  years  ago.  The  "  bribe,"  however, 
seems  to  have  been  ineffectual,  for  the  Dorset  nominees 
were  defeated.  They  were  Lord  Orrery  and  Sir  Spencer 
Compton.  John  Conyers,  who  was  son-in-law  to  Robert 
Goodwin,  the  Covenanter  and  a  former  M.P.  for  East 
Grinstead,  had  evidently  taken  a  considerable  part  in  the 
public  life  of  the  town.  He  owned  Mill  Place  and  Pick- 
stones  (?Pixton  Hill),  but  is  described  as  living  at 
Walthamstow.  Ten  years  before  his  election  he  had 
petitioned  Parliament  as  to  the  right  of  the  inhabitants  to 
vote,  and  he  again  went  before  them  on  the  same  grounds 
in  1 688.  Lord  Orrery  petitioned  Parliament  on  Nov.  25th, 
1695,  that  John  Jenner,  the  bailiff  of  East  Grinstead, 
had  refused  to  admit  several  good  votes,  and  that  Sir 
Thomas  Dyke  and  John  Conyers  were  declared  wrong- 
fully elected.  At  the  same  time  Spencer  Compton  pre- 
sented a  petition  setting  forth  that  the  Bailiff  arbitrarily 
returned  the  two  Members  named,  though  the  petitioner 
had  a  majority  of  legal  electors  voting  for  him.  Both  the 
petitions  were  referred  to  the  Committee  of  Privileges,  as 
was  also  another  petition  from  the  inhabitants  of  East 
Grinstead,  presented  four  days  later.  On  this  occasion  the 
matter  seems  to  have  been  more  fully  gone  into  than  ever 
before.  Numerous  witnesses  were  examined  and  some 
interesting  side-lights  were  thrown  on  the  conduct  of 
elections  in  those  days.  A  man  named  Ledger  swore 
that  when  Sir  Thos.  Dyke  canvassed  him,  just  before  the 
election,  he  pulled  out  a  handful  of  money  and  said  he 
would  do  the  voter  quite  as  much  kindness  as  Mr.  Compton 
would,  while  a  canvasser  named  Payne  offered  him  "  the 


ITS   MEMBERS    OF    PARLIAMENT.  45 

running  of  a  horse"  if  he  would  vote  for  Sir  Thomas. 
The  other  side  seems  to  have  gone  one  better.  Thomas 
Pollard's  evidence  was  this : — 

Mr.  Packer  desired  his  vote  for  the  Earl  of  Orrery  and  Mr.  Compton 
and  promised  to  be  a  good  friend  to  him,  and  told  him  Sir  Thomas 
Dyke  had  been  in  the  House  a  good  while  and  had  done  no  good,  and 
that  he  was  a  Jacobite  and  kept  a  Jesuit  in  his  house,  and  that  he 
would  not  be  suffered  to  sit  in  the  House. 

All  this  seemed  to  trouble  Pollard  very  little  and  he 
intimated  that  Sir  Thomas  would  have  his  vote,  where- 
upon Packer  threatened  him  with  a  "  stone-doublet "  (i.e., 
imprisonment)  and  carried  it  into  effect,  for  three  days 
before  the  election  he  was  arrested,  confined  for  a  period 
and  then  let  out  without  any  charge,  apparently,  being 
brought  against  him.  Another  canvasser,  named 
Percivall,  seems  to  have  been  very  active.  He  offered 
to  treat  Pollard  to  a  trip  to  London  to  get  him  out  of  the 
way  and  he  told  Jeremy  Johnson  that  if  Sir  Thomas 
Dyke  was  elected  he  would  not  be  allowed  to  sit,  for  he 
knew  the  House  was  going  to  turn  him  and  fifty-nine 
other  Members  out  again.  Another  active  agent  was 
Robert  Bodell,  who,  before  the  election,  warned  the 
tradesmen  that  if  they  disobliged  "my  Lord  of  Dorset 
they  should  be  troubled  with  soldiers  and  lose  the 
Assizes."  When  the  fight  was  over  he  told  the  same 
people  that  he  had  the  order  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain  to 
stop  the  pensions  of  Widow  Taylor  and  Widow  Jenner, 
because  some  persons  had  voted  for  the  sitting  Members. 
Another  man  was  heard  to  declare  that  if  he  voted  for 
the  Dorset  nominees  "  he  could  have  a  place  for  his 
mother  in  the  College  of  £8  a  year,"  and  he  estimated 
this  was  worth  £100  to  him.  The  Committee  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  right  of  election  rested  with  the 
burgage  holders  only,  but  that  Sir  Thomas  Dyke  and 
John  Conyers  had  been  duly  elected.  The  general 
question  was  forced  to  a  division  in  the  House  and  the 
Committee's  resolution  was  confirmed  by  221  votes  to 
128. 

1698,  July  25th.     Lyonell,  Earl  of  Orrery,  and  John  Conyers. 
1700-1,  Jan.  7th.     John  Conyers  and  Mathew  Pryor. 


46  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

Matthew  Prior  rose  from  the  ranks  to  become  a  famous 
poet  and  diplomatist.  He  was  born  at  Wimborne 
Minster,  in  Dorset,  on  July  21st,  1664,  and  was  the  son 
of  a  joiner.  On  the  death  of  his  father  an  uncle  got  him 
up  to  London  and  sent  him  for  a  time  to  Westminster 
School,  but  soon  took  him  from  there  and  set  him  to 
work  in  a  tavern  which  he  owned  near  Charing  Cross. 
The  Earl  of  Dorset  was  there  one  day  with  some  friends 
when  a  dispute  arose  concerning  the  meaning  of  a 
particular  passage  in  Horace.  Young  Prior  was  called 
in  and  soon  satisfactorily  solved  the  difficulty.  Finding 
he  was  a  studious  youth  the  Earl  of  Dorset  took  him 
under  his  protection  and  on  April  2nd,  1683,  sent  him  to 
St.  John's  College,  Cambridge.  Here  he  remained  for 
five  years  and  was  then  appointed  Secretary  to  the 
English  delegates  at  the  Hague  Congress.  He  became 
Gentleman  of  His  Majesty's  Bedchamber  to  William  of 
Orange  and  was  made  Secretary  for  the  English 
negotiations  in  settling  the  Treaty  of  Ryswick.  In  the 
same  year  he  became  Principal  Secretary  of  State  in 
Ireland,  and  the  next  he  was  made  Secretary  to  the 
British  Embassy  in  Paris.  On  being  elected  for  East 
Grinstead  he  was  made  one  of  the  Lords  of  Trade,  and 
subsequently  Chief  Commissioner  of  Customs.  In 
settling  affairs  with  France,  after  the  termination  of  the 
war,  he  took  a  leading  part  and  in  course  of  time  became 
our  Ambassador  in  Paris.  The  Earl  of  Stair  succeeded 
him  and  when  Mr.  Prior  arrived  in  England  on  March 
25th,  1715,  he  was  immediately  arrested  and  a  month 
later  was  ordered  into  close  custody  and  no  person 
admitted  to  see  him  without  leave  of  the  Speaker.  He 
was  imprisoned,  without  trial,  in  his  own  house  for  two 
years,  the  complaint  against  him  being  his  supposed 
share  in  the  treaty  of  Utrecht.  On  his  release  he* 
published,  by  subscription,  an  edition  of  his  poems, 
which  brought  him  the  handsome  sum  of  4,000  guineas, 
doubled  by  the  generous  gift  of  his  friend,  Lord  Harley, 
son  of  the  Earl  of  Oxford,  at  whose  house,  at  Wimpole, 
in  Cambridgeshire,  Prior  died  on  September  18th,  1721. 
He  was  buried  in  Poet's  Corner,  Westminster  Abbey, 


ITS    MEMBERS    OF    PARLIAMENT.  47 

where  a  monument  was  afterwards  erected  to  his  memory 
by  order  of  the  King  of  France.  He  was  a  pleasing 
poet,  remarkable  for  his  skill  in  versification,  though 
many  of  his  pieces  border  on  the  indecent. 

1701,  Nov.  24th.     Lyonell,  Earl  of  Orrery,  and  John  Conyers. 

1 702,  July  1 7th.     John  Conyers  and  John  Toke,  of  Godinton,  Kent. 

John  Toke  was  born  in  1671,  and  married  Susannah, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Daniel  Miles,  D.D.,  of  Crutched 
Friars,  London.  He  died  in  1746  and  was  connected 
by  marriage  with  the  Paynes  of  East  Grinstead,  the 
wife  of  Edward  Payne,  already  referred  to,  being  Miss 
Elizabeth  Toke,  of  Godinton. 

1705,  May  llth.     John  Conyers  and  John  Toke. 
1708,  May  5th.     Richard  Lumley  and  Henry  Campion. 

Henry  Campion,  of  Combwell  Priory,  Kent,  was  the 
first  of  the  name  to  occupy  the  Danny  Estate  at  Hurst- 
pierpoint.  This  property  had  been  for  many  years  in 
the  possession  of  the  Courthope  family,  and  it  came  to 
the  Campions  when  this  Member  for  East  Grinstead 
married  Barbara,  daughter  and  sole  heiress  of  Peter 
Courthope. 

John  Conyers  was  this  time  a  defeated  candidate,  and 
he  petitioned  Parliament  that  he  had  a  majority  of  votes 
and  ought  to  have  been  returned,  but  the  admitting  of 
"  double  voices  for  one  and  the  same  burgage-hold,"  and 
permitting  others  to  vote  who  had  no  right,  and 
threats  and  other  undue  practices,  Henry  Campion, 
alleged,  was  returned.  Parliament  decided  to  have  the 
matter  threshed  out  at  the  bar  of  the  House,  but  before 
it  came  on  for  hearing  John  Conyers  withdrew  his 
petition. 

1710,  Oct.  7th.     John  Conyers  and  Leonard  Gale. 

Leonard  Gale  was  of  humble  origin,  but  rose  to  become 
a  very  wealthy  man  and  M.P.  for  East  Grinstead.  He 
was  the  grandson  of  a  blacksmith  at  Sevenoaks,  and  his 
father  managed  to  save  up  enough  money  to  start  a  forge 
at  Tinsley,  in  Worth,  where,  in  the  flourishing  days  of 


48  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

the  Sussex  iron  industry,  he  amassed  a  considerable 
fortune  and  left  a  decent  property  to  his  son  Leonard. 
This  young  fellow  soon  after  purchased  Crabbett,  giving 
for  house,  land  and  timber  £9,000.  He  had  been  called 
to  the  bar,  but  he  gave  up  all  idea  of  practice  in  order  to 
devote  himself  to  the  management  of  his  Sussex  estates. 
He  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Knight,  his  "mother's  sister's 
only  daughter,"  at  Charlwood,  on  August  19th,  1703. 
By  the  time  he  was  52  years  of  age  he  estimated  he 
was  worth  £40,667.  One  of  his  aunts  married  the  Rev. 
Henry  Woodward,  Vicar  of  East  Grinstead.  He  was 
elected  Member  of  Parliament  for  this  Borough,  as  he 
tells  us,  "  without  expense  or  opposition,"  and  he  has  left 
on  record  this  scathing  denunciation  of  the  electioneering 
tactics  then  in  vogue : — 

We  have  seen  of  late  innumerable  instances  of  the  power  of  bribes 
and  threats  in  the  election  of  Members  to  Parliament.  Men  have 
deserted  their  old  friends  and  neighbours  to  whom  they  have  been 
pledged  every  day  of  their  lives,  and  gone  over  to  strangers  they  never 
saw  or  heard  of,  who  come  with  money  in  their  hands  and  empty 
promises  in  their  mouths,  to  the  eternal  scandal  of  the  whole  nation, 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  whereby  our  lands  and  liberties  are, 
and  must  be,  precarious,  and  our  so  much  boasted  privilege  of  having 
free  Parliaments  utterly  lost ;  for  this  is  an  observation  founded  on  the 
greatest  truth,  that  he  who  will  buy  his  seat  in  Parliament  will  sell 
his  vote,  and  to  what  misery  and  poverty  such  men  will  soon  bring  this 
nation  God  only  knows ! 

Leonard  Gale  died  in  1750  and  was  buried  at  Worth 
Church.  Mr.  W.  S.  Blunt,  the  present  owner  of  Crabbett, 
is  a  lineal  descendant.  Leonard  Gale  also  owned  Shep- 
perds  and  Scarletts,  in  East  Grinstead. 

1713,  Aug.  28th.     Spencer  Compton  and  John  Conyers. 

Spencer  Compton  was  the  son  of  James,  third  Earl  of 
Northampton,  and  rose  to  positions  of  the  highest 
possible  importance  in  the  State.  He  was  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  of  Privileges  and  Elections,  and  at  the 
assembly  of  the  first  Parliament  of  George  I.,  on  March 
17th,  1714-5,  he  was  unanimously  elected  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Commons,  being  described  by  one  of  his 
proposers  as  "  descended  of  a  very  noble  and  honourable 
family,  in  all  times  famous  for  their  steady  adherence  to 


ITS    MEMBERS   OF   PARLIAMENT.  49 

the  constitution  in  Church  and  State  and  for  their 
inviolable  loyalty  to  a  deserving  Master."  He  was 
re-elected  to  office  in  the  next  Parliament  and  held  the 
position  for  13  years.  He  was  subsequently  Paymaster- 
General  of  the  Forces  and  Treasurer  of  Chelsea  Hospital. 
On  January  llth,  1728,  he  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as 
Baron  Wilmington  and  in  1730  was  made  Lord  Privy 
Seal  and  advanced  to  the  dignity  of  Viscount  Pevensey 
and  Earl  of  Wilmington.  He  was  next  made  Lord 
President  of  the  Council  and  a  Knight  of  the  Garter.  He 
was  one  of  the  Lords  Justices  during  the  King's  absence 
in  Hanover  and  was  also  one  of  the  Governors  of  Charter 
House.  On  the  accession  of  George  II.  he  was  named 
by  the  King  as  Prime  Minister,  bu^he  did  not  take  this 
office  until  February  llth,  1742,  holding  it  until  his 
death  on  July  4th,  1743.  He  died  unmarried  and  all  his 
honours  became  extinct,  his  estates  passing  to  his  nephew, 
James  Compton,  fifth  Earl  of  Northampton,  and  subse- 
quently to  the  Dukes  of  Devonshire.  He  was  owner  of 
the  house  in  this  town  in  which  Mr.  George  Bankin,  the 
lawyer,  lived  and  sold  it  to  Lord  Geo.  Sackville. 

1714-5,  Jan.  28th.     Spencer  Cornpton  and  John  Conyers. 
1721-2,  March  21st.     Spencer  Compton  and  John  Conyers. 

John  Conyers  died  while  still  Member  for  East  Grin- 
stead  and  a  new  writ  was  issued  on  March  22nd,  1724. 

1727,  Aug    19th.     Richard,  Lord  Viscount  Shannon,  and  Henry, 
Lord  Viscount  Palmerston. 

Viscount  Shannon  was  the  second  holder  of  this  title. 
He  was  a  grandson  of  Francis,  fourth  son  of  Richard 
Boyle,  commonly  called  "  The  great  Earl  of  Cork."  He 
died  in  1740,  when  the  title  of  Viscount  Shannon  became 
extinct. 

Henry  Temple,  born  in  1673,  was  the  first  Viscount 
Palmerston.  His  father  was  Speaker  of  the  Irish  House 
of  Commons  and  his  great  grandson,  the  third  and  last 
Viscount  Palmerston,  the  famous  Prime  Minister  and 
statesman  of  the  early  years  of  Victoria's  reign.  This 
M.P.  for  East  Grinstead,  when  only  seven  years  old,  was 
made,  with  Luke  King,  Joint  Remembrancer  of  the  Court 


50  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

of  Exchequer  in  Ireland.  When  Charles  II.  died  the 
post  was  renewed  to  him  and  his  son  for  their  lives,  and 
as  it  was  worth  £2,000  a  year  it  was  a  very  snug  position 
for  an  "infant."  On  March  12th,  1722,  he  was  raised  to 
the  peerage  of  Ireland  as  Baron  Temple  and  Viscount 
Palmerston.  He  sat  in  the  English  House  of  Commons 
from  1727  to  1731  and  died  at  Chelsea  on  June  10th,  1757. 

1734,  April  26th.     Charles  Sackville,  Earl  of  Middlesex,  and  Edward 
Conyers. 

The  Earl  of  Middlesex  was  Governor  of  Walmer 
Castle,  and  afterwards  became  the  second  Duke  of 
Dorset.  He  was  for  a  long  time  Master  of  the  Horse  to 
Frederick,  Prince  of  Wales. 

1741,  May  5th.     The  Earl  of  Middlesex  and  Whistler  Webster. 

The  Earl  of  Middlesex  accepted  office  in  the  following 
January  as  Steward  of  His  Majesty's  Honour  of  Otford, 
Kent,  and  thus  vacated  the  seat.  Whistler  Webster 
afterwards  became  Sir  Whistler  Webster,  Bart.,  of  Battle 
Abbey.  He  married  Miss  Nairne,  daughter  of  the  Dean 
of  Battle  and  a  relative  of  Mr.  Charles  Nairne  Hastie,  of 
Place  Land,  East  Grinstead,  who  used  sometimes  to  stay 
at  Battle  Abbey  and  knew  Isaac  Ingall,  the  old  butler, 
who  died  there  in  1798  (as  appears  from  the  Court  Rolls 
of  the  Manor  of  Battel)  at  the  remarkable  age  of  120 
years.  There  are  many  people  who  can  remember  Mr. 
C.  N.  Hastie,  and  it  thus  follows  that  they  knew  one  who 
often  conversed  with  a  man  born  in  1678,  so  that  the 
record  of  three  such  lives  covers  a  period  of  no  less  than 
12  reigns  in  English  history.  The  Websters  were 
formerly  considerable  owners  of  property  in  East  Grin- 
stead.  Among  their  possessions  were  the  Crown  Inn,  the 
Chequer  Mead,  the  Friday  Mead,  the  Hipps  Mead,  part 
of  the  Middle  Row  (originally  built  on  the  Lord's  waste) 
and  some  half-dozen  burgages,  all  of  which  were  purchased 
of  Sir  Godfrey  Webster,  by  Lord  George  Sackville. 

1741-2,  Jan.  23rd.     John  Butler. 

1747,  July  1st.     Whistler  Webster  and  Sir  Sidney  Stafford  Smythe. 

The  latter  Member  is  said  to  have  been  "  The  ugliest 
man  of  his  day."  He  was  born  in  1705?  was  called  to  the 


ITS   MEMBERS    OF   PARLIAMENT.  51 

Bar  in  1728,  in  1740  was  made  Steward  of  the  Court  of 
the  King's  Palace  at  Westminster,  in  1747  was  made  a 
K.C.,  and  at  the  general  election  in  that  year  was  returned 
to  Parliament  for  East  Grinstead.  While  still  Member  he 
was  made  a  Baron  of  the  Court  of  Exchequer,  and  a  new 
writ  was  issued  for  the  Borough  in  consequence  on  January 
1 7th,  1 750.  The  new  judge  was  knighted  before  the  year 
closed  and  became  Lord  Chief  Baron  on  October  28th, 
1772,  but  resigned  three  years  later  in  consequence  of 
infirmities,  and  died  on  November  2nd,  1778.  His  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  Sir  Charles  Farnaby,  and  they  both 
took  very  great  interest  in  the  Evangelical  movement. 

1750,  Jan.  22nd.     The  Hon.  Joseph  Yorke. 

The  Hon.  Joseph  Yorke  was  the  third  son  of  the  first 
Earl  of  Hardwicke,  Lord  High  Chancellor  of  Great 
Britain.  He  was  elected  for  East  Grinstead  when  about 
25  years  of  age,  was  afterwards  knighted,  rose  to  high 
rank  in  the  army  and  was  aide-de-camp  to  H.R.H.  the 
Duke  of  Cumberland  at  the  battle  of  Fontenoy.  He  was 
elevated  to  the  peerage  as  Baron  Dover,  from  which  town 
the  family  emanated,  on  September  18th,  1788,  but  he 
married  very  late  in  life,  and  having  no  family  the  title 
died  with  him. 

1754,  April  19th.     The  Hon.  Joseph  Yorke  and  Sir  Whistler  Webster, 

Bart. 
1761,  March  31st.     Charles  Sackville,  Earl  of  Middlesex,  and  Lord 

George  Sackville. 

The  Earl  of  Middlesex  became  Duke  of  Dorset  while 
still  a  Member,  and  on  his  going  to  the  House  of  Lords 
a  new  writ  was  issued  in  December,  1765.  The  latter 
Member  was  also  returned  for  Hythe,  for  which  con- 
stituency he  elected  to  sit,  and  a  new  writ  was  issued  for 
East  Grinstead  December  1st,  1761. 

1761,  Dec.  8th.     Sir  Thomas  Hales,  Bart. 

Sir  Thomas  belonged  to  Bekesbourne,  in  Kent.  He 
died  the  following  year  and  a  new  writ  was  issued. 
November  25th,  1762. 

1762,  Nov.  30th.     John  Irwine. 

E  2 


52  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

This  Member  afterwards  became  the  Rt.  Hon.  Sir  J. 
Irwine,  Major-General  of  the  Forces. 

1765,  Dec.  30.     Sir  Ohas.  Farnaby,  Bart.,  of  Sevenoaks. 

1768,  March  18th.     Lord  George  Sackville  and  Major-Gen.  Irwine. 

At  this  election  boroughs  were  openly  bought  and  sold, 
the  price  for  the  right  to  represent  a  small  borough  being 
£4,000,  and  Pitt  declared  that  the  House  elected  repre- 
sented, not  the  nation,  but  "  ruined  towns,  noble  families, 
wealthy  individuals  and  foreign  potentates." 

Lord  George  Sackville  was  born  on  January  26th, 
1715-16,  and  assumed  the  surname  of  Germaine,  in 
compliance  with  Lady  Elizabeth  Germaine's  will,  by 
which  he  inherited  a  considerable  fortune,  in  1770. 
Long  before  this  time  he  had  acquired  a  world-wide 
reputation  in  consequence  of  his  trial,  at  his  own  request, 
for  disobedience  to  orders  at  the  battle  of  Minden,  fought 
on  August  1st,  1759.  In  this  struggle  the  French  were 
beaten  by  British  and  Hanoverian  troops  and  the  victory 
practically  ended  the  seven  years'  war.  It  is  memorable 
as  having  been  the  only  known  occasion  on  which 
infantry  charged  through  and  destroyed  more  than  their 
own  number  of  cavalry.  The  allied  forces  were  com- 
manded by  Prince  Ferdinand  of  Prussia  and  Lord  George 
served  under  him  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  British 
cavalry  of  the  right  wing.  The  allegation  against  him 
was  that,  when  told  to  advance  his  brigade,  he  neglected 
to  immediately  comply  and  so  jeopardised  the  safety  of 
the  infantry.  It  appeared  that  two  aides-de-camp  took 
different  orders  to  him  and  Lord  George's  defence  was 
that,  in  the  confusion  thus  caused,  he  did  what  he  con- 
sidered best.  Though  the  battle  was  won  Prince 
Ferdinand  reported  Lord  George  to  the  King,  he  was 
recalled,  tried,  convicted  and  judged  "unfit  to  serve  His 
Majesty  in  any  military  capacity  whatever."  He  was  a 
man  of  great  educational  attainments  and  one  of  those 
credited  with  writing  "  the  letters  of  Junius,"  a  most 
elaborate  book  being  published  with  a  view  to  proving 
this  contention.  Though  his  career  as  a  soldier  was  thus 
cut  short,  he  afterwards  rendered  great  services  to  his 


ITS   MEMBERS   OF   PARLIAMENT.  53 

country  as  a  politician.  He  filled  some  of  the  highest 
offices  in  the  State,  being  for  many  years  Secretary  for 
the  American  department  prior  to  the  war  of  indepen- 
dence. He  was  elevated  to  the  Peerage  on  February 
llth,  1782,  as  Baron  Bolebrook  and  Viscount  Sackville 
and  died  October  10th,  1795.  He  lived  at  Stoneland 
Lodge,  Sussex,  and  was  the  owner  of  much  of  the 
Sackville  property  situate  within  the  Borough,  and 
according  to  an  Act  passed  on  May  6th,  1811,  for  vesting 
the  estate  in  trustees,  it  comprised  33  distinct  tenancies, 
let  at  rents  amounting  to  £467.  15s.  per  annum. 

1774,  Oct.  10th.     Lord  George  Germaine  (Sackville)  and  Lt.-Gen. 

Irwine. 

1775,  Nov.  15th.     Lord  George  Germaine  (Sackville). 

This  was  a  by-election  consequent  on  Lord  George 
being  made  one  of  the  Principal  Secretaries  of  State  and 
having  to  seek  re-election. 

1780,  Sept.  8th.     Lord  George  Germaine  (Sackville)  and  Lt.-Gen. 
Sir  John  Irwine. 

Lord  George  was  made  a  peer  during  this  Parliament, 
and  a  new  writ  was  issued  for  East  Grinstead,  February 
12th,  1782.  Sir  John  Irwine  was  Colonel  of  the  57th 
Regiment  of  Foot,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Forces  in 
Ireland,  and  a  Privy  Councillor  of  that  kingdom.  He 
accepted  the  Stewardship  of  the  Chiltern  Hundreds,  and 
a  new  writ  was  issued  April  25th,  1783. 

1782,  Feb.  19th.     Henry  Arthur  Herbert. 

1783,  May  3rd.     George  Medley. 

This  Member  was  the  owner  of  several  local  properties, 
including  "  The  Chequer  Inn,"  subsequently  named  "  The 
Dorset  Head,"  and  two  fields  called  "  Pigeon  House  or 
Slaughter  House"  and  "  Play-field,"  let  to  the  then  Vicar 
for  £12.  15s.  a  year.  These  were  sold  to  Lord  George 
Sackville,  of  Minden  fame.  Medley  also  owned  Buxted 
Place,  Friston  Place  and  Coneyboro'  Park,  all  in  this 
county,  acquiring  these  properties  on  the  deaths  of  his 
three  elder  brothers.  His  lather  was  Thomas  Medley 
and  his  mother  a  daughter  of  Sir  Samuel  Dash  wood, 
Lord  Mayor  of  London,  and  granddaughter  of  John 


54  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRlNSTEAD. 

Smith,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons.  He  was  in 
business  as  a  wine  merchant  at  Lisbon  when  the  great 
earthquake  of  1755  occurred  and  sustained  severe  losses 
in  consequence  of  it.  He  was  M.P.  for  Seaford,  1768  to 
1780,  and  for  East  Grinstead  from  1783  to  1790.  He 
had  no  children  and  all  his  estates  passed  to  his  niece, 
Lady  Shuckburgh  Evelyn,  only  daughter  and  sole  heiress 
of  James  Evelyn,  of  Felbridge,  by  his  first  wife, 
Annabella  Medley.  His  only  daughter  by  his  second  wife 
was  accidentally  burnt  to  death. 

1784,  Nov.  30th.     Henry  Arthur  Herbert  and  George  Medley. 

Herbert  accepted  the  Chiltern  Hundreds  Stewardship, 
and  a  new  writ  was  issued  February  24th,  1786. 

1786,  March  3rd.     Lt.-Gen.  James  Cunninghame. 

This  Member  died  in  October,  1788,  and  the  Speaker 
issued  a  new  writ  during  the  recess. 

1788,  Oct.  8th.     The  Et.  Hon.  Lt.-Gen.  Eobert  Cunninghame. 

This  Member  accepted  the  Stewardship  of  the  Chiltern 
Hundreds,  and  a  new  writ  was  issued  February  20th, 
1789. 

1789,  Feb.  27th.     Eichard  Ford,  of  the  Inner  Temple. 

1790,  June   18th.     Nathaniel  Dance,  of  Carnborough,  near  Win- 
chester, and  William  Nisbet,  of  Portman  Square,  London. 

The  first-named  famous,  but  somewhat  eccentric,  repre- 
sentative was  born  in  London  in  1734,  of  a  family  that 
possessed  artistic  talent.  His  father,  George  Dance,  was 
the  architect  of  the  Mansion  House,  London,  and  also  of 
several  city  churches.  Nathaniel  was  for  some  time  in 
Italy,  from  whence  he  sent  to  England  pictures,  chiefly 
of  classical  subjects.  While  here  he  fell  in  love  with 
Angelica  Kauffman,  and  persistently  followed  her,  renew- 
ing his  matrimonial  offers  again  and  again.  But  that 
famous  lady  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  him,  so  he  at 
last  returned  to  England,  and  some  years  later  consoled 
himself  by  marrying  a  widow  named  Mrs.  Dummer,  who 
brought  him  a  fortune  of  some  £18,000  a  year.  He  had 
himself,  by  this  time,  amassed  considerable  wealth.  He 


ITS   MEMBERS   OF   PARLIAMENT.  55 

was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Royal  Academy  and  his 
portraits  were  in  great  request.  The  most  famous  of 
his  pictures  was  "David  Garrick  as  King  Richard  III." 
After  his  marriage  he  dropped  his  profession  and  became 
Member  of  Parliament  for  East  Grinstead  from  1790  to 
1801.  He  changed  his  name,  and  when  made  a  Baronet 
in  1800  appeared  as  Sir  Nathaniel  Dance  Holland.  It  is 
reported  that  his  head  was  turned ;  he  withdrew  from  the 
Academy,  bought  up  all  his  pictures  he  could  lay  his  hands 
on,  and  burned  them  without  a  qualm.  Perhaps  he  was 
a  good  critic.  He  died  suddenly  at  Carnborough,  on 
October  loth,  1811,  leaving  a  fortune  of  £200,000.  A 
new  writ  was  issued  for  East  Grinstead  during  the 
Christmas  recess. 

1796,  May  25th.  Nathaniel  Dance  and  James  Strange,  of  Hertford 
Street,  Mayfair,  London. 

This  was  the  first  Imperial  Parliament  of  the  United 
Kingdom. 

1802,  July  7th.  Sir  Henry  Strachey,  Bart.,  of  Rooksnest,  Tandridge, 
and  Daniel  Giles,  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  London,  and  Youngsbury, 
Hertford. 

The  voting  at  this  election  was:  Strachey  and  Giles, 
nine  each;  John  Frost,  one.  The  two  elected  were  the 
nominees  of  the  Duchess  of  Dorset,  who  at  this  time 
controlled  29  out  of  the  36  burgage  tenements.  The 
defeated  candidate  petitioned  against  the  return,  as  also 
did  Mr.  T.  Hurt,  Mr.  John  Turley,  after  whom  Mr.  F. 
Maplesden's  house  in  Ship  Street  is  named,  and  others. 
John  Frost  alleged  that  a  considerable  majority  of  the 
show  of  hands  was  in  his  favour,  but  when  he  demanded 
a  poll  Mr.  Geo.  Bankin,  senior,  the  bailiff,  said  "a  poll 
for  the  Borough  of  East  Grinstead  was  unusual  and 
uncustomary."  After  some  hesitation,  however,  it  was 
granted,  and  at  the  poll  Mr.  Frost  alleged  the  Bailiff 
accepted  several  "illegal,  split  and  occasional  votes"  for 
the  returned  Members.  He  also  alleged  that  the  can- 
didates, their  friends  and  agents  were  guilty  of  many 
"undue,  illegal,  unwarrantable  and  corrupt  practices." 
A  special  committee  of  49  members  was  elected  by  the 


56  HISTORY   OF    EAST    GRttfSTEAD. 

House  on  March  17th,  1803,  to  try  the  petition.  An 
objection  was  first  taken  to  Mr.  Frost  being  heard,  on  the 
ground  that  he  had  been  convicted  in  the  Court  of  King's 
Bench  of  a  libel  on  the  Government,  had  been  struck  off 
the  roll  of  attorneys  and  had  been  ordered  to  stand  in  the 
pillory,  but  though  this  sentence  was  passed  it  was  never 
put  into  execution.  Accordingly  he  was  allowed  to 
proceed,  but  the  committee  declared  the  sitting  Members 
duly  elected  and  that  the  petitions  were  frivolous  and 
vexatious.  It  came  out  in  evidence  during  the  trial  that 
the  burgages  were  let  at  sums  varying  from  3d.  to  Is.  per 
annum,  but  not  one  of  the  voters  who  voted  at  this  election 
had  ever  paid  these  quit  rents  or  the  land  tax.  The 
majority  of  the  tenants  had  had  to  sign  a  declaration  that 
they  held  as  trustees  of  the  Duchess  of  Dorset,  and  only 
two  of  them  held  their  own  title  deeds.  Very  few  of  the 
voters  lived  in,  or  had  any  connection  with,  East  Grin- 
stead,  being  simply  brought  down  to  vote,  fed  and  sent 
away  again.  The  costs  of  this  petition  came  to 
£706.  3s.  4d.  and  their  recovery  led  to  further  lengthy 
suits,  but  in  1808,  six  years  after  the  election,  Messrs. 
Burt,  Turley  and  those  associated  with  them  had  to  pay. 

Sir  Henry  Strachey  was  born  May  23rd,  1 737.  In  1 764 
he  was  private  secretary  to  Lord  Olive,  subsequently 
Joint  Secretary  to  the  Treasury,  one  of  the  Under 
Secretaries  of  State  and  Master  of  the  Household.  He 
was  created  a  Baronet  on  June  loth,  1801,  and  died 
January  3rd,  1810. 

1806,  Oct.  31st.     Sir  Henry  Sti-achey,  Bart.,  and  Daniel  Giles. 

1807,  May  8th.     Sir  Nathaniel  Holland  Bart,   (previously  named 
Dance),  and  Charles  Rose  Ellis,  of  Claremont,  Surrey. 

This  was  the  last  contested  election  for  the  Borough 
and  it  led  to  another  petition.  Only  19  electors  polled 
and  the  defeated  candidates  were  Sir  George  Wright, 
Bart.,  and  Mr.  Samuel  Hill.  They  went  before  Parlia- 
ment on  July  10th  and  alleged  that  the  Bailiff,  Mr. 
George  Bankin,  had  rejected  legal  votes  tendered  for 
them  and  received  votes  in  favour  of  those  returned  from 
persons  who  had  no  right  to  vote,  but  they  failed  to 


ITS   MEMBERS    OF   PARLIAMENT.  57 

deposit  the  required  security,  so  the  petition  was  dis- 
charged 15  days  after  presentation. 

Mr.  Ellis,  who  afterwards  became  the  first  Lord 
Seaford,  was  a  member  of  a  wealthy  West  Indian  family. 
He  was  born  in  1771,  and  first  entered  Parliament  when 
only  22,  being  returned  for  Heytesbury.  His  wife  was 
the  daughter  and  heiress  of  Lord  Hervey  and  on  July  8th, 
1803,  their  son  succeeded  his  great-grandfather,  on  the 
maternal  side,  in  the  Barony  of  Howard  de  Walden. 
Mr.  Ellis  was  a  strong  supporter  and  friend  of  Canning's 
and  was  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  West  Indian 
interest.  For  some  years  he  represented  Seaford,  but 
lost  his  seat  for  that  town  in  1806,  and  the  following 
year  was  returned  for  East  Grinstead.  In  1826  Canning 
nominated  him  for  a  peerage  and  he  was  created  Lord 
Seaford  on  July  16th.  He  died  July  1st,  1845. 

1812,  Jan.  llth.     Richard  Wellesley,  of  Grosvenor  Square,  London. 

This  Member  accepted  the  Chiltern  Hundreds  during 
the  following  year,  and  a  new  writ  was  issued  March 
3rd,  1812. 

1812,  March  9th.     George  William  Gunning,   of    Horton,   North- 
ampton. 

Mr.  Gunning  was  the  only  son  of  Sir  Robert  Gunning, 
who  was  made  a  Baronet  after  serving  as  Minister- 
Plenipotentiary  at  the  Courts  of  Denmark,  Prussia  and 
Russia.  The  Member  for  East  Grinstead,  who  had 
also  represented  the  Boroughs  of  Hastings  and  Wigan, 
succeeded  to  the  baronetcy  on  September  22nd,  1816, 
and  died  on  April  7th,  1823.  He  only  sat  for  East 
Grinstead  three  months  on  this  occasion,  accepting  the 
Chiltern  Hundreds  on  June  1st,  1812. 

1812,  June   8th.       Nicholas  Vansittart,    of   Great   George   Street, 
Westminster. 

This  Member  was  a  son  of  one  of  the  Directors  of  the 
old  East  India  Company  and  was  born  in  1766.  When 
30  years  of  age  he  was  elected  M.P.  for  Hastings,  and 
early  in  1801  was  sent  as  Minister-Plenipotentiary  to 
Copenhagen  with  a  view  of  detaching  that  power  from 


58  HISTORY    OF    EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

the  northern  alliance,  but  his  mission  was  a  failure.  On 
returning  to  England  he  was  made  Joint  Secretary  to 
the  Treasury,  three  years  later  became  Chief  Secretary 
of  Ireland  and,  after  a  while,  again  went  back  to  the 
Treasury.  In  1812  Lord  Liverpool  wanted  a  successor 
to  Spencer  Percival  as  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  so 
Mr.  Gunning  resigned  his  seat  for  East  Grinstead.  Mr. 
Vansittart  was  elected  in  his  stead  and  four  days  after 
his  return  for  this  Borough  was  appointed  to  the  office 
named.  During  his  tenure  of  it  he  carried  through  a 
conversion  of  the  National  Debt  and  the  consolidation  of 
the  English  and  Irish  Exchequers.  He  held  the  office  for 
about  eleven  years  and,  on  his  resignation  early  in  1823, 
was  raised  to  the  Peerage  by  the  title  of  Baron  Bexley, 
a  title  which  died  with  him.  He  continued  to  hold  a 
seat  in  the  Cabinet  as  Chancellor  of  the  Duchy  of 
Lancaster  until  1828.  Lord  Bexley  occupied  a  very 
conspicuous  position  in  the  religious  world.  The  late 
Mrs.  0.  A.  Smith,  of  Hammerwood,  East  Grinstead,  was 
related  to  this  statesman. 

1812,  Oct.  8th.     George  William  Gunning  and  James  Stephen,  of 
Great  Ormond  Street,  London. 

Stephen  accepted  the  Chiltern  Hundreds  and  a  new  writ 
was  issued  April  4th,  1815. 

1815,  April  14th.     Sir  George  Johnston  Hope,  K.C.B. 

Sir  George  was  appointed  a  Rear- Admiral  in  the  British 
Navy  on  August  1st,  1811,  and  subsequently  became  one 
of  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty.  He  died  in  1818  and  a 
new  writ  for  East  Grinstead  was  issued  on  May  4th. 

1818,  May  13th.     The  Et.  Hon.  Charles  Gordon,  Lord  Strathaven. 

Charles,  Lord  Strathaven,  who  became  10th  Marquess 
of  Huntly,  was  the  son  and  heir  of  George  Gordon,  5th 
Earl  of  Aboyne,  by  his  wife  Catherine  Anne,  younger 
daughter  and  co-heir  of  Sir  Charles  Cope,  2nd  Baronet, 
of  Brewerne.  He  was  born  January  4th,  1792,  and  suc- 
ceeded his  father,  who,  in  1836,  on  the  death  of  the  last 
Duke  of  Gordon,  had  become  9th  Marquess  of  Huntly, 
on  June  17th,  1853.  He  married,  firstly,  Lady  Elizabeth 
Conyngham,  and,  secondly,  Maria  Antoinette,  daughter  of 


ITS  MEMBERS  OF  PARLIAMENT.  59 

the   Rev.  P.  W.  Pegus  and  the  Dowager  Countess   of 
Lindsey.     He  died  September  18th,  1853. 

1818,  June  19th.     Lord  Strathaven  and  the  Hon.  Charles  Cecil  Cope 
Jenkinson. 

This  election  afforded  the  rare  instance  of  nephew  and 
uncle  being  returned  for  the  same  constituency.  The 
second  of  these  Members  afterwards  became  the  third 
Earl  of  Liverpool.  He  was  a  son  of  the  first  Earl 
of  Liverpool,  his  mother  being  a  daughter  of  Sir  Cecil 
Bisshopp,  Bart.,  of  Parham,  Sussex.  He  was  a  Page  of 
Honour  to  George  III.,  served  in  the  Royal  Navy  1794-7 
and  fought  in  several  naval  actions,  including  Lord 
Howe's  victory  of  June  1st,  1794.  He  was  afterwards 
attached  to  the  Embassy  at  Vienna,  and,  later,  fought  at 
Austerlitz  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Austrian  army.  He  held 
various  posts  as  an  Under  Secretary  of  State  in  the 
Ministry  of  his  brother,  who  was  Prime  Minister  for  15 
years.  He  was  Lord  Steward  of  the  Household  to  Queen 
Victoria  from  1841  to  1846,  and  died  at  Buxted  on  Oct. 
3rd,  1851.  He  lived  for  a  time  at  Fel bridge  Place,  having 
acquired  that  property  in  1810  by  marriage  with  Julia, 
the  only  daughter  of  Sir  George  Augustus  William  Shuck- 
burgh-Evelyn,  a  baronet  distinguished  for  his  scientific 
researches,  and  who  married  in  1785  Julia  Annabella, 
daughter  and  sole  heiress  of  James  Evelyn,  of  Felbridge 
Place.  Shuckburgh  Cottage,  in  East  Grinstead,  is  named 
after  this  nobleman,  but  the  family  belonged  to  Warwick, 
where  it  had  been  located  for  over  eight  centuries.  The 
Member  for  East  Grinstead,  who  became  the  third  Earl  of 
Liverpool,  was  also  Baron  Hawkesbury,  and  the  latter 
title  was  revived  in  1893,  when  his  grandson,  the  Rt.  Hon. 
Cecil  George  Savile  Foljambe,  was  raised  to  the  Peerage 
as  Baron  Hawkesbury,  and  the  former  in  1906,  when  he 
became  Earl  of  Liverpool. 

1820,  March  9th.     Lord  Strathaven  and  the  Hon.  C.  0.  C.  Jenkinson. 
1826,  June  9th.     Lord  Strathaven  and  the  Hon.  C.  C.  C.  Jenkinson. 
1829,    Feb.    llth.      The   Et.    Hon.    William   Pitt  Amherst,    Lord 
Viscount  Holmesdale. 

This  Member  afterwards  became  Earl  Amherst,  and  he 
lived  to  see  East  Grinstead,  as  a  County  Parliamentary 


60  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

Division,  again  return  its  Member  to  Parliament  in  1885. 
He  died  March  26th,  1886,  aged  81. 

1830,  July  31st.     Viscount  Holmesdale  and  Frederick  Richard  West, 

of  Ruthin  Castle,  Denbigh. 

Mr.  West  was  a  grandson  of  John,  second  Earl  De  la 
Warr.  He  was  born  in  1799  and  died  May  1st,  1862. 

1831,  April  30th.    Viscount  Holmesdale  and  Frederick  Richard  West. 

This  was  the  last  election  for  East  Grinstead.  Parlia- 
ment was  dissolved  on  December  3rd,  1832,  and  on  that 
day  the  existence  of  the  town  as  a  Parliamentary  Borough 
came  to  an  abrupt  termination.  The  Bailiff  of  East 
Grinstead  was,  ex-officio,  the  Returning  Officer,  and  in 
1831  Mr.  Edward  Cranston  occupied  this  position.  He 
was  called  on  by  Parliament  to  furnish  a  report,  and  this 
interesting  document  is  dated  December  23rd,  1831.  In 
it  Mr.  Cranston  stated  that  he  believed  the  then  number 
of  electors  was  36  and  that  at  the  last  contested  election 
in  1807  19  electors  polled.  In  the  town  of  East  Grin- 
stead  there  were  then  131  houses,  and  about  50  of  these 
were  outside  the  old  Borough.  In  the  previous  year  these 
houses  paid  £21.  19s.  6d.  in  assessed  taxes,  and  the 
total  assessed  taxes  paid  by  the  Borough  amounted  to 
£162.  5s.  3d.,  the  total  assessment  for  the  whole  parish 
at  Lady-day,  1831,  being  £763.  3s.  6d. 

This  report  was  of  such  a  nature  that  Parliament  at 
once  sent  down  a  Surveyor  to  go  more  fully  into  details. 
He  ascertained  that  there  were  36  burgage  tenements 
(these  alone  giving  the  right  to  vote),  but  in  four 
instances  two  burgages  were  occupied  together  as  one 
house,  leaving  really  only  32  places  in  respect  of  which 
a  vote  was  allowed.  Of  these,  24  were  estimated  to  be 
worth  £10  a  year  or  upwards.  The  Commissioner 
estimated  that  there  were  151  occupied  and  two 
unoccupied  houses  in  the  town,  there  being,  in  addition 
to  the  burgage  tenements,  79  rated  houses  and  80 
cottages,  not  rated,  in  the  town  division  of  the  parish, 
40  of  the  latter  being  in  the  town  proper.  The 
Commissioner  summed  the  facts  up  by  stating : — 

The  boundary  of  the  old  Borough  is  entirely  unknown,  as  I  was 
assured  both  by  the  old  and  present  Bailiffs.     All  that  I  could  learn 


ITS   MEMBERS   OF   PARLIAMENT.  61 

was  that  the  Borough  is  certainly  not  co-extensive  with  the  town 
division  of  the  parish,  which  is  merely  a  division  made  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  parish  officers  in  collecting  the  rates.  It  was  stated 
to  me  as  probable  that  the  Borough  does  not  extend  beyond  the  town 
on  any  side  but  the  north,  on  which  last-mentioned  side  is  a  burgage 
tenement  at  some  distance  from  the  town.  It  appears  certain  that  no 
part  of  the  Borough  can  be  out  of  the  town  division  of  the  parish  and 
it  probably  falls  very  short  of  it. 

This  report  was  accompanied  by  a  map  showing  the 
Borough  boundaries  so  far  as  they  could  be  ascertained. 
They  included  the  whole  High  Street  back  as  far  as  the 
Hermitage ;  Ship  Street ;  and  the  London  Road,  about  as 
far  as  Newlands.  The  result  of  these  reports  was  that  in 
the  Act  passed  the  following  year  East  Grinstead  was 
one  of  the  many  small  Boroughs  disfranchised,  and  its 
political  life  was  henceforth  merged  in  a  county  con- 
stituency. 

The  same  Act  practically  abolished  the  office  of  Bailiff. 
This  officer  had  always  been  annually  elected  at  the 
Courts  Leet  of  the  Duke  of  Dorset,  and  the  position  had 
been  held  alternately  for  some  years  by  Mr.  John 
Stenning  and  Mr.  Edward  Cranston.  The  latter's  final 
work  was  the  preparation  of  the  report  just  quoted;  the 
former  was  elected  to  succeed  him  at  a  gathering  of  the 
tenants  of  the  Manor  held  in  Sackville  College  on 
November  23rd,  1 832,  and  this  was  the  last  appointment 
to  the  time-honoured  office. 

For  50  years  afterwards  East  Grinstead  remained  a 
part  of  the  county  constituency  of  East  Sussex,  and  it 
then  gave  the  name  to  the  existing  Parliamentary 
Division.  At  the  first  election  for  the  newly-formed 
constituency,  on  December  2nd,  1885,  Mr.  G.  B.  Gregory, 
of  Boarzell,  Hawkhurst,  who  had  sat  for  East  Sussex, 
and  was  for  many  years  Treasurer  of  the  Foundling 
Hospital,  was  elected  in  opposition  to  Mr.  C.  J.  Heald, 
who  stood  in  the  Liberal  interest,  but  who,  on  September 
19th,  1885,  had  been  thrown  over  by  all  the  wealthy 
leaders  of  his  party.  On  May  5th,  1886,  the  old 
Member  was  entertained  at  a  complimentary  banquet  in 
East  Grinstead,  and  on  July  13th  following  the  Hon. 
A.  E.  Gathorne  Hardy,  son  of  Viscount  Cranbrook,  and 


62  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

now  a  Railway  Commissioner,  was  chosen  to  succeed 
him.  The  next  Member,  the  Hon.  G.  J.  Goschen,  son 
of  Viscount  Goschen,  opened  his  political  campaign  on 
January  17th,  1894,  Lord  Cantelupe  and  Mr.  C.  Goring, 
who  both  sought  to  come  forward  in  the  Conservative 
interest,  having  retired  in  his  favour.  Mr.  Goschen  was 
duly  elected  and  again  chosen  on  October  10th,  1900. 
The  Government  then  formed  remained  in  power  until 
the  close  of  1905,  and  Mr.  Goschen  sat  for  the  constitu- 
ency until  the  dissolution  in  January,  1906. 

At  this  election  Mr.  C.  H.  Corbett,  of  Woodgate, 
Danehill,  stood  for  the  third  time,  his  opponent  being 
Mr.  E.  M.  Crookshank,  of  Saint  Hill,  East  Grinstead. 
The  former  was  declared  elected  on  January  26th,  1906, 
and  thus  became  the  first  Liberal  Member  for  the  Division. 
Appended  are  the  results  of  all  contests  in  the  constitu- 
ency : — 

1885. 

Mr.  G.  B.  Gregory  (Conservative)     3530 

Mr.  C.  J.  Heald  (Liberal)  2579—  951 

1886. 

Hon.  A.  E.  G.  Hardy  (Conservative)    3289 

Mr.  C.  J.  Heald  (Liberal)  1877—1412 

1892. 

Hon.  A.  E.  G.  Hardy  (Conservative)    3987 

Sir  E.  G.  Jeukinson  (Liberal)    2349  —  1638 

1895. 

Hon.  G.  J.  Goschen  (Conservative)   3731 

Mr.  C.  H.  Corbett  (Liberal)    2874—  857 

1900. 

Hon.  G.  J.  Goschen  (Conservative)   3890 

Mr.  C.  H.  Corbett  (Liberal)  3003—  887 

1906. 

Mr.  C.  H.  Corbett  (Liberal)   4793 

Mr.  E.  M.  Crookshank  (Conservative) 4531—262 


TEE  PAEISH  CHURCH:  ITS  VICARS,  REGISTERS 
AND  TITHE  OWNERS, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ALTHOUGH  the  first  mention  of  a  church  at  East 
Grinstead  is  subsequent  to  the  founding,  in  1078,  of  the 
Priory  of  St.  Pancras  at  Lewes,  it  is  possible  that  a 
church  had  existed  in  the  town  long  prior  to  that  date. 
Christianity  was  introduced  into  Great  Britain  during 
the  Roman  occupation  from  B.C.  55  to  A.D.  418,  when 
the  Romans  were  compelled  to  withdraw  their  forces 
from  the  extremities  of  their  empire,  including  this 
island,  in  order  to  protect  themselves  at  home.  The 
Christian  religion  was  tolerated  during  the  Roman 
dominion  and  the  churches  were  under  the  rule  of  their 
own  British  clergy  and  so  remained  until  A.D.  449,  when 
the  invasion  by  the  Angles  and  Saxons  commenced. 
During  the  200  years  of  Saxon  domination  the  paganism 
of  the  conquerors  was  practically  supreme  throughout 
the  country.  When  Christianity  re-appeared,  East 
Grinstead  was  possibly  one  of  the  last  places,  owing  to 
its  then  isolated  and  inaccessible  position  in  the  Forest 
of  Anderida,  to  be  brought  to  the  Christian  faith.  One 
of  the  earliest  churches  is  supposed  to  have  been 
dedicated  to  St.  Edmund,  King  and  Martyr  (A.D.  840 
to  870).  Subsequently  St.  Swithun  became  the  patron 
saint.  His  translation  took  place  on  July  15th,  971. 
No  means  seem  available  to  ascertain  why  or  even  when 
the  alteration  (if  such  occurred)  in  the  dedication  took 
place,  but  it  may  have  been  due  to  the  building  of  a 
new  church  in  place  of  a  former  one.  No  mention  of  a 
church  in  East  Grinstead  is  made  in  the  Domesday 
Survey,  but  this  is  no  argument  for  its  non-existence,  as 
churches  are  known  to  have  been  then  existing,  though 
not  mentioned  j  the  reason  being  that  the  Survey  dealt 


64  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

only  with  rateable  lands,  and  churches   were  then,  as 
now,  exempt  from  taxation. 

On  September  6th,  1683,  the  church  was  struck  by- 
lightning  and  set  on  fire.  The  following  account  of  this 
catastrophe  is  from  Mr.  J.  C.  Stenning's  "Notes  on  East 
Grinstead,"  the  MS.  having  been  furnished  him  by  the 
late  Mrs.  Chevall  Tooke  : — 

In  the  year  1683,  on  the  6th  Sept.,  about  half  an  hour  after  6  p.m., 
Greensted  steeple  was  set  on  fire  by  lightning,  which  began  in  the 
cross  and  then  continued  burning  in  the  Shaft  that  went  up  to  the 
Cross,  but  were  two  hours  before  it  came  to  the  shingles  and  yet  could 
not  by  no  means  that  was  used  be  prevented  from  going  farther.  At 
length  it  took  hold  of  the  shingles  and  after  an  hour  more  made  the 
steeple  so  hot,  by  reason  of  the  falling  of  fire,  that  people  could  work 
there  no  longer.  They  then  attempted  to  save  the  bells,  but  too  late, 
for  the  fire  fell  so  fast  that  none  could  stand  to  work.  The  fire  which 
fell  from  above  into  the  battlements  fired  the  steeple  at  the  lower  side, 
which  after  a  small  space  burnt  with  intolerable  violence  and  in  a 
short  time  burned  down  all  the  steeple,  melted  all  the  bells,  burnt  the 
bell  lofts,  stick  and  stake,  all  to  the  ground.  But  it  was  six  of  the 
clock  the  next  morning  before  the  lofts  and  all  were  burnt  down,  and 
yet  notwithstanding  this  great  fire  and  mighty  heat  in  the  belfry,  by 
reason  of  the  fire  falling  so  fast,  together  with  the  melting  of  the 
bells,  the  Church,  by  God's  mercy  and  the  people's  industry,  was 
preserved  untouched  by  the  fire.  But  the  mercy  of  God  was  yet  more 
remarkable  in  the  preservation  of  the  town,  for  when  the  fire  began 
the  wind  was  high  and  in  the  east,  which  drove  it  over  upon  our  back 
houses  and  barns  very  terribly.  Although  the  fire  was  but  small  in 
comparison  of  what  it  was  after,  yet  people  were  obliged  to  get  upon 
the  barns  and  back  houses  and  defend  them  with  wet  sheets,  quench 
the  fire  with  water  and  beat  it  out  with  poles  as  it  fell ;  and  had  the 
wind  then  continued  our  Town  had  certainly  been  burnt  which  many 
expecting  pulled  their  goods  out  of  their  houses  as  fast  as  they  could. 
But  God  in  his  infinite  mercy  had  better  things  in  store  for  us  ;  the 
wind  turned  immediately  as  by  a  miracle  and  blew  the  sparks  quite 
from  the  Town  the  best  way  that  could  possibly  be  imagined,  for 
which  benefit  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  make  us  truly  and  heartily 
thankful.  Amen.  Amen. 

Some  of  the  bells  destroyed  by  this  conflagration  had 
been  purchased  a  few  years  before  from  Framfield 
Church,  the  tower  of  which  fell  in  1667. 

On  June  9th,  1684,  the  first  stone  was  laid  towards 
the  re-building  of  the  tower.  It  was  a  noble  structure, 
upwards  of  80  feet  high,  exclusive  of  the  minarets,  and 
27^  feet  square.  But  bad  materials  and  faulty  workman- 
ship seem  to  have  been  used,  for  it  stood  only  a 


THE    PARISH    CHURCH.  65 

century,  the  tower  then  falling  on  to  the  body  of  the 
church  and  almost  completely  demolishing  it.  The 
following  account  of  the  event  appeared  in  "  The 
Gentleman's  Magazine  "  for  1785  : — 

This  stately  building,  the  tower  of  the  Parish  Church  of  East 
Grinstead,  was  re-built  in  1684  (the  old  one  having  been  burnt  down 
by  lightning  in  1683),  but  had  for  some  years  past  been  in  a  state  of 
decay,  owing  to  the  want  of  judgment  in  the  architect,  bad  workman- 
ship and  worse  materials.  But  within  this  twelvemonth  it  hastened 
very  rapidly  to  its  dissolution,  by  showing  a  large  crack  at  the 
foundation  of  the  north  -  east  (?  north  -  west)  angle,  which  passed 
through  the  stone  staircase  contained  in  that  angle,  and  which  led 
to  the  top  of  the  tower  by  winding  steps.  A  large  part  of  the  outside 
of  the  foundation  of  that  angle  had  at  several  times  fallen  down,  which 
discovered  the  badness  of  the  materials,  being  nothing  but  a  case  of 
stone  filled  up  with  rubbish,  and  that  stone  being  very  indifferent. 
The  bells,  which  were  six  and  very  heavy  and  hung  in  the  third  loft, 
had  not  been  rung  for  some  time  past,  as  it  was  observed  that  they 
shook  the  tower  very  much. 

On  Saturday,  the  12th  November,  1785,  a  very  considerable  quantity 
of  stone  fell  from  the  north-west  angle,  some  distance  up  the  tower ; 
this  brought  near  a  hundred  persons  into  the  churchyard.  The 
stones  kept  continually  falling,  and  many  of  them,  from  the  violent 
pressure,  flew  from  the  foundation  to  a  considerable  distance,  as  if 
thrown  from  an  engine ;  when  another  large  parcel  of  stone  fell  from 
the  same  angle,  and  raised  a  great  dust,  which  served  as  a  warning  to 
the  spectators  to  keep  at  a  greater  distance.  The  grand  crack  was  then 
observed  to  run  very  fast  up  the  tower,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  hour 
before  two  o'clock  it  gave  some  dreadful  cracks,  and  stones  were  heard 
to  fall  withinside ;  when  the  tower  immediately  divided  north  and 
south  at  the  top,  and  the  north-west  minaret  tottered  for  some  seconds, 
which,  together  with  the  south-west  and  south-east  minarets,  fell  down 
almost  perpendicularly.  The  north-east  minaret  immediately  followed, 
but  unfortunately  fell  on  the  roof  of  the  church,  and,  driving  one  pair 
of  rafters  against  another,  beat  down  three  pillars  out  of  the  four  and, 
with  some  large  stones  which  fell  from  the  south-east  angle,  unroofed 
all  the  north,  and  middle  aisles,  beyond  the  pulpit,  and  beat  down  one 
of  the  pillars  in  the  south  aisle  in  such  a  manner  that  the  roof  there 
also  must  be  taken  off ;  so  that  it  may  fairly  be  said  two-thirds  of  the 
roof  are  destroyed  by  the  fall  of  the  north-east  minaret  and  the  stone 
from  the  north-east  angle.  The  west  part  of  the  tower  sinking  almost 
perpendicularly,  the  stones  did  not  reach  so  far  into  the  churchyard  on 
the  west  and  south  sides  as  might  have  been  expected ;  so  that  none  of 
the  houses  (though  very  near)  were  damaged  and  providentially  no  lives 
lost,  though  some  persons  had  been  both  in  the  church  and  belfry,  but  a 
few  minutes  before,  and  the  master  and  scholars  had  just  left  the  School 
Room,  which  was  adjoining  to  the  steeple  (sic}  and  was  also  destroyed. 

The  tower,  being  very  large  and  of  a  great  height,  fell  with  the 
most   dreadful  noise,   and  shook  the    earth  to  a  very  considerable 


66  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

distance  round  the  town,  and  the  cloud  of  dust  raised  by  it  was  beyond 
description,  insomuch  that  the  spectators  could  not  distinguish  an 
object  a  foot  distant  from  them.  Five  of  the  bells  lay  on  the  top  of 
the  rubbish,  only  covered  by  the  lead  of  the  roof,  but  the  fourth  bell 
was  buried  some  distance,  and  has  since  been  dug  out,  and  they  are 
whole  to  appearance,  but  whether  any  of  them  are  cracked  cannot  be 
determined  till  they  are  hung  up  to  give  their  sound. 

John  Bridgland  and  Avis  Austen,  the  grandparents  of 
Mr.  R.  Bridgland,  who  now  lives  in  the  East  Grinstead 
Timber  Yard,  were  married  in  the  church  in  the  morning 
before  the  tower  fell. 

"Nov.  12th,  1785.  The  steeple  of  East  Grinstead 
church  this  day  suddenly  gave  way  and  falling  upon  the 
body  of  the  church  utterly  demolished  it."  Thus  was 
this  sad  misfortune  described  in  a  petition  presented  to 
Parliament  on  March  4th,  1790,  by  the  owners  and 
parishioners  of  East  Grinstead.  They  stated  that  since 
the  tower  fell  there  had  been  no  religious  services,  and 
though  they  had  exerted  their  utmost  endeavours  they 
could  not  raise  money  sufficient,  by  voluntary  means,  to 
re-build  the  church.  They  begged  Parliament  to  pass  a 
Bill  enabling  them  to  make  a  rate  for  the  purpose.  The 
House  acted  very  expeditiously.  Parliament  referred 
the  matter  to  a  Committee,  who  had  Mr.  Gibbs  Crawfurd, 
of  Saint  Hill,  before  them,  and  on  his  evidence  they 
found  the  allegations  proved,  and  recommended  that  a 
Bill  should  be  brought  in.  This  was  done  on  March 
12th  and  by  the  29th  it  had  been  read  a  second  time  and 
sent  to  another  Committee.  Several  amendments  were 
made  in  it  and  it  finally  passed  the  Commons  on  April 
26th  and  the  Lords  on  May  18th,  the  Royal  Assent  being 
given  on  June  9th. 

The  secret  of  this  expedition  possibly  lay  in  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Abbot  was  then  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Commons.  He  resided  at  Kidbrooke  and  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  matter.  He  declared,  "  I  will  have  a 
tower  I  can  see  and  a  bell  I  can  hear  at  Kidbrooke,"  and 
in  complying  with  his  wishes  it  was  said  that  the  last  20 
feet  of  the  tower  cost  as  much  as  all  the  rest  put  together. 
By  the  measure  referred  to  it  was  enacted  that  it  should 
be  lawful  for  the  trustees  or  any  five  of  them  to  cause 


THE   PARISH   CHURCH.  67 

the  church  to  be  re-built,  and  to  raise  a  total  sum  not 
exceeding  £4,000  for  that  purpose.  The  names  of  the 
first  trustees  were: — William  Board,  John  Shelley, 
George  Bankin,  Charles  Sawyer,  William  Isted,  R. 
Hilton,  Alexander  Donald,  John  Batchelor,  John 
Balcomb  and  Thomas  Richardson.  Meetings  were  to 
be  held  at  the  house  known  by  the  sign  of  the  Swan, 
and  a  Treasurer,  Clerk  and  Collector  were  to  be 
appointed.  The  trustees  were  to  allot  pews,  following 
old  legal  titles  therein ;  to  build  the  church  by  contract ; 
and  to  make  rates  which  should  be  paid  half  by  the 
landlord  and  half  by  the  tenant.  The  rates  might  be 
levied  by  distress,  and  persons  quitting  their  house 
without  paying  the  rates  might  be  followed.  The 
trustees  might  raise  money  by  sale  of  annuities  or 
mortgaging  the  rates,  the  annuities  were  to  be  exempt 
from  taxes  and  might  be  assigned.  The  rates  might  also 
be  assigned  as  security  for  money  borrowed.  Twenty-one 
years  later  a  second  Act  was  passed  authorising  the 
borrowing  of  a  further  £4,000.  But  it  cost  £30,000  to 
erect  the  building  and  pay  the  contingent  charges.  The 
architect  was  Mr.  Wyatt  and  the  stone  came  from  Selsfield, 
Black  well  and  Wych  Cross. 

Among  the  loans  made  was  one  of  £1,000  by  Mr. 
Gibbs  Crawfurd.  He  afterwards  disposed  of  his  claim, 
five-ninths  of  the  amount  being  acquired  by  William 
Boorman,  who  gave  it  to  his  daughter,  Mary  Nash 
Boorman,  as  a  dowry,  on  the  occasion  of  her  marriage 
to  Mr.  John  Jones  Pierce,  who  still  lives  at  Lamberhurst. 
The  Boorman  family  was  at  one  time  in  business  in  East 
Grinstead,  J.  H.  Boorman  issuing  his  own  halfpenny  in 
1799.  Mrs.  Pierce's  sum  was  paid  off,  capital  and 
interest,  £555.  10s.  10d.,  in  January,  1858.  Another 
loan  was  one  of  £2,000  by  Sir  Alexander  Munro,  one  of 
the  Commissioners  of  H.M.  Customs,  for  which  sum  he 
purchased  an  annuity  of  £220  a  year,  which  terminated 
at  his  death.  Mr.  James  Evelyn,  who  then  occupied 
Felbridge  Place,  advanced  £1,000  on  July  30th,  1791, 
at  the  low  rate  of  3  per  cent.,  and  on  his  death  this 
became  vested  in  the  third  Earl  of  Liverpool.  In 

j?  2 


68  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

1852  the  authorities  began  to  pay  off  this  loan  by 
sums  of  £100  to  £300  a  year,  the  final  instalment  being 
paid  on  Jan.  1st,  1856.  The  final  payments  on  the 
original  loans  were  made  on  Nov.  29th,  1876,  being  the 
last  of  three  life  annuities  held  by  the  Sun  Insurance 
Office. 

The  Act  abolishing  compulsory  church  rates  was 
passed  on  August  4th,  1868,  but  they  continued  to  be 
made  in  East  Grrinstead  for  some  seven  years  after  that 
date,  in  order  to  realise  the  amounts  still  due  on  the  old 
loans  for  the  church  re-building.  To  meet  the  ordinary 
church  expenses  a  voluntary  rate  was  first  tried,  but  so 
few  people  paid,  that,  at  a  meeting  held  on  October  10th, 
1872,  it  was  decided  to  take  no  further  steps  in  this 
direction,  but  to  provide  in  future  for  the  necessary 
annual  expenses  of  the  church  by  voluntary  contribu- 
tions, a  practice  which  still  continues. 

The  original  design  of  the  building  has  never  been 
completed.  The  whole  of  the  side  buttresses  were  to 
have  had  pinnacles  similar  to  those  on  the  tower,  of 
which  St.  Peter's  Church,  Brighton,  affords  a  very  good 
example,  but  funds  fell  short,  and  the  present  capitals 
were  substituted.  There  was  not  even  enough  money  to 
complete  the  roof  or  seat  the  church,  so  a  flat  ceiling  of 
plaster  and  whitewash  was  put  in  and  the  floor  was  paved, 
rushes  were  strewn  and  people  brought  their  own  chairs. 
Various  plans  for  pewing  the  church  were  prepared  from 
1796  onward,  but  it  was  not  until  1806  that  it  was  deter- 
mined to  act  upon  any  one  of  them.  A  few  pews  were 
early  built  by  private  enterprise,  until  the  Trustees  passed 
a  resolution  forbidding  the  practice.  Eventually  the 
interior  was  allotted,  as  set  forth  in  the  Act  for  rebuilding, 
to  the  various  estates  in  the  neighbourhood  and  a  uniform 
plan  of  pews  adopted.  These  were  of  deal,  4-ft.  6-in. 
high.  When  the  Rev.  D.  Y.  Blakiston  was  presented  to 
the  living  he  at  once  set  about  remedying  this  undesir- 
able state  of  affairs.  At  a  public  meeting  held  on  April 
llth,  1872,  he  suggested  the  formation  of  a  Church 
Council,  but  the  meeting  negatived  the  proposal  by  a 
small  majority.  A  resolution  was,  however,  passed  in 


THE   PARISH   CHURCH.  69 

favour  of  re-seating  the  church,  and  on  a  poll  being 
taken  it  was  confirmed  by  a  majority  of  20  voters 
with  40  votes  in  favour,  to  seven  voters  with  15  votes 
against.  A  committee  was  formed  to  carry  the  matter 
through.  Mr.  J.  M.  Hooker,  an  architect,  of  Seven- 
oaks,  was  consulted,  plans  for  1,013  seats  and  estimates 
were  got  out  and  an  appeal  was  issued  for  £900, 
to  include  also  the  cost  of  installing  gas,  oil  lamps 
having,  up  to  this  time,  been  used.  In  the  year  1855 
some  progressive  worshippers  had  sought  to  secure  the 
introduction  of  gas  in  the  place  of  these  oil  lamps,  in 
order  that  evening  services  might  be  tried,  but  on 
December  6th  of  the  year  named  the  parishioners  decided 
in  Vestry  that  it  was  not  desirable  to  have  evening  service 
in  the  Parish  Church  and  refused  to  sanction  tne  rate 
proposed  for  fitting  up  and  lighting  the  edifice  with 
gas. 

The  estimate  for  the  re-seating  was  far  too  low.  The 
work  was  carried  out  by  the  late  Mr.  John  Godly,  and 
the  total  cost  of  re-seating,  lighting  and  cleaning  was 
£1,523.  It  was  not  completed  without  opposition.  A 
few  opposed  the  granting  of  the  faculty,  but  all  finally 
fell  in  with  the  scheme  except  the  late  Mr.  C.  C.  Tooke, 
of  Hurst-an-Clays,  and  the  late  Mr.  Henry  Taylor,  the 
latter  then  one  of  the  churchwardens.  The  former's  large, 
ugly  pew  was  especially  exempted  by  the  faculty  from 
the  scheme,  and  it  remained  in  the  church,  a  sad  dis- 
figurement to  the  whole  interior,  until  his  death  on  October 
21st,  1890,  when,  by  the  consent  of  his  daughter  (Mrs. 
Henry  Padwick),  it  was  speedily  removed.  The  church 
was  closed  on  September  7th,  1874,  and  re-opened  by  the 
Bishop  (Dr.  Durnford)  on  November  14th  following;  in 
the  meantime  the  services  were  held  in  the  School  and 
the  Holy  Communion  administered  in  Sackville  College 
Chapel.  On  the  re-opening  day,  for  the  first  time,  the 
church  choir  appeared  in  surplices. 

The  re-seating  with  oak  threw  into  prominence  the 
ugliness  of  the  dirty  deal  panelling,  which  ran  round  the 
whole  church  to  a  height  of  over  5-ft.,  the  plastered  walls 
and  fiat  whitened  ceiling.  The  committee  decided  to  build 


70  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

a  new  open  roof,  remove  the  panelling  and  clean  the  beauti- 
ful stonework  of  the  whitewashed  plaster  which  hid  it  from 
view.  This  led  to  almost  interminable  disputes.  An  indig- 
nation meeting  was  held,  law-suits  were  threatened  and 
the  re-appointment  of  Mr.  John  Tooth  as  parish  church- 
warden, he  having  by  this  time  succeeded  Mr.  H.  Taylor, 
was  opposed.  At  the  Easter  Vestry  Mr.  C.  R.  Duplex 
was  elected  people's  warden,  and  Mr.  Tooth  thereupon 
demanded  a  poll.  This  was  the  only  contested  election 
of  a  parish  churchwarden  that,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained, 
has  ever  occurred  here ;  certainly  there  has  been  no  other 
during  the  past  century.  The  voting  took  place  amid 
intense  excitement  on  April  2nd,  1875,  and  the  result  was: 
J.  Tooth,  247 ;  C.  R.  Duplex,  180.  The  victor  was  after- 
wards drawn  through  the  streets  in  a  carriage,  and  the 
Volunteer  Band  turned  out  and  played  "See  the  Conquer- 
ing Hero  comes."  Meanwhile  the  committee  had  gone 
on  with  its  work  unmoved.  The  present  roof  was  put  on 
arid  the  walls  pointed  as  now,  for  a  sum  of  £858.  By 
this  time  "dry  rot"  had  manifested  itself  in  the  floor  and 
another  £200  was  expended  on  curing  this.  The  work 
of  restoration  occupied  no  less  than  12  years,  and  of  the 
1 0  members  on  the  committee  at  the  beginning,  only  four 
— the  Vicar,  Messrs.  C.  Absalom,  W.  V.  K.  Stenning  and 
J.  Tooth — remained  in  office  the  whole  time.  Messrs.  E. 
L.  Hannam  and  E.  A.  Head  were  among  those  elected  to 
fill  vacancies  and  they  served  until  the  work  was  com- 
pleted. Others  who  acted  on  the  committee  for  a  time 
were  the  Rev.  T.  D.  Hopkins,  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Payne 
Crawfurd,  Mr.  A.  Hastie,  Mr.  W.  A.  Head  and  Mr.  C. 
Sawyer.  The  whole  £2,500  was  raised  by  voluntary 
contributions.  Of  the  1,013  seats  about  400  are  unappro- 
priated. The  present  iron  fencing  which  borders  the 
churchyard  and  paths  bears  peculiar  evidence  of  an  act 
of  fanaticism.  All  the  main  supports  were  formerly 
surmounted  by  an  ornament  which  bore  resemblance  to 
a  cross.  People  awoke  one  morning  to  find  that  the 
whole  of  these,  with  one  solitary  exception,  and  over  one 
hundred  in  number,  had  been  knocked  off  during  the 
night,  and  the  fence,  so  mutilated,  remains  to-day. 


THE  PARISH   CHURCH.  71 

In  addition  to  many  works,  the  cost  of  which  has 
been  defrayed  by  public  subscription,  the  following 
personal  gifts  have  been  made  towards  the  adornment 
or  furnishing  of  the  existing  fabric : — 

Work.  Donors. 

The Eestoration  of  the  Chancel    Eev.  C.  W.  P.  Oawfurd. 
East  Window    Miss  E.  H.  Clarke,  in  memory  of  her 

parents. 
First  Window  in  South  Aisle     Mrs.    Stenning,    in    memory    of    her 

husband,  William  Stenning. 
Second     ,,         ,,       ,,         ,,        The  Misses  Clarke,  "In  Memoriam," 

by   desire   of    their  father,    G.   E. 

Clarke,  and  other  members  of  his 

family. 
Fourth     ,,         ,,       ,,         ,,        Mrs.  A.  K.  Whyte,  in  memory  of  her 

husband,  John  Whyte. 
Fifth        ,,         ,,       ,,         ,,        Miss  K.  G.  Clarke,  in  memory  of  her 

sister,  Eebecca  Worrell  Clarke. 
First        ,,         ,,  North     ,,        Mrs.  Buckley,  in  memory  of  Eichard 

Theodore  Buckley. 
Second     ,,         ,,       ,,         ,,        The  Misses  Moir,  in  memory  of  their 

parents,  Peter  and  Margaret  Moir. 
Altar  Table,  Eed  Frontal  and 

Credence  Table Miss  E.  H.  Clarke. 

Carved  Oak  Pulpit    The  Misses  Clarke,  erected  by  desire  of 

their  father,  George  Elliott  Clarke, 

to  the  memory  of  his  wife,  Eebecca, 

his  only  son,  Forster  Mayers,  and 

his     daughter,    Marion     Crawfurd 

Louis. 

Oak  Lectern Eev.  C.  W.  P.  Crawfurd. 

Service  Books    Mr.  and  Mrs.  K.  E.  Murchison. 

,,          ,,         Sir  George  Wyatt  Truscott  and  Lady 

Truscott. 
The  Organ The   Mother  Superior  and   Sisters  of 

St.  Margaret's. 

Decoration  of  the  Organ-pipes     Eev.  D.  Y.  Blakiston. 
The  Gates  at  the  South  Porch     Mrs.  Covey,  in  memory  of  her  husband, 

the  late  George  Covey. 
Bell  -  ropes     and     Chiming 

Apparatus Eev.  C.  W.  P.  Crawfurd. 

Some  interesting  gifts  are  referred  to  in  the  will, 
dated  July  8th,  1507,  of  John  Payne,  of  Pixtons.  The 
following  is  translated  from  the  original  Latin : — 

In  the  name  of  God  Amen.  I  John  Payii  the  elder  of  fforestrowe  in 
the  parish  of  Estgrensted  being  of  sound  mind  and  memory  make  my 


72  HISTORY   OF    EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

will  in  form  following.  Imprimis  I  bequeath,  my  soul  to  almighty 
God,  to  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  and  all  the  Saints,  and  my  body  to 
be  buried  in  the  Churchyard  of  the  parish  Church  of  Estgrenstede. 

Also  I  bequeath  to  the  mother  Church  of  Chichester  8d.  Also  to 
the  high  altar  of  Estgrensted  for  tithes  forgotten  and  unpaid  12d. 
Also  I  bequeath  to  Elizabeth  my  wife  for  the  term  of  her  life  my 
manor  farm  called  Pyckestonns  (now  Pixton  Hill,  a  small  estate  and 
private  house  near  Forest  Row  occupied  by  Mr.  T.  Hyde)  and  at  her 
decease  to  my  eldest  son  then  surviving  and  his  heirs  and  in  default 
of  this  heir  to  the  next  heirs  of  me  the  aforesaid  John  Payn. 

Also  I  will  that  whosoever  shall  possess  the  aforesaid  manor-farm 
of  Pyckestonns  shall  pay  a  yearly  sum  of  16d  so  long  as  the  world 
endures  for  the  maintenance  of  a  lamp  before  [the  image  of]  St. 
Mary  the  Virgin  situate  in  the  church  of  Estgrenstede  in  the  north 
part  of  the  aforesaid  Church. 

Also  I  devise  to  George  my  son  the  tenement  Beeches  (tenm  de 
Beeches)  and  to  his  heirs  and  in  default  of  an  heir  of  him  then  to 
the  next  heirs  of  me  the  aforesaid  John  Payn. 

Also  I  bequeath  to  each  of  my  sons  and  daughters  two  young  bulls  : 
also  I  devise  the  tenement  called  Maveld  (tenm  de  Maveld)  to  Elizabeth 
my  wife  and  after  her  decease  to  [my]  elder  son  then  surviving  and  to 
his  heirs  and  in  default  of  heirs  of  him  to  the  next  heirs  of  me  the 
aforesaid  John.  Also  I  devise  Shoberys  to  the  use  and  behoof  of 
John  Payn  junior  my  brother.  Also  I  will  as  to  Westfeld,  late 
Robert  Kelys,  provided  that  at  the  end  and  term  of  5  years  he  shall 
pay  or  cause  to  be  paid  to  my  relict  Elizabeth  or  to  John  my  younger 
brother  5  marks,  that  he  shall  have  again  the  aforesaid  Westfeld,  but 
otherwise  I  will  that  the  aforesaid  Westfeld  shall  remain  to  John 
Payn  my  younger  brother.  Also  I  bequeath  for  the  reparation  of 
Wallhill  one  cow.  Also  I  bequeath  to  the  church  of  Estgrenstede 
one  torch  of  the  value  of  6s  8d.  But  the  residue  of  my  goods 
undisposed  of  (after  deducting  debts  due)  I  give  and  bequeath  to 
Elizabeth  my  wife  that  she  may  dispose  of  them  on  my  behalf  as  to 
her  shall  seem  best :  and  her  I  ordain  and  constitute  my  true  and 
lawful  executrix,  but  John  Payn  junior  my  brother  I  make  overseer 
before  these  witnesses,  viz.,  Mr.  Thomas  Dagnall,  Chaplain,  John 
Sprengett  and  others.  Dated  8th  July  1507. 

Dagnall  was  probably  a  chantry  priest  or  chaplain  to 
a  nobleman  ;  he  was  not  Vicar  of  the  parish.  The 
statue  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  like  the  bequest,  has  long 
since  been  forgotten. 

The  organ,  presented  by  St.  Margaret's  Sisterhood  and 
decorated  by  the  Vicar,  was  used  for  the  first  time  on 
April  5th,  1888. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  at  one  time  the  churchyard 
extended  over  a  portion  of  what  is  now  the  vicarage 
garden.  The  old  vicarage  stood  closer  to  the  church 


THE  PARISH   CHURCH.  73 

than  the  existing  house,  being  near  the  corner  of  the 
churchyard  and  Church  Street.  The  present  house  was 
built  largely  at  the  expense  of  Mary  Lady  Amherst, 
who  was  the  patron  of  the  living,  and  who  spent 
considerable  sums  on  religious  objects.  She  charged 
the  estate  of  Imberhorne  with  three  separate  rent 
charges  amounting  to  £70  annually,  for  ever,  towards 
the  support  of  the  church  at  Forest  Row. 

The  church  possesses  as  fine  a  peal  of  bells  as  there  is 
in  the  South  of  England,  and  the  tenor  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  county.  It  measures  52J-in.  in  diameter 
and  weighs  a  ton  and  a  quarter.  Each  bell,  from  the 
first  to  the  sixth,  is  inscribed,  "  T  Mears  of  London, 
fecit,  1813."  The  seventh  has  simply  "  T  Mears  fecit," 
and  the  eighth  the  fuller  inscription,  "East  Grinstead, 
Thomas  Mears,  fecit  1813."  The  first  complete  peal  of 
Grandsire  Triples  (5,040  changes)  was  rung  on  them  on 
December  21st,  1843. 

The  last  attempt  to  enforce  the  "  Church  Terrier"  was 
made  on  August  llth,  1869.  This  was  a  document 
setting  forth  the  liabilities  of  certain  properties  in  regard 
to  the  upkeep  of  the  churchyard  wall  and  fences.  The 
Vestry  called  on  Mr.  Capes  "to  repair  the  carriage  gate 
leading  into  the  churchyard  at  the  east  end  by  the  beer- 
shop,  as  he  was  bound  to  do  such  repairs  according  to 
the  Church  Terrier  in  respect  of  his  property  called 
Brookhurst."  The  churchyard  wall  along  Church  Street 
gives  good  evidence  of  the  effect  of  the  old  Terrier.  It 
is  built  and  repaired  in  about  ten  distinct  sections,  some 
of  brick,  some  of  stone,  being  at  one  time  evidently 
maintained  by  people  of  very  diverse  tastes  and  means. 

Appended  is  a  copy  of  the  "Terrier"  as  prepared  in 
1711:— 

THE  MARKS  AND  BOUNDS  OF  THE  CHURCH  YARD  OF  EAST  GRINSTEAD 
IN  THE  COUNTY  OF  SUSSEX  TO  BE  MADE  BY  THE  INHABITANTS 
AND  OWNERS  OF  LANDS  WITHIN  THE  SAID  TOWN  AND  PARISH  AS 
FOLLOWETH  ON  THE  TABLE  :  — 

1.     The  Church  Gate  on  the  South  Side  of  the  yard  containing  eight 

foot  to  be  made  by  the  Town. 
From  the  Church  Gate  towards  the  East  and  so  forward. 


74  HISTORY    OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

2.  Dallingridge 7  foot. 

3.  Hazleden   8  foot. 

4.  Sheppards  &  Scarletts 8  foot. 

Leonard  Gale,  Esq.,  Owner  ;  Arthelbert  Wicking,  Tenant. 

5.  The  Manor  of  Weild,  alias  Wallhill,   10  foot.     William  Peck, 

Esq.,  Owner  ;  Thomas  Martin,  Tenant. 

6.  Eidgehill,    9    foot.      John    Shelley,    Esq.,    Owner  ;     Abraham 

Huggett,  Tenant. 

7.  Millplace,  8  foot.     John  Conyers,  Esq.,  Owner ;  Edward  Creasey, 

Tenant. 

8.  Homestall,   8   foot.     Charles   Goodwine,    Esq.,  Owner ;   Ninnon 

Creasey,  Tenant. 

9.  Pauls  farm,  4  foot.     John  Storror,  Owner. 

10.  Mays    farm,    11    foot.      Michael    Mateire,    Gentleman,    Owner; 

Edward  Bannister,  Tenant. 

1 1 .  Frampost,  Thomas  Maynard,  Owner ;  Edward  Godley,  Tenant, 

4  foot. 

12.  Charlwood,  Elizabeth  Nickoll,  Owner ;  Robert  Langridge.  Tenant, 

4  foot. 

13.  Whalesbeech,    12  foot.     John   Biddulph,   Esq.,   Owner;    Henry 

Lindley,  Tenant. 

14.  Lovekines,  7  foot.     Mary  Thatcher  and  Sarah  Wheeler,  Ownei's  ; 

Jno.  Payne,  Wheelrit,  Tenant. 

15.  Harwoods.     John  Hurst,   Gentleman,   Owner;  Henry  Johnson, 

Gentleman,  Tenant,        foot. 

16.  Send  ere,  Brambletye,  Twenty  and   nine   foot.     Jno.  Biddulph, 

Esq.,  Owner;  Henry  Lindley,  Tenant. 

17.  Boylies,  Fifteen  foot.     Thomas  White,  Gentleman,  Owner ;  John 

Tyler,  Tenant. 

18.  Cullens,    Ten   foot.      John   Biddulph,    Esq.,    Owner ;    Thomas 

Suxford,  Gentleman,  Tenant. 

19.  Eenvills,  Twenty  foot.     John  Biddulph,  Esq.,  Owner;  Herbert 

Maynard,  Tenant. 

20.  Eutters   Worsteds,    Nine    foot.      John    Pickering,    Gentleman, 

Owner  ;  Nathaniel  Austen,  Tenant. 

21.  Worsteds.     John  Earle,  Owner ;  Eight  foot.     Richard  Good wyne, 

Tenant. 

22.  Bucknors,  Brokehui'st,  Five  foot.     Jno.  Pickering,  Esq.,  Owner ; 

Nathaniel  Moore,  Gentleman,  Tenant. 

23.  The  Manor  of  Brokehurst.     James  Tulley,  Gentleman,   Owner, 

being  the  carrying  gate  contain'g  Ten  foot.     Jervise  Thorpe, 
Tenant. 

24.  The  Bower,  Thirty  foot  and  the  stile,  5  foot,  in  all,  thirty  and 

five  foot.     Jno.  Payne,  Gentleman,  Owner. 

25.  The  Shewill,  Ten  foot.     Widow  Woodgate,  Owner. 

26.  Pickstones,    Ten   foot.     John    Conyers,    Esq.,    Owner;    William 

Norris,  Tenant. 


THE   PARISH    CHURCH.  75 

THE  VICARS. 

Soon  after  the  Priory  of  St.  Pancras  was  established 
at  Lewes  in  1078,  Alured,  who  was  "  Pincerna,"  or  cup 
bearer,  to  Robert,  first  Count  of  Mortain,  gave  the  church 
of  East  Grinstead  and  half  a  hide  of  land  belonging  to 
it  at  Imberhorne  towards  the  support  of  this  Priory. 
This  is  the  first  mention  of  such  a  building  in  East 
Grinstead.  This  grant  was  confirmed  by  William  Count 
of  Mortain,  half-brother  to  the  Conqueror,  by  a  charter 
circa  1108.  In  1352  the  living  was  exchanged  by  the 
Prior  and  Convent  of  Lewes  for  the  church  at  Burton, 
but  the  living  continued  in  the  presentation  of  the  Prior 
until  1554,  when  Anne  of  Cleves  appointed  a  Vicar. 
She  lived  for  a  time  at  Lewes  and  had  been  divorced  in 
1540,  the  right  of  presentation  probably  being  given  her 
at  the  time  of  the  confiscation  of  ecclesiastical  property 
in  1545.  She  died  in  1557,  and  the  privilege  of 
presentation  has  since  belonged  to  various  branches  of 
the  Sackville  family,  now  represented  by  Lord  Sackville, 
of  Knole. 

Appended  is  a  list  of  Vicars,  so  far  as  they  can  be 
ascertained: — 

Peter,  1241.  An  entry  in  the  muniments  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen 
College,  Oxford,  says,  "Grinstead  Eay  Peter  Rector." 

Alard,  1285. 

Robert  de  Wynton,  1296.  This  Vicar  got  into  trouble  for  fishing  in 
a  pond  at  Hymberhorne  without  permission  from  the  Prior  of  St. 
Pancras,  Lewes. 

William  de  Astania  or  Estanaye,  1304.  Was  also  Rector  of  West 
Grinstead  and  Prebend  of  Lincoln,  Wells  and  St.  David's. 

Thomas,  1306. 

Peter,  1327.  Deemed  to  be  Vicar,  as  he  headed  the  list  and  paid 
the  largest  sum  of  those  taxed  in  the  Borough  of  East  Grinstead. 

Johannes  de  Wynton  or  Wyntonia,  1328.  John  de  Wanenne 
brought  an  action  against  Adam  de  Wyntou,  monk,  and  John,  "p'sona 
ecclie  de  Estgrenestede."  Exchanged  the  living  of  Atherton  with 

Raymond  Pellegrini,  1331.     Exchanged  livings  with 

Annibaldus  (Cardinal),  1331.  Bishop  of  Tusculum  and  holder  of 
several  benefices  and  high  offices.  Died  at  West  Grinstead,  1351. 

Richard  de  Bannebury,  1346-7.  This  rector  was  summoned  by  John 
de  Warrenne,  Earl  of  Surrey,  for  breaking  into  Worth  Park  and 
hunting  therein. 

Richard  de  Derby,  1350-1. 


76  HISTORY    OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

William  de  Lougburgh,  1351. 

Simon  de  Breden,  Oct.  3rd,  1351. 

John  Kirkeby,  formerly  Vicar  of  Sidleshain  and  Rector  of  Horsted 
Keynes.  Exchanged  livings  with 

Richard  Markwyk,  from  Little  Horsted,  admitted  Oct.  17th,  1381. 

Richard  Stoneherst,  1387-8. 

Thomas  Fferryng,  1395.  Was  summoned  by  the  Prior  of  Lewes  for 
breaking  with  force  of  arms  into  a  close  belonging  to  the  said  Prior  in 
East  Grinstead. 

John  Bakere,  1397. 

Ricardus  atte  Estcote  (?  East  Court),  1410. 

Michael  Preston,  appointed  April  27th,  1411. 

Robert  Burgh,  exchanged  livings  with 

John  Mankyn,  Feb.  26th,  1417.     Rector  of  North  Lidyard  Milcent. 

Adam  Newyle  or  Alan  Neroyle,  exchanged  livings  with 

John  Bennet.  who'  was  Yicar  of  Wadhurst,  Jan.  12th,  1423. 

William  Lane,  exchanged  livings  with 

GeofFry  Medewe,  Rector  of  Rosfphlegh,  Diocese  of  Lincoln,  24th 
July,  1438. 

Robert  Blowere,  formerly  Rector  of  St.  Michael's,  Lewes,  appointed 
Dec.  10th,  1438. 

John  Cook,  1463. 

John  Brether  or  Crothes,  or  Crowther,  1478.  Died  Jan.  16th, 
1499. 

Edward  Prymer,  1528-9. 

William  Breton,  LL.D.,  appointed  Feb.  28th,  1528. 

Robert  Best,  appointed  1552-3,  deposed,  but  reinstated  in  1556-7. 

William  Devonishe,  appointed  Sept.  23rd,  1554. 

Robert  Best,  Vicar  for  a  second  time,  1556-7. 

Richard  Burnopp,  or  Burnap,  the  first  Vicar  presented  to  the 
living  by  the  Sackville  family,  was  appointed  Sept.  24th,  1563;  died 
1595.  The  Star  Chamber  proceedings  state  that  this  Vicar  being  "a 
very  lewd  and  wicked  p'son  altogether  swarvinge  from  his  profession 
nor  having  the  fear  of  God  before  his  eies  "  did,  at  Lewes  Sessions, 
falsely  swear  that  James  Pickas,  gent.,  arrested  him.  while  at  the 
communion  table,  to  the  great  disturbance  of  the  communicants.  It 
was  proved  that  such  an  event  never  took  place  and  that  Richard 
Burnopp  was  "a  common  reporter  of  manifest  untruths  and  dayly 
disturber  of  his  quiet  neighb"  and  an  intermeddler  in  other  men's 
causes,"  having  procured  them  to  spend  over  £500  in  useless  law  suits. 
What  the  Star  Chamber  did  to  him  is  not  stated. 

John  Walwyn,  M.A.,  appointed  Nov.  28th,  1598.  Formerly  Vicar 
or  Rector  of  Wisborough  Green,  Arundel,  Withyham  and  Fletching, 
and  afterwards  Vicar  of  Heathfield. 

Edward  Topsell,  M.A.,  appointed  May  5th,  1610.  He  was  an  author 
of  considerable  repute  and  published  some  books  which  were,  in  those 
days,  very  popular.  His  chief  works  were  "The  Historie  of  Foure- 
footed  Beastes  "  and  "The  Historie  of  Serpents."  He  was  perpetual 
curate  of  St.  Botolph,  Aldersgate.  but  held  several  country  livings, 
including  East  Grinstead,  at  the  same  time. 


THE   PARISH    CHURCH.  77 

Alan  or  Allen  Carr,  appointed  May  6th,  1615.  He  owned  several 
parcels  of  land  in  East  Grinstead  and  Lingfield. 

James  Inians,  appointed  Sept.  2nd,  1637.  Was  formerly  Rector  of 
Streat  and  St.  Ann's,  Lewes;  buried  Feb.  23rd,  1642,  at  East 
Grinstead. 

Richard  GofFe  or  Gough,  appointed  1643;  ejected  because  he  was 
proved  to  be  "a  common  haunter  of  Tavernes  and  Alehouses,  a 
common  swearer  of  bloudy  oathes  and  singer  of  baudy  songs,  and 
often  drunko  and  keepeth  company  with  Papists  and  scandalous 
persons." 

Samuel  Pretty,  1 645.  The  living  was  sequestered  from  Gough  to  this 
Vicar,  who  does  not  seem  to  have  been  in  Holy  Orders.  He  was  ordered 
to  pay  a  fifth  part  of  the  profits  of  the  Vicarage  to  his  predecessor's 
wife,  and  neglecting  to  do  so  an  action  was  brought  against  him. 
While  it  was  in  progress  the  Committee  of  Plundered  Ministers 
sequestered  the  Vicarage  from  Pretty  and  returned  him  "  into  the 
County  of  Wiltshire,  from  where  he  had  been  driven  by  the  King's 
forces."  This  was  on  Feb.  17th,  1645-6. 

Stephen  Watkins,  Puritan,  appointed  Feb.  17th,  1645-6,  but  resigned 
before  Aug.  27th,  1647. 

George  Blundell,  appointed  Aug.  27th,  1647.  Described  as  "a 
godlie  man  and  orthodox  Divine  "  (a  Puritan),  but  he  afterwards  con- 
formed. 

Robert  Crayford,  appointed  Feb.  10th,  1657.  A  Puritan.  Sub- 
sequently Rector  of  Barcombe ;  buried  there  Sept.  21st,  1709. 

Christopher  Snell,  appointed  1658,  a  Puritan  ;  ejected  1662. 

John  Say  well,  D.D.,  appointed  Aug.  31st,  1671.  Resigned  in  the 
following  Nov.  and  reinstated  the  same  month. 

John  Staples,  M.A.,  appointed  Jan.  25th,  1689.  Died  of  small-pox 
Aug.  2nd  and  buried  at  night  Aug.  4th,  1 732. 

George  Gurnett,  M.A.,  appointed  Nov.  15th,  1732.  Formerly  Rector 
of  West  Chiltington;  died  Aug.  2nd,  1746. 

Thomas  James,  M.A.,  appointed  Nov.  25th,  1746. 

Henry  Woodward,  M.A.,  appointed  June  9th,  1757.  Died  Nov. 
20th,  1763. 

Charles  Whitehead,  M.A.,  appointed  Jan.  13th,  1764.  Afterwards 
Rector  of  Worth. 

Stileman  Bostock,  M.A.,  formerly  Rector  of  Folkington,  appointed 
Mar.  15th,  1792. 

Richard  Taylor,  M.A.,  appointed  April  23rd,  1811,  died  Mar.  20th, 
1835. 

Christopher  Nevill,  M.A.,  appointed  May  27th,  1835,  died  Dec. 
15th,  1847.  While  acting  as  English  chaplain  at  Lisbon  in  1830 
Mr.  Nevill  collected  the  necessary  funds  for  the  erection  of  a  sarco- 
phagus over  the  grave  of  Henry  Fielding,  the  novelist,  who  died  at 
Lisbon  in  1754. 

John  Netherton  Harward,  M.A.,  appointed  June  6th,  1848,  died 
Nov.  24th,  1863. 


78  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  record  here  that  this 
Vicar  had  two  sons  who  won  great  distinction  in  the 
Army.     At  the  battle  of  Inkerman,  at  a  moment  when 
the  Russians  had  the  ascendant,  and  the  defeat  of  the 
Allies  looked  almost  assured  "with  what  to  the  Russians 
seemed   absolute    suddenness,"    says    Kinglake    in    his 
" Invasion  of   the  Crimea,"  "a  new  power  came   into 
action."      Lord   Raglan   ordered   up   two   heavy   guns, 
weighing  over  two  tons  each,  and  known  to  bear  very 
strong  charges  of  powder  and  carry  an  18-lb.  ball  with 
precision  and  terrific  power.      They  were  located  in  an 
exposed  position  and  the  gunners  working  them  were 
exposed  to  a  perfect  hurricane  of  shot,  directed  on  one 
narrow  spot  from  several  batteries,  and  the  losses  were 
very  heavy.     But   as   a   gunner   dropped  out,  dead  or 
wounded,  another  took  his  place,  and  they  never  ceased 
to  hurl  back  their  fateful  answers.     One  of  the  guns  was 
laid  every  time  by  Lieut.  Greorge  Sisson  Harward  and 
every  shot  fired  carried  havoc  into  the  enemy's  batteries. 
It  was   one  of  the  most   marvellous   artillery  duels  of 
the  whole   Crimean   campaign.      Two   guns   against   a 
hundred,  but,  to  quote  again  from  Kinglake,   "  at  the 
end  of   a  quarter  of  an  hour  it  could  be  seen  that  our 
gunners  were  conquering  for  themselves  a  comparative 
immunity.      The   slaughter,    the   wreck,  the  confusion 
they  spread  in  the  enemy's  batteries  had  by  that  time 
weakened   his    fire    and    henceforth,    every   instant,    it 
began  to  seem  more  and  more  plain  that  this  was  an 
unequal  conflict.    .    .    .    Whether  tearing  direct  through 
a  clump  of  the  enemy's  gunners  or  lighting  upon  some 
piece  of  rock,  and  flinging  abroad,  right  and  left,  its 
murderous  splinters;  whether  bounding  into  a  team  of 
artillery  horses,  or  smashing  and  blowing  up  tumbrils, 
the   terrible   18    pounder  shot   never   flew   to   its   task 
without  ploughing   a   furrow   of    ruin."      The   change 
wrought  by  the  duel  was  one  of  great  moment  and  it 
was  the  first  real  agent   in  the  ultimate  defeat  of  the 
Russians.     Lieut.  Harward  and  his  men,  according  to 
Lord    Raglan,    rendered    "  distinguished    and   splendid 
service."     The  other  son  who  attained  distinction  was 


THE   PARISH    CHURCH.  79 

General  Thomas  Netherton  Harward,  who  served 
through  the  Indian  Mutiny  campaign  and  was  mentioned 
in  despatches. 

John  Peat,  M.A.,  formerly  Master  of  Sevenoaks  Grammar  School, 
appointed  Dec.  26th,  1863. 

Mr.  Peat  gained  some  repute  as  an  author.  He  wrote  a  translation 
of  the  Sapphic  Odes  of  Horace  and  also  published  a  lengthy  poem 
entitled  "The  Pair  Evanthe,"  in  which  he  described  that  which  is 
"  beautiful,  graceful,  excellent  and  holy  in  women."  He  died  on  May 
10th,  1871,  and  was  buried  at  Chevening,  near  Sevenoaks. 

Douglas  Yeoman  Blakiston  was  appointed  Oct.  30th,  1871.  The 
present  Vicar  is  the  third  son  of  the  late  Rev.  Peyton  Blakiston,  M.D., 
F.R.S.,  and  Frances,  eldest  daughter  of  John  Polliot  Powell.  He  is  a 
grandson  of  the  late  Sir  Mathew  Blakiston,  the  second  baronet  of  the 
present  creation,  who  was  born  in  1760  at  the  Mansion  House,  London, 
during  his  father's  Lord  Mayoralty,  and  who  married,  as  his  third  wife, 
Annabella,  daughter  of  Thomas  Bayley,  M.P.  for  Durham.  The  Vicar 
was  at  one  time  a  student  at  the  Royal  Academy  and  a  silver  medallist. 
He  married  on  July  llth,  1861,  Sophia  Matilda,  youngest  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Wm.  Dent,  of  Crosby  Cote,  Yorkshire.  He  was  educated  at 
Downing  College,  Cambridge ;  took  his  B.A.  degree  (2nd  Class  Theo- 
logical Tripos)  in  1868  and  M.A.  1872.  He  was  ordained  Deacon  in 
1868  and  Priest  in  1869  at  Ely.  From  1868  to  1871  he  was  Curate  of 
Toft-with-Caldecote,  Cambridgeshire,  and  was  then  presented  to  the 
living  of  East  Grinstead  by  Reginald  Earl  De  la  Warr  (then  Lord 
Buckhurst,  of  Knole). 

THE   REGISTERS. 

The  earliest  records  in  the  parish  registers  occur  in 
1558.  Twenty  years  before,  Cromwell,  as  Vicar- 
General,  had  issued  the  first  mandate  for  keeping 
registers  of  baptisms,  marriages  and  burials  in  each 
parish,  and  the  mandate  was  repeated,  in  rigorous  terms, 
on  the  accession  of  Elizabeth  in  1558.  The  Rev.  Robert 
Best  was  then  Vicar,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  existing 
registers  were  started  by  him,  for  a  great  uniformity  in 
the  earlier  entries  seems  to  suggest  that  they  were 
written  at  one  time,  possibly  as  a  result  of  the  ordination 
in  1597,  that  parchment  register  books  should  be 
purchased  at  the  expense  of  each  parish  and  the  names 
in  the  older  books  from  1558  re-entered  in  them.  Thus 
it  happens  that  a  vast  number  of  parish  registers 
commence  in  this  year.  To  give  the  whole  of  the  local 
lists  would  fill  a  very  large  volume  and  a  few  entries 


80 


HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 


must  suffice.  The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the 
11  Christeninges  "  from  December  26th  to  the  end  of  the 
year,  March  25th  (old  style) : — 

Dec.   26,  1558    IsabeU  Allyn. 


Jan.  21 
Feb.  20 
March.  3 


20 


John  Humffrey. 
Willm.  Soane. 
Alice  Milles. 
John  Baylie. 
John  Palmer. 
John  Hartfield. 
Margarett  Smythe. 
Thomas  Drewrie. 


The  marriage  entries  begin  on  November  17th,  1558, 
but  time,  damp,  rust  and  moth  have  mutilated  the  out- 
side leaves  and  nothing  is  legible  before  the  following : — 

John  Payne  and  Johane  Wood. 
Harrie  Cooper  and  Anne  Humffrey. 
Roger  Heathe  and  Ursula  Alfrey. 
Thomas  a  Kent  and  Alice  Boyes. 
John  Huggett  and  Elizabeth  Humffrey. 
Alexander  Coxe  and  Isabel  Canawey. 
Edward  Soane  and  Dynnesse  Page. 
Roger  Spurway  and  Margrett  ffoster. 

The  first  few  pages  of  burials  have  evidently  been 
detached  from  the  book  and  lost,  but  appended  are  all 
the  entries  from  January  18th  to  March  25th,  the  end  of 
the  year  (old  style) : — 

Jan.      18,  1574         . .     Nicholas,  son  of  Robert  Walter. 


Sept. 

15,  1560 

»» 

22, 

Oct. 

6, 

>> 

13, 

» 

20, 

» 

27, 

Nov. 

3, 

» 

10, 

20, 
„         27, 
„         28, 
March  15, 


Margerie  Brian. 
John  Page. 
John  Mawle. 
Samuell  Drewe. 


Families  bearing  several  of  the  above  names  still 
reside  in  the  district. 

In  all  the  earlier  volumes  there  are,  at  the  ends, 
records  of  "  Briefs "  received  from  other  parishes. 
These  were  royal  letters  patent  authorising,  almost 
ordering,  collections  in  churches  for  charitable  and  other 
purposes.  The  repair  and  rebuilding  of  churches  was 
for  a  long  period  of  years  effected  by  this  method.  They 
were  originally  issued  from  the  Court  of  Chancery,  but 
grew  so  frequent  that  they  were  latterly  only  granted  by 


THE   PARISH    CHURCH.  81 

that  Court  on  the  application  of  Quarter  Sessions.  The 
records  in  the  East  Grinstead  registers  only  refer  to 
briefs  received  from  other  parishes  and  not  to  those  issued 
on  behalf  of  this  parish,  so  that  they  are  devoid  of  local 
interest. 

The  average  nett  yearly  value  of  the  living  is  now 
about  £300,  with  a  good  house  and  over  two  acres  of 
glebe  land.  The  owners  of  the  great  tithes  are  Lord 
Sackville,  Earl  De  la  Warr  and  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Payne 
Crawford.  Their  predecessors  gave  up  their  claims  on 
a  tithe  of  the  produce  of  the  parish  under  the  Tithe 
Commutation  Act  in  1842,  as  did  also  the  Vicar  his 
claim  to  the  small  tithes,  and  received  instead  rent 
charges,  varying  with  the  price  of  corn,  fixed  then  at 
the  following  amounts  and  in  the  following  proportions: — 

£  s.  d. 

To  Earl  Amherst  (now  represented  by  Lord  Sackville)  . .  932  13  9 
To  Mr.  Robert  Crawf  urd  (now  represented  by  Eev.  C.  W. 

Payne  Crawf  urd)    300  0  0 

To  Earl  De  la  Warr  and  Earl  Amherst  jointly 67  6  3 

To  the  Vicar  of  East  Grinstead   500  0  0 

To  the  last-named  amount  was  also  added  an  extra- 
ordinary tithe  of  10s.  per  acre  on  all  cultivated  hop  lands 
in  the  parish. 

The  Crawfurd  family,  long  resident  at  Saint  Hill,  then 
at  East  Court,  but  now  at  Ardmillan,  hold  their  portion 
of  the  Rectorial  tithes  of  the  parish  and  their  rights  in 
the  chancel  of  St.  Swithun's  by  virtue  of  a  deed  dated 
29th  June,  1624,  which  is  still  preserved  among  the  title 
deeds  by  the  present  owner,  viz.,  the  Rev.  C.  W.  P. 
Crawfurd,  J.P.,  of  Ardmillan.  This  deed  is  a  convey- 
ance for  the  sum  of  £635,  of  a  certain  portion  of  the 
Rectorial  tithes,  and  is  made  by  Robert  Cooper,  citizen 
and  alebrewer,  of  Southwark  (who  had  quite  recently 
acquired  them  by  purchase  from  the  Dorset  family) 
in  favour  of  Edward  Payne,  the  younger,  of  East 
Grinstead,  gentleman,  and  Hanna,  his  wife.  From  a 
recital  in  the  same  deed  we  learn  that  the  "chauncell" 
of  the  Parish  Church  was  then  in  ruin  and  decay,  and 
Cooper  covenants  to  indemnify  Payne,  his  heirs  and 


82  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

assigns  against  all  claims  for  present  or  future  repair  of 
the  said  chancel. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact,  and  one  that  brings  out 
clearly  the  continuity  of  our  parish  annals,  that  these 
same  tithes,  with  certain  rights  in  the  chancel  and  the 
Payne  vault  beneath  it,  have  descended  lineally  through 
seven  successive  generations  to  Mr.  Crawfurd,  their 
present  owner,  while  each  successive  holder  has  been 
a  resident  landowner  in  the  parish  and  buried  in  the 
chancel  of  St.  Swithun's,  until  the  late  Mr.  Robert 
Crawfurd,  J.P.,  D.L.  (formerly  of  Saint  Hill  and  father 
of  the  present  holder),  dying  in  1883,  was  buried  in  the 
Cemetery.  The  direct  ancestors  of  that  Edward  Payne 
(born  1593,  died  1660),  who  purchased  the  tithes  in 
1624  and  became  Sheriff  of  Sussex  in  1644,  had  already 
been  resident  landowners  in  this  parish  for  some  200 
years  certainly,  and  probably  for  much  longer,  and  con- 
tinual references  to  members  of  the  family  occur  among 
old  local  records.  Thus  in  1588,  when  Queen  Elizabeth 
made  a  special  appeal  to  the  nobility  and  gentry  to 
contribute  funds  "for  the  better  withstanding  the  intended 
invacon  of  this  realme  "  by  the  King  of  Spain,  the  con- 
tributions sent  from  East  Grinstead  included  one  of  £25 
— a  handsome  sum  in  those  days — from  Edward  Paine, 
jun.  (1560-1643). 

This  was  the  father  of  the  Edward  Payne  who,  with 
his  wife  Hanna,  is  party  to  the  above-mentioned  deed  of 
1624.  Edward  was  born  and  baptised  at  East  Grinstead 
in  1593,  and  was  son  and  heir  of  Edward  Payne  (1560- 
1643)  of  the  Borough  of  East  Grinstead,  gent.,  by  Anna, 
his  wife,  daughter  and  heir  of  John  Payne,  of  Hicksted, 
in  Twineham,  yeoman,  and  granddaughter  of  John 
Payne,  of  Hicksted,  who  died  in  1545. 

In  1619  he  married  Hanna,  daughter  of  Richard 
Yerwood,  of  South wark,  gent.  In  1644  he  was  Sheriff 
of  Sussex,  and  dying  in  1660  was  buried  at  East  Grin- 
stead.  At  his  death  he  owned  freeholds,  burgages  and 
Portlands  in  East  Grinstead  and  Hartfield,  the  manor  and 
lands  of  Gravetye  and  Wildgoose,  Goddenwick  Farm  in 
Lindfield,  John  Bartholomew's  house  in  East  Grinstead, 


THE   PARISH   CHURCH.  83 

Cooke's  Mead  (ten  acres  held  of  Irnberhorne  Manor), 
Pilsliers  or  Gallows  Croft  (three  acres  near  East  Grin- 
stead  Common  and  now  forming  part  of  the  Halsford 
estate),  the  manor  and  farm  of  Burley  Arches  in  Worth, 
a  farm  and  lands  in  Barcombe  and  the  manors  and 
farm  of  Chiddingly  in  West  Hoathly.  The  Hicksted 
property  in  Twineham  thus  came  to  the  Paynes  of  East 
Grinstead  by  marriage  in  1583,  and  so  descended  to 
Charles  Payne  Crawfurd,  of  Saint  Hill,  who  sold  it 
about  1800.  Goddenwick,  Pilsners,  Burley  Arches  and 
Chiddingly  also  descended  to  the  late  Mr.  Robert 
Crawfurd,  of  Saint  Hill,  and  were  sold  about  1850. 

Almost  a  century  later,  viz.,  in  1685,  we  find  the 
Sessions  House  at  East  Grinstead  being  rebuilt  by  local 
contributions,  and  chiefly  by  the  aid  of  yet  another 
Edward  Payne  (1622-1688),  then  bailiff  of  the  borough 
town.  This  was  the  eldest  son  of  Edward  Payne,  the 
purchaser  of  the  tithes.  The  second  son  Richard  (1629- 
1694),  a  considerable  landowner,  settled  at  Lewes  and 
there  founded  a  thriving  family,  he  himself  being  Sheriff 
of  Sussex  in  1690,  and  his  son  Richard  becoming  M.P. 
for  Lewes  at  intervals  between  1702  and  1707.  The 
purchaser's  third  son,  Robert  (1632-1708),  of  Newick  and 
East  Grinstead,  founded  in  East  Grinstead  the  Free 
School,  now  represented  by  the  Payne  Endowment 
Scholarships,  a  matter  more  fully  referred  to  in  the 
chapter  which  deals  with  the  charities  of  East  Grinstead. 

They  were  evidently  useful  citizens,  these  "  Paynes 
of  the  Towne,"  as  they  are  frequently  styled  in  the  early 
Parish  Registers  and  elsewhere,  to  distinguish  them  from 
the  many  other  families  in  the  parish  of  the  same  name 
but  of  rather  humbler  degree,  e.g.,  the  Paynes  of  Ashurst 
Wood,  Wallhill  and  Pickstones;  the  Paynes  of  Plaw- 
hatch,  Legsheath,  Walesbeech,  Monkshill  and  Maules ; 
the  Paynes  of  Horshoe  (now  termed  "  Horseshoe ") ; 
the  Paynes  of  Blackwell  and  others,  who,  though  pro- 
bably connected  in  the  distant  past,  had  been  left 
behind  by  "  the  Paynes  of  the  Towne  "  in  the  race  of  life. 

However  this  may  be,  the  latter  seem  to  have  risen,  by 
dint  of  frugality  and  industry,  from  substantial  yeomen 

o  2 


84  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

in  early  times,  to  become  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and 
long  thereafter  to  continue,  ironmasters  of  some  note  and 
considerable  landowners  in  the  parish  and  surrounding 
district,  till,  in  the  year  1661,  we  find  them  applying  for, 
and  obtaining,  a  grant  of  arms  from  the  Heralds'  College, 
duly  issued  to  "  Edward  Payne,  Richard,  Robert,  Charles 
and  Henry,  his  brothers,  the  sons  of  Mr.  Edward  Payne, 
late  of  East  Grinstead,  in  the  County  of  Sussex,  deceased." 
The  arms  and  crest  then  assumed  by  the  family  appear 
on  several  of  the  monuments  in  the  chancel.  Much  of 
local  interest  might  be  recorded  of  this  quiet,  undis- 
tinguished family,  but  enough  has  been  said  to  suggest 
how  long  and  how  closely  successive  generations  of  the 
old  stock  continued  to  identify  themselves  with  their 
native  parish. 

The  male  line  of  this  particular  family  of  Paynes  died 
out  in  East  Grinstead  upon  the  death  of  Charles  Payne, 
of  East  Grinstead  and  Newick,  Esq.,  in  1734,  but  his 
only  surviving  daughter  and  heir,  Miss  Anna  Payne 
(1732-1797),  married,  in  1760,  Gibbs  Crawfurd,  of  Saint 
Hill,  J.P.,  a  Clerk  of  H.M.  Ordnance  and  M.P.  for 
Queenboro',  in  Kent,  thus  merging  in  the  Saint  Hill 
estate  the  bulk  of  the  old  Payne  possessions  in  this  and 
the  surrounding  parishes.  Mr.  Gibbs  Crawfurd  (1732- 
1793)  was  son  and  heir  of  John  Crawfurd  (1694-1763), 
of  Saint  Hill,  Messenger  to  the  Great  Seal,  who  came 
into  Sussex  from  Ardmillan,  co.  Ayr,  about  the  year  1725, 
and  shortly  afterwards  built  the  original  house  at  Saint 
Hill,  of  which  there  may  be  seen  a  water-colour  sketch, 
dated  1733,  among  the  Burrell  MSS.  in  the  British 
Museum.  By  his  wife  Anna  (nee  Payne)  Mr.  Gibbs 
Crawfurd  left  two  sons,  viz.,  Charles  Payne  Crawfurd 
(1765-1814),  of  Saint  Hill,  J.P.,  Paymaster  of  Widows' 
Pensions  and  Barrister-at-Law,  and  Thomas  Gibbs 
Crawfurd  (1768-1832),  of  Paxhill  Park,  Lindfield,  J.P., 
an  officer  in  the  Royal  Horse  Guards  (Blues). 

It  was  during  the  lifetime  of  the  late  Mr.  Robert 
Crawfurd  (1801-1883),  of  Saint  Hill,  J.P.,  D.L.,  only 
child  and  heir  of  Charles  Payne  Crawfurd,  that  the 
family  estate  of  Saint  Hill,  including,  as  we  have  seen, 


THE   PARISH   CHURCH.  85 

the  bulk  of  what  was  once  the  Payne  property,  was  sold 
by  degrees  to  various  purchasers,  though  his  son,  Mr. 
Crawfurd,  of  Ardmillan,  still  retains  the  Payne  tithes, 
purchased,  as  stated,  in  1624,  with  certain  rights  in  the 
chancel  of  St.  Swithun's  and  also  part  of  the  Dean  Fields, 
adjoining  College  Lane,  which  were  a  small  farm  with 
oast-house  and  stables  upon  it  when  purchased  by  the 
Payne  family  about  1700. 

CHANTRIES  AND   FRATERNITIES. 

In  very  early  times  there  were  undoubtedly  chantries 
in  East  Grinstead.  A  chantry  in  the  church  was 
founded  in  1325  by  William  de  Holyndale,  who  was  M.P. 
for  the  Borough  of  East  Grinstead.  It  was  endowed 
with  lands  in  the  parish  and  rents  out  of  the  Manors  of 
Imberhorne  and  Duddleswell.  These  chantries  often 
formed  part  of  a  church  and  were  built  and  founded  by 
someone  who  paid  a  priest  to  chant  masses  (hence  their 
name),  generally  daily,  for  the  soul  of  the  donor  or  for 
the  souls  of  persons  named  by  him.  The  priest  some- 
times lived  in  a  chamber  or  parvise  over  the  porch  of 
the  church.  Old  East  Grinstead  Church  had  such  a 
porch  with  a  chamber  above.  A  pension  of  £5  a  year 
was  granted  to  the  last  incumbent  of  the  East  Grinstead 
chantry  when  all  such  were  dissolved  in  1547. 

There  was  a  fraternity  and  chapel  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary  in  1603,  but  perhaps  not  located  in  the 
town.  It  owned  lands  here,  however,  and  in  the  year 
named  they  were  returned  as  valued  at  £35.  18s.  The 
chantry  of  St.  Catherine  has  already  been  referred  to  in 
the  opening  chapter.  Established,  it  is  supposed,  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  were  too  feeble  to  walk  as  far 
as  East  Grinstead  Church,  there  was  a  chapel  at 
Bramble tye  as  early  as  1273,  and  at  East  Grinstead  on 
January  llth,  1389,  writs  for  the  returns  of  all  guilds 
in  the  parish  were  proclaimed  by  John  Bradebrugg,  who 
is  described  as  "  Bailiff  of  the  Liberty  of  John,  King 
of  Castile  and  Leon."  This  is  John  of  Gaunt,  Duke  of 
Lancaster  and  Lord  of  the  Honour  of  the  Eagle.  He 
took  the  kingly  title  on  marrying  Constance,  heiress  of 


86  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

Don  Pedro,  King  of  Castile.  Unfortunately  this  return 
does  not  seem,  to  have  been  preserved.  The  "true 
worth  "  of  the  chantry  of  Brambletye  was  put  at  30s. 
in  1357-8,  when  a  valuation  was  made  of  all  benefices. 

ST.   MARY'S   CHURCH. 

The  Church  of  St.  Mary  the  Virgin  is  not  yet  com- 
pleted, but  has  been  in  use  about  15  years.  Its 
foundation  stone  was  laid  by  the  Ven.  Archdeacon 
Sutton,  acting  for  Bishop  Durnford,  on  July  7th,  1891. 
That  part  of  the  church  at  present  in  use  has  been 
erected  and  furnished  at  a  cost  of  £4,686.  In  addition 
a  sufficient  endowment  has  been  provided  to  enable  the 
Ecclesiastical  Commissioners  to  contribute  £100  a  year 
on  their  usual  terms.  The  Vicarage  is  practically 
completed  at  a  cost  of  about  £1,700  and  stands  on  land 
adjoining  the  church  and  which  was  purchased  some 
years  ago  for  £300.  The  organ  has  been  partially 
erected  at  a  cost  of  £600.  The  building  was  not 
consecrated  until  July  1st,  1905,  fourteen  years  after 
its  commencement,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by 
Dr.  Wilberforce,  the  Lord  Bishop  of  the  Diocese.  On 
December  llth,  1905,  the  King  signed  an  Order  in 
Council  assigning  a  district  chapelry  to  the  Church,  the 
district  in  question  comprising  the  whole  of  the  parish 
which  lies  to  the  north  and  west  of  the  high  level  line 
from  Imberhorne  Bridge  to  East  Grinstead  Station,  and 
the  low  level  line  from  East  Grinstead  to  the  Surrey 
boundary,  except  that  portion  which  had  already  been 
assigned  to  the  district  of  Felbridge.  The  Rev.  W.  W. 
Handford  was  appointed  Curate-in-Charge  of  the  Church 
at  its  establishment  and  he  is  now  its  Vicar.  Mr. 
Handford  was  educated  at  Trinity  College,  Cambridge, 
and  obtained  his  B.A.  degree  in  1886  and  M.A.  in  1890. 
He  was  ordained  a  Deacon  in  1888  and  Priest  in  1889  in 
the  Diocese  of  S.  Albans.  Prior  to  his  residence  in 
East  Grinstead  he  was  Curate  of  Castle  Hedinghani, 
Essex. 


NONCONFOEMIST  AND  BOMAN  CATHOLIC 
CHUECHES. 


CHAPTER     V. 

IT  was  about  a  century  ago  that  Nonconformity  gained 
a  sufficient  hold  in  this  town  to  justify  the  establishment 
of  a  place  of  worship  for  the  promulgation  of  doctrines 
other  than  those  taught  in  the  Established  Churches  of 
the  land.  Since  that  time  there  has  been  a  great  growth 
in  all  phases  of  religious  life,  and  the  history  of  each 
place  of  worship  is  hereafter  briefly  outlined. 


THE   COUNTESS  OF   HUNTINGDON'S 
CHURCH. 

Zion  Chapel,  the  first  Nonconformist  place  of  worship 
erected  in  East  Grinstead,  was  opened  for  public  service 
on  April  23rd,  1811,  when  that  famous  man,  the  Rev. 
Rowland  Hill,  was  one  of  the  preachers.  The  necessary 
funds  had  been  provided  from  the  Countess  of  Hunting- 
don's Trust.  The  foundation  stone  was  laid  on  July  2nd 
of  the  preceding  year  by  the  two  sons  of  Mr.  John  Burt, 
of  Stone  House,  Forest  Row,  in  the  presence  of  about 
200  persons.  A  month  after  the  chapel  was  opened  the 
first  Sunday  School  in  the  district  was  started  by  Mr. 
Burt,  and  at  the  beginning  50  boys  and  54  girls  put  in 
an  appearance,  but  before  a  year  had  passed  the  scholars 
numbered  close  on  400.  They  came  for  miles  to  get 
the  benefits  of  the  education  imparted,  and  the  school 
flourished  exceedingly.  The  children  from  the  Poor 
House  were,  after  a  time,  allowed  to  attend,  but  the  then 
Vicar  of  East  Grinstead,  the  Rev.  Richard  Taylor, 
stepped  in,  and  by  some  means  prevented  this.  In  the 


88  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

old  register  he  is  described  as  "  a  dog  in  the  manger 
who  will  not  either  teach  the  children  or  let  them  be 
taught." 

But  later  Vicars  of  East  Grinstead  wiped  away  this 
reflection,  the  first  Sunday  School  in  connection  with  the 
Parish  Church  being  established  in  1848,  the  necessary 
funds  having  been  raised  by  means  of  a  series  of  dramatic 
readings  given  by  Mr.  R.  Crawfurd  in  Thompson's  corn 
store,  and  commenced  as  long  before  as  May  2nd,  1845. 
As  showing  to  what  free  use  wine  was  then  put,  it  is 
interesting  to  note  that  at  a  treat  given  to  the  scholars  of 
this  school  on  Nov.  20th,  1849,  every  child  present  was 
given  a  glass  of  wine,  though  the  few  who  professed 
temperance  sought  to  induce  the  Vicar  and  teachers  to 
abandon  the  idea.  The  late  Lord  Colchester  soon  after 
opened  a  school  at  Forest  Row,  and,  others  also  springing 
up,  the  attendance  at  Zion  naturally  began  to  dwindle, 
though  for  nearly  40  years  the  number  on  the  register 
exceeded  300.  In  the  early  days  the  anniversaries  were 
of  such  a  nature  as  to  attract  the  children.  An  old 
record  states  that  in  1812,  after  service,  341  children,  50 
teachers  and  visitors,  and  15  of  his  own  family,  "400 
souls  in  all,"  were  entertained  at  Stone  House  to  a 
dinner  of  "cold  rounds  of  beef  and  plumb  puddings." 
This  was  repeated  a  year  later. 

The  registers  contain  some  very  quaint  records.  The 
worst  boys  in  the  school  were  named  Ellis  and  this  shows 
a  sad  decadence,  as  they,  possibly,  were  descendants  of 
Anne  Tree,  one  of  the  three  martyrs  burnt  in  East 
Grinstead.  One  girl,  named  Gorringe,  drowned  her 
mistress's  baby  in  a  copper  of  water  and  her  parents 
believed  it  was  religion  drove  her  to  commit  this  awful 
act,  so  they  at  once  withdrew  the  other  members  of  the 
family  from  the  school.  To  these  particulars  the  recorder 
adds  a  note:  "  Dreadful  idea."  In  another  case  two 
girls  named  Chapman  were  taken  away  because  they 
found  that  if  they  went  to  church  instead  of  chapel  they 
could  do  a  better  trade  with  the  milk  they  sold  in  the 
town.  Self-preservation  80  years  ago  was  evidently  as 
keenly  thought  of  as  it  is  to-day. 


NONCONFORMIST   CHURCHES.  89 

The  house  adjoining  the  chapel  was  added  in  1813  and 
the  vestry  was  built  in  1862  and  opened  on  April  9th. 
The  chapel  underwent  extensive  repairs  in  1880. 

The  following  is  as  complete  a  list  of  ministers  as  can 
be  compiled  from  such  records  as  are  still  in  existence  : — 

Rev.  A.  Start,  appointed  1813.     Died  at  Ashbourne,  Derbyshire. 

Rev.  Geo.  Mottram,  appointed  1820.  Died  at  Ashbourne,  Derby- 
shire. 

Rev.  James  Trego,  appointed  1825. 

Rev.  W.  Alldridge,  appointed  1829. 

Rev.  Cole. 

Rev.  J.  Blomfield,  preached  his  farewell  sermon  March  24th,  1844. 

Rev.  Robinson,  preached  his  first  sermon  March  31st,  1844. 

Rev.  Gibb,  afterwards  went  to  America. 

Rev.  W.  Sisterson,  Dec.  9th,  1855,  to  Dec.  12th,  1858. 

Rev.  D.  Davies,  appointed  without  the  church  members  being  con- 
sulted, March  27th,  1879. 

Rev.  E.  E.  Long,  Aug.  loth,  1869,  to  Jan.  28th,  1877. 

Rev.  W.  A.  Linnington,  appointed  Oct.  6th,  1878. 

Rev.  Joseph  Bainton,  appointed  July  1st,  1888,  now  at  Ashbourne, 
Derbyshire. 

Rev.  J.  Campbell  began  his  ministry  June  28th,  1903. 

Burials  formerly  took  place  in  the  tiny  piece  of  ground 
in  front  of  the  chapel  and  the  last  of  these  interments 
was  the  occasion  of  a  very  remarkable  demonstration. 
On  May  13th,  1846,  a  young  man  named  George  Pobgee 
died  at  the  age  of  23.  He  was  a  very  intelligent  fellow 
and  possessed  high  educational  attainments.  He  had 
publicly  expressed  his  scepticism  in  regard  to  religion, 
so  the  Rev.  C.  Nevill,  the  then  vicar,  declined  to  allow 
the  relations  to  inter  the  body  in  the  family  vault  in  the 
churchyard,  and  himself  picked  out  a  place  for  burial 
close  to  the  back  door  of  the  Rose  beerhouse,  where  the 
Pobgees  resided,  so  that  the  body  should  be  brought 
no  further  into  the  churchyard  than  was  absolutely 
necessary.  He  declined  to  read  the  burial  service  or 
allow  anyone  else  to  do  so.  The  relations  refused  to 
fall  in  with  the  conditions  and  the  body  remained 
unburied  for  10  days.  Then  the  Dissenters  offered  to 
bury  the  young  fellow  in  front  of  Zion  Chapel.  This 
offer  was  accepted  and  the  funeral  on  May  23rd  was  the 


90  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

occasion  of  an   immense   gathering.      A   Mr.   Veal,  of 
Forest  Row,  read  the  burial  service. 

MOAT   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH. 

According  to  the  Trust  Deeds  of  this  church  it  is  to  be 
used  "  for  the  public  worship  of  God,  and  other  religious 
and  philanthropic  purposes,  according  to  the  principles 
and  usages  of  Protestant  Dissenters  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Denomination,  called  Independents,  being  Psedo- 
Baptists,"  i.e.,  those  who  believe  in  infant  baptism.  The 
Congregational  Connexion  first  established  itself  in  East 
Grinstead  about  1866,  beginning  with  Sunday  services 
in  the  old  Town  Hall,  conducted  by  an  P^vangelist  named 
Parry,  of  the  Nottingham  Institute.  The  Rev.  Benjamin 
Slight  had  given  up  his  work  at  Tunbridge  Wells,  and 
at  his  instigation  it  was  decided  to  erect  a  church  and 
mainly  by  his  instrumentality  the  necessary  funds  were 
raised,  but  of  the  thousand  pounds  collected  only  £5  was 
subscribed  by  persons  residing  in  the  town,  so  small  was 
the  Nonconformist  interest.  On  October  1st,  1868,  Mr. 
Joshua  Wilson,  who  was  Treasurer  to  the  Home 
Missionary  Society,  and  Mr.  John  Finch,  both  of  Tun- 
bridge  Wells,  acting  as  Trustees,  purchased  from  the 
late  Mr.  Edward  Steer,  for  £191.  2s.,  the  plot  of  land  at 
the  corner  of  London  and  Moat  Roads,  with  a  frontage 
of  91  feet  to  the  former  and  102  feet  to  the  latter.  On 
December  7th,  1870,  they  purchased  for  £115  an 
adjoining  plot  with  a  frontage  of  79  feet  to  Moat  Road. 
On  December  13th  following,  Messrs.  Wilson  and  Finch 
conveyed  their  interests  in  the  first  plot  to  the  Church 
Trustees,  namely:  Rev.  B.  Slight,  of  Ashurst  Wood; 
Rev.  J.  Radford  Thomson,  of  Tunbridge  Wells ;  Messrs. 
W.  H.  Steer  and  Wm.  Clark,  of  East  Grinstead;  E. 
Steer,  of  Turners  Hill ;  James  Waters,  of  Forest  Row ; 
and  J.  Towlson,  W.  Brackett,  J.  Whittem  Hawkins  and 
E.  H.  Strange,  of  Tunbridge  Wells.  The  second  plot 
was  handed  over  to  the  survivors  of  these  Trustees  on 
March  5th,  1874. 

The  title  deeds  to  the  property  contain  what  is  rarely 
found  in  such  documents,  namely,  a  schedule  specifying 


NONCONFORMIST    CHURCHES.  91 

the  doctrinal  beliefs  necessary  in  those  who  occupy  the 
property.     They  are : — 

1 .  The  Divine  and  special  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testament  and  their  sole  authority  and  entire  sufficiency 
as  the  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

2.  The  Unity  of  God,  with  the  proper  Deity  of  the  Father,  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

3.  The  depravity  of  man  and  the  absolute  necessity  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  agency  for  man's  regeneration  and  sanctification. 

4.  The  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God  in  the  person  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  universal  sufficiency  of  the  atonement  by  His  death, 
and  free  justification  of  sinners  by  faith  alone  in  Him. 

5.  Salvation  by  grace,  and  the  duty  of  all  men  to  believe  in  Christ. 

6.  The  Resurrection  of  the  dead  and  the  Final  Judgment,  when 
the  wicked  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment  and  the  righteous 
into  life  eternal. 

The  church  was  built  by  the  late  Mr.  Edward  Steer  at 
an  expense  of  just  over  £1,000  and  was  opened  on  April 
5th,  1870,  the  whole  cost  up  to  date  having  been  met. 
The  opening  services  were  conducted  by  the  Rev. 
Joshua  Harrison,  then  a  popular  minister  in  London, 
and  who  had  been  at  college  with  Mr.  Slight.  Various 
ministers  supplied  the  pulpit  until  the  Rev.  J.  T. 
Maxwell,  who  had  preached  here  on  August  14th  and 
28th,  1870,  began  his  fixed  ministry  on  January  1st, 

1871.  His  congregation  on  the  morning  of  the  opening 
day  consisted  of   11  adults  and  a  few  children,  and  in 
the  evening  of  22  persons.     But  by  the  end  of  February 
the  chapel  was  crowded  at  all  services  and  money  came 
in  well.       By  June,    1871,   £1,335.   7s.   8d.   had  been 
raised  and  this  had  more  than  paid  for  both  plots  of 
land  and  the  building  of  the  church.      On  April  30th, 

1872,  Mr.  Maxwell  was  publicly  ordained  and  the  church 
formally  constituted.     A  service   of    Communion  plate 
was,   at  the   close   of    this   meeting,    presented   to   the 
church  by  the  Pastor's  mother.     The  plate  now  in  use 
was  given  by  Mr.  Gaius  Idiens,  of  Blindley  Heath.     By 
the   end   of  1872  the  church  was  self-supporting,  arid 
from   January,    1873,    managed   its   own   finances   and 
affairs   according  to  Congregational   usage.      A   school 
had  been  established,  under  the  superintendency  of  the 


92  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

late  Mr.  Thomas  Cramp,  in  May,  1870,  and  the  school 
buildings  to  accommodate  it,  which  cost  £600,  were  opened 
on  April  29th,  1874.  Mr.  Maxwell  gave  notice  of  his 
intention  to  resign  on  September  28th,  1875,  leaving  on 
November  1st  of  that  year.  He  was  succeeded  a  year 
later  by  the  Rev.  J.  Brantom,  whose  ministry  lasted 
from  September  25th,  1876,  to  August  24th,  1884. 
While  he  was  in  charge  the  manse  was  built  at  a  cost  of 
over  £800 ;  a  warming  apparatus  was  installed  in  the 
church  and  the  existing  organ  was  obtained.  The 
foundation  stones  of  the  manse  were  laid  on  June  4th, 
1878,  by  Mrs.  and  Miss  Brantom,  Mr.  T.  H.  W.  Buckley 
and  others,  and  the  house  was  formally  dedicated  on 
November  25th  following.  The  total  debt  on  the 
manse  was  liquidated  by  the  end  of  1882  and  the  organ 
was  opened  on  January  30th,  1884.  Mr.  Brantom  was 
succeeded,  some  three  months  after  his  departure,  by 
the  Rev.  J.  J.  Brooker,  who  began  his  ministry  on 
January  3rd,  188(>,  and  resigned  on  December  2nd, 
1891.  The  Rev.  F.  J.  Austin  began  his  charge  of  the 
church  on  July  3rd,  1892,  and  continued  until  March, 
1899.  Twelv7e  months  later  the  Rev.  W.  Hipkin  under- 
took the  pastorate,  preaching  his  first  sermon  on  April 
1st,  1900.  He  left  to  go  to  Canada  on  July  22nd,  1903. 
The  present  minister  is  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Edwards,  B.A., 
whose  pastorate  dates  from  May  1st,  1904.  Since  he 
has  been  in  charge  new  and  spacious  vestries  have  been 
added. 

THE    WESLEYANS. 

The  Wesleyan  community  began  operations  in  East 
Grinstead  on  Sunday,  April  14th,  1878,  when  they  hired 
the  Public  Hall  for  religious  services  and  continued  them 
until  their  chapel  opposite  was  ready.  The  Rev.  John 
Mack  started  the  services.  The  purchase  of  land  and 
the  erection  of  chapel  and  school  room  cost  about 
£2,800.  Two  foundation  stones  were  laid,  one  by  Mr. 
R.  W.  Perks,  who  subsequently  became  M.P.  for  the 
South  Division  of  Lincolnshire  and  President  of  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  Twentieth  Century  Million  Fund, 


NONCONFORMIST    CHURCHES.  93 

and  the  other  by  Mr.  John  Turner,  of  Langton,  but, 
contrary  to  the  usual  custom,  those  foundation  stones  have 
never  yet  borne  an  inscription.  The  existing  chapel  was 
opened  on  March  16th,  1881,  by  the  then  President  of 
the  Conference  (Dr.  E.  E.  Jenkins).  East  Grinstead 
had  been  made  part  of  the  Tunbridge  Wells  circuit  in 
1879  and  continued  as  such  until  1902,  when  it  became 
amalgamated  with  the  Sussex  Mission,  which  has  its  head 
quarters  at  Lewes.  Appended  is  a  complete  list  of  local 
ministers,  with  the  year  of  their  appointment  :— 

1878.     Eev.  W.  A.  Labruni. 

1881.  Eev.  V.  W.  Pearson,  now  Principal  of  the  Sheffield  Training 
College  for  Pupil  Teachers. 

1884.     Eev.  D.  W.  Barr. 

1886.     Eev.  T.  L.  Walton,  died  at  New  Cross,  Jan.  22nd,  1894. 

1889.     Eev.  W.  C.  Bourne. 

1892.     Eev.  A.  E.  Eaw. 

1895.     Eev.  Frank  Edwards. 

1898.     Eev.  Austin  Davey,  died  at  East  Grinstead,  1901. 

1901.  Eev.  AUan  Parsons. 

1902.  Eev.  E.  Hugh  Morgan. 
1905.     Eev.  J.  G.  Gill. 

The  following  were  the  first  appointed  Trustees  of  the 
Chapel : — Messrs.  H.  A.  Perkins  and  Frank  Skinner,  East 
Grinstead ;  S.  W.  Jenks,  Ashurst  Wood ;  Joseph  Wilson, 
Crawley  Down ;  Richard  W.  Tregoning,  Worth ;  John 
Newman,  Copthorne;  Henry  W.  Andrew,  Lingfield ; 
John  Turner,  Langton ;  John  B.  Wells,  Win.  G.  Harris, 
Wm.  H.  Coates,  Jos.  H.  Nye,  Benj.  Pomfret  and  Win. 
Oliver,  Tunbridge  Wells ;  Win.  Baldwin,  Tonbridge ; 
and  John  Beauchamp,  Highgate,  London.  Of  these  only 
Messrs.  Turner,  Jenks,  Newman,  Pomfret  and  Skinner 
now  hold  office.  The  local  Trustees  appointed  to  fill 
vacancies  are  Messrs.  G.  H.  Broadley,  A.  W.  True  and 
A.  G.  Reeves. 

THE   ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 
The  adherents  of  the  Church  of  Rome  early  found 
opponents  in  East  Grinstead.     On  February  23rd,  1813; 
several  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Borough  and  its  vicinity 
petitioned  Parliament,  setting  forth  that  they  observed— 
with  astonishment  and  alarm  the  persevering  efforts  of  the  Eoman 
Catholics  to  obtain  admission  to  all  offices  of  trust  and  authority,  both 


94  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

Civil  and  Military,  and  to  the  exercise  of  legislative  functions,  and 
that  it  is  with  unfeigned  satisfaction  that  they  see  their  fellow  subjects 
of  the  Romish  Church  freed  from  all  pains  and  penalties  on  account 
of  their  religion,  and  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  of  tolera- 
tion; but  the  Petitioners  feel  it  their  bounden  duty,  not  only  to  them- 
selves, but  to  posterity,  to  resist  their  endeavours  (notwithstanding  the 
numerous  concessions  already  made  to  them)  to  get  possession  of 
political  power  and  legislative  authority,  and  thereby  to  destroy  that 
Protestant  ascendency  to  which  the  people  of  this  country  are  indebted, 
under  Providence,  for  the  establishment  of  their  liberties  on  a  firm 
and  solid  basis  ;  for  they  consider  it  as  a  fixed  and  unalterable  principle 
of  our  glorious  Constitution,  as  settled  at  the  Eevolution,  that  the 
Legislative  and  Executive  Authorities  of  this  Protestant  Country  can 
be  administered  only  by  Protestants ;  and  that  the  Petitioners  regard 
the  Laws  by  which  that  principle  is  established  as  no  less  sacred  and 
inviolable  than  Magna  Charta  and  the  Habeas  Corpus  Act ;  and  they 
implore  the  House  steadfastly  to  reject  all  applications  for  the  repeal 
of  those  Laws. 

All  of  which  had  little  effect.  In  1850  there  was  again 
a  stir  against  the  aggressiveness  of  the  Roman  Catholics, 
and  at  a  public  meeting  held  in  the  town  on  November 
25th  addresses  to  the  Queen  and  Bishop  of  the  Diocese 
were  adopted,  praying  them  to  curb  the  energies  of  the 
Pope's  emissaries.  So  far  as  is  known  the  first  recognised 
place  of  worship  which  the  fraternity  possessed  was  the 
chapel  established  by  Sir  Edward  Blount  at  Imberhorne. 
The  mission  here  was  superintended  by  the  monks  from 
the  Franciscan  Monastery  at  Crawley,  and  soon  after  its 
establishment  Sir  Edward  arranged  for  a  school  to  be 
started  for  Catholic  children.  Instruction  was  for  some 
time  given  in  an  improvised  school  room  in  a  granary 
at  Imberhorne.  Later,  the  Catholic  schools  now  in  exist- 
ence between  the  mansion  and  the  town  were  built  at  Sir 
Edward's  expense.  They  are  under  the  charge  of  several 
Sisters  of  Mercy,  and  a  small  convent  is  attached.  About 
80  children  there  receive  an  excellent  education. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  the  London  Road, 
dedicated  to  "  Our  Lady  and  St.  Peter,"  is  a  massive 
structure  in  the  Early  Norman  style.  It  was  built  at  the 
expense  of  Lady  Blount,  who,  however,  did  not  live  to 
see  its  completion,  and  was  opened  on  October  2nd,  1898. 
The  Rev.  J.  Burke  has  been  the  priest-in- charge  from 
that  time  to  the  present. 


NONCONFORMIST    CHURCHES.  95 

OTHER  PLACES  OF  WORSHIP. 

The  Rocks  Chapel  formerly  stood  in  the  corner  of  Old 
Road,  facing  the  East  Court  Estate.  It  was  established 
in  the  year  1847  by  members  of  the  Charlwood  family 
and  others,  who  withdrew  from  the  Countess  of  Hunting- 
don's Connexion  in  April  of  that  year.  They  made  shift 
for  a  time  in  a  temporary  room  and  opened  the  chapel 
on  Good  Friday,  March  29th,  1850,  as  a  Congregational 
Church  ;  20  years  later  the  Primitive  Methodists  occupied 
it,  and  it  continued  in  existence  until  Moat  Church  was 
established,  when  its  supporters  gradually  dwindled  and 
it  was  soon  closed.  On  Sept.  24th,  1861,  a  chapel,  built 
by  Mr.  Berger,  was  opened  at  Saint  Hill. 

Providence  Chapel,  in  the  London  Road,  was  built  in 
1891  and  is  occupied  by  the  sect  known  as  Strict 
Baptists.  It  has  no  resident  minister. 

The  Salvation  Army  commenced  its  operations  in  East 
Grinstead  on  Feb.  5th,  1887. 


SACKVILLE  COLLEGE, 


CHAPTER    VI. 

FOR  nearly  300  years  the  fortunes  of  this  institution 
have  been  very  closely  interwoven  with  the  history  of 
East  Grinstead. 

The  College  was  founded  by  Robert,  second  Earl  of 
Dorset,  a  man  of  great  ability  and  who  spoke,  which  was 
rare  in  those  days,  several  languages  with  much  fluency. 
His  father  was  the  famous  Thomas  Sackville,  Queen 
Elizabeth's  High  Treasurer  and  one  of  the  Judges  who 
sent  the  Duke  of  Norfolk  to  the  headsman's  block  for 
his  complicity  in  the  alleged  attempt  to  get  Mary  Queen 
of  Scots  placed  on  the  English  Throne.  Through  the 
founder  of  Sackville  College  these  two  families  became 
closely  united,  for  this  eldest  son  of  the  High  Treasurer 
married  Margaret,  the  only  daughter  of  the  beheaded 
Duke.  He  held  the  title  but  a  short  time,  dying  on 
February  27th,  1608-9,  at  the  comparatively  early  age 
of  48,  having  made  his  will  on  February  8th  of  the  same 
year.  It  contained  the  following  : — 

Whereas  I  have  been  long  and  still  am  purposed  to  build  and  erect 
an  Hospital  or  College  in  the  said  Town  or  Parish  of  East  Grinstead, 
in  the  County  of  Sussex,  and  to  bestow  on  the  building  thereof  the 
sum  of  one  thousand  pounds,  or  such  a  sum  as  shall  be  necessary,  and 
to  endow  the  same  with  a  rent  charge  of  £330  by  the  year,  to  be 
issuing  out  of  all  and  singular  my  lands  and  tenements  in  the  said 
County  of  Sussex,  or  elsewhere  within  the  Eealm  of  England,  for 
ever,  towards  the  relief  of  one  and  thirty  single  and  unmarried 
persons,  thereof  one  and  twenty  to  be  men  and  the  other  ten  to  be 
women,  there  to  live,  to  pray,  serve,  honour,  and  praise  Almighty 
God :  I  therefore  will  and  devise  that  mine  executors,  if  I  shall  not 
live  to  perform  the  same  in  my  life-time,  shall  bestow  a  sufficient  sum 
of  money  in  the  purchase  of  a  fit  place  in  the  said  Town  or  Parish  of 
East  Grinstead,  to  thereupon  erect  and  build  a  convenient  house,  of 
brick  and  stone,  with  rooms  of  habitation  for  the  said  one  and  thirty 
persons,  employing  and  bestowing  thereupon  such  reasonable  sums  of 
money  as  they  shall  think  fit  in  their  discretions,  and  that  they  shall 
incorporate  the  same,  according  to  the  laws  and  statutes  of  this  Eealm, 
by  the  name  of  Sackville  College  for  the  poor. 


SACKVILLE   COLLEGE.  97 

When  the  building  was  commenced  is  now  unknown. 
It  is  supposed  that  much  of  the  stone  and  timber  used 
came  from  Buckhurst,  the  old  mansion  there  being  dis- 
mantled about  this  time.  The  earliest  date  recorded  is 
1619,  which  is  on  the  knocker  that  used  to  adorn  the 
great  door,  and  also  on  a  triangular  shield  in  the  hall, 
inscribed,  "I  pray  Grod  bless  my  lord  of  Dorset,  and  my 
ladie,  and  all  their  posteritie.  Ano.  do.  1619."  The 
College  was  evidently  in  use  by  this  time ;  we  know  it 
was  on  April  llth,  1622,  for  the  parish  registers  record 
the  first  burial  from  Sackville  College  on  that  date. 
A  contemporary  document  says : — 

Richard  Sackville,  Lord  Buckhurst,  was,  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
the  third  Earle  of  Dorset  of  that  family,  and  is  now  living  Anno.  1622. 
Hee  finished  the  aforesaid  College  beganne  by  his  father,  and  new  built 
our  Lady  Chappell  at  Withyham.  in  Sussex,  where  his  Ancestors  lye 
buried. 

A  draft  of  a  Bill  laid  before  the  House  of  Lords  on 
February  14th,  1620-1,  recited,  "  The  executors  of  the 
will  have  bought  lands  and  have  begun  to  build  at  East 
Grinstead ;  but  the  College  or  Hospital  has  not  been 
incorporated,  and  the  endowment  intended  to  be  given 
thereto  is  liable  to  uncertainty  in  consequence  of  entails 
and  incumbrances  of  the  Earl's  estates."  The  Act  for 
establishing  the  College  was  not  passed  until  1624,  though 
the  first  draft  of  the  Bill  had  been  laid  before  the  House 
of  Lords  ten  years  earlier  and  read  a  first  time.  The 
Charter  of  Incorporation,  still  preserved  in  the  College, 
was  granted  it  by  Charles  I.,  on  July  8th,  1631.  The 
statutes  governing  the  College,  and  based  on  the  provi- 
sions of  the  founder's  will,  were  approved  in  the  same 
year.  They  forbade  any  inmate  to  "lodge  or  receive 
any  person  in  the  house,  or  secretly  entertain  any 
stranger ;  "  to  ever  be  out,  without  permission,  for  more 
than  twelve  hours  at  a  time,  or  to  ever  secretly  use  u  any 
dicing,  carding,  or  unlawful  games  for  any  money  or 
money's  worth."  The  last  rule,  however,  was  relaxed  at 
Christmas-time,  for  then  they  were  allowed  to  play 
publicly,  but  "in  noe  sort  in  any  corners  or  private 
rooms."  Regular  tines  were  to  be  imposed  for  secret 


90  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

feasting,  excessive  drinking,  swearing  and  frequenting 
taverns.  The  doors  were  to  be  open  in  the  winter  from 
seven  a.m.  to  seven  p.m.,  and  in  the  summer  an  hour 
earlier  and  an  hour  later.  The  hour  of  closing  in  the 
summer  is  now  nine  p.m.  All  fines  were  to  be  put  in  a 
"box  or  hutch"  fixed  in  the  chapel,  and  were  to  go 
towards  the  College  repairs.  The  first  record  of  the 
opening  of  this  box  is  on  June  12th,  1718,  when  it  was 
found  to  contain  only  5s.  9d.  During  the  next  12  years, 
however,  the  fines  amounted  to  £26.  The  fines  box  has 
long  ceased  to  exist. 

The  College  had  not  long  been  established  before  it 
became  involved  in  a  disastrous  series  of  law -suits 
lasting  over  60  years.  The  founder's  son,  Earl  Richard, 
sold  many  of  the  family  estates  and  the  purchasers  were 
not  told,  or  said  they  were  not  told,  of  the  rent  charges 
on  the  land  and  which  formed  the  sole  income  of  the 
College.  They  declined  to  pay,  so  the  inmates 
appointed  Thomas  Maynard  and  William  Vargis  to 
commence  action.  On  February  8th,  1631,  the  Court 
of  Chancery  ordered  Lord  William  Howard,  the 

«/ 

surviving  executor  under  Earl  Roberts'  will,  to  make 
good  the  yearly  sum  of  £330.  The  order  seems  to 
have  had  but  little  effect,  for  it  is  on  record  that  on  July 
5th,  1632,  the  poor  brethren  were  "left  destitute  of  all 
relief  and  maintenance  and  are  ready  to  perish  for  want 
of  bread."  The  Court  thereupon  ordered  Lord  William 
to  pay  up  £200  at  once  or  go  to  prison.  He  paid  the 
money.  Then  came  the  Civil  Wars  and  the  impossi- 
bility of  enforcing  the  decrees  of  any  Court  of  Law. 
Once  more  money  failed  to  come  in.  The  College 
inmates  were  reduced  to  the  lowest  possible  state  of 
destitution  and  five  of  them  actually  died  of  starvation. 
Their  condition  at  this  time  is  thus  described  in  an 
affidavit,  dated  November  3rd,  1648,  by  Emery  Allen, 
one  of  the  inmates,  who  affirmed  that : — 

William  Vergis,  late  Warden  of  the  College,  lived  in  great  want 
and  misery  because  the  pay  was  detained  from  the  College  and  was 
forced  to  pawn  or  sell  his  gown  for  bread,  and  had  not  wherewith  to 
subsist,  but  did  merely  starve  for  want  of  subsistence,  having  nothing 


SACKVILLE   COLLEGE.  99 

wherewith  to  relieve  himself  or  to  satisfy  his  creditors ;  that  William 
Harman,  late  one  of  the  almsmen  of  the  College,  lived  in  great  misery 
for  a  long  time  for  want  of  his  pay,  ran  into  debt,  sold  his  bed  and 
lay  upon  straw,  and,  though  he  had  two  gatherings  made  for  him  in 
East  Grinstead  Church,  at  last  starved  for  want  of  sustenance; 
another  almsman  lived  in  great  misery  for  a  long  time,  went  about 
the  country  begging  and  finally  died  for  want  of  sustenance ;  whilst 
other  almsmen  have  been  forced  to  run  into  debt  and  are  very  likely 
to  starve  if  speedy  relief  be  not  given  them. 

On  the  establishment  of  the  Commonwealth,  action 
was  again  commenced  and  between  the  years  1645  and 
1656  Edward  Lucas,  the  receiver,  managed  to  get  in  a 
good  sum  of  money,  but  still  leaving  arrears  of  £2,389. 
On  January  23rd,  1663,  the  Earl  of  Thanet  was  sent  to 
prison  for  ignoring  an  order  to  pay  up  some  of  these 
arrears,  and  the  money  was  then  forthcoming.  This 
nobleman  was  one  of  the  chief  of  those  who  defended  this 
lengthy  and  disastrous  law-suit.  His  defence  was  fully 
set  forth  in  his  answer  to  a  petition  presented  to  the 
House  of  Lords  on  August  llth,  1648,  by  the  inmates 
of  the  College.  He  contended  that  :— 

The  persons  calling  themselves  the  poor  of  Sackville  College  were 
not  placed  there  by  the  heirs  of  Robert  Earl  of  Dorset,  and  ought  not 
therefore  to  have  any  benefit  from  the  gift  of  the  founder ;  the  Earl  of 
Thanet  acknowledges  that  in  right  of  his  wife  he  holds  lands  late  the 
property  of  Richard  Earl  of  Dorset,  but  he  conceives  that  they  are  not 
liable  in  law  to  the  charge  nor  to  the  decree  in  Chancery  to  which 
he  and  his  wife  were  no  parties,  but  that  the  rent  -  charge  should 
issue  solely  out  of  the  Manors  of  Buckhurst,  Munckloe,  Hendall  and 
Fiscaredge,  which  he  trusts  to  prove  by  review  in  Chancery ;  not  only 
are  the  petitioners  not  placed  in  the  College  according  to  the  will  of  the 
founder,  but  they  are  not  qualified  for  an  hospital,  few  of  them  being 
resident  in  the  College,  some  of  them  tradesmen  abroad,  and  many  of 
debauched  and  most  of  idle  lives. 

Slowly  the  suit  dragged  itself  on  and  did  not  finally 
end  until  1700,  the  ultimate  result  being  that  £113.  7s.  3d. 
of  the  annual  College  income  was  extinguished  and  the 
revenue  permanently  reduced  to  about  £217. 

This  is  derived  from  property  scattered  all  over  the 
south  of  England.  A  few  of  the  rent  charges  have  been 
redeemed  during  latter  years  by  the  payment  of  a  capital 
sum  and  its  investment  in  2£  per  cent,  annuities  to  yield 
an  equivalent  income.  On  January  24th,  1899,  Mr. 
William  Davey,  of  Brighton,  paid  £46.  13s.  4d.  to  redeem 

H  2 


100 


HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 


£1.  3s.  4d.  a  year  charged  on  three  pieces  of  land,  part  of 
the  Manor  of  Brighthelmstone;  on  September  30th,  1902, 
Lieut.-Col.  C.  A.  M.  Warde  paid  £4.  13s.  4d.  to  redeem 
2s.  4d.  a  year  charged  on  Kent  Hatch  Farm,  Westerham, 
belonging  to  him  ;  on  the  same  date  Mr.  Francis  Verrall, 
Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Southover,  Lewes,  redeemed  three 
separate  charges  of  lid.,  4s.  and  £2  on  land  called  the 
Hydes,  at  Lewes,  by  paying  £90,  and  on  November  4th, 
of  the  same  year,  the  Corporation  of  the  City  of  London 
freed  themselves  for  ever  from  paying  £1.  5s.  8d.  a  year 
charged  on  54,  57  and  57a,  Shoe  Lane,  City,  by  a  purchase 
of  £51.  6s.  8d.  annuities.  The  following  table  gives  the 
other  sources  of  income : — 


Land  or  Estate. 


Owner. 


Manor  of  Michelham  Park  Gate . .     Lord  Sackville 

,,         Milton    ,, 

,,         Lullington     ,, 

„         Hangleton     ,, 

„         Chiddingly    „ 

,,         Imberhorne Mr.  Edward  Blount 

,,        Knowle Lord  Sackville 

The  Rectory  of  East  Grinstead    . .  ,, 

,,    Manor  ,,  . .     Lord   Sackville   and 

Earl  De  la  Warr 
Lands    of   St.   Catherine's,  East 

Grinstead     ,,  ,, 

Chantry -lands,  East  Grinstead ....  ,,  ,, 

Priors  „  ....  „  „ 

A  messuage  ,,  ....  ,,  ,, 

Two  burgages  „  „  „ 

For  other  various  properties .,  ,, 

Manor  of  Swanburgh    Earl  De  la  Warr 

Diggens  Land,  Kingston 

Manor  of  Blackham 

,,         Cullinghurst 

,,         Broome 

John  A.  Bowrie's  land  in  Kingston 
Messuage  called  Coppers  Bowker, 

in  Kingston     

Manor  of  Chariness 

Framfield 

Buckhurst 

Alchornds 

.  East  Bourne  Measey    . . 

Muncklow ... 

Fiscaridge 


Amount  of 
Rent  charge. 


£ 

11 

8 

9 

14 
3 
2 
2 
1 


d. 
4 
2 
8 

10 
8 
0 
8 
4 


2     4 


1 

3 

4 

11 

8 

5 

8 

2 

4 

1 

9 

1 

11 

4; 

15 

3 

4 

1 

3 

4 

9 

16 

0 

1 

15 

0 

3 

13 

6 

7 

0 

11 

8 

9 

18 
11 

2 
19 

9 


8 

6 

4 

4 

8 

4 

10 

10 


SACKVILLE   COLLEGE. 


101 


Land  or  Estate. 

Manor  of  Lewes     , 

Part  of  Stoneland 

Dorset  House,  garden,  &c.,  Kent. 
Sir  H.  Compton's  messuage. 
The  Vechery  Wood,  Maresfield   , 

An  acre  and  a  half  in  Kingston  , 

Manor  of  Bolebrook 

St.  Tyes 

,,         Houndean,  Lewes 


Owner. 
Earl  De  la  Warr 


Mr.   E.   S.    Samuel, 

M.P 

Earl  De  la  Warr    . 


Amount  of 
Rent  charge. 
£  s.  d. 
1  3  4 
268 
5  16  8 
268 


1 


Five  parcels  of  Brook  meadow 
called  Thackwood 

Pound  Farm,  Withyham 

Bartletts,  ,,  

Summerford,  „  

Tophill,  „  

Inn  at  Withyham 

„  Nutley 

Manor  of  Eeigate 

46  to  53,  Shoe  Lane,  London  .... 

132,  Salisbury  Square,  London    .  . 

Eectory  of  St.  Dunstans,  W 

Manor  of  Wilmington 


2 

3* 

..834 
..406 
Marquess    of    Aber- 
gavenny 6     8     4 


Mr.  J.  E.  Haig  . 
Earl  De  la  Warr 


Living  of  Eottingdean 

,,  Southover,  Lewes  .... 
The  Shelleys,  Lewes  (formerly 

known  as  The  Vine) 

Manor  of  Claversham  

,,         Allington    

,,         Meeching,  Newhaven  . . 

,,  Holywych 

Mill  Field,  Cowden  

Ware  Land,  ,,  

The  Cemetery,  Lewes 


11  8 
256 

12  0 
6     0 

1   19     7 
16     0 
1     2 
Lady     Henry 

Somerset 9     5     4 

Messrs.  Pontifex  and 

Wood 317     8 

Mr.  W.G.King    ..  11     8 
Eev.  L.  James    ....  140 
The  Duke  of  Devon- 
shire          20     0     0 

1     4   10 
17     4     8 


Mr.  Eichard  Greene. 
Mrs.  Miles,  Croydon. 
Lord  Monk  Bretton. 
Earl  of  Sheffield  . . 
Capt.  F.  Maitland. . 

Trustees    of    the 
Harvey  Estate    . . 

All  Saints  and  Cliffe 
Burial  Board  . 


11 

2  16 
2  19 
4  0 


5   10 


11 


There  is  little  more  to  add  concerning  the  College 
itself.  During  the  last  200  years  it  has  quietly  served 
its  intended  purpose,  but  to  a  limited  extent,  and  has 
undergone  various  improvements.  The  hall  and  porch 
have  been  restored,  the  belfry  (which  had  been  beaten 
down  by  a  storm  on  November  26th,  1703)  and  the 


102  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

chapel  re-erected  at  a  cost  of  £700,  the  foundation  stone 
being  laid  on  August  1st,  1850,  the  latter  decorated; 
and  the  massive  roof  slates  re-laid. 

On  February  25th,  1851,  there  was  a  riot  at  the 
College  in  consequence  of  some  objections  made  by  the 
relatives  and  others  to  the  form  of  burial  service  it  was 
proposed  to  observe  at  the  funeral  of  a  female  inmate 
named  Alchin.  The  relatives  and  a  body  of  townspeople 
went  to  the  College  in  the  afternoon,  got  the  body,  and 
carried  out  the  funeral  as  they  desired.  In  the  evening 
the  mob  re-assembled  and  the  College  windows  were 
smashed.  Ten  of  the  townspeople  were  subsequently 
summoned  and  seven  of  them  were  sent  for  trial  at 
Lewes  Assizes.  They  subsequently  issued  a  public 
apology  for  their  conduct  and  at  the  Assizes  pleaded 
guilty.  The  case  against  them  was  thereupon  not 
pressed,  and  they  were  bound  over  to  come  up  for 
judgment  if  called  upon. 

It  is  not  now  a  place  where  pensioners  are  starved  to 
death,  for  the  inmates  afford  several  instances  of  longevity. 
On  October  2nd,  1819,  there  died  Elizabeth  Knight,  who 
had  lived  in  the  College  52  years,  and  on  March  21st, 
1829,  Mary  Knight,  who  had  been  for  42  years  a 
pensioner  in  the  institution,  breathed  her  last.  Nicholas 
Piggott,  who  died  on  December  21st,  1784,  was  a 
pensioner  for  exactly  the  same  period.  At  the  present 
time  there  are  18  inmates,  14  women  and  four  men,  of 
whom  seven  of  the  women  and  all  of  the  men  get 
allowances  of  £14  a  year,  the  remainder  getting  their 
rooms  only. 

The  right  of  appointing  the  Warden,  who  gets  his 
residence  and  £28  a  year,  has  always  rested  with  the 
heirs  of  the  founder,  the  privilege,  to-day,  being  in  the 
hands  of  Earl  De  la  Warr,  who,  on  a  vacancy  arising,  is 
supposed  to  appoint  within  "the  space  of  three  score 
dayes."  If  he  neglects  so  to  do  then  the  assistants  and 
inmates  meet  on  the  afternoon  of  the  first  Sunday  after 
this  allotted  time  has  expired  and  propound  the  name  of 
one  of  their  own  number  to  the  Patron  for  appointment. 


SACKVILLE   COLLEGE.  103 

The  following  ordinance  setting  out  the  Warden's  duties 
is  very  quaint : — 

If  the  Warden  shall,  in  anything,  neglect  his  duty  and  swerve  from 
the  orders  and  statutes  of  the  said  College  or  Hospital  then  being  in 
force,  in  regard  he  should  be  a  light  and  lanterne  to  the  rest,  and  his 
bad  example  very  pernicious  to  the  whole  company ;  the  two  Assistants 
shall  hear  and  determine  any  question  arising  between  him  and  the 
thirty  Brethren  or  Sisters,  or  any  of  them;  and  if  in  their  judgments 
he  shall  appear  faulty,  they  do  admonish  him  thereof,  as  also  of  any 
other  error  they  shall  observe  in  him,  toties  qiwties,  to  the  third 
admonition  and  thereupon  to  advertise  the  heirs  male  of  the  body  of 
the  said  Robert,  Earl  of  Dorset,  and  he  either  to  cause  the  Warden 
to  reform  himself  or  else  to  expell  and  displace  him  if  he  continue 
obstinate  and  perverse. 

The  following  condition  is  now  more  honoured  in  the 
breach  than  the  observance,  but  it  shows  that  the 
introduction  of  tobacco  had  by  no  means  met  with 
universal  favour  in  1631 : — 

If  either  the  Warden  or  any  brother  or  sister  do  take  any  tobacco 
in  the  house,  or  keep  any  in  the  said  Colledge  or  Hospitall,  shall  forfeit 
five  shillings,  to  be  deducted  out  of  his  or  her  next  quarter's  wages 
.  .  .  for  that  the  same  is  offensive  to  many,  procureth  much  drink- 
ing and  other  inconveniences  most  meet  to  be  forborn  by  all  and  used 
by  none. 

The  ordinances  further  set  forth  that  the  Warden,  the 
assistants  and  all  the  inmates  should  dine  together  each 
quarter  day  "  at  their  equal  charges,  soe  it  be  not 
respectively  under  twelve  pence  and  not  above  two 
shillings  a  peece,  the  Warden  to  be  double  to  any  of  the 
others." 

The  Warden  had  further  to  see  the  "  Brethren  and 
Sisters  morning  and  evening,  to  meet  at  a  certain  due 
hour  in  their  Chappel,  there  to  pray,  serve,  honour  and 
praise  Almighty  God,"  and  he,  or  such  as  he  might 
appoint,  was  to  read  the  service  and  prayers. 

The  name  of  the  first  Warden  is  now  unknown. 
Appended  are  brief  particulars  of  all  his  successors : — 

2.  William  Vargis  was  appointed  in  1638.     He  had  been  joint 
collector  and  procurator  for  the  College  since  1629.     He  was  buried  in 
the  Parish  Church  on  April  6th,  1646. 

3.  The  Rev.  Reyner  Herman  was  appointed  on  July  7th,  1646,  and 
held  the  office  ten  years.     He  carried  on  a  Grammar  School,  and  among 
his  pupils  was  Richard  Kidder,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells. 


104  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRtNSTEAD. 

On  leaving  the  College  Herman  was  presented  to  a  good  living  in 
Sussex,  but  being  a  Royalist  Bichard  Cromwell  accounted  him  a 
malignant  and  declined  to  sanction  his  institution.  Kidder  was  then  at 
Cambridge,  and  he  was  instrumental  in  getting  his  old  master  appointed 
head  master  of  Stamford  Grammar  School.  He  subsequently  became 
rector  of  Tinwell,  in  Rutland,  where  he  was  buried  in  1668. 

4.  George  Parkyns  was  appointed  in  1657  and  died  in  1663. 

5.  William  Bushey,  1663,  to  Jan.  21st,  1677. 

6.  Joh.  Cuttefordwas  first  sent  to  the  College  by  the  Earl  of  Dorset 
on  Aug.  10th,  1673,  as  a  pensioner.     He  had  previously  lived  at  Bristol, 
where  he  attained  to  civic  honours  and  was  one  of  the  chief  inspectors 
of  the  port.     At  the  Restoration  he  was  granted  a  certificate  of  loyalty. 
He  seems  to  have  fallen  on  hard  times,  and  when  he  was  appointed  to 
a  pension  in  the  College  he  was  described  by  the  Earl  as  "  very  aged, 
and  a  fit  object  of   my  charity."     He  was  subsequently  appointed 
collector  for  the  Earl  of  Dorset's  estates  in  Sussex,  and  stepped  into 
the  Wardenship  on  the  death  of  William  Bushey,  holding  it  until 
March  24th,  1680. 

7.  Rev.  Thomas  Grice,  appointed  on  Aug.  20th,   1680,  was  also 
incumbent  of  Gosport.     He  held  the  office  until  June,  1684. 

8.  Richard  Jux,  previously  an  inmate  of  the  College  since  Aug. 
18th,  1676;  was  Warden  for  nine  months  only,  July  18th,    1684,  to 
April  8th,  1685. 

9.  Rev.  Thomas  Hardmett  held  office  less  than  seven  months,  May 
22nd,  1685,  to  Dec.  5th,  1685. 

10.  Rev.  Thomas  Winterbottom  was  appointed  the  same  day  as 
his  predecessor  was  buried,  Dec.  8th,  1685.     He  resigned  after  holding 
office  31  years.     On  May  12th,  1687,  the  Rev.  John  Wood,  Rector  of 
Horsted  Keynes,  made  an  agreement  with  this  Warden  that  for  £  1 0  a 
year  the  latter  should  read  Divine  sevice  every  Sunday  and  Saint's  day 
at  Horsted  Keynes,  and  preach  a  sermon  when  required  at  8s.  extra 
for  each  sermon. 

1 1 .  John  Millington,  a  native  of  Coventry  and  long  in  the  Dorset 
service,  was  admitted  as  a  pensioner  on  Nov.  4th,  1710,  was  made 
Assistant  Warden  on  Aug.  27th,  1715,  and  stepped  into  the  office  of 
Warden  on  Sept.  29th,  1716,  the  only  person  who  ever  occupied  all 
three  positions. 

12.  John  Bright,  1733  to  1751. 

13.  William  Wood,  1751,  to  Sept.  14th,  1772. 

14.  George  Knight,  April  21st,  1772,  to  Oct.  7th,  1813,  a  Warden- 
ship  of  41  years,  exactly  half  the  length  of  his  life. 

15.  Thomas  Palmer,  Nov.  3rd,  1813,  died  Dec.  4th,  1844.     During 
his  term  of  office  he  got  the  Patron  to  appoint  inmates,  who,  without 
receiving  pensions,  should  occupy  the  vacant  rooms,  and  this  practice 
has  been  continued  ever  since. 

16.  Rev.  John  Mason  Neale,  D.D.     The  warrant  of  this  famous 
Warden   bears   date   May   26th,    1846,    eighteen    months   after    his 
predecessor's  death,  but  he  arrived  at  the   College  about  a  month 


SACKVILLE   COLLEGE.  105 

before  his  formal  appointment.  During  his  regim6  the  dilapidated 
buildings  were  completely  restored  and  numerous  improvements 
carried  out,  the  Warden  himself  spending  something  like  £2,000  on 
the  building  during  the  time  he  was  resident  there.  The  Warden 
re-established  the  daily  services,  from  time  to  time  administered  the 
Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Communion,  and  frequently  preached.  Dr. 
Gilbert  was  then  Bishop  of  Chichester,  and  after  a  confirmation  held 
in  the  Parish  Church  on  May  7th,  1847,  he  visited  the  College  chapel 
and  the  next  day  inhibited  Dr.  Neale  from  celebrating  Divine 
worship  and  from  the  exercise  of  clerical  functions  in  his  diocese. 
Dr.  Neale,  after  consulting  with  the  Patron,  decided  to  ignore  the 
inhibition  so  far  as  services  within  the  College  were  concerned.  The 
Bishop  appealed  to  the  Court  of  Arches  and  a  private  inquiry  was 
opened  in  the  Parish  Church  of  East  Grinstead  on  April  4th,  1848,  and 
on  June  3rd  of  the  same  year  the  case  came  on  for  trial.  The  real 
point  at  issue  was  whether  the  College  was  subject  to  the  Bishop's 
jurisdiction  and  Sir  H.  J.  Fust,  the  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Arches, 
decided  that  Dr.  Neale  was  liable  to  ecclesiastical  censure,  but  the 
Court  would  be  satisfied  with  admonishing  him  to  abstain  from 
officiating  in  future  without  due  authority,  that  authority  being  the 
license  of  the  Bishop.  Dr.  Neale  was  condemned  in  the  whole  costs. 
The  Bishop  remained  of  the  same  mind  for  1 3  years,  when  he  virtually 
withdrew  the  inhibition,  it  being  formally  withdrawn  in  November, 
1863,  though  Dr.  Neale  had  never,  as  he  himself  writes,  "withdrawn 
a  single  word,  nor  altered  a  single  pi'actice  (except  in  a  few  instances 
by  way  of  going  further)."  Dr.  Neale  at  once  responded  by  dedicat- 
ing his  "Seatonian  Poems"  by  permission  "to  the  Lord  Bishop  of 
Chichester,  in  token  of  veneration  of  his  character  and  office,  and  of 
thankfulness  for  his  many  labours."  Thus  was  the  matter  happily 
and  gracefully  ended.  Dr.  Neale  died  on  Aug.  6th,  1866,  aged  48 
years,  greatly  loved  by  the  College  pensioners.  His  work  in  connec- 
tion with  St.  Margaret's  Sisterhood  is  dealt  with  elsewhere. 

17.  William  Hooper  Attree,  Nov.  28th,  1866,  to  March  18th,  1872. 

18.  John  Henry  Rogers,   M.D.,  March  28th,   1872,  to  Oct.  18th, 
1879,    when  he  died  suddenly.      He  was  the  founder  of    the  first 
Cottage  Hospital  in  East  Grinstead. 

19.  George  Covey,  M.E.C.8.  Eng.,  L.S.A.,   Dec.  25th,    1879,   to 
July,  1893. 

20.  James  Harrison,  the  present  Warden,  was  appointed  on  July 
10th,  1893.     He  was  educated  at  Rossal  School,  Owen's  College,  the 
London  Hospital  and  Edinburgh.     He  was  made  a  Licentiate  of  the 
Royal  College  of  Physicians  at  the  last  named  place  in  1881,  and  in 
the  same  year  became  a  Member  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of 
England.     He  is  also  a  Member  of  the  British  Medical  Association 
and  was  for  a  time  senior  house  surgeon  at  the  Manchester  Royal 
Infirmary.     He  came  to  East  Grinstead  from  Devonport,   where  he 
was  medical  attendant  to  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  and  his 
household  and  also  assistant  surgeon  to  the  Royal  Albert  Hospital  in 
that  town.     He  is  at  the  present  time  one  of  the  Medical  Officers  to 
the  East  Grinstead  General  Dispensary  and  Cottage  Hospital,   also 


106  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Medical  Officer  of  the  East  Grinstead  Workhouse  and  the  High  Grove 
Sanatorium,  Public  Vaccination  Officer  for  East  Grinstead,  and 
Surgeon  to  the  East  Grinstead  Court  of  Foresters  and  Sanctuary  of 
Shepherds. 

By  his  will  the  founder  of  the  College  ordained  that 
"  there  shall  be  two  of  the  honest  and  better  sort  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  said  town  of  East  Grinstead, 
associates  to  the  said  Warden,  to  be  elected  and  chosen, 
from  time  to  time,  by  me  and  my  heirs  for  the  better 
government  and  ordering  of  the  said  Hospital  or 
College."  They  were  each  to  receive  £3.  6s.  8d.  per 
annum.  This  office  of  Associate  or  Assistant  Warden 
has  been  held  by  many  distinguished  people,  as  the 
following  list  will  show : — 

Edward  Iron. 

Edward  Balder. 

Sackville  Turner. 

Sir  Henry  Compton,  Bart.,  of  Brambletye,  son-in-law  of  the 
founder,  appointed  1628.  Sir  Henry  took  more  interest  in  the  cause 
of  King  Charles  than  he  did  in  Sackville  College.  He  was  one  of 
the  Sussex  Eoyalists  whose  estates  were  sequestered  by  an  ordinance 
issued  on  Aug.  19th,  1643,  but  he  was  allowed  to  compound  by  paying 
to  Cromwell's  Exchequer  the  sum  of  £1,372.  2s. 

Edward  Bender. 

John  Thacker. 

Edward  Lucas  was  elected  by  the  pensioners  themselves  about  1645. 
He  worked  extremely  hard  in  promoting  the  claims  of  the  inmates  to 
the  money  left  them  by  the  founder,  and  it  was  almost  solely  due  to  his 
voluntary  exertions  that  the  College  was  preserved  as  a  charitable 
institution.  He  was  receiver  of  the  College,  and  died,  deeply  mourned, 
on  Nov.  29th,  1667. 

Eichard  Cole. 

Eev.  E.  Crayford,  Vicar  of  East  Grinstead,  appointed  in  1668. 

James  Linfield,  appointed  1674. 

Thomas  More,  appointed  1674. 

Eev.  John  Saywell,  DD.,  Vicar  of  East  Grinstead,  appointed  1684. 

John  Milles,  appointed  Sept.  29th.  1688. 

Thomas' Bodle,  appointed  Sept.  29th,  1689.  This  sub-warden  farmed 
the  land  around  the  College  and  also  owned  property  in  Church  Street. 

Edmund  Head,  appointed  Sept.  29th,  1706. 

John  Millington,  appointed  Aug.  27th,  1715,  afterwards  Warden. 

Eichard  Still,  appointed  Sept.  29th,  1716. 

Francis  Green,  appointed  Dec.  25th,  1718. 

Benjamin  Faulconer,  appointed  March  25th,  1727. 

John  Thorpe,  appointed  Sept.  29th,  1727. 

Edward  Green,  appointed  March  25th,  1749. 

John  Smith. 


SACKVILLE   COLLEGE.  107 

Nathaniel  More,  1762. 
John  Cranston,  of  East  Court,  1767. 

Lord  George  Sackville,  appointed  Sept.  23rd,  1769.     For  an  account 
of  the  life  of  this  famous  nobleman  see  Parliamentary  History. 
Edward  Bodle,  June  13th,  1829. 

Charles  Nairn  Hastie,  of  Placeland,  appointed  June  13th,  1829, 
died  25th  December,  1860. 

Hon.  and  Rev.  R.  W.  Sackville  West,  M.A.,  appointed  Aug.  26th, 
1848,  afterwards  Earl  De  la  Warr. 
George  Lowdell,  appointed  Aug.  26th,  1848. 

John  Heniy  Rogers,  M.D.,  appointed  Sept.  12th,  1853,  subsequently 
Warden. 

George  Elliot  Clarke,  of  Frampost,  appointed  1872,  died  1879. 
Kenneth  Robert  Murchison,  J.P.,  of  Brockhurst,  appointed  1873. 
He  bore  the  expense  of  erecting  the  west  boundary  wall  of  the  College 
grounds,  and  one  stone,  with  the  following  inscription,  now  almost 
defaced,  was  built  into  it : — 

Huxc  MURUM 

COLLEGIO  SACKVILLEXSI 

SUIS  IMPEXSIS  CIRCfMDEDIT 

KEXNETHUS  ROBERTUS  MURCHISOXUS 

Axxo  SALUTIS  MDCCCLXXVI. 

Arthur  Hastie,  of  Placeland,  appointed  1878,  died  Nov.  10th,  1901. 

Charles  Henry  Gatty,  M.  A.,  D.L.,  J.P.,  of  Felbridge  Place,  appointed 
1881,  died  Dec.  12th,  1903. 

Arthur  Hepburn  Hastie,  of  East  Grinstead,  and  17,  Queen  Street, 
Mayfair,  practising  as  a  solicitor  at  65,  Lincolns  Inn  Fields,  appointed 
17th  November,  1901. 

Muriel  Countess  De  la  Warr,  appointed  April  8th,  1904,  the  first 
lady  to  hold  the  office. 


EAST  GRINSTEAD  AND  ITS  MANGES, 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE  manorial  history  of  East  Grinstead  is  very  vague 
and  it  is  difficult  to  identify  modern  names  with  the 
Manors  or  pieces  of  Manors  referred  to  in  such  ancient 
documents  as  are  accessible  to  the  student  of  archaeology. 
The  old  manors  were  by  no  means  co-terminous  with  the 
parish,  or  even  the  county,  neither  did  they  comprise 
unbroken  estates,  but  included  lands  scattered  all  over 
the  Kingdom. 

GRINSTEAD  AND   SHEFFIELD   GRINSTED. 

The  Manor  of  Grinstead  is  not  mentioned  in  Domesday 
Book.  On  September  29th,  1284,  Alexander  ffoghell 
(Sergeant  of  Grensted)  returned  £2.  10s.  9|d.  as  Queen 
Eleanor's  rents  from  the  Manor  of  Grensted  for  one  year. 
In  1346,  Edward  III.  gave  it  to  the  Cobham  family,  it 
having  been  forfeited  to  the  Crown  by  Sir  Thomas  de 
Arderne,  who  had  been  convicted  of  rape  and  murder. 
According  to  a  return  dated  January  2nd,  1412,  John 
Halsham  had  the  Manor  of  Grenstede,  and  it  was  then 
worth  £13.  Galfredus  de  Say  gave  the  Manor  to  the 
Knights  Templars,  but  by  1468  it  had  got  back  again 
into  Royal  hands,  for  Edward  IV.  granted  it  to  his 
Queen  Consort  for  life. 

In  1565  the  Manor  was  greatly  enlarged  by  the  addition 
of  lands  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Eastbourne,  for  on 
December  8th  the  Manor  and  demesnes  of  Wilmington 
and  other  possessions  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of 
Chichester  in  that  neighbourhood  were  conveyed  to  the 
Queen  that  she  might  grant  them  to  Sir  Richard  Sackville 
(Under  Treasurer  of  the  Exchequer)  and  his  heirs  for 
ever,  the  Manor  and  demesnes  of  Wilmington  to  be  held 
of  the  Crown  in  capite  by  the  service  of  the  20th  part  of 
a  knight's  fee  and  the  residue  in  free  socage,  as  of  the 


EAST   GRINSTEAD   AND   ITS   MANORS.  109 

Manor  of  East  Green  stead  by  fealty  only.  This  Manor 
of  Wilmington  was  afterwards  charged  with  £20  a  year 
for  the  support  of  Sackville  College,  Elast  Grinstead.  It 
now  forms  part  of  the  possessions  of  the  Duke  of 
Devonshire. 

At  an  inquest  held  in  East  Grinstead  on  August  19th, 
1574,  concerning  the  possessions  of  Henry  Alfrey,  an 
idiot,  who  had  died  on  March  6th  preceding,  it  appeared 
that  he  held  certain  lands  and  tenements  called  Heathland, 
in  Estgrynsted,  of  Philip,  Earl  of  Surrey,  as  of  his  Manor 
of  Sheffield  Grensted,  by  rent  of  20s.  in  free  socage ;  and 
they  were  computed  to  be  worth  £7.  7s.  lOd.  This  same 
family  owned  Gulledge,  Tilkhurst  and  other  properties. 

In  1580,  at  an  inquest  held  concerning  the  estates  of 
John  Payne,  of  East  Grinstead,  it  was  proved  that  two 
burgages  and  two  portlands  called  Gaynesford,  and  a 
cottage  called  the  Forge,  were  held  of  Queen  Elizabeth 
in  chief,  as  of  her  Manor  of  Estgreensted,  the  two 
burgages  by  fealty  and  rent  of  12d.  and  the  cottage  by 
fealty  and  rent  of  10d.,  the  burgages  being  worth  53s.  4d. 
and  the  cottage  13s.  4d.  The  same  person  held  another 
burgage  and  portland  of  the  same  Manor,  and  these  were 
rented  at  17d.  and  worth  20s.  He  was  also  seised  of  a 
croft  containing  three  acres  and  called  Shortes  Crofte, 
and  a  field  of  seven  acres  called  the  Greenefylde,  held  of 
Philip,  Earl  of  Arundel,  as  of  his  Manor  of  Sheffyld 
Greenested  by  fealty,  the  former  at  a  rent  of  18d.  and 
worth  6s.,  and  the  latter  at  a  rent  of  7d.  and  worth  4s. 

In  1606  the  Manor  of  Grinstead  was  rented  at 
£11.  8s.  ll^d.  per  annum,  and  in  1835  it  belonged  to 
the  Biddulph  family,  of  Petworth.  The  Manor  of 
Sheffield  Grinsted  was  purchased,  about  60  years  ago,  by 
the  late  Mr.  William  Pearless,  and  the  Lordship  is  now 
held  by  his  two  sons,  James  and  Reginald,  as  his  trustees. 

BRAMBLETYE   AND   LAVERTYE. 

The  Manor  and  ruined  mansion  of  Brambletye  have, 
by  means  of  Horace  Smith's  well-known  novel,  very  little 
of  which  is  based  on  fact,  acquired  a  fame  which  they 


110  HISTORY   OF   EAST   ORINSTEAD. 

scarcely  merit.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  most  interesting 
of  the  old  East  Grinstead  Manors,  but  the  ruined 
"  castle"  was  never  the  scene  of  the  events  which  are  so 
graphically  described  in  "  Brambletye  House."  It  is 
referred  to  in  Domesday  Book  as  "  Branbertie."  In  the 
time  of  Edward  the  Confessor  it  was  possessed  by  one 
Cola,  and  after  the  Conquest  was  held  by  Ralph,  of  the 
Earl  of  Moreton  and  Cornwall,  half-brother  to  the 
Conqueror.  His  barony  subsequently  became  known  as 
"  The  Honour  of  the  Eagle,"  a  corruption  from  the  name 
of  Gilbert  de  1'Aigle,  to  whom  Henry  I.  gave  all  Earl 
Moreton's  estates.  The  term  "  Honour"  was  usually 
applied  to  a  lordship  which  possessed  subsidiary  lordships, 
though  at  one  time  no  lordship  was  deemed  an  "Honour" 
unless  it  belonged  to  the  King. 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  I.  (1272-1307)  the  Manor  and 
the  right  of  the  patronage  to  the  chapel  were  vested  in 
the  Aldham  or  Audeham  family.  The  first  of  the  family 
was  Baldwin  de  Aldham,  who  succeeded  as  heir  to  his 
mother,  Isabella  de  la  Haye,  who  was  heiress  of  William 
of  Montacute.  About  1285  the  Bishop  of  Chichester, 
John,  Prior  of  Lewes,  and  Alard,  parson  of  the  church 
of  Grenestede,  granted  license  to  John  de  Monte  Acuto 
to  set  up  a  private  chapel  in  his  house  of  Lavertyefor  the 
use  of  his  mother,  probably  an  infirm  or  aged  woman 
who  was  unable  to  reach  the  Parish  Church.  For  this 
privilege  Montacute  paid  the  incumbent  of  the  parish  a 
bezant  yearly  during  the  mother's  lifetime,  on  the 
understanding  that  at  her  death  all  divine  offices  should 
cease  in  the  chapel  at  Lavertye.  On  the  death  of  William 
of  Montacute  his  widow,  Nicholaia,  held  the  hamlet  and 
patronage  of  the  chapel,  with  knight's  fees  in  Buckhurst 
and  elsewhere. 

In  1322  Francis  Aldham  forfeited  his  property,  includ- 
Brambletye  and  Lavertye.  These  were  granted  on  April 
loth,  1326,  to  Panciusde  Controne,  the  King's  physician, 
for  life,  to  secure  him  an  annuity  of  £100  per  annum  so 
long  as  he  should  stay  in  this  country.  Francis  de 
Aldham  was  at  the  Battle  of  Borough  bridge  16th  March, 
1322,  and  was  taken  prisoner,  and  afterwards  sentenced 


EAST   GRINSTEAD   AND   ITS    MANORS.  Ill 

to  be  drawn  for  acts  of  treason  and  to  be  hanged  for 
homicides  and  robbery  committed  by  him,  which  sentence 
was  executed  at  Windsor. 

Brambletye  seems,  however,  shortly  to  have  reverted 
to  the  Aldhams,  for  we  find  (1  Edward  III.,  1326-7)  that 
a  Francis  de  Aldeham  held  on  the  day  of  his  death  the 
Manor  of  Brambletye  of  the  King  in  chief,  as  of  the 
Honour  of  the  Eagle,  by  the  service  of  half  a  knight's  fee, 
a  whole  knight's  fee  being  then  640  acres  of  land  under 
cultivation.  In  this  family  it  seems  to  have  continued 
until  1336,  when  John,  son  of  John  Seynclere,  was 
declared  to  be  the  nearest  heir.  He  died  in  1389,  and 
upon  an  inquisition  taken  it  appeared  that  he  had  held 
Brambletye  of  the  Duke  of  Lancaster  as  of  the  Honour 
of  the  Eagle.  In  1386-7  John  Seyntclere  held  jointly 
with  Mary,  his  wife,  inter  alia,  the  Manors  of  Brambletye 
and  Lavertye.  Thomas  Seyntclere  is  mentioned  in  1412 
as  having  lands  in  East  Grinstead  of  the  yearly  value  of 
£10,  and  a  certain  annuity  receivable  from  the  Lordship 
of  Lewes  of  £20.  Thomas  Sender  (the  name  occurs 
variously  spelt),  of  East  Grinstead,  Heigh  ton,  &c.,  was 
at  the  Battle  of  Agincourt  25th  October,  1415.  In  1411-2 
John  Pelham  (a  connection  of  the  Seyntclere  family)  had, 
inter  alia,  "  the  Manor  of  Bembiltye  £2,  and  the  Manor 
of  Lavertye,  worth  nothing  beyond  reprises ; "  that  is, 
yearly  deductions,  duties,  charges,  &c.  According  to  the 
Felham  deeds,  in  1422,  Heyton  St.  Clare  has  a  certain 
park  called  Lavertye.  This  park  and  the  house  were 
returned  as  worth  nothing,  beyond  the  upkeep  of  the 
fencing  of  the  park  and  of  the  ditches ;  to  the  same  park 
belonged  100  acres  of  arable  land,  of  which  the  value  per 
annum  was  put  at  6d.  per  acre,  and  12  acres  of  meadow 
valued  at  16d.  per  annum  and  assessed  at  20s.  It  was 
then  still  held  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster  as  of  the  Honour 
of  the  Eagle. 

In  1428  Galfridus  Motte,  a  priest,  re-conveyed  to 
William  Cheyne,  Knt.,  and  others,  inter  alia,  his  right 
in  the  Manor  of  Brambletye ;  William  Cheyne  had  lands 
in  Dalyngregg  (Dallingridge),  in  East  Grinstead,  worth 
£4  yearly.  The  Manor  of  Brambletye  was  in  the 


112  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

possession  of  Sir  Thomas  Seyntclere  at  his  death,  6th 
May,  1435.  He  left  three  daughters  co- heiresses — 
Elizabeth,  then  aged  12;  Eleanor,  11  ;  and  Edith,  nine 
years.  The  property  was  held  of  the  King  by  military 
service  and  was  worth  100s.  a  year.  Brambletye  came 
to  his  eldest  daughter,  Elizabeth,  who  married,  firstly, 
William  Lovell,  by  whom  she  had  one  son,  Henry,  who 
died,  leaving  two  daughters  co-heiresses,  Elizabeth  and 
Agnes,  and,  secondly,  she  married  Richard  Lewkenor. 
On  10th  December,  1473,  a  jury  found  that  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Richard  Lewkenor  and  daughter  of  Margaret 
Seyntclere,  was  the  co-heiress  of  Sir  William  Bulleyn. 
Richard  Lewkenor  is  the  first  person  of  that  name  who 
is  described  as  of  Brambletye.  He  probably  built  the 
house  at  Brambletye  which  preceded  the  one  now  in 
ruins. 

In  1503  died  Sir  Reginald  Bray,  who  married  Catherina, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  Hussey,  who  was  described  as  of 
Brambletye,  and  was  probably  a  relative  of  the  Lewkenors. 

In  1551  a  return  was  made  of  the  extent  of  all  the 
manors,  &c.,  being  the  inheritance  of  Harry  Wyndsor, 
Esq.,  an  idiot  (committed  to  the  care  of  Sir  Andrew 
Dudley),  and  Constance,  wife  of  Thomas  Ryve,  Esq., 
was  declared  his  sister  and  next  heir  apparent,  his 
moiety  of  the  Manor  of  Brambletye  and  Lavortye  being 
£16  per  annum. 

In  the  will  of  John  Shery  (archdeacon  of  Lewes  and 
precentor  of  St.  Paul's),  dated  1st  August,  1552,  proved 
in  November  following,  he  leaves  to  his  nephew,  John 
Monke  (possibly  John  the  Monk),  "my  parte  moite  and 
purparte  of  the  Manors  of  Bravelly  and  Lainerty  in 
Grynsted  and  Hartfield."  In  1589  William  and  John 
Shrev,  or  Sherry,  or  Sheref,  seem  to  have  been  connected 
with  the  Manor. 

A  family  of  the  name  of  Pickas,  Pycas,  or  Pykas, 
were  at  Brambletye  circa  1579.  James  Pickas  held  it 
in  this  year.  John  Payne  held  the  Tanhouse  Mead  of 
three  acres  in  East  Grin  stead  of  James  Pickas,  gent., 
as  of  his  Manor  of  Brambletie,  in  free  socage  by  fealty 
and  rent  of  7d.,  the  mead  being  valued  at  6s.  Drew 


EAST    GRINSTEAD   AND    ITS    MANORS.  113 

Pickesse  was  returned,  1st  October,  1586,  as  M.P.  for 
East  Grinstead,  and  in  1589  was  found  seized  of  the 
Manor  of  Brambletye. 

On  25th  May,  1588,  Thomas  Cure  died  seized  of 
the  Manor  of  Lavortye,  leaving  George  his  eldest  son 
and  heir.  This  Thomas  Cure  was  the  donor  of  the  Seal 
to  the  Borough  Town  of  East  Grinstead  in  1572. 

In  1603  Thomas,  Lord  Buckhurst,  possessed  the  Manor 
of  Brambletye;  1610  to  1621  Richard  Earl  of  Dorset 
held  it  of  the  King  as  of  his  Honour  of  Aquila  at  the 
value  of  £4. 

The  property  next  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
Comptons,  and  to  Sir  Henry  Compton  is  ascribed  the 
building  of  the  house  which  now  stands  in  ruins. 

Henry,  Baron  Compton,  of  Compton  Wynyates,  who 
died  in  1589,  married  Lady  Frances  Hastings,  who  died 
in  1574,  and  then  Anne,  (laughter  of  Sir  John  Spencer 
and  widow  of  Lord  Monteagle.  Sir  Henry  Compton,  of 
Brambletye,  was  a  son  of  this  second  marriage.  He 
married  Lady  Cecille,  daughter  of  Robert  Sackville,  Earl 
of  Dorset,  who  bore  him  three  daughters  and  four  sons. 
The  second  son,  Henry,  was  slain  in  a  duel  by  Lord 
Chandos  and  was  buried  at  East  Grinstead  in  June, 
1652.  The  fourth  son,  Thomas,  was  the  last  of  the 
family  to  possess  Brambletye. 

The  family  resided  here  during  part  of  the  Common- 
wealth, 1649-1659,  and  James  Compton,  the  son  of  Sir 
Henry  Compton,  died  there  on  28th  July,  1659,  and 
was  buried  at  Withyham,  which  circumstance  disposes 
of  the  report  that  the  house  was  destroyed  in  the  time  of 
Cromwell.  The  last  Court  held  by  the  Comptons  was 
on  January  13th,  1660,  the  year  of  the  Restoration,  and 
was  the  first  act  of  the  then  proprietor,  George  Compton, 
on  the  return  to  peaceable  times. 

Sir  James  Richards  next  lived  at  Brambletye.  He  was 
of  a  French  family,  his  father  having  come  into  England 
with  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  the  unfortunate  wife  of 
Charles  I.  For  saving  several  men  of  war  James 
Richards  was  knighted  and  afterwards — February  22nd, 
1683-4 — was  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  baronet,  being  then 


114  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

described  as  "of  Brambletye  House."  He  is  the  last 
known  occupier  of  the  mansion,  or  castle,  as  it  is  now 
termed.  It  is  said  that  the  owner  was  suspected  of 
treasonable  practices,  and  officers,  on  visiting  the  house, 
found  there  a  considerable  quantity  of  arms  and  military 
stores.  The  owner,  whoever  he  may  have  been,  was 
then  out  hunting,  and  getting  wind  of  the  discovery, 
never  returned  to  his  house.  It  may  have  been  this  same 
baronet,  for  he  is  known  to  have  married,  as  his  second 
wife,  a  Spanish  lady,  named  Beatrice  Herrara,  and  to 
have  quitted  this  country  and  settled  in  Spain,  where 
some  of  his  descendants  rose  to  high  positions  in  the 
army  of  that  country.  The  fourth  baronet  was  Sir 
Philip  Richards,  a  general  officer  in  the  Spanish  service. 
He  married  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Montemar, 
but  of  this  baronet  or  his  descendants  nothing  further  is 
known. 

No  Court  appears  to  have  been  held  after  1660  until 
August  19th,  1714,  when  the  Biddulphs  held  their  first 
Court.  They  purchased  the  Manor  about  1673.  In  1774 
Charles  Biddulph,  of  Burton,  near  Arundel,  was  owner 
of  the  Manor  and  of  the  lands  his  ancestors  purchased. 
In  1790  John  Biddulph  held  it,  and  it  continued  in  that 
family  until  1866,  when  the  late  Mr.  Donald  Larnach 
purchased  the  land,  but  not  the  manorial  rights,  and 
built  the  existing  mansion,  which  was  partially  destroyed 
by  fire  on  September  18th,  1903,  but  immediately 
re-built. 

The  present  Lords  of  the  Manor  are  Mr.  J.  R.  Fearless 
and  Mr.  R.  W.  Fearless,  of  East  Grinstead,  who  hold 
the  lordship  jointly  as  Trustees  of  their  late  father,  Mr. 
William  Fearless.  The  Manor,  according  to  the  accounts 
of  Mr.  Geo.  Bankin,  who  was  steward  in  1782,  consisted 
chiefly  of  freehold  tenants,  who  held  of  the  lord  by 
fealty,  suit  of  court,  heriot,  relief  and  other  ser\7ices  and 
certain  yearly  rents.  The  best  beast  was  due  for  a 
heriot,  for  every  tenement  of  which  a  tenant  died  seized. 
Some  of  the  copyholds  were  subject  to  heriot  in  kind 
and  fineable  at  the  lord's  will.  Other  copyholds  were 
stinted  as  to  heriot  and  fine, 


EAST   GRINSTEAD   AND    ITS   MANORS.  115 

Lavertye  or  Lavortye  seems  to  have  been  a  sub- 
feudation  of  the  Manor  of  Brambletye,  and  the  two  have 
not  always  been  held  by  the  same  person.  In  1691 
John  Newnham,  the  elder,  gent.,  was  seized  of  the  Manor 
of  Lavertye  and  500  acres  of  land  thereto  belonging.  In 
this  family  it  seems  to  have  remained  until  1774.  In 
1793  an  Act  was  passed  for  investing  the  fee  simple  of 
part  of  the  Manor  and  estates  of  Lavertye  in  East 
Grinstead,  in  John  Trayton  Fuller,  of  Ashdown  House, 
who  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Augustus  Elliott  Fuller, 
whose  daughter  Clara  married  Sir  George  Tapps,  Bart., 
who  afterwards  assumed  the  name  of  Tapps  Gervis.  His 
daughter  Clara  (Miss  Tapps  Gervis)  is  the  present  life 
tenant  of  the  Ashdown  House  Estate  and  the  Manor  of 
Lavortye. 

IMBERHORNE. 

This  is  a  very  widespread  Manor,  over  which  Lord 
Sackville  now  exercises  rights.  In  the  early  days  it  was 
in  the  possession  of  the  Priory  of  St.  Pancras  at  Lewes, 
and  possibly  included  a  gift  of  100  solidates  or  one  hide 
of  land  made  by  Alured  de  Bendeville  and  Sibilla  his 
wife  to  the  monks  of  Lewes  and  confirmed  by  King 
Stephen. 

In  1288  Roger  de  Sautknappe  gave  up  to  the  Monks 
of  Lewes  all  the  rights  which  he  had  in  a  certain  land 
called  Hengteswynde,  in  the  Manor  of  Hymberhorne. 
There  is  an  extremely  interesting  deed  preserved  of 
about  the  year  1336  which,  reduced  to  modern  language, 
shows  that  Peter  de  Joceux,  then  Prior  of  Lewes, 
granted  to  Walter  le  Fyke  and  his  heirs  for  ever  a  field 
called  Feldlonde,  which  abutted  on  the  road  leading 
from  East  Grinstead  to  Imberhorne,  on  payment  of  a 
yearly  rent  of  4s.  and  the  customary  heriots,  the  new 
owner  to  make  "  suit  at  our  Court  of  Imberhorne  for  the 
said  tenement  from  three  weeks  to  three  weeks  for 
ever."  He  was  never  to  part  with  it  except  to  the 
Priory  of  St.  Pancras  so  long  as  they  were  minded  to 
give  for  it  as  much  as  would  be  offered  in  good  faith  by 


a  stranger. 


i  2 


116  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

In  1537  the  Manor  was  granted  to  Thomas,  Lord 
Cromwell.  A  few  years  later  it  came  by  exchange 
into  the  hands  of  William,  Earl  of  Arundel,  who 
held  it  for  about  12  years  and  then  granted  the 
Manor  to  the  Crown  in  exchange  for  other  lands. 
From, the  Royal  hands  it  passed  to  the  Sackvilles,  who 
have  long  since  sold  all  the  lands,  but  have  retained  the 
manorial  rights.  In  1567,  according  to  an  inquest  held 
at  Cokefield  to  ascertain  the  estates  of  Stephen  Bord, 
Lord  Bukherst  was  then  the  owner  of  this  Manor ; 
Stephen  Bord  holding  Racies  of  the  Manor  by  fealty  and 
rent  of  3d.,  and  numerous  records  since  show  that  it  has 
never  left  the  possession  of  the  family.  The  last  Court- 
leet  was  held  at  the  Crown  Hotel,  East  Grinstead,  about 
20  years  ago,  when  the  only  tenant  who  put  in  an 
appearance  to  do  homage  and  be  sworn  in  on  the  silver 
rods  was  Mr.  Head,  of  Kingscote  Nursery.  He  paid  a 
penny  and  had  a  glass  of  whiskey  and  a  cigar  in  return. 
The  custom  of  Borough-English  is  believed  to  have  at 
one  time  prevailed  in  connection  with  this  Manor — a 
custom  whereby  entailed  property  went  to  the  youngest 
son.  The  Plawhatch  estate  was  originally  part  of  the 
Manor. 

SHOVELSTRODE. 

This  was  a  fairly  large  Manor  owned  in  the  12th  and 
13th  centuries  by  an  important  family  bearing  the  same 
name  as  the  estate.  In  the  reign  of  Henry  VII.  it 
belonged  to  John  Aske,  whose  family  had  long  held  it, 
but  who  was  convicted  of  high  treason  and  forfeited  his 
possessions  to  the  King,  by  whom  the  Manor  was 
granted,  under  a  patent  dated  August  23rd,  1536,  to  Sir 
John  Gage  and  his  heirs.  It  was  charged,  at  one  time, 
with  6s.  a  year,  due  to  the  King  in  respect  of  his  Forest 
of  Ashdown. 

Sir  John  Gage,  K.G.  (1481-1557),  of  Firle,  was 
Constable  of  the  Tower  of  London  and  an  eminent 
statesman  and  general.  His  tomb  may  still  be  seen  in 
the  church  of  West  Firle,  with  the  recumbent  figures  of 
himself  and  his  wife  beautifully  sculptured  in  marble. 


EAST   GRINSTEAD   AND    ITS   MANORS.  117 

Sir  Edward  Gage,  son  of  Sir  John  Gage,  K.G.,  who 
died  on  December  26th,  1567,  was  seized  of  the  Manor 
and  by  his  will : — 

In  consideration  of  her  years  and  the  number  of  children  it  hath 
pleased  Almighty  God  to  send  me  of  her  body,  for  the  which  I  take 
myself  to  be  more  bound  and  thankful  to  Him  than  for  all  the  worldly 
goods  and  treasures,  I  give  to  my  said  well-beloved  wife  Elizabeth 
further  all  the  whole  rest  of  my  Manors  of  Hedgecourt  and  Burstowe 
and  my  Manor  of  Marisfield  and  all  my  lands  in  Estgrinsted. 

At  an  inquest  held  at  Lewes  on  March  23rd  following 
it  appeared  that  the  Manor  of  Shovelstrode  was  held  of 
the  Queen  in  chief  by  service  of  part  of  a  knight's  fee 
and  was  worth  £14.  19s.  lOd. 

On  April  12th,  1614,  John  Avenn  became  tenant  of 
the  site  and  demesne  lands  of  the  Manor  for  21  years  at 
an  annual  rental  of  £55,  one  fat  bullock  and  six  capons. 
Subsequent  owners  of  all  or  portions  of  the  Manor  were 
Robert  Goodwyn  and  his  son-in-law,  John  Conyers,  who 
both  represented  East  Grinstead  in  Parliament,  Sir 
William  Gage,  Bart.  (1718),  Sir  John  Major  (1773),  Sir 
John  Henniker,  Bart.  (1787),  and  the  Harcourt  family 
(1835).  The  early  Court  Rolls  of  this  Manor  are 
preserved  among  the  manuscripts  of  Lord  Gage,  of 
Firle  Park,  near  Lewes. 

PLACELAND. 

This  was  formerly  a  Manor  known  also  by  the  names 
of  Haskenden,  Harkenden  or  Stone  Rocks.  According 
to  the  Burrell  MSS.  it  was  contained  within  the  parish 
of  East  Grinstead,  and  on  an  inquisition  held  in  1593 
William  Ridder  was  found  seized  of  it.  In  1627,  at  a 
Court  held  for  the  Manor  of  Horsted  Keynes  Broad- 
hurst,  a  presentment  was  made  that  Robert  Goodwyn, 
the  Covenanter  M.P.  for  East  Grinstead,  held  to  himself 
and  his  heirs  "  a  Manor  freely  called  Stonrocks,  alias 
Haskinden  alias  Placeland  by  the  rent  of  5d.  yearly." 

In  1579  John  Payne  died  seized  of  a  field  called 
Conyclappers,  held  of  John  Duffeld,  jun.,  as  of  his  Manor 
of  Hakenden  in  free  socage  by  fealty  and  rent  of  Id., 
the  field  being  worth  £4. 


118  HISTORY   OF    EAST   GKINSTEAD. 

* 

The  Manor  of  Horsted  Keyries  Broadhurst,  also 
comprised,  in  East  Grinstead,  the  Lanefeld  of  10  acres, 
Tannershyll  of  seven  acres,  and  Stonefeeld  of  10  acres, 
Nicholas  Lewkenor  and  Richard  Michelborn  being  the 
joint  Lords  a  couple  of  centuries  ago. 

At  a  much  earlier  date  there  was  a  religious  house 
known  as  East  Grinstead  Place,  situate  possibly  in  or  near 
the  field  now  lying  between  the  Institute  and  Placeland 
stables.  From  this  is  evidently  derived  the  name  Place- 
land.  The  Moat  Pond  and  the  Dean  Fields  may  have  had 
some  connection  with  this  religious  house.  Placeland 
at  one  time  belonged  to  Nicholas  Firminger,  who  left  it 
to  his  wife  Frances  for  life,  with  remainder  to  his  and  her 
daughter,  also  named  Frances.  The  family  of  the  present 
owners,  the  Hasties,  like  their  cousins,  the  Nairnes,  were 
settled  in  Scotland  prior  to  the  Jacobite  rising  of  1745. 
After  the  rising  many  members  of  both  families  were 
attainted  by  Act  of  the  Scotch  Parliament  and  they  fled 
to  the  Court  of  France.  Archibald  Hastie,  with  his  two 
sons,  Hepburn  (who  became  in  1799  a  Director  of  the 
Westminster  Fire  Office)  and  James,  returned  to  London 
between  1750  and  1760.  They  took  building  leases 
from  the  then  Duke  of  Portland  and  laid  out  a  number 
of  important  areas,  including  Harley  Place,  Devonshire 
Place,  &c.  These  leases  remained  in  the  family  for  99 
years,  the  last  of  them  expiring  about  1870.  Hepburn's 
son,  Charles  Nairne  Hastie,  was  a  London  solicitor  in 
partnership  with  the  solicitor  to  the  then  Duke  of 
Portland,  and  used  to  stay  with  his  cousins,  the  Nairnes 
of  Barnets  Place,  who  owned  much  of  the  parishes  of 
West  Hoathly  and  Horsted  Keynes.  While  there  he 
met  and  married  the  only  daughter  of  Nicholas  and 
Frances  Firminger,  and  so  became  in  time  possessed  of 
Placeland,  where  he  came  to  reside  soon  after  the 
marriage.  Representatives  of  the  family  have  ever  since 
been  in  residence  there.  A  former  occupier  of  the 
property  was  John  Ready,  one  of  whose  relatives  entered 
the  Army  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  Major-General,  being 
afterwards  appointed  Governor  of  the  Isle  of  Man.  His 
daughter  Mary  married  Dr.  Charles  Milner,  and  their 


EAST   GKINSTEAD   AND   ITS   MANOES.  119 

son  is  Lord  Milner,  the  famous  statesman  and  late  High 
Commissioner  of  South  Africa. 


DUDDLESWELL. 

In  1650  this  Manor  comprised  in  the  parish  of  East 
Grinstead  :  "  One  messuage  or  tenem4  one  barne  and 
certaine  assart  lands  called  leggs  heath"  containing  10 
acres  and  rented  at  Is.  per  annum ;  "  one  tenem*  called 
Brockets  als  Tyces  al  Tavels  and  one  barne  and  3  crofts 
of  assert  lands  at  Plawhatch  "  of  four  acres  at  9s  ;  "  one 
cottage  and  one  pcell  of  land  called  the  Clay  Pitts"  of 
2^  acres  at  Is.;  "ij  peeces  of  assert  lands  called  Clay- 
pitts"  of  six  acres  at  2s.;  and  "two  pcells  of  assert 
lands  called  Twy fords  "  of  seven  acres  at  Is.  6d.  At 
this  same  date  there  was  held  for  this  Manor,  according 
to  the  returns  of  the  Commissioners  appointed  to  report 
on  the  royal  lands,  "a  Court  Barron  or  three  weekes 
court,  still  continued  from  three  weeks  to  three"  for 
trial  of  actions  under  20s.  The  jurisdiction  of  this 
Court  extended  over  the  Hundred,  the  Town  and  the 
Borough  of  East  Grinstead.  The  tenants  of  the  Manor 
had  to  perform  their  service  at  these  Courts.  There  was 
also  the  Aves  Court  held  annually  on  the  next  Tuesday 
after  All  Saints  Day  and  the  Woodmote  Court  held  three 
weeks  later.  At  the  former  the  tenants  had  to  pay  their 
fees  for  turning  out  cattle  on  the  Forest  "yearely  for  a 
bullocke  half  a  penny,  and  for  a  horse  a  penny,"  and  at 
the  latter  Court  make  presentments  of  abuses  of  customs, 
of  encroachments,  &c.  The  custom  of  this  Manor  was 
for  land  to  descend  to  the  eldest  son  or  daughter,  who 
had  to  pay  one  year's  quit  rent  for  admission  upon 
decease.  A  heriot  of  best  beast  was  payable  on  death 
or  surrender.  Mr.  Barchard  is  the  present  Lord  of  this 
Manor. 

MINOR  MANORS. 

Walhill  was  probably  at  one  period  part  of  the  Manor 
of  Imberhorne,  but  in  time  became  distinct  and  may  be 
the  Warlege  referred  to  in  Domesday  Book. 


120  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

John  Culpeper  died  at  Wakehurst  on  March  25th, 
1565,  leaving  as  his  son  and  heir  Thomas  Culpeper. 
He  died  seized  of  divers  lands  and  tenements  in  East 
Grinstead  and  elsewhere,  held  of  Sir  Thomas  Browne 
by  fealty  only  as  of  his  Manor  of  Walstead.  When  an 
inquisition  was  taken  after  the  death  of  Thomas  Culpeper 
in  1571  this  was  confirmed. 

From  a  petition  presented  to  Parliament  on  February 
23rd,  1802,  by  certain  inhabitants  of  East  Grinstead  it 
appeared  that  there  was  "  a  certain  common  and  waste 
land  called  Ashurst  Wood  lying  and  being  within  the 
Manor  of  Ashurst,  or  Grinsted  Wild,  or  Walhill  Manor," 
and  the  petitioners  set  forth  that  it  might  be  much 
improved  if  enclosed,  divided  into  allotments  and  dis- 
tributed among  them.  In  1835  the  Manor  of  Ashurst, 
or  Grinsted  Wild,  or  Walhill,  belonged  to  the  Earl  of 
Burlington,  from  whose  family  it  was  purchased  by  the 
late  Mr.  William  Fearless,  whose  two  sons  and  Trustees 
are  the  present  Lords  of  this  Manor. 

The  Manor  of  Standen  was  subordinate  to  the  Manor 
of  Imberhorne,  but  Horsfield  states  that  it  paid  quit 
rents,  and  courts  were  held  for  it  down  to  1835. 

The  Manor  of  Brockhurst  is  possibly  the  Biochest  of 
Domesday  Book.  Its  records  are  very  scanty,  but  we 
do  know  that  in  1574  it  belonged  to  Philip,  Earl  of 
Surrey,  and  that  it  then  chiefly  consisted  of  freehold 
tenements  held  of  the  Lord  by  fealty  and  certain  rents 
and  heriots.  The  custom  of  Borough-English  prevailed 
in  regard  to  it.  By  an  inquisition  taken  at  Horsham 
in  1606-7  it  appears  to  have  been  subordinate  to  the 
Manor  of  Sheffield-Grensted,  of  which  it  was  held  by 
John  Leedes  by  fealty  and  4d.  rent  yearly. 

The  Manors  of  Hazelden  (granted  by  Henry  VIII.  to 
John  Baker,  his  Attorney-General),  Bysshecourt  and 
Maresfield  (which  included  the  Priory,  Forest  Row  and 
100  acres  of  land)  were  also  partly  in  the  parish  of  East 
Grinstead. 

There  was  also  a  Manor  of  Mayes  within  the  parish, 
and  in  1624  it  belonged  to  Richard,  Earl  of  Dorset. 
John  Gowland,  apothecary  to  the  King,  owned  it  150 


EAST    GRINSTEAD   AND    ITS   MANORS.  121 

years  later,  and  he  sold  it  to  Mr.  Gibbs  Crawfurd,  who 
exercised  Lordship  over  it  from  1786  to  1790. 

The  Bower  was  a  reputed  Manor  in  East  Grinstead  and 
Hartfield,  and  Goddenwick  another  in  East  Grinstead, 
owned  in  1788  by  Mr.  Gibbs  Crawfurd.  There  is  still  a 
Bower  Farm  at  Hammerwood.  Goddenwick  Manor 
possibly  extended  to  Lindfield  and  was  connected  with 
Mr.  Gibbs  Crawfurd's  estate  there. 

Pixton's  was  also  a  reputed  Manor,  and  in  1507  we  find 
John  Payne,  senior,  of  Forest  Row,  leaving  to  his  widow 
for  life  the  Manor  called  Pyckestorms. 


THE  PAROCHIAL  CHARITIES. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  following  particulars  of  the  charities  of  East 
Grinstead  have  been  gathered  from  the  manuscript  and 
printed  records  in  the  Charity  Commissioners'  office  and 
from  other  sources : — 

THE  ALMSHOUSES. 

There  are  eight  very  small  old  cottages,  situate  well 
back  from  the  London  Road,  opposite  the  White  Lion 
Hotel,  which  have  always  been  known  as  "The  Alms- 
houses."  It  is  supposed  that  they  were  left  to  the  town 
by  Richard  Lewkenor,  of  Brain  bletye,  or  his  wife,  Lady 
Katherine.  The  only  direct  evidence  that  they  so  left 
such  a  property  is  furnished  by  an  inscription  on  a  brass 
now  fixed  to  the  east  wall  of  East  Grinstead  Church. 
This  has  often  been  quoted  in  whole  or  in  part,  but  rarely 
correctly  given.  It  reads : — 

Here  under  this  marbille  stone  lyeth  Dame  Kateryne  Ore}',  daughter 
of  Thomas,  some  tyme  Lorde  S  (*)  lis,  wyff  to  Sir  Thomas  Grey, 
Knyght  and  banneret,  and  after  wyff  unto  the  Honorable  Esquyer 
Richard  Lewkener  the  elder  of  Brambilletey  and  oon  of  the  ladys  to 
Quene  Elizabeth,  wyff  of  blessed  memory  Edward  iiijthe  and  after- 
warde  to  Quene  Elizabeth,  wyff  unto  owre  Soffereyne  Lorde  Kyng 
Harry  the  vijtbe  the  wiche  passed  owte  of  this  transsitory  worlde  the 
ixth  day  of  June  the  yere  of  owre  Lorde  Grod  M'CCCCCV.  ;  and  the  same 
Dame  Kateryne  and  Richard  her  husbonde  have  fownded,  indued  and 
inorned  thys  present  Churche  of  Estgrenested  to  the  lawde  and  honor 
of  God  in  dyvers  ornamentis  and  a  almess  howse  of  iij  parsons  on 
whose  sowlis  Ihu  for  thy  bitter  passion  have  on  them  thy  mercyffulle 
compassyon.  Amen. 

This  brass  was  rescued  from  the  ruins  of  the  church, 
inserted  in  a  tablet  of  marble,  and  placed  on  the  east  wall 
by  Thomas  Wakeham,  of  the  Hermitage,  in  1798. 

There  is  not  the  slightest  record  concerning  the  alms- 
houses  to  be  found  anywhere.  In  1835  the  Charity 

*  The  brass  is  here  pierced  and  a  few  letters  (possibly  "  ca  ")  obliterated. 


THE    PAROCHIAL    CHARITIES.  123 

Commissioners  made  an  investigation,  and  ascertained 
that  they  were  occupied  by  labouring  people,  whose  only 
right  seemed  to  rest  on  permission  given,  as  vacancies 
occurred,  by  Mr.  George  Bankin,  Steward  of  the  Manor 
of  Brambletye,  to  whom  all  applications  were  made. 
This  had  for  many  years  been  the  custom.  The  Lord  of 
the  Manor  claimed  no  right  in  connection  with  the  houses, 
and  Mr.  Bankin  had  granted  to  such  persons  as  he  thought 
deserving  the  privilege  of  living  in  the  different  tene- 
ments, without  entertaining  the  slightest  notion  of  any 
legal  power  vested  in  him  to  do  so.  In  many  cases  the 
privilege  had  descended  from  parent  to  child.  The 
repairs  were  always  done  by  the  occupants,  and  when 
Mr.  Bankin  died  those  then  in  residence  retained  posses- 
sion and  the  property  became  "  key  hold,"  the  only 
evidence  of  ownership  being  the  holding  of  the  door- 
key.  The  houses  have  since  been  several  times  sold,  but 
all  early  title  deeds  are  missing.  The  general  belief  that 
they  were  the  almshouses  referred  to  in  the  inscrip- 
tion quoted  above  is  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  the 
founders  lived  at  Brambletye,  and  that  the  Steward  of 
that  Manor  long  exercised  the  right  of  nominating  the 
tenants. 

The  houses  in  Church  Street,  which  face  the  church- 
yard, are  described  in  some  of  the  title  deeds  as  "The 
Old  Almshouses,"  and  it  is  possible  that  they  once  con- 
stituted one  of  the  local  charities  and  were  the  houses 
referred  to  in  the  will  dated  December  12th,  1579,  of 
John  Payne,  of  the  town  of  East  Grinstead,  which  con- 
tained the  following  :— 

Item  I  give  unto  James  Duff  eld,  Stephen  Ffrenche  and  George 
Harman  churchwardens  of  Estegrensted  and  to  their  successors  wardens 
there  for  ever  to  the  only  use  of  the  most  needy  poor  persons  of 
Estegrensted  all  that  tenement  and  orchard  which  I  late  leased  to  one 
John  Hastinges  and  which  was  formerly  in  the  possession  of  one  .  .  . 
widdow  paying  the  services  due  to  the  lord  thereof. 

He  died  on  January  19th,  1580,  and  in  the  report  of 
an  inquest  held  at  East  Grinstead  on  March  21st  following 
all  the  words  quoted  above  are  scratched  out,  as  though 
the  testator  had  altered  his  mind,  or  the  writer  of  the 


124  HISTORY    OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

inquest   report   had  made  an  error,   but  the  following 
appears  as  a  codicil  to  the  same  will : — 

He  did  bequeath  and  give  by  words  nuncupative  unto  James 
Duffeilde,  Stephen  ffrench  and  George  Harman  churchwardens  of 
East  Greensteade  and  their  successors  wardens  there  for  ever  to  the 
onlie  use  of  the  most  neede  poore  persons  of  East  Greensteade  all  that 
tenement  or  orcharde  wth  th'app'tancs  wh  he  late  leased  to  one  John 
Hastings  and  wch  was  sometime  possessed  of  one  Baylies  widow  paying 
the  services  to  the  chiefe  lorde  thereof. 

The  above  testator,  John  Payne,  was  son  of  George 
Payne,  of  East  Grinstead,  who  died  in  1538,  grandson 
of  John  Payne,  of  Pixtons,  in  Forest  Row,  who  died  in 
1507,  and  an  ancestor  of  Robert  Payne,  who  founded 
the  free  school  in  East  Grinstead  in  1708. 

HENRY  SMITH'S   CHARITY. 

This  ancient  and  very  widespread  charity  has  a  deeply 
interesting  history.  Henry  Smith,  commonly  known  as 
"  Dog  Smith,"  was  a  citizen  and  alderman  of  London, 
and  by  a  deed  dated  October  20th,  1620,  he  conveyed 
all  his  real  estates  in  Sussex,  Middlesex  and  London  for 
charitable  uses,  subject  to  the  Trustees  paying  him  £500 
a  year  for  his  own  use.  He  at  first  retained  power  of 
revocation,  but  after  a  time  withdrew  this,  and  then, 
becoming  dissatisfied,  brought  an  action  against  his 
Trustees,  and  as  a  result,  in  a  decree  dated  June  20th, 
1626,  they  were  ordered  to  let  him  have  the  use,  for  life, 
of  his  mansion  in  Silver  Street,  London,  and  all  the 
profits  arising  therefrom.  In  a  deed  bearing  date  January 
20th,  1626-7,  he  fully  set  forth  his  intentions  as  to  the 
class  of  people  he  desired  to  benefit  by  his  large 
gifts.  His  primary  intention  was  to  help  the  poor  and 
infirm  and  he  ordered  that  none  of  his  money  was  to  go 
"  to  or  for  the  relief  of  any  persons  who  should  be  given 
to  excessive  drinking,  common  swearers,  pilferers,  or 
otherwise  notoriously  scandalous,  or  to  any  persons  that 
should  have  been  incorrigible  or  disobedient  to  those 
whose  servants  they  should  have  been  or  to  any  vagrant 
persons."  He  further  directed  that  all  recipients  of  his 
bounty  must  have  resided  five  years  in  the  parish  before 


THE    PAROCHIAL    CHARITIES.  125 

receiving  the  relief  and,  if  able,  must  have  worked  when 
work  was  offered  them.  He  died  on  January  3rd, 
1627-8,  aged  79,  and  by  his  will,  dated  April  24th,  1627, 
he  greatly  augmented  his  previous  gifts.  The  extent 
of  the  estate  to  be  administered  may  be  gathered  from  a 
Parliamentary  report  issued  in  August,  1828.  At  that 
date  the  Trustees  of  the  charity  held  4,047  acres  of  land, 
yielding  a  rental  of  £3,760.  4s.  lOd.  per  annum;  from  a 
further  unstated  quantity  the  sum  of  £95  was  realised ; 
tithes  brought  in  another  £520.  8s.  4d.  per  annum ;  and 
the  average  profits  of  a  manor  were  £186.  13s.  4d.  In 
addition  nine  houses  yielded  £116.  7s.  6d.  a  year;  fixed 
rent  charges  £215,  and  quit  rents  £56.  19s.  8d.  There 
was  a  further  sum  of  £6,185.  12s.  Id.  invested  in  redeem- 
able consols,  £9,158.  15s.  4d.  in  3  per  cent,  stock  and 
£1,890.  14s.  7d.  in  consolidated  stock,  these  three  last 
items  bringing  in  £508.  6s.  8d.  a  year.  The  Treasurer 
further  had  in  hand  a  cash  sum  of  £2,335.  17s.  lOd. 

On  December  20th,  1641,  a  deed  was  executed  setting 
apart  the  rents  of  a  certain  estate  to  be  divided  among 
21  parishes,  of  which  East  Grinstead  was  one.  It  was 
ordered  that  the  churchwardens  and  overseers  of  this 
parish — the  Vicar,  strange  to  say,  is  not  named — should 
receive  £15,  or  an  equivalent  portion,  this  sum  being 
then  15-220ths  of  the  whole  income  from  this  specific 
estate.  The  income  received  by  East  Grinstead  has 
varied  greatly.  From  1813  to  1818  it  ranged  from 
£30.  Os.  lid.  to  £35.  11s.  6d.;  in  1847  it  was  £40.  7s.  2d.; 
in  1878  it  rose  to  nearly  £60  ;  and  in  1904  it  had  dropped 
to  £17.  15s.  The  estate  in  question  is  called  Stoughton, 
and  consists  of  a  house  and  315-a.  3-r.  9-p.  of  land  in  the 
parishes  of  Stoughton,  Houghton,  Errington  and  Busby, 
in  Leicestershire.  The  first  charge  on  the  rent  is  one  of 
£24.  2s.  8d.,  payable  to  Worth  as  interest  on  £804.  10s.  7d. 
borrowed  from  that  parish  for  the  redemption  of  the  land 
tax  on  Stoughton. 

Up  to  1835  it  had  been  the  custom  to  spend  all  the 
money  received  by  East  Grinstead  on  gowns,  costing 
6s.  6d.  each,  and  giving  them  at  a  public  meeting  to  the 
poor  women  belonging  to  the  parish,  but  not  always 


126  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

residing  in  it.  The  Charity  Commissioners  characterised 
this  as  a  most  undesirable  method  of  dealing  with  the 
money  and  suggested  that  some  more  fitting  appropriation 
of  it  should  be  devised.  Accordingly  a  change  was  made, 
and  general  drapery  goods  have  since  been  purchased  and 
distributed. 

THE  PAYNE   ENDOWMENT. 

This  educational  charity  was  founded  in  the  year 
1708  by  Robert  Payne,  of  Newick,  a  member  of  a  very 
old  East  Grinstead  family  to  which  reference  has  already 
been  made.  In  the  chancel  of  East  Grinstead  Church  is 
a  tablet  bearing  the  following  quaint  inscription  : — 

Sacred 

to  the  Memory  of 
Those  Worthy  Persons  and  Loving  Brothers 

ROBERT  &  HENRY  PAYNE 

of  Newick,  in  this  County,  Gent8 

the  Sons  of  Edward  Payne,  late  of  this  Parish,  Esq. 

True  Friends  to  Monarchy  and  Episcopacy 

Generous  Promoters  of  Piety  and  Charity. 

The  Elder  in  Particular 
Liberally  endowed  a  Free  School  wth  a  farm  call'd  Serreys 

in  Eastgrinsted  for  ever. 

Moreover  they  left  behind  them 

a  Rare  Example  of  Fraternal  Affection 

for  they  lived  together  above  40  years 

without  the  least  interruption  and  with  constant  agreement. 

As  in  Life  united  so  in  Death  not  divided 

for  they  soon  followed  each  other  the  same  year 

and  near  this  Place  are  both  interr'd 

amongst  their  Ancestors. 

£:£&  !   Carted  this  Hfe  {  £££££$  }  o,  his  age. 
An0  Domin  1708. 

On  the  monument  appear  the  arms  of  the  Payne 
family,  quartered  with,  it  is  presumed,  those  of  Yerwood, 
to  which  family  belonged  Hanna,  the  wife  of  Edward 
Payne  and  mother  of  these  two  "  loving  brothers." 

Robert  Payne's  will  was  dated  August  16th,  1708,  the 
same  year  as  he  died,  and  it  contained  the  following : — 

Whereas  I  am  minded  and  intend  to  found  a  Free  Grammar  School 
in  East  Grinstead  aforesaid,  to  teach  and  instruct  the  youth  of  the  said 
parish,  and  to  endow  the  same  with  the  farms  and  lauds  hereinafter 


THE    PAROCHIAL   CHARITIES.  127 

mentioned ;  And  that  my  Trustees  shall  and  may  provide  a  pious  and 
learned  master,  to  teach  in  the  school-house  now  built  in  the  said 
parish,  and  adjoining  to  the  said  church  of  East  Grinstead  aforesaid, 
and  to  be  from  time  to  time  nominated  and  appointed  by  my  said 
Trustees  hereafter  named,  and  the  Vicar  of  East  Grinstead  aforesaid 
for  the  time  being ;  And  for  the  better  maintenance  of  such  school- 
master I  doe  hereby  give  and  devise  unto  the  aforesaid  Eichard  Payne, 
Edward  Payne,  John  Payne,  son  of  the  said  Charles  Payne,  and  to  my 
cousin,  Thomas  Moore,  and  to  John  Staples,  clerk,  now  Vicar  of  East 
Grinstead,  and  to  their  heirs  and  assignes  for  ever,  all  that  my 
messuage  or  tenement,  barns,  buildings,  land  and  hereditaments,  with 
all  the  appurtenances,  commonly  called  Serryes  Farme,  or  by  whatever 
other  name  or  names  called  or  known,  situate,  lying  and  being  in  the 
aforesaid  parish  of  East  Grinstead  and  now  in  the  tenure  or  occupation 
of  the  said  John  Aynscomb  or  his  assignes  ;  To  the  intent  and  purpose 
and  upon  this  trust  and  confidence  that  they  the  said  Eichard  Payne, 
Edward  Payne,  John  Payne,  Thomas  Moore  and  John  Staples,  and 
the  survivors  and  survivor  of  them,  and  his  heirs,  shall  yearly  for  ever 
pay  the  whole  clear  rents  and  profits  of  the  said  farme  (after  the  taxes, 
reparations,  and  their  necessary  charges  and  disbursements  deducted) 
to  such  person  for  the  time  being  as  shall  be  schoolmaster  of  the  said 
school.  And  for  the  continuing  of  the  said  charity  above  mentioned 
for  ever,  I  doe  will  and  appoint,  that  when  all  my  said  Trustees  but 
one  or  two,  shall  be  dead,  then  the  surviving  Trustees  or  Trustee 
shall,  by  his  or  their  deed  of  feoffment  or  other  lawful  conveyance, 
convey  to  six  others  of  the  most  able  and  nearest  relations  of  the  said 
surviving  Trustees  (whereof  the  Vicar  of  East  Grinstead  for  the  time 
being,  to  be  one  of  the  said  Feoffees)  and  to  their  heirs,  All  the  said 
farme,  lands,  and  premises  in  the  occupation  of  the  said  John 
Aynscomb,  or  his  assigns  to  the  respective  uses  and  trusts  aforesaid,  of 
which  said  new  Trustees  or  Feoffees,  after  they  shall  all  be  dead  but 
one  or  two,  the  survivors  or  survivor  in  like  manner  to  convey  to  six 
others  and  their  heirs ;  and  soe  to  be  conveyed  by  the  survivor  or  two 
survivors,  to  six  others  and  their  heirs  for  ever,  in  like  manner,  for  the 
preservation  of  the  said  charity  for  ever,  according  to  the  true  intent 
of  this  my  last  will  and  testament.  Provided  always,  in  case  at  any 
time  hereafter  the  Vicar  of  the  said  parish  of  East  Grinstead,  for  the 
time  being,  or  any  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  parish  of  East 
Grinstead,  shall  hinder  or  molest  the  schoolmaster  of  the  said  intended 
Free  School  to  teach  in  the  said  school-house  adjoining  the  church  of 
East  Grinstead,  then  the  said  devise  of  the  said  farme,  lands  and 
premises  called  Serryes,  to  the  said  Eichard  Payne,  Edward  Payne, 
John  Payne,  Thomas  Moore,  and  John  Staples,  and  their  heirs,  shall 
be  void  ;  and  in  such  case  I  give  and  devise  my  said  farme,  lands,  and 
premises,  called  Serryes,  to  my  own  right  heirs  for  ever.  And  my  further 
will  and  meaning  concerning  the  said  Free  School  is,  that  my  said 
Trustees  and  their  successors  shall  order  and  direct  how  many  scholars 
the  schoolmaster  shall  teach  from  time  to  time,  at  their  discretions. 
And  that  my  Trustees  and  their  successors  shall  have  power  to  let 
leases,  for  one  and  twenty  years,  of  the  said  farme  and  land  called 
Serryes,  from  time  to  time,  at  the  full  improved  rent  thereof. 


128  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Thomas  Moore,  one  of  the  Trustees,  was  son  of  the 
testator's  kinsman,  Eliot  Moore,  of  Wivelsfield,  an  old 
family,  whose  monuments  appear  in  their  Parish  Church. 

For  a  long  time  the  school  was  accommodated  in  the 
vestry  of  the  Parish  Church,  and  the  number  of  scholars 
varied  according  to  the  rent  received  from  the  farm.  In 
the  year  1772  the  school  was  closed  for  a  time,  as  the 
Trustees  could  not  procure  a  master  able  to  teach  Latin  in 
addition  to  other  subjects.  Nearly  three  years  later  the 
following  advertisement  appeared  in  the  Lewes  Journal : — 

Twenty  pounds  a  year  to  teach,  ten  boys.     Apply  to  Elfred  Staples, 
Esquire,  East  Grinstead. 

Mr.  Palmer,  of  Eastbourne,  applied  for  and  obtained 
the  situation,  and  with  the  accumulated  rent  an  additional 
free  scholar  was  added,  making  the  number  eleven.  Then 
came  the  destruction  of  the  church,  and  consequently  the 
school  room,  in  1785.  After  its  re-building  the  vestry 
was  reported  to  be  ready  for  re-occupation  by  the  school 
on  September  24th,  1808.  This  vestry  is  no  less  than  30 
feet  high,  it  having  been  intended,  when  the  church  was 
built,  to  divide  the  space  into  two  rooms,  one  to  be  used 
as  a  vestry,  the  other  as  a  school  room,  but  the  lack  of 
funds  led  to  the  combination  of  the  two.  In  1816  the 
school  was  associated  with  the  National  Society  and 
removed  to  Sackville  College,  where  it  flourished  until 
1839,  when,  owing  to  no  room  being  available,  and  to  a 
quarrel  which  arose  between  the  master  and  trustees,  it 
was  again  suspended  for  about  eight  years.  The  average 
number  of  scholars  was  then  80,  of  whom  25  were  admitted 
free  at  the  expense  of  the  Trust.  The  Charity  Com- 
missioners held  an  inquiry  into  the  matter,  and  in  the 
year  1842  the  Court  of  Chancery  approved  of  a  scheme 
for  the  future  conduct  of  the  school,  which  led  to  bitter 
disputes  between  Churchmen  and  Nonconformists  and  the 
issue  of  strongly  worded  pamphlets  by  the  Rev.  Christopher 
Nevill,  vicar  of  East  Grinstead,  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
Rev.  James  Blomfield,  pastor  of  the  Countess  of  Hunt- 
ingdon's Church,  on  the  other.  This  scheme  set  forth 
that  in  lieu  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages  there  should 


THE    PAROCHIAL   CHARITIES.  129 

be  taught  "  the  English  Language,  Reading,  Writing  and 
Arithmetic,  the  Catechism  of  the  Church  of  England  and 
the  Holy  Scriptures."  The  Trustees  and  master  had  all 
tq  be  members  of  the  Church  of  England,  every  child 
admitted  had  to  produce  a  certificate  of  baptism,  and 
each  Sunday,  Christmas  Day  and  Good  Friday  the 
scholars  had  to  attend,  with  their  master,  at  the  morning 
and  afternoon  services  held  in  the  Parish  Church.  Subject 
to  the  approval  of  the  Trustees  the  master  was  allowed  to 
take  other  than  the  free  scholars.  The  final  clause  in  the 
scheme  was  :— 

That  the  children  of  persons,  dissenters  from  the  Established  Church, 
shall  be  permitted  to  attend  at  the  said  school,  and  shall  be  capable  of 
baing  elected  scholars  of  the  said  charity,  such  children  in  all  respects 
observing  the  directions  and  regulations  of  the  said  Trustees  of  the 
charity. 

The  specific  rules  drafted  by  the  Trustees  under  this 
scheme  incorporated  Psalmody  among  the  subjects 
taught  and  increased  the  number  of  free  children  to  50, 
allowing  others  to  come  in  on  payment  of  one  shilling  a 
week  each  for  one  class  of  scholars  and  fourperice  a  week 
for  another.  The  following  rules  proved  particularly 
objectionable  to  many  : — 

Every  child  taught  in  the  school  is  to  be  brought  to  the  parish 
church  by  the  master,  whenever  that  church  is  opened  for  the  celebra- 
tion of  divine  worship. 

The  school  on  Sunday  is  open  at  nine  in  the  morning,  and  two  in  the 
afternoon,  into  which  are  received  all  children  without  any  payment, 
who  are  unable  to  attend  the  school  during  the  week. 

The  following  rule,  though  quaint,  is  not  of  a  very 
obnoxious  character:  — 

The  master  is  particularly  enjoined,  as  well  by  precept  as  example, 
to  see  that  all  the  children  entrusted  to  his  care,  both  in  school  and 
out  of  school,  behave  themselves  lowly  and  reverently  to  all  their 
betters. 

While  the  school  remained  closed  some  evening  classes 
were  formed  at  Zion  Chapel  and  over  40  children 
attended. 

The  Free  Grammar  School  was  re-opened  on  November 
8th,  1847,  when  it  found  for  a  time  a  habitation  at 


130  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Cromwell  House,  in  the  High  Street,  and  later  on  in 
what  now  forms  part  of  Mr.  J.  B.  All  work's  private 
house.  Then  at  a  cost  of  £5  a  year  Mr.  C.  R.  Duplex, 
who  was  at  that  time  the  master,  hired  a  stable-like 
tenement  of  two  rooms,  which  stood  in  the  corner  of  the 
Hipps  field,  facing  the  cottages  which  now  stand  in  Old 
Road.  Here  the  school  was  carried  on  until  he  retired 
on  a  pension  of  £40  a  year  about  the  year  1880. 

In  1887  the  Charity  Commissioners  formulated  an 
entirely  new  scheme  and  founded  the  Payne  Endowment 
as  it  exists  to-day.  It  is  administered  by  a  body  of 
Governors,  of  whom  the  Vicar  for  the  time  being  is  the 
only  ex-officio  member.  One  other  is  appointed  by  the 
Urban  Council,  one  by  the  Magistrates  for  the  Petty 
Sessional  Division  of  East  Grinstead  and  two  by  the 
Educational  Authority.  There  are  also  three  co-opted 
Governors,  elected  by  the  remainder,  but  the  first 
co-opted  Governors  were  nominated  in  the  scheme  and 
numbered  five.  They  were  Lord  Colchester,  the  late 
Earl  De  la  Warr,  the  late  Mr.  K.  R.  Murchison,  of 
Brockhurst,  the  late  Mr.  H.  R.  Freshfield,  of  Kidbrook, 
and  the  Rev.  A.  J.  Swainson,  Vicar  of  Forest  Row. 
All  religious  differences  were  stifled  by  the  following 
clauses : — 

Religious  opinions  or  attendance  or  non-attendance  at  any  particular 
form  of  religious  worship  shall  not  in  any  way  affect  the  qualification 
of  any  person  for  being  a  Governor  under  this  scheme. 

No  boy  or  girl  shall,  by  reason  of  any  exemption  from  attending 
prayer  or  religious  worship,  or  from  any  lesson  or  series  of  lessons  on 
a  religious  subject,  be  deprived  of  any  advantage  or  emolument  out 
of  the  endowment  of  the  Foundation  to  which  he  or  she  would  other- 
wise have  been  entitled. 

The  scheme  authorises  the  spending  of  the  income  on 
evening  lectures  on  u  scientific,  technical  or  literary 
subjects,"  and  on  the  founding  of  exhibitions  each  of  a 
yearly  value  of  not  less  than  £10  nor  more  than  £30. 
The  conditions  attaching  to  them  are :  — 

These  Exhibitions  shall  be  awarded  on  the  result  of  such  examina- 
tion as  the  Governors  think  fit  as  nearly  as  may  be  equally  to  boys 
and  girls,  not  less  than  12  nor  more  than  14  years  of  age,  who  are  of 
the  parish  of  East  Grinstead. 


THE   PAROCHIAL   CHARITIES.  131 

These  Exhibitions  shall  each  be  tenable  for  not  more  than  three 
years  at  any  place  of  education,  higher  than  elementary,  approved  by 
the  Governors. 

Every  Exhibition  shall  be  given  as  the  reward  of  merit,  and  shall, 
except  as  herein  provided,  be  freely  and  openly  competed  for  and  shall 
be  tenable  only  for  the  purposes  of  education. 

If  the  holder  of  an  Exhibition  shall,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
Governors,  be  guilty  of  serious  misconduct  or  idleness,  or  fail  to 
maintain  a  reasonable  standard  of  proficiency,  or  wilfully  cease  to 
pursue  his  or  her  education,  the  Governors  may  deprive  him  or  her  of 
the  Exhibition. 

About  20  years  ago  Serryes  or  Surries  Farm,  situate 
at  Ashurst  Wood,  was  sold  to  the  late  Mr.  Oswald  Smith, 
of  Hamrnerwood,  and  has  ever  since  formed  part  of  the 
Hammerwood  estate,  and  the  capital  is  now  represented 
by  the  sum  of  £3,937.  12s.  lid.  invested  in  India  3 
per  cent,  stock  and  producing  an  annual  income  of 
£118.  2s.  4d.  The  present  Governors  are:  The  Rev. 
D.  Y.  Blakiston,  ex-oMcio;  Mr.  Joseph  Rice,  nominated 
by  the  Urban  Council ;  Mr.  W.  V.  K.  Stenning,  by  the 
Justices ;  Mr.  W.  Young  and  Mr.  S.  Jenks,  by  the  Educa- 
tion Authority ;  and  the  Rev.  A.  J.  Swainson,  Mr.  C.  H. 
Everard  and  Dr.  H.  S.  McCalmont  Hill,  co-optative 
governors.  Mr.  E.  P.  Whitley  Hughes  is  the  Clerk  to 
the  Endowment  Trust. 

THOMAS   HALL'S  CHARITY. 

Thomas  Hall,  by  his  will,  dated  August  12th,  1817, 
left  "  £20  to  be  placed  out  on  sound  security,  the  interest 
to  be  given  for  ever  in  bread  to  20  poor  women,  a 
sixpenny  loaf  to  each  to  be  given  twice  a  year  on  January 
6th  and  July  6th."  He,  however,  left  no  instructions  as 
to  whom  the  money  was  to  be  paid  to  or  who  were  to  be 
Trustees.  Messrs.  Russell  Hall  and  William  Hall,  his 
brothers,  were  the  executors,  and  for  three  years  after  his 
death  they  distributed  10s.  worth  of  bread  on  each  of  the 
dates  named.  They  repeatedly  applied  to  the  Vicar  and 
parish  officers  to  receive  the  money  and  invest  it,  but 
they  declined  to  accept  it,  so  the  money  remained  in  the 
executors'  hands,  was  never  invested  and  in  time  the 
charity  entirely  lapsed. 

K  2 


132  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

HAIRE'S   CHARITY. 

Mary  Ann  Haire,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Haire,  a  doctor, 
of  Lewes,  died  on  May  3rd,  1854,  and  by  her  will,  dated 
December  13th,  1845,  she  directed  £400  to  be  invested 
on  trust,  the  income  to  be  expended  annually  at  Christmas 
on  the  purchase  of  bread  for  distribution  among  such 
poor  as  were  not  in  receipt  of  alms  or  parochial  relief. 
Three-eighths  of  the  income  were  to  go  to  All  Saints 
Parish,  Lewes,  and  one-eighth  each  to  East  Grinstead, 
Lindfield,  Buxted,  Maresfield  and  Ardingly.  Her  estate, 
however,  did  not  realise  sufficient  to  pay  the  bequest  in 
full,  and  in  1879  the  Rev.  William  John  Langdale,  of 
Ormonde  Terrace,  Regent's  Park,  hearing  that  the  various 
beneficiaries  under  the  will  were  bitterly  disappointed 
at  the  smallness  of  the  legacies  as  realised,  expressed  a 
desire  to  make  a  free  gift  out  of  his  own  money  to  the 
various  charitable  institutions  which  had  suffered  in 
consequence  of  the  deficient  realisation.  Accordingly 
he  paid  £968.  17s.  Id.,  and  by  order  of  the  Court  of 
Chancery  a  sum  of  £142.  Os.  lOd.  was  allotted  out 
of  it  in  augmentation  of  the  bread  charity.  The 
Charity  Commissioners  prepared  a  scheme  dividing  up 
the  augmented  capital  among  the  parishes  interested, 
and  they  appointed  the  Vicar  and  Churchwardens  trustees 
for  East  Grinstead,  but  invested  the  money  in  their  own 
names.  The  share  of  this  parish  is  represented  by 
£28.  2s.  6d.  consols,  yielding  just  over  15s.  a  year,  and 
this  is  paid  annually  to  a  special  account  in  the  name  of 
the  Rev.  D.  Y.  Blakiston  at  Barclay  &  Co.'s  Bank.  The 
income  is  so  small  that  it  is  allowed  to  accumulate,  and  in 
years  of  severe  distress  is  used  for  the  purchase  of  bread 
or  the  augmentation  of  other  charities. 

JOHN  SMITH'S   TRUST. 

This  Trust  has  a  very  peculiar  history  and  might  well 
be  called  "  The  Smith  and  Mills  Charity,"  for  the  name 
of  the  late  Mr.  John  Mills,  of  The  Rocks,  Ashurst 
Wood,  as  much  merits  association  with  it  as  that  of  Mr. 
John  Smith,  who  was  an  auctioneer  in  East  Grinstead, 


THE   PAROCHIAL   CHARITIES.  133 

and  died  on  June  10th,  1862.  By  his  will,  he  directed 
his  Trustees  to  purchase  so  much  consolidated  three  per 
cent,  annuities,  or  to  invest  a  sufficient  sum  on  real 
securities,  as  would  enable  them  to  provide  an  annuity 
of  £300  a  year  for  his  wife  and  £80  a  year  for  his 
mother  during  their  respective  lives,  and  he  gave  the 
residue  of  his  real  and  personal  estate  to  his  wife  and  to 
John  Mills,  sen.,  in  equal  shares.  There  was  no  mention 
of  any  charity  in  the  will,  but  shortly  after  his  death  a 
memorandum  was  found  amongst  his  papers  to  the  effect 
that  he  wished  that  all  the  residue  of  his  property  and 
the  funds  from  which  the  annuities  might  arise  should, 
subject  to  such  annuities,  be  applied  to  the  benefit  of 
the  poor  inhabitants  of  East  Grinstead  and  adjoining 
parishes.  His  widow  married  the  late  Mr.  William 
Burgess,  of  Jacks  Bridge,  Lingfield,  in  January,  1864, 
but  previous  to  this  marriage  her  interest  under  her  first 
husband's  will  was  assigned  to  the  Trustees  of  her  first 
marriage  settlement.  Mr.  John  Mills,  sen.,  was  most 
anxious  to  see  the  discovered  wishes  of  his  old  friend, 
Mr.  John  Smith,  as  to  the  devotion  of  the  money  to 
charities,  fully  carried  out,  and  he  strongly  impressed  on 
his  wife  and  two  sons  the  fact  that  though  the  legacy  was 
left  to  him,  he  or  they  had  no  real  right  to  it.  He  died 
on  April  8th,  1865,  before  he  could  carry  his  desires  into 
effect,  leaving  a  will  dated  February  5th,  1853.  His 
property  was  left  to  his  widow  and  sons,  and  it  naturally 
included  his  share  of  John  Smith's  estate.  The  opinion 
of  the  Court  of  Chancery  was  sought  on  the  subject,  and 
an  order  was  made  on  June  1st,  1867,  by  which  it  was 
declared  that  the  property  of  John  Smith  was  given  to 
his  widow  and  to  John  Mills,  not  on  trust,  but  for  their 
individual  benefit  entirely.  Despite  this  decision  Mrs. 
Mills,  the  widow,  was  most  anxious  to  carry  out  the 
desires  of  both  the  original  testators,  Mr.  Smith  and  her 
husband,  and  in  this  wish  she  was  joined  by  her  sons, 
Messrs.  John  and  Henry  Mills.  A  deed  was  drawn  up 
setting  forth  that  they  were  desirous  of  assigning  their 
individual  moiety,  and  in  order  to  carry  out  this  desire 
the  money  was  assigned  to  John  Mills  and  two  others. 


134  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

The  indenture  was  dated  March  6th,  1871,  and  was  made 
between  Mr.  W.  A.  Head,  Mrs.  Mills,  Mr.  John  Mills,  Mr. 
Henry  Mills  and  others.  In  the  agreement  come  to  it 
was  arranged  that  three  equal  twenty-seconds  of  the  whole 
sum  so  assigned  should  be  set  apart 

to  pay  the  interest,  dividends  and  income  thereof  to  the  vicar, 
churchwardens  and  overseers  of  the  poor  for  the  time  being  of  the 
parish  of  East  Grinstead  to  be  applied  by  them  in  such  manner  as 
they  or  the  majority  of  them  for  the  time  being  should  think  fit  for 
the  purchase  of  coals  for  or  otherwise  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor 
inhabitants  of  the  said  parish  or  any  of  them  not  being  inhabitants  of 
the  ecclesiastical  district  of  Forest  Row. 

At  this  time  the  Trustees  had  £6,550  out  on  eight 
mortgages  and  had  also  £1,107.  5s.  lOd.  cash  in  hand. 
Half  of  this,  being  Mr.  John  Mills'  share,  came  to  the 
Trust,  the  other  half,  on  Mrs.  Burgess's  death,  being  paid 
over  to  the  Trustees  of  her  marriage  settlement  and  it 
has  never  come  into  the  charitable  trust.  The  present 
Trustees  or  Governors  are  Mr.  W.  V.  K.  Stenning 
(chairman),  Mr.  J.  McAndrew,  Mr.  G.  F.  Walker  and 
Mr.  A.  Bridgland.  Mr.  E.  A.  Head  is  Clerk  to  the 
Governors.  The  capital  sum  quite  voluntarily  handed 
over  by  Mrs.  Mills  and  her  two  sons,  in  accordance  with 
the  wishes  of  both  Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  Mills,  is  now 
represented  by  £400  on  mortgage  of  two  freehold  houses 
in  St.  James'  Road,  East  Grinstead,  of  which  the 
Governors  are  at  present  in  receipt  of  the  rents ;  £  1 , 1 30  on 
mortgage  of  freehold  houses  at  Richmond;  £998.  3s.  lid. 
in  India  3  per  cen't.  and  £836.  10s.  lid.  in  2f  per  cent, 
consols :  a  total  of  £3,364.  14s.  lOd.  The  income  is 
about  £115  a  year  and  it  has  to  be  divided  into  22  parts, 
of  which  Cowden,  West  Hoathly,  Withy  ham  and  Hartfield 
take  two  each;  Forest  Row  and  East  Grinstead,  three 
each ;  and  Lingfield  and  Worth,  four  each.  Each  share 
being  at  present  worth  about  £5,  East  Grinstead  con- 
sequently gets  some  £15  a  year  from  this  charity. 

THE   HOPER   TRUST. 

Mrs.  H.  L.  Hoper,  whose  family  owned  and  lived  at 
Thorn  Hill,  left  the  sum  of  £1,077.  9s.  3d.  stock  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Forest  Row  portion  of  the  parish.  A 


THE   PAROCHIAL   CHARITIES.  135 

declaration  of  trust,  dated  1869,  set  forth  that  half  the 
income,  then  £29.  12s.  4d.  per  annum,  was  to  be  devoted 
to  the  benefit  of  the  church  schools  in  Ashurst  Wood  and 
Forest  Row,  and  the  other  half  distributed  among  the 
poor.  There  being  no  church  school  at  Ashurst  Wood, 
Forest  Row  gets  the  full  half.  The  other  half  is  equally 
divided  between  the  Coal  and  Soup  Fund  and  the 
Clothing  Club.  The  conversion  of  consols  by  Mr.  Goschen 
slightly  reduced  the  income  from  this  Trust  and  it  is 
now  about  £25  per  annum. 

REV.   B.   SLIGHT'S  TRUST. 

The  Rev.  Benjamin  Slight,  for  many  years  a  Noncon- 
formist minister  at  Tunbridge  Wells  and  during  the 
closing  period  of  his  life  resident  in  East  Grinstead  and 
then  at  Nen thorn,  Ashurst  Wood,  died  on  August  17th, 
1889,  and  by  his  will,  dated  March  22nd,  1883,  left  to  the 
Trustees  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Ashurst  Wood 
the  sum  of  £500,  less  legacy  duty,  on  trust,  "that  they 
and  the  other  Trustees  from  time  to  time  of  the  said 
church  do  invest  the  same  and  apply  the  income  towards 
the  support  of  the  minister  or  the  current  expenses  of 
the  said  church  as  to  its  Trustees  shall  from  time  to  time 
seem  expedient."  The  capital  sum  is  now  represented 
by  £471.  16s.  5d.  invested  in  India  3  per  cent,  stock  in 
the  names  of  the  Charity  Commissioners  and  yielding 
£14.  3s.  a  year.  There  are  no  expenses  of  management 
and  the  whole  income  is  used  to  pay  the  rent  of  the 
minister's  house  or  expenses  in  connection  with  the 
chapel.  The  present  Trustees  of  the  chapel  are  Messrs. 
Wm.  Brackett  and  F.  Bell,  of  Tunbridge  Wells;  J.  W. 
Hawkins,  of  Upper  Tooting ;  James  Waters,  of  Forest 
Row ;  Edward  Young,  of  East  Grinstead ;  and  B.  Grove, 
G.  Mitchell  and  S.  Jenks,  of  Ashurst  Wood.  The  last 
named  acts  as  Treasurer  and  Correspondent. 

JOHN   SOUTHEY  SCHOLARSHIPS. 

Mr.  John  Southey,  an  old  and  esteemed  tradesman  of 
East  Grinstead,  died  on  March  3rd,   1899,  and  by  his 


136  HISTORY  OF  EAST  G&lNSTEAb. 

will,  which  was  proved  on  May  1st  following,  he  instructed 
his  executors — 

To  set  aside  the  sum  of  Four  thousand  two  hundred  pounds  and 
invest  the  same  in  Two  pounds  ten  shillings  per  centum  Bank 
Annuities  and  stand  possessed  of  the  same  and  use  the  income  resulting 
therefrom  for  the  purpose  of  endowing  three  Scholarships  for  two  Boys 
and  one  Girl  the  Children  of  Tradesmen  or  of  any  person  below  the  class 
of  a  Tradesman  and  whose  parents  or  parent  having  the  custody  of 
such  Children  or  Child  shall  have  been  resident  in  the  Parish  of  East 
Grinstead  for  not  less  than  five  years,  such  Fund  when  set  aside  to  be 
called  "The  John  Southey  Endowment  Fund"  and  such  Scholarships 
to  be  called  "  The  John  Southey  Scholarships,"  and  I  direct  that  my 
Trustees  or  such  persons  as  they  shall  think  fit  to  appoint  to  administer 
this  Trust  and  their  successors  for  the  time  being  shall  fix  the  time 
for  which  any  Scholarship  shall  be  held  by  any  one  Boy  or  Girl  and  be 
the  sole  judges  as  to  whether  any  and  what  Boy  or  Girl  shall  be 
entitled  to  compete  for  and  hold  any  Scholarship  and  to  make  such 
arrangements  for  the  examination  of  the  Candidates  for  such  Scholar- 
ships as  they  shall  think  advisable. 

The  two  Trustees  appointed  were  Mr.  Bromley  Hall, 
of  Ivy  Mill,  Godstone,  and  Mr.  Evelyn  A.  Head,  of 
East  Grinstead.  On  June  8th,  1901,  they  applied  to 
the  Charity  Commissioners  for  sanction  to  a  scheme  for 
administering  the  Trust  and  this  sanction  was  given  on 
August  28th  of  the  same  year.  This  sets  forth  that  the 
Trustees  of  the  Charity  shall  consist  of  the  Governors, 
for  the  time  being,  of  the  Payne  Endowment  and  two 
co-optative  Trustees  —  Messrs.  Hall  and  Head  —  who 
are  to  hold  office  for  life.  On  the  death  of  either  of  these 
the  remaining  Trustees  can  appoint  any  person  residing 
or  carrying  on  business  in  or  near  East  Grinstead  to  act 
for  a  period  of  five  years. 

Mr.  Southey's  estate  did  not  realise  the  amount  he  had 
anticipated,  and  instead  of  £4,200  being  available  for 
investment  the  total  received  by  the  Trustees  was  £1,725, 
now  represented  by  £1,671.  7s.  6d.  in  2J  per  cent, 
annuities,  yielding  £41.  15s.  8d.  per  annum.  Mr.  E.  P. 
Whitley  Hughes  acts  as  Clerk  to  these  Governors. 

FELBRIDGE   SCHOOL. 

The  benefits  of  this  charity  extended  to  East  Grin- 
stead.  It  was  founded  during  his  lifetime  by  Mr. 
James  Evelyn,  of  Felbridge.  He  was  born  on  July 


THE   PAROCHIAL   CHARITIES.  137 

17th,  1718,  and  died  July  lltli,  1793,  being  buried 
at  Godstone.  By  an  indenture  dated  November  4th, 
1783,  made  between  himself  and  the  Rev.  Geo. 
Bethune,  of  Rowfant,  it  was  set  forth  that  Mr.  Evelyn, 
having  recently  built  himself  a  mansion  on  Felbridge 
Heath,  had  caused  a  piece  of  land  adjoining,  with  a 
house  thereon,  to  be  fenced  in  for  the  use  and  support  of 
the  master  of  the  school,  and  he  proposed  to  convey,  for 
the  schoolmaster's  benefit,  the  said  house  and  parcel  of 
land  and  £21  a  year,  clear  of  all  deductions.  Accord- 
ingly, for  the  nominal  sum  of  10s.,  he  sold  the  house, 
land  and  rent  charge  to  Mr.  Bethune  and  his  heirs  for 
ever.  The  £21  was  charged  on  Stocklands  House  and 
12  pieces  of  land,  48  acres  in  all,  situate  in  the  parish  of 
Bletchingley  and  then  let  at  £35  per  annum.  On  the 
death  of  James  Evelyn,  Jane,  his  wife  (who  was  a 
daughter  of  Sir  Richard  Oust,  of  Belton,  Lincolnshire), 
and  their  direct  heirs,  the  appointment  of  the  school- 
master was  to  devolve  upon  the  Rectors  or  Vicars  of 
Godstone,  Home,  Worth  and  East  Grinstead.  The 
master  was  to  teach  the  children  reading,  writing, 
arithmetic  and  to  repeat  the  catechism.  Eight  boys  and 
four  girls  were  to  be  admitted  free  of  charge  and  the 
master  was  to  find  them  in  quills  and  ink,  but  to  teach 
them  to  make  their  own  pens.  The  boys  were  to  be 
between  the  ages  of  six  and  10,  the  girls  between  six  and 
13,  all  were  to  reside  within  2^  miles  of  the  school,  and 
they  were  to  be  drawn  from  the  parishes  named  in  the 
following  proportions  : — Godstone,  three  boys  and  one 
girl ;  Home  and  Worth,  each  two  boys  and  one  girl ; 
East  Grinstead,  one  boy  and  one  girl.  The  right  of 
nomination  was  to  be  in  the  hands  of  the  respective 
Vicars  of  the  parishes  after  the  deaths  of  James  Evelyn, 
his  wife  and  direct  heirs.  This  arrangement  continued 
in  force  until  1864,  when  a  scheme  was  approved  making 
the  owner  of  the  mansion  at  Felbridge  a  trustee  of  the 
charity,  authorising  him  to  receive  the  income,  giving 
him  the  power  of  appointing  the  schoolmaster,  the 
right  to  decide  as  to  the  best  matters  to  be  taught  in 
the  school,  and  the  power  to  exclude  any  children  for 


138  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

misconduct.  Such  drastic  powers  in  one  man's  hands 
did  not  long  remain,  for  in  1866  another  scheme  was 
sanctioned,  giving  him  the  power  of  appointing  the 
schoolmaster  and  mistress,  subject  only  to  the  consent  of 
the  other  trustees,  who  then  were  Mrs.  Gatty,  Mr.  C.  H. 
Gatty,  Rev.  G.  W.  Banks  (Rector  of  Worth),  Rev.  G. 
Bird  (incumbent  of  Blindley  Heath)  and  the  Vicars  of 
East  Grinstead  and  Godstone.  Despite  this  arrangement 
the  management  of  the  whole  affair  drifted  exclusively 
into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Gatty  and  the  rent  charge  on  the 
Bletchingley  property  was  not  collected  for  many  years. 
When  Mr.  C.  H.  Gatty  died  inquiries  were  instituted 
and  as  a  result  Mrs.  Pelly,  the  owner  of  Stocklands, 
without  admitting  liability,  and,  as  an  act  of  grace,  paid 
over,  to  the  school  funds,  the  sum  of  £400  in  full  dis- 
charge of  any  claim  which  might  be  made  on  her.  As 
there  is  now  universal  free  admission  to  elementary 
schools  the  charity  has  practically  lapsed. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here  to  add  that  James 
Evelyn,  who  founded  this  charity,  erected  the  obelisk 
which  still  stands  in  Felbridge  Park,  to  the  memory  of 
his  father  and  mother,  Edward  and  Julia  Evelyn.  The 
inscription  on  it,  in  hardly  classical  Latin,  reads  :— 

JACOBUS  EVELYN,  FILIUS  EDWARD:  EVELYN 

Et  JuliiE  uxoris  ejus 
(0  Beiiignissimi  Parentes) 

Hanc  Columnam 
Hac  Terra  (Natale  Solum) 

Poiieudam 

Pientissime  Gratissimeque 
Curavit 

A.D.    MUCCLXXXVI 

Johannes  Soane 

Architectus. 

Much  of  the  base  of  the  column  is  further  occupied 
by  the  whole  of  Addison's  exquisite  Hymn  of  Gratitude, 
commencing  "  When  all  Thy  mercies,  0  my  God." 

Some  lengthy  references  to  members  of  this  remark- 
able family  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  which  deals  with 
the  Parliamentary  history  of  East  Grinstead.  They  were 
the  possessors  of  the  Felbridge  estate  for  nearly  300  years, 


THE    PAROCHIAL   CHARITIES.  139 

it  being  purchased  by  the  late  Mr.  George  Gatty,  in  1856, 
from  Selina,  Viscountess  Milton,  mother  of  the  present 
Earl  of  Liverpool,  and  the  second  of  the  three  daughters 
and  co-heirs  of  the  third  Earl  of  Liverpool  and  third 
Baron  Hawkesbury.  The  estate  fell  to  her  share  on  the 
death  of  her  father  on  October  3rd,  1851.  John  Evelyn, 
author  of  "  Sylva,"  in  his  diary,  makes  frequent  mention 
of  visits  paid  by  him  to  his  relative,  Sir  John  Evelyn,  at 
Godstone. 

FELBRIDGE  BEEF  AND  FAGGOT  CHARITY. 

More  than  half  the  inhabitants  of  East  Grinstead  have 
the  right  to  participate  in  the  benefits  of  this  interesting 
charity.  It  was  founded,  like  the  Felbridge  School 
Charity,  by  Mr.  James  Evelyn,  who,  by  a  codicil  to  his 
will,  dated  July  3rd,  1793,  recommended  that  four  stone 
of  beef  should  be  provided  and  made  into  broth  and 
distributed,  as  during  his  lifetime,  from  the  first  Thursday 
in  November  to  the  last  Thursday  in  April,  and  that  a 
round  of  beef,  weighing  not  less  than  4-stone  2-lbs., 
should  be  provided  every  Sunday  in  the  year,  as  during 
his  lifetime,  and  that  the  schoolmistress  should  be  allowed 
at  the  rate  of  one  penny  per  head  for  beer  and  one  penny 
per  head  for  bread  for  those  who  partook  of  it.  The 
number  of  guests  was  not  to  be  less  than  12  nor  more 
than  14.  Two  hundred  faggots  were  to  be  provided 
yearly  for  the  schoolmistress  to  dress  the  meat  with,  and 
she  was  to  be  allowed  sixpence  a  week  for  preparing  the 
broth.  On  April  19th,  1807,  the  Court  of  Chancery 
made  an  order  setting  aside  the  sum  of  £3,500  from  a 
total  capital  of  £11,327.  8s.  9d.  invested  in  3  per  cent, 
annuities,  to  meet  all  future  expenses  of  this  charity. 
On  July  15th,  1821,  the  Hon.  Chas.  Cecil  Cope  Jenkinson, 
who  had  married  James  Evelyn's  granddaughter,  was 
M.P.  for  East  Grinstead,  and  afterwards  became  Earl  of 
Liverpool,  together  with  Samuel  Forster,  of  Lincoln's 
Inn,  were  made  trustees  of  the  charity,  and  the  costs  of 
this  order  were  paid  out  of  the  capital  sum  belonging 
to  it,  the  amount  invested  being  thereby  reduced  to 
£3,441.  10s.  6d.  It  was  invested  in  the  names  of  the 


140  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Official  Trustees  of  Charitable  Funds  for  the  County  of 
Surrey.  On  Jan.  29th,  1864,  a  scheme  was  authorised 
by  the  Charity  Commissioners  making  the  owner  of 
the  mansion  at  Felbridge  manager  of  the  charity  and 
receiver  of  all  the  income.  This  scheme  further  con- 
firmed the  rules  as  to  the  distributing  of  broth  on 
Thursdays  in  the  winter  and  the  provision  of  Sunday 
dinners  at  the  school.  The  recipients  were  to  be 
residents  in  the  district  of  Felbridge  or  within  2J  miles 
of  the  school  house,  "and  shall  be  selected  and  excluded 
at  the  discretion  of  the  Manager."  The  recipients  were 
not  to  be  less  than  12  in  number,  and  the  Manager  was 
given  power  to  increase  them  as  funds  allowed.  An 
amended  scheme  was  approved  on  December  llth,  1866. 
The  Trustees  named  were  those  already  given  as  acting 
for  the  School  Charity.  The  mode  of  distribution  was 
altered.  The  Manager  was  to  provide  victuals  and  coals, 
the  victuals  to  consist  of  beef  or  other  good  meat,  with 
or  without  vegetables,  to  be  distributed  each  Saturday 
afternoon  or  evening,  the  victuals  not  to  be  cooked,  but 
the  Schoolmaster  to  receive  6d.  per  week  for  receiving 
and  distributing  them.  Coals  were  to  be  provided  to 
warm  the  school  house  at  a  cost  of  30s.  a  year.  As 
with  the  School  Charity,  so  with  this,  its  management  in 
time  drifted  entirely  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Gatty,  who, 
though  supposed  to  annually  make  a  return  of  the  income 
and  expenditure  to  the  Charity  Commissioners,  only  did 
so  on  three  occasions,  and  even  then  did  not  trouble  to 
balance  his  accounts.  From  the  returns  made  it 
appears  that  the  annual  income  was  £94.  12s.  8d.,  arid 
Mr.  Gatty  regularly  spent  a  small  portion  of  this  on 
the  school  insurance,  on  coal  for  warming  the  building 
and  on  cleaning  the  church,  the  value  of  the  meat 
annually  distributed  being  just  under  £90.  The  weekly 
distribution  still  takes  place,  but  a  new  scheme  is  in 
course  of  preparation  whereby  a  fresh  set  of  Trustees, 
of  whom  Mr.  W.  V.  K.  Stenning  represents  East  Grin- 
stead,  will  no  doubt  be  given  a  wider  discretion  in  the 
application  of  the  income. 


THE  IRON  INDUSTRY, 

WITH  SOME  NOTES  FROM  A  CARRIER'S  JOURNAL  OF  1761 

TO  1769. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

To  the  prosperous  days  of  the  famous  Sussex  ironworks 
several  of  the  local  stone-built  houses  owe  their  origin. 
Gravetye,  Gulledge  and  Rowfantare  examples  of  mansions 
built  by  the  old  ironmasters  of  the  neighbourhood,  who 
employed  a  vast  number  of  hands  and  amassed  consider- 
able fortunes.  Among  the  places  in  and  around  East 
Grinstead  where  furnaces  existed  were  Tickeridge,  Cans- 
iron,  Millplace,  Hammerwood,  Furnace  Farm  (Cowden), 
Furnace  Pond  (Felbridge),  Wire  Mill,  The  Warren 
(Crawley  Down),  Gravetye  (where  the  mansion  was  built 
by  Richard  Infield,  who  married  one  of  the  Culpepers, 
and  died  March  llth,  1624),  Parrock  (Hartfield)  and 
Rowfant.  The  destruction  of  timber  to  feed  the  furnaces, 
coal  being  too  costly  and  difficult  to  obtain  in  large 
quantities,  was  necessarily  very  great,  and  as  early  as  the 
reign  of  Henry  VIII.  (1543)  it  was  enacted  "  that  no  wood 
shall  be  converted  into  pasture  ;  that  in  cutting  coppice 
woods  at  24  years'  growth  or  under  there  shall  be  left 
standing  and  unfelled  for  every  acre  twelve  standils  or 
storers  of  oak,  or  in  default  of  so  many,  then  of  elm,  ash, 
asp  or  beech ;  and  that  if  the  coppice  be  under  14  years' 
growth  it  shall  be  enclosed  from  cattle  for  six  years." 
Many  subsequent  Acts  were  passed  to  the  same  effect. 

On  February  15th,  1574,  Ralph  Hogg  complained  of 
the  infringement  of  the  patent  granted  him  by  the  Queen 
as  to  the  exportation  of  ordnance,  and  a  list  was  prepared 
of  the  owners  of  ironworks  in  Kent,  Surrey  and  Sussex. 
It  included  the  following  : — 

Mr.  Mighell,  1  furnace  in  Hoadlee  (West  Hoathly). 
Mr.  Reynoldes,  1  furnace  in  Mylplace  (Millplace). 
Mr.  Payne  and  Duffild,  1  fordg,  1  furnace  in  Grynsted, 


142  HISTORY   OF    EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

This  Mr.  Payne  was  John  Payne,  a  burgess  of  the 
town  at  that  time,  who,  in  his  will  dated  December  12th, 
1579,  gave  to  his  cousin,  Roger  Hayte,  his  tenement  and 
"  Smythes  fforge  now  in  the  occupacon  of  Joseph  Duffield 
and  John  Larke  scytuat  in  East  Greensted."  From  the 
fact  of  its  being  styled  "le  fforge  in  Burge  de  Est 
Greensted"  in  an  inquisition  held  in  1580  on  the  death 
of  its  owner,  John  Payne,  it  would  seem  to  have  been 
the  only  forge  within  the  limits  of  the  borough,  which 
were  by  no  means  coterminous  with  the  parish,  as  already 
explained. 

The  Lord  of  Bucklierst,  1  fordge,  1  furnace  in  Parrock,  in  the 
hands  of  George  Bullen. 

The  Quene's  Matie,  1  fordge,  1  furnace  in  Ashdowne,  in  the  hands 
of  Henry  Bowyer. 

Ashdown  Forest  was  at  this  time  held  by  the  Crown, 
and  the  forge  referred  to  was  at  Newbridge. 
Robert  Whitfelde,  1  fordge  in  Rowfants. 

This  was  an  ancestor  of  the  Whitfelds,  the  well-known 
Sussex  bankers. 

Henry  Boyer,  1  fordge  in  Tynsley  (Worth). 

The  following  were  ordered  to  appear  before  the 
Council : — 

John  Blacket,  furnace  at  Hodley  (West  Hoathly). 
Robert  Reynold,  a  forge  at  Brambletynne  (Brarubletye). 

From  the  following  bonds  were  taken,  under  a  penalty 
of  £2,000,  not  to  found  or  sell  ordnance  without  license 
from  the  Queen  : — 

Robert  Reynolds,  of  East  Grinstead. 
John  Thorpe,  of  East  Grinstead. 
John  Duffold,  of  East  Grinstead. 
Robert  Whitfylde,  of  Worth. 
George  Bulleyn,  of  Hartefeild. 

In  defiance  of  these  measures,  however,  the  surrep- 
titious exportation  of  Sussex  cannon  went  on.  In  1587, 
the  Earl  of  Warwick,  as  Master  of  the  Ordnance, 
despatched  "a  gentleman  of  his,  one  Mr.  Blincoe,"  into 
Sussex,  to  summon  all  the  gunfounders  of  the  county  up 
to  London  to  understand  his  pleasure  respecting  their 


THE   IRON    INDUSTRY.  143 

further  continuance  of  the  manufacture.  "  Henry  Nevel, 
and  the  rest  of  that  occupation,"  obeyed  the  summons, 
and  the  matter  was  referred  to  the  arrangement  of  Mr. 
Hockenal,  the  Deputy  Master  of  the  Ordnance,  and  Mr. 
Blincoe.  The  result  was  that  not  more  than  a  certain 
quantity  of  cannon  was  to  be  cast  annually  for  the 
necessary  provision  of  our  own  navigation,  a  certain 
proportion  being  allowed  to  each  founder.  It  was  also 
stipulated  that  no  ordnance  should  be  sold  except  in  the 
city,  and  not  even  there  but  to  such  merchants  "as  my 
lord  or  his  deputy  should  name."  These  instructions 
seem  to  have  been  quickly  disregarded,  for  two  years 
later  Thomas,  Lord  Buckhurst,  Queen  Elizabeth's  Lord 
High  Treasurer,  wrote  a  letter  complaining  of  the 
infringement  of  the  regulations  by  the  ironmasters  : — 

Their  Lordshypps  doe  see  the  little  regard  the  owners  of  furnaces 
and  the  makers  of  these  peeces  have  of  their  bondes,  and  how  y* 
importeth  the  state  that  the  enemy  of  Her  Majesty  should  not  be 
furnished  oute  of  the  lande  with  ordnance  to  annoy  us. 

The  Lord  Treasurer  goes  on  to  direct  the  Magistrates 
to  enforce  the  provisions  made  by  the  Earl  of  Warwick. 
Another  letter,  from  the  same  officer  to  the  local  Justices, 
dated  October  6th,  1590,  directs  them  as  to  "  straighter 
restraint  of  making  shott  and  ordnance,"  and  to  take 
bonds  of  £1,000  each  of  every  furnace  owner  and 
farmer;  and  also  to  forward  their  bonds,  and  a  list  of 
their  names,  to  him  with  all  convenient  speed. 

According  to  a  return  made  about  90  years  later  the 
ironworks  at  Millplace  and  Rowfant  had  been  discon- 
tinued before  1664,  and  partly  ruined,  but  the  former 
were  re-stocked  and  started  again  when  the  Civil  War 
broke  out,  and  guns  or  shot  were  made  there  for  the 
supply  of  the  King's  stores.  Millplace  was  owned  in 
1711  by  John  Conyers,  M.P.  for  East  Grinstead. 

In  1740  there  were  only  10  furnaces  in  all  Sussex, 
turning  out  1,400  tons  of  iron  in  the  year,  but  as  late  as 
1769  local  ironworks  were  in  a  very  flourishing  state. 
Those  at  Gravetye ;  at  the  Warren,  which  was  near  the 
borders  of  Sussex  and  Surrey,  in  the  Crawley  Down 
district;  and  at  Millplace,  situated  about  midway  between 


144  HISTORY   OF    FAST    GRINSTEAD. 

Stone  Farm  and  Tickeridge,  in  East  Grinstead,  were  all 
doing  a  considerable  trade  in  the  casting  of  ordnance,  as 
is  shown  by  the  journal  kept  by  Robert  Knight,  who 
had  a  very  prosperous  carrier's  business  in  East  Grin- 
stead  at  that  time.  In  the  year  1761  Gravetye  furnace 
was  carried  on  by  Messrs.  Glutton  &  Co.,  and  in  August, 
1762,  the  business  was  apparently  sold  to  Messrs.  Eade 
and  Wilton.  From  April  23rd,  1761,  to  the  end  of  the 
year  1762,  from  this  one  furnace  alone,  Robert  Knight 
carried  to  London  or  Woolwich,  principally  to  the  latter 
place,  over  225  guns,  of  which  27  were  of  unstated 
calibre,  20  were  three-pounders,  29  four-pounders,  four 
six-pounders,  66  nine-pounders,  35  twelve-pounders,  33 
eighteen -pounders,  and  18  thirty-two-pounders.  From 
the  very  careful  entries  which  Robert  Knight  made  in 
his  account  book  we  are  able  to  gather  the  approximate 
weights  of  some  of  these  guns.  A  four-pounder  weighed 
about  half  a  ton,  a  nine-pounder  25  cwt.,  a  twelve- 
pounder  36  cwt.,  and  a  thirty-two-pounder  56  cwt. 

The  Warren  furnace  was  then  being  carried  on  by 
Messrs.  Masters  &  Raby,  and  later  on  by  Messrs.  Raby 
and  Rogers,  and  was  also  doing  a  very  considerable 
trade  with  the  Government.  Its  owners  supplied 
numerous  guns  of  various  weights  and  calibre  to  Wool- 
wich and  also  cast  a  large  quantity  of  shot  and  shell. 
On  three  days  in  December,  1768,  Knight  carted  to 
London  187  pieces  of  10  and  13-inch  shells,  and  brought 
back  two  tons  of  pig  iron  to  the  Warren  and  a  plate  of 
iron  and  a  mould  to  Gravetye.  This  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  Messrs.  Raby  &  Rogers  had  more  casting 
orders  on  hand  than  they  could  produce  local  iron  for. 
Occasionally  the  waggons  came  back  loaded  with  coal  or 
steel.  Through  January  the  work  of  carting  shells  and 
guns  to  London  continued,  165  shells  or  32-lbs.  shot 
being  taken  in  the  first  eight  days  of  the  year  1769. 
By  this  time  the  Gravetye  and  Warren  furnaces  were 
apparently  under  the  same  management,  for  Knight 
makes  very  frequent  entries  in  his  ledger  of  ordnance 
carted  between  the  two,  the  Warren  supplying  Gravetye 
with  iron  and  Gravetye  sending  to  the  Warren  guns 


THE   IRON   INDUSTRY.  145 

11  with  the  heads  on"  or  "  with  the  heads  off,"  nearly 
100  pieces,  ranging  from  "  half-pounders  "  to  nine- 
pounders,  being  thus  specified.  The  Wakehurst  Estate 
sent  in  a  lot  of  timber  for  use  at  Gravetye,  and  coal  was 
brought  up  in  considerable  quantities  from  Lewes,  being 
water-borne  thus  far,  the  quantity  averaging  about  12 
loads  a  month.  One  of  Mr.  Raby's  places  is  described 
as  Woodcock  Forge.  This  was  the  one  known  to  be  in 
use  at  Wire  Mill,  or  Weir  Mill,  as  it  used  to  be  called, 
adjoining  the  well-known  pond  at  the  foot  of  Woodcock 
Hill. 

In  1763  Millplace  furnace  was  in  the  hands  of  Messrs. 
Ralph  Glutton  &  Durrant,  and  guns  of  a  much  finer  make 
were  apparently  manufactured  there.  During  February 
of  the  year  named  they  consigned  to  Seamans  Wharf, 
London,  about  150  swivel  guns,  weighing  only  about 
one  cwt.  each.  They  also  cast  a  number  of  twelve- 
pounders,  as  eight  of  these  were  sent  to  Woolwich  in 
May,  1763.  That  this  business  was  a  considerable  one 
is  shown  by  a  written  statement  in  the  ledger  setting 
forth  that  during  the  year  ending  in  August,  1762,  Mr. 
Glutton  paid  to  Knight  the  sum  of  £293.  12s.  lOJd. 
on  account  of  his  cartage  bill  and  there  was  then  a 
balance  due  of  £40.  5s.  4Jd. 

These  furnaces  must  have  ceased  operation  very 
shortly  afterwards,  for  in  1788  there  were  only  two 
charcoal  fuel  furnaces  in  the  whole  county  of  Sussex, 
and  in  1796  only  one,  the  last  to  cease  working  being 
that  at  Ashburnham,  near  Battle,  in  1823. 

Mr.  Robert  Knight's  journal  contains  much  other 
interesting  mattter,  in  addition  to  the  numerous  entries 
in  reference  to  the  cartage  of  guns  and  shells.  The 
blacksmiths  who  shared  his  work  were  Master  Burr  and 
William  Wren,  the  latter  then  holding  the  forge  at 
Felbridge,  which  for  a  century  or  more  remained  in  the 
same  family.  The  amount  of  timber  and  bark  carted  to 
London  was  enormous.  In  one  day,  July  18th,  1764,  he 
took  from  Hasleden  to  "  Mr.  Coleman's,  the  tanner,  in 
Long  Lane,  London,"  25  bags  of  bark,  each  weighing 
over  three  cwt.  Messrs.  Clifford  &  Gardner  then  carried 


146  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

on  business  as  timber  merchants  here  and  their  bill  was 
a  very  heavy  one.  Mr.  Whatley  and  later  on  Mr. 
Jourdon  were  also  frequent  consignors  of  timber  from 
the  Bower  Farm  and  Gotwick  Farm,  in  East  Grin- 
stead,  and  also  from  Blindley  Heath  and  West  Hoathly 
to  Westminster,  Vauxhall  or  Lambeth ;  Messrs.  White 
and  Jourdon  from  Crabbet,  Worth ;  the  Crosses,  Lingfield, 
and  elsewhere  to  London.  Another  merchant  doing  a 
large  business  then  between  this  town  and  London  was 
Mr.  Walters.  "  Esquire  "  Evelyn  then  had  Felbridge 
Park,  and  his  name  figures  frequently  in  the  book  as  a 
creditor  for  corn,  &c.,  sold  to  the  worthy  carrier. 

lt  Master  Turner  of  Ember  Horn,"  also  figures 
occasionally  in  the  ledger,  as  also  does  Mr.  Edward 
Prentis  as  a  buyer  of  timber  from  the  same  estate,  and 
from  Laberty  (possibly  Lavortye,  a  part  of  Brambletye), 
his  timber  going  to  Tonbridge  wharf,  for  distribution 
over  Kent.  Mr.  Edward  Belchambers  and  afterwards 
Messrs.  Belchambers  &  Rose  were  apparently  trading  in 
1769  as  timber  merchants,  for  some  thousands  of  planks 
and  scantlings  were  brought  for  them  to  East  Grinstead 
Common  from  Blockfield  Farm,  Blackham,  Crawley  Down 
and  elsewhere,  and  thence  distributed  to  London  and  all 
parts  of  the  country. 

The  whole  of  the  entries  in  this  extremely  interesting 
book  are  beautifully  written,  though  the  orthography 
is  peculiar.  The  following  recipes  on  the  final  page  may 
give  a  useful  (?)  hint  to  horse  owners  of  the  present 
time : — 

A  Reaceat  for  to  Cure  a  Brokeing  Winding  Horse.  The  first  thing 
you  must  do  is  to  Bleed  the  Horse  in  the  Vain  of  the  Nick,  then  give 
him.  Holfe  a  Pint  of  Sweet  Oile  the  first  day,  the  nixt  day  you  most 
give  him  a  quort  of  Ases  milk,  a  quort  of  Surrup  of  Howr  Hound,  a 
Pint  of  Bed  Wine,  a  Pound  and  quorton  of  Honey,  2  ounces  of 
Spanish  Lickrish,  and  Stire  it  all  togather  for  10  minnetts  and  Keep 
him  fasting  for  2  Howrs  bfore  and  after. this  Eeaseat  will  Cure. 

A  Eeaceat  for  to  Cure  a  Horse  that  Bleed  at  nose.  Take  three 
Handfulls  of  Bramble  Leaves  and  Three  Handfulls  of  Hunny  Suckles 
Leaves  and  three  Handfulls  of  Stinging  Nettles.  Put  them  in  3 
quorts  of  Spring  Water  and  Stew  them  till  it  Comes  to  a  quort. 


EAST  GRINSTEAD  AND  ITS  COACHING  HISTORY, 

WITH  SOME  NOTES  ON  THE  BATCHELAR  FAMILY. 


CHAPTER  X. 

EXCEPT  for  the  carrying  of  merchandise,  East  Grinstead 
seems  for  a  very  long  period  to  have  contented  itself 
with  the  facilities  for  passenger  traffic  afforded  by  the 
through  coaches  which  ran  between  London,  Lewes  and 
Brighthelmstone.  The  road  through  this  town  was  by 
far  the  oldest  and  for  a  long  period  the  chief  route.  The 
distance  was  58  miles  and  horses  were  changed  at 
Croydon,  Godstone  Green,  East  Grinstead,  Uckfield  and 
Lewes.  The  first  person  to  set  up  any  stage  coach 
between  London  and  the  county  town  was  one  Batchelar, 
who  ran  a  coach  long  prior  to  turnpikes  being  created. 
This  business  was  handed  from  father  to  son  until  it 
came  into  the  hands  of  the  real  pioneer  of  the  Brighton 
coaching  era,  James  Batchelar,  whose  family  had  by  this 
time  become  of  some  importance  and  considerable 
owners  of  property  in  and  around  East  Grinstead. 
They  originally  sprung  from  Easingwald,  in  Yorkshire, 
one  branch  settling  in  Norfolk  and  another  in  Sussex. 
Their  coat  of  arms — three  wings  and  three  fleur-de-lis — 
suggests  that  the  family  had  a  French  origin.  James 
Batchelar  began  a  proper  coach  service  through  the  town 
of  East  Grinstead  in  May,  1756.  In  this  year  the 
Batchelars  were  living  at  the  Dorset  Arms,  in  this  town, 
while  they  also  held  a  lease  of  the  Moats  Farm,  granted 
them  by  Mrs.  Payne,  widow  of  Mr.  Charles  Payne,  and 
her  daughter  Anna,  afterwards  Mrs.  Gibbs  Crawfurd,  of 
Saint  Hill. 

Moat  Road,  East  Grinstead,  is  named  after  this 
particular  farm,  which  then  covered  the  whole  site  of 
the  present  thoroughfare  and  included  also  Stoneleigh 
and  the  nursery  gardens.  The  following  entry  is  from 

L  2 


148  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

John  Batchelar's  account  book,  he  apparently  looking 
after  the  agricultural  work  at  that  time  and  James 
dealing  with  the  coaching : — 

Janry.  the  9,  1764.  Then  A  Greed  with  John  Hills  to  do  all  ye 
work  in  the  hop  Garding  att  the  Motes  as  the  year  before  for  Six 
pounds  6s. 

The  hop  garden  disappeared  many  years  ago.  It  is 
clear  that  Batchelar  kept  a  good  supply  of  horses  before 
this  date,  for  his  own  records,  kindly  placed  in  my 
hands  by  his  descendant,  Mr.  George  Batchelar,  of 
Lirigfield,  show  that  in  1743  £76  was  paid  for  oats  at 
home,  but  in  1764  this  item  had  risen  to  £148.  19s.  9d. 
for  the  year,  the  price  at  this  time  ranging  from  13s.  6d. 
to  17s.  per  quarter.  The  family  then  occupied  not  only 
Moats,  but  also  Lunnenden  (now  Lullenden)  Farm,  while 
they  also  owned  the  Anchor  at  Croydon  and  Stumps 
and  Gates  Farms,  in  the  parish  of  Lingfield,  then  held  of 
the  Manor  of  Imberhorne.  On  July  21st,  1817,  James, 
the  then  owner,  cut  33  oak  trees  on  Gates  Farm  and  sold 
them  to  Mr.  John  Stenning  for  £150,  handing  over  to 
Mr.  George  Bankin,  jun.,  "for  his  part  for  the  Lord  of 
the  Manor,"  £70.  Mr.  Bankin  was  a  well-known  solicitor 
in  East  Grinstead  and  died  on  February  llth,  1847, 
aged  75.  Mr.  George  Batchelar's  grandfather,  James, 
and  his  three  brothers  were  all  born  at  the  Dorset  Arms, 
East  Grinstead.  A  sister,  Mary,  married  a  clergy- 
man named  Blagden,  and  an  oil  painting  still  exists  of 
her  and  her  husband.  The  James  of  coaching  fame 
died  about  1763.  His  brother  John  continued  to  drive 
the  coach  and  the  widow  carried  on  the  business  for 
some  years;  indeed,  she  did  not  die  until  1817.  The 
property  passed  to  her  son  James  and  he  sold  Stumps 
and  Gates  Farms  to  a  Mr.  Grange,  who  amalgamated 
them  under  the  one  name  of  The  Grange,  after  his  own 
patronymic,  and  the  estate  has  perpetuated  the  fact  of 
his  brief  ownership  ever  since.  The  property  was  after- 
wards sold  to  Mr.  St.  George  and  it  has  since  passed 
through  the  hands  of  the  Dumelope,  Hastie,  Yatman, 
Budd  and  Hubbard  families,  and  is  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Reeve. 


EAST   GRINSTEAD   AND   ITS   COACHING   HISTORY.      149 

But  to  return  to  coaching  matters.  Mr.  George 
Batchelar  has  one  of  the  original  posters,  issued  in  May, 
1756,  announcing  that  James  Batchelar's  "  New 
Machine "  would  run  every  Monday,  Wednesday  and 
Friday  from  the  George  Inn,  Haymarket,  to  East 
Grinstead,  Lewes  and  Brighton,  completing  the  journey 
in  one  day,  returning  on  the  other  days  of  the  week. 
The  full  fare  between  London  and  Brighton  was  16 
shillings  (including  14-lbs.  of  luggage)  for  inside 
passengers),  but  only  half  that  sum  for  those  who  rode 
outside.  The  fare  from  East  Grinstead  to  London  was 
6s.  The  old  account  books  contain  many  entries  show- 
ing the  payment  of  this  sum  per  seat.  The  turnpike 
dues  between  East  Grinstead  and  London  were  2s.  and 
the  sum  paid  for  stabling  in  town  was  always  7s.  2d.  a 
day.  At  the  same  time  Batchelar  ran  a  second  coach 
from  the  Talbot  Inn,  in  the  Borough,  to  Godstone,  East 
Grinstead  and  Lewes,  starting  each  Tuesday  at  nine 
o'clock  and  Saturday  at  five  o'clock.  In  all  his 
advertisements  and  on  all  his  posters  he  inserted  the 
words  "If  God  permit,"  a  provision  possibly  rendered 
necessary  in  consequence  of  the  disgraceful  state  of  the 
roads  in  these  early  days.  The  payment  to  the  employes 
at  this  time  was  not  a  particularly  heavy  item,  as  witness 
the  following  extracts  from  Batchelar's  diary : — 

May  19,  1734.  Agreed  with  John  Stenning  to  sarve  me  to  old  Mich' 
Day  for  2s.  6d.  for  weeke. 

July  2,  1742.  A  Greead  with  Bob.  Wickarsham  to  mow  15  akars 
of  grass  for  one  and  twenty  pence  per  akar. 

This  man  farmed  part  of  the  present  East  Court  Estate. 

Oct.  10,  1746.  A  Greade  with  old  Gibb  for  James  for  four  pound 
four  shillings  and  a  pair  of  shows  (shoes)  for  one  year. 

Sept.  29,  1750.  A  Gread  with  Eichd  Mills  for  three  pounds  ten 
shillings  for  a  year. 

Feb.  9,  1750.  Pd.  Eichd.  Mathews  in  full  for  one  yeares  wagers  toe 
Feb.  the  6th.  £3-3-0. 

A  year  later  the  same  man  got  seven  guineas  for  his 
year. 

Oct.  7,  1759.  Agreead  with  John  Hills  to  old  mickelmas  next  for 
seven  shillings  pr.  week. 


150  HISTORY   Of   EAST    GRlNSTEAt). 

Occasionally  his  men  gave  him  trouble,  for  we  find 
on — 

Aug.  17,  1750.  Crissmas  Kilner  lost  a  tosing  up  att  London  of  my 
money=14s.  6d. 

Dec.  25,  1754.     Crismas  Kilner  pd.  me  short  9s. 

Judging  from  his  name  he  had  possibly  been  celebrating 
his  birthday. 

Ap.  23,  1755.     Crismas  Kilner  pd.  me  short  14s. 

Some  of  these  men  were,  no  doubt,  agricultural 
labourers  and  not  all  engaged  solely  in  the  coaching 
business.  His  general  cartage  work  entailed  other 
expenses,  as  this  entry  shows  : — 

Nov.  3,  1754.  Gave  Mr.  Harman  and  his  wife  one  ginney  for  to  go 
through  his  ground  with  my  waggons  from  the  Mays  wood  till  one 
month  after  Lady  Day  next. 

The  business  was,  no  doubt,  a  profitable  one  and  opposi- 
tion soon  sprang  up.  J.  Tubb  and  S.  Brawne  started,  on 
June  7th,  1762,  a  "new  Flying  Machine,  hung  on  steel 
springs,  very  neat  and  commodious,"  from  the  Golden 
Cross,  at  Charing  Cross,  via  East  Grinstead  to  Brighton. 
This  vehicle  did  the  down  journey  on  Mondays,  Wednes- 
days and  Fridays,  and  the  up  on  the  alternate  days.  The 
fares  were  the  same  as  Batchelar's,  who,  in  order  to  cope 
with  this  interference  with  his  old  custom,  started  "  a  new 
large  Flying  Chariot,  with  a  box  and  four  horses  to  carry 
two  Passengers  only,  except  three  should  desire  to  go 
together."  But  the  new-comers  still  drew  his  patrons 
away,  so  Batchelar  lowered  his  prices.  This  so  irritated 
Tubb  that  he  rushed  into  print,  and  in  the  Lewes  Journal 
of  November,  1762,  then  the  only  paper  published  in  the 
County  of  Sussex  and  now  known  as  the  Sussex  Advertiser, 
appeared  a  notice  in  which  he  said : — 

Gentlemen,  Ladies,  and  others,  are  desired  to  look  narrowly  into  the 
Meanness  and  Design  of  the  other  Flying  Machine  to  Lewes  and 
Brighthelmston,  in  lowering  his  prices,  whether  'tis  thro'  conscience  or 
an  endeavour  to  suppress  me.  If  the  former  is  the  case,  think  how 
you  have  been  used  for  a  great  number  of  years,  when  he  engrossed 
the  whole  to  himself,  and  kept  you  two  days  upon  the  road,  going  fifty 
miles.  If  the  latter,  and  he  should  be  lucky  enough  to  succeed  in  it, 
judge  whether  he  wont  return  to  his  old  prices,  when  you  cannot  help 
yourselves,  and  use  you  as  formerly.  As  I  have  then,  been  the  remover 


EAST    GRINSTEAD   AND   ITS   COACHING   HISTORY.      151 

of  this  obstacle,  wliicli  you  have  all  granted  by  your  great  encourage- 
ment of  me  hitherto,  I,  therefore,  hope  for  the  continuance  of  your 
favours,  which  will  entirely  frustrate  the  deep-laid  schemes  of  my  great 
opponent,  and  lay  a  lasting  obligation  on, 

Your  very  humble  servant, 

J.  Tubb. 

The  blood  of  the  Batchelars  was  up,  and  the  following 
week  the  same  paper  contained  this  answer : — 

Whereas  Mr.  Tubb,  by  an  Advertisement  in  this  paper  of  Monday 
last,  has  thought  fit  to  cast  some  invidious  reflexions  upon  me  in  respect 
of  the  lowering  my  Prices  and  being  two  days  upon  the  road  with  other 
low  insinuations,  I  beg  leave  to  submit  the  following  matters  to  the 
calm  Consideration  of  the  Gentlemen,  Ladies  and  other  Passengers,  of 
what  Degree  soever,  who  have  been  pleased  to  favour  me,  viz. : — 

That  our  Family  first  set  up  the  Stage  Coach  from  London  to  Lewes, 
and  have  continued  it  for  a  long  Series  of  Years,  from  Father  to  Son, 
and  other  Branches  of  the  same  Eace,  and  that  even  before  the  Turn- 
pikes on  the  Lewes  Eoad  were  erected  they  drove  their  Stage,  in  the 
Summer  Season,  in  one  day,  and  have  continued  to  do  so  ever  since, 
and  now  in  the  Winter  Season  twice  in  the  week.  And  it  is  likewise 
to  be  considered  that  many  aged  and  infirm  Persons,  who  did  not  chuse 
to  rise  early  in  the  morning,  were  very  desirous  to  be  two  Days  on  the 
road  for  their  own  Ease  and  Conveniency,  therefore  there  was  no 
Obstacle  to  be  removed.  And  as  to  lowering  my  prices,  let  every  one 
judge  whether,  when  an  old  Servant  of  the  Country  perceives  an 
Endeavour  to  suppress  and  supplant  him  in  his  Business,  he  is  not  well 
justified  in  taking  all  measures  in  his  Power  for  his  own  Security, 
and  even  to  oppose  an  unfair  Adversary  so  far  as  he  can.  'Tis, 
therefore,  hoped  that  the  Descendants  of  your  very  ancient  Servants 
will  still  meet  with  your  farther  Encouragement,  and  leave  the 
schemes  of  our  little  Opponent  to  their  proper  deserts. 

I  am,  Your  old  and  present 

most  obedient  Servant, 

J.  Batchelar. 

0  disingenuous  Batchelar !  You  did  not  inform  your 
London  and  Brighton  patrons  that  the  two-days'  journey 
was  broken  at  the  Dorset  Arms,  East  Grinstead;  that 
your  own  family  owned  that  famous  hostelry,  and  that 
they  drew  not  only  the  coaching  fee,  but  also  the  lodging 
bill  of  those  who  u  did  not  chuse  to  rise  early  in  the 
morning."  But  his  burst  of  virtuous  indignation  seems 
to  have  had  its  effect,  for  J.  Tubb  did  not  reply  to  his 
"  great  opponent."  He  bided  his  time  and  a  few  years 
later  purchased  from  Batchelar's  executors  the  rival 
business  which  had  given  him  such  sad  worrying. 


152  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRtNSTEAD. 

In  1770  East  Grinstead  was  served  from  London  on 
Tuesdays,  Thursdays  and  Saturdays,  the  coach  leaving 
the  Golden  Cross  at  Charing  Cross  at  five  a.m.,  passing 
through  to  Brighton  and  returning  during  the  night, 
leaving  the  coast  town  at  five  p.m.  and  East  Grinstead 
about  nine  p.m.  At  this  same  time  a  waggon  regularly 
ran  between  the  Dorset  at  East  Grinstead  and  the  Talbot 
in  the  Borough,  but  what  accommodation  it  afforded  is 
not  now  known.  We  do  know  its  outgoings,  for  Batchelar 
records  in  his  journal,  under  date  November  4th,  1761, 
the  fact  that  his 

Expences  for  the  wagon  and  man  three  days  to  the  Talbot  Inn 
without  going  into  the  settey  (City)  come  to  about  £1.  2s. 

Shortly  afterwards  the  present  main  road  between 
London  and  Brighton  began  to  meet  with  more  favour, 
and  one  by  one  the  through  coaches  ceased  to  visit  East 
Grinstead,  until  at  last  our  town  was  almost  left  to  shift 
for  itself  in  providing  communication  with  the  outside 
world.  In  1790  the  East  Grinstead  route  had  fallen  so 
low  in  favour  that  a  writer  afterwards  thought  fit  to  say 
of  it : — "  There  were  three  roads  from  Brighton  to 
London.  The  first  and  chief  passed  through  Cuckfield 
and  Reigate.  This  was  the  Appian  way  for  the  high 
nobility  of  England.  The  other  two  were  vulgar." 
0  tempora,  0  mores !  What  a  slight  on  the  wild  beauties 
of  Ashdown  Forest  and  the  quaint  picturesqueness  of 
our  fine  old  town ! 

According  to  Gary's  "Itinerary  of  the  Great  Roads," 
only  one  coach  was  running  in  1815  solely  between 
London  and  East  Grinstead.  This  left  the  Spur  Inn, 
Borough,  at  three  o'clock  each  day,  arriving  at  the 
Dorset  Arms,  East  Grinstead,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  It  returned  each  morning  at  7  a.m.,  arriving 
in  the  Borough  at  12  noon.  The  service  from  the  south 
was  also  daily,  a  coach  starting  from  North  Street, 
Brighton,  every  morning  "in  the  season"  at  seven 
o'clock  and  going  through  East  Grinstead  to  London, 
completing  the  journey  in  ten  hours,  so  that  this  town 
had  a  second  service  to  the  Metropolis. 


EAST    GRINSTEAD   AND    ITS   COACHING    HISTORY.      153 

Another  volume  published  at  the  same  time,  entitled 
"  The  Three  Grand  Routes  from  Brighton  to  London," 
announced,  as  one  of  the  attractions  of  the  town  at  that 
time,  that  at  the  Dorset  Arms  Hotel  a  ball  was  annually 
given  by  the  subscribers  of  a  Book  Society.  In  a  con- 
temporary diary  is  recorded,  "  1842,  Oct.  19.  Book 
Club  Ball  at  the  Crown.  A  scene  of  vanity."  Dumsdale, 
a  tailor  in  a  small  way  of  business  in  East  Grinstead, 
had  a  son  who  was  a  cripple  from  his  childhood,  and  he 
built  for  him  a  light  four-wheeled  cart,  to  which  young 
Dumsdale  used  to  harness  an  unicorn  team  of  bulldogs. 
He  made  his  way  to  London  in  February,  1830,  and 
drove  down  the  Strand.  He  used  to  do  the  28  miles 
from  East  Grinstead  to  Brighton  comfortably  in  four 
hours,  and  often  beat  the  coach  that  travelled  by  this 
road,  occasionally  doing  ten  miles  an  hour.  Dumsdale 
was  generally  permitted  by  the  toll-gate  keepers  to  travel 
toll  free. 

Some  ten  years  later  a  pair-horse  coach  used  to  run 
daily  from  the  Dorset  Arms  through  Lingfield  on  to 
Godstone,  with  passengers.  Here  they  were  met  by  a 
four-horse  coach  which  ran  from  Bletchingley  to  London, 
until  the  line  from  Godstone  to  London  was  opened, 
and  then  on  October  5th,  1842,  a  daily  service  between 
East  Grinstead  and  Godstone  Station  was  commenced. 
This  was  temporarily  stopped  on  March  20th,  1843,  but 
resumed  in  the  course  of  a  few  months.  The  coaches 
seem  to  have  been  fairly  free  of  mishaps,  but  on 
September  7th,  1842,  the  Grinstead  coach  was  over- 
turned on  the  Common.  The  horses  were  blinded  by  a 
flash  of  lightning,  got  off  the  road  and  upset  the  coach, 
but  the  six  passengers  all  escaped  with  nothing  worse 
than  a  severe  shaking. 

This  pair-horse  coach  was  for  a  long  time  driven  by  a 
man  named  Bashford,  who  died  on  December  31st,  1846, 
and  to  him  succeeded  William  Thomas,  whom  many  will 
still  remember  as  the  driver  of  Mr.  Southey's  hearse. 
The  Godstone  vehicle  was  always  called  "the  bus"  and 
had  its  headquarters  at  the  Dorset.  On  May  16th,  1849, 
it  commenced  to  do  the  journey  twice  daily.  The 


154  HISTORY  OP   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

opening  of  the  main  line  at  Three  Bridges  took  place  on 
July  12th,  1841,  but  East  Grinstead  took  no  steps  to  get 
a  regular  connection  with  the  line  there  until  June  4th, 
1849,  when  a  vehicle,  always  called  "the  coach,"  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  Godstone  "  bus,"  began  to  run 
twice  daily  from  the  Swan  at  East  Grinstead  to  the 
Station  at  Three  Bridges,  and  was  driven  by  a  man 
named  Holdsworth  until  1855,  when  the  railway 
between  Three  Bridges  and  East  Grinstead  was  opened. 
By  the  time  the  South-Eastern  Line  was  opened  the 
Batchelars  had  removed  to  Lingfield,  and  the  James  of 
that  day  issued  a  bill  on  March  28th,  1844,  stating  that 
in  future  his  goods  would  be  taken  by  rail  from  Godstone 
to  London  and  back  every  Tuesday  and  Friday, 

by  which  arrangement  he  will  be  enabled  to  deliver  them,  at  a  much 
CHEAPER  KATE  than  before,  and  most  respectfully  solicits  a  continuance 
of  those  favours  which  have  been  entrusted  to  him  and  his  Family 
upwards  of  100  years,  feeling  confident  that,  with  the  aid  of  the 
Railway,  he  shall  be  able  to  forward,  in  any  quantities,  to  the  perfect 
satisfaction  of  his  Friends  and  Employers. 

The  last  of  the  mail  coaches  which  ran  between 
London  and  Brighton  was  taken  off  the  road  in  1841. 
Among  the  habitual  visitors  to  the  Dorset  Arms  during 
its  long  career  as  a  coaching  house  were  the  eccentric 
Lord  Liverpool,  who  owned  Buxted  Park ;  Lord 
Abergavenny,  who  then  lived  at  Kidbrooke  Park ;  Lord 
Seymour,  Lord  Delawarr,  Spencer  Perceval — the  Prime 
Minister  who  was  murdered — and  several  of  the  ladies 
who  attracted  the  amorous  attentions  of  the  Prince 
Regent,  one  of  whom  actually  left  her  luncheon  bills  to 
be  settled  by  the  State.  In  1827  the  Princess  Victoria 
passed  through  East  Grinstead,  accompanied  by  her 
mother,  the  Duchess  of  Kent.  They  changed  horses  at 
the  Dorset  Arms  and  while  waiting  there  were  loudly 
cheered  by  a  great  gathering  of  inhabitants. 


TOLL-GATES  AND  EOAD  MANAGEMENT, 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  first  effective  attempt  to  get  the  main  road  running 
from  London  to  East  Grinstead  put  into  a  proper  state  of 
repair  and  placed  under  organised  management  was  made 
in  the  year  1717.  Many  of  the  users  of  the  road  became 
alarmed  at  the  proposals  and  petitioned  Parliament  that 
they  might  be  freed  and  exempted  from  any  charge  likely 
to  be  enforced  in  consequence  of  making  good  the  high- 
way, and  that  they  might  be  at  liberty  to  pass  as  usual 
to  and  from  London  free  of  expense.  But  their  prayer 
was  not  listened  to,  and  in  the  following  year  the  Act 
was  passed  creating  the  Turnpike  Trust  over  the  road 
which  ran  from  London,  through  Godstone  to  East 
Grinstead.  At  this  time  and  for  many  years  later  an 
argument  prevailed  with  Sussex  people  that  if  they 
made  good  roads  through  the  county  the  French  would 
immediately  invade  England  and  use  the  roads  on  their 
march  to  the  Metropolis. 

The  Act  in  question  set  forth  in  its  preamble  that  the 
road  running  from  London  to  East  Grinstead,  by  reason 
of  the  heavy  traffic,  was  becoming  a  very  ruinous  and 
almost  impassable  for  the  space  of  five  months  in  the 
year,"  therefore  Trustees  were  appointed  with  power  to 
erect  turnpikes  and  charge  tolls  and  devote  one-third  of 
one-half  of  the  proceeds  to  amending  the  road  from 
Croydon  to  East  Grinstead.  This  Act  was  to  continue 
in  force  for  21  years,  but  by  1720  the  Trustees  had 
expended  £11,000  on  the  road  over  and  above  the 
amount  of  the  tolls,  and  to  enable  them  to  borrow  with 
greater  ease  the  Act  was  extended  for  23  years  in  all. 
In  1724  another  Act  was  passed  extending  the  Trust  so 
as  to  include  the  road  right  through  the  town  of  East 
Grinstead  and  on  to  Highgate,  which  was  then  the 
entrance  to  Ashdown  Forest. 

The  borrowing  of  £2,500  for  repairing  the  road  from 
Croydon  to  Highgate  was  authorised  ;  the  meeting  place 


156  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

for  the  local  Trustees  was  fixed  at  the  Crown  Inn ;  and, 
for  the  first  time,  all  coaches  and  persons  on  horseback 
were  ordered  to  be  allowed  to  go  free  on  the  days  of 
election  of  Members  of  Parliament  in  Surrey  or  Sussex. 
Funds  running  short,  another  Act  was  passed  in  1731 
putting  on  additional  tolls  of  one  penny  for  animals  and 
threepence  to  sixpence  for  vehicles.  Six  years  later 
Parliament  again  dealt  witli  the  matter  and  continued 
the  Acts  for  15  years  after  March  25th,  1762,  and  as  and 
from  July  25th,  1737,  doubled  many  of  the  existing 
tolls.  A  general  Act  passed  about  the  same  time  fixed 
very  severe  penalties  for  those  who  interfered  with  the 
toll-gates  or  their  keepers.  They  were  to  undergo 
imprisonment  for  three  months  and  to  be  "  once  publickly 
and  openly  whipt"  in  the  market  place  of  the  nearest 
town  to  which  the  offence  was  committed. 

The  whole  of  the  general  laws  relating  to  turnpike 
roads  in  England  were  embodied  in  one  Act  passed  in 
1768.  Specific  widths  of  wheels  and  weights  were 
defined  for  every  class  of  vehicle,  and  the  Turnpike 
Trustees  were  empowered  to  erect  cranes,  machines  or 
engines  at  each  toll-gate  to  weigh  all  vehicles  and  charge 
all  overweight  20s.  per  cwt.  No  four-wheeled  vehicle 
was  allowed  more  than  eight  horses  and  no  two-wheeled 
vehicle  more  than  four,  but  the  number  could  be  increased 
during  times  of  deep  snow  and  ice.  Every  vehicle  with 
wheels  less  than  six  inches  wide  had  to  pay  half  as  much 
again  as  the  specified  tolls,  and  after  1776  this  penalty 
for  light  running  traps  was  increased  to  double  the 
amount  set  forth  in  any  previous  Act  of  Parliament.  In 
the  same  year  all  tyres  were  first  compelled  to  be  flat  and 
the  nails  sunk  so  as  not  to  rise  above  the  surface. 

This  is  a  copy  of  the  notice  as  to  weights  posted  on 
the  East  Grinstead  toll-gate  130  years  ago:— 

Table  of  Weights  Allowed  in  Winter  and  Summer 
(including  the  Carriage  and  Loading). 

SUMMER.  WINTER. 

TONS.  CWTS.       TOHB.  CWTS. 

To  every  Waggon  upon  Rollers,  of  the  Breadth 

of  16  Inches    8     0     ..      7     0 

To  every  Waggon  with  9  Inch  Wheels,  rolling 

a  Surface  of  16  Inches  on  each  Side. ...         6  10     ..     6     0 


TOLL-GATES   AND    ROAD    MANAGEMENT.  157 

SUMMER.  WINTER. 

TONS  CWTS.        TONS.  CWTS. 

To  every  Waggon  with.  9  Inch.  Wheels    6     0  ..  510 

Cart            „     „             „               3     0  ..  2  15 

„         Wagon      ,,6            „              4     5  ..  3  15 

„  „  „     n  »  rolling 

a  Surface  of  1 1  Inches      510  ..  5  0 

To  every  Cart  with  6  Inch  Wheels 212  . .  2  7 

,,         Waggon  with  Wheels  of  less  Breadth 

than  6  Inches    3  10  ..  3  0 

To  every  Cart  with  Wheels  of  less  Breadth  than 

6  Inches     110  . .  1  7 

In  1784  the  powers  of  the  London  to  Highgate 
Trustees  were  greatly  enlarged  and  they  were  given  the 
sole  control  of  the  road  between  the  points  named.  The 
Trustees  were  about  200  in  number  and  included  the 
Vicar  of  East  Grinstead  and  some  20  other  local  residents. 
Their  qualification  was  the  enjoyment  of  land  worth  £40 
a  year,  or  the  possession  of  personal  estate  worth  £800. 
For  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  Act  they  were  given 
all  the  powers  of  Justices  of  the  Peace,  whether  they 
were  Magistrates  or  not.  They  were  strictly  forbidden 
to  appoint  any  innkeeper  to  any  office  under  the  Trust, 
but  this  did  not  apply  to  a  person  who  farmed  the  tolls, 
as  the  last  toll-gate  keeper  at  the  point  where  Surrey  and 
Sussex  joined  at  Felbridge  was  Mr.  George  Worsell,  who 
also  occupied  the  Star  Inn.  The  following  were  the 
tolls  then  demanded  at  the  toll-house  in  East  Grinstead, 
which  stood  at  the  southern  entrance  to  the  town,  on  the 
land  which  now  forms  part  of  the  forecourt  of  Dr. 
Poynder's  house : — 

For  every  Horse,  Mule  or  Ass,  laden  or  unladen,  and  not  drawing  Id. 

For  every  Chaise,  or  other  such  like  Carriage,  drawn  by  One 

Horse  only 2d. 

For  every  Coach,  Chariot,  Landau,  Berlin,  Hearse,  Chaise, 
Calash  or  other  such  like  Carriage,  drawn  by  Two  or  more 

Horses 6d. 

For  every  Cart,  Dray  or  other  such  like  Carriage 2d. 

For  every  Wagon,  not  laden  with  Hay  or  Straw 6d. 

For  every  Waggon,  laden  with  Hay  or  Straw 3d. 

For  every  Drove  of  Oxen,  or  other  Neat  Cattle,  the  sum  of  Two- 
pence per  Score ;  and  so  in  proportion  for  every  greater  or  lesser  number. 

For  every  Drove  of  Calves,  Hogs,  Sheep  or  Lambs,  the  sum  of  One 
Penny  per  Score;  and  so  in  proportion  for  every  greater  or  lesser 
number. 


158  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

These  tolls  were  considerably  increased  in  after  years, 
for  some  vehicles  had  to  pay  as  much  as  eighteenpence. 

Among  the  vehicles  exempted  from  tolls  were  those 
which  carried  fish ;  road-mending  material ;  manure  for 
local  land;  bricks  or  timber  for  local  buildings;  hay, 
corn  or  straw  during  harvest  time ;  agricultural  imple- 
ments ;  vagrants  sent  by  legal  passes,  and  persons  going 
to  or  from  an  election. 

In  1850  occurs  the  first  mention  of  horseless  vehicles, 
the  Sussex  and  Surrey  Roads  Act  (13  and  14  Victoria) 
fixing  these  tolls  for  East  Grrinstead : — 

8.    d. 

For  every  carriage  with,  four  or  more  wheels,  not  drawn  by  any 

horse  or  other  beast,  but  propelled  or  moved  by  machinery  2  0 

For  every  carriage  with  three  or  a  less  number  of  wheels,  not 
drawn  by  any  horse  or  beast,  but  propelled  or  moved  by 
machinery 1  0 

The  first  steam  plough  passed  through  the  town  on 
April  18th,  1864,  and  its  passage,  without  horses,  excited 
intense  interest. 

The  instances  in  which  the  Turnpike  Trustees  them- 
selves managed  the  toll-gates  were  comparatively  few 
in  number.  They  farmed  the  tolls,  the  same  being 
disposed  of,  at  a  properly  convened  meeting,  by  public 
auction.  Parliament  itself  laid  down  the  conditions  of 
sale,  which  included  the  following : — 

To  prevent  fraud  or  any  undue  preference  in  the  letting  thereof,  the 
Trustees  are  hereby  required  to  provide  a  Glass  with  so  much  Sand  in 
it  as  will  run  from  One  End  of  it  to  the  other  in  One  Minute ;  which 
Glass,  at  the  Time  of  letting  the  said  Tolls,  shall  be  set  upon  a  Table, 
and  immediately  after  every  Bidding  the  Glass  shall  be  turned,  and  as 
soon  as  the  Sand  is  run  out  it  shall  be  turned  again,  and  so  for  Three 
Times,  unless  some  other  Bidding  intervenes  :  And  if  no  other  Person 
shall  bid  until  the  Sand  shall  have  run  through  the  Glass  for  Three 
Times,  the  last  Bidder  shall  be  the  Farmer  or  Renter  of  the  said  Tolls. 

On  February  15th,  1809,  the  Trustees  of  that  portion 
of  the  turnpike  road  running  from  Godstone  to  Highgate, 
Forest  Row,  petitioned  Parliament  for  an  enlargement  of 
the  powers  given  them  under  three  previous  Acts,  as  the 
money  already  borrowed  on  the  security  of  the  tolls  was 
not  sufficient  to  keep  the  road  in  decent  repair.  The 
expedition  with  which  Parliament  dealt  with  the  matter 


TOLL-GATES   AND   ROAD    MANAGEMENT.  159 

is  little  short  of  marvellous.  The  petition  was  referred 
to  two  Members.  A  week  later  leave  was  given  to  bring 
in  a  Bill.  It  was  before  the  House  on  March  13th ;  passed 
its  third  reading  by  April  1 8th ;  was  agreed  to  by  the 
Lords  on  the  24th,  and  received  the  Royal  assent  on  the 
28th.  Thus  in  a  little  over  two  months  was  done  what 
would  possibly  now  take  two  years.  The  local  turnpikes 
were  abolished  some  70  years  later,  and  on  June  27th, 
1882,  the  road  through  East  Grinstead  was  declared  a 
main  road  and  taken  over  by  the  county  authorities,  as 
and  from  October  16th  following. 

We  hear  very  little  now  about  the  "  Old  Road"  and 
the  "  New  Road,"  though  the  names  still  linger  in  the 
memories  of  some  residents.  The  town  was  originally 
approached  from  Forest  Row  by  the  disused  road  which 
turned  in  some  50  yards  on  the  town  side  of  Budgen's 
Barn  and  traversed  what  is  now  called  Frog's  Hole,  a 
dangerous,  circuitous  route  for  vehicular  traffic.  About 
70  years  ago  the  then  Earl  De  la  Warr  purchased  a 
number  of  old  and  dilapidated  buildings  which  sur- 
rounded Sackville  College  and  had  them  removed,  the 
present  wide  roadway  which  provides  so  charming  an 
approach  to  our  town  from  the  Lewes  road  being  made  at 
the  same  time. 

The  approach  to  the  town  from  what  is  now  known  as 
Sunnyside  was  originally  by  way  of  Hurst -an -Clays 
coach  road,  that  being  a  public  thoroughfare  up  to  1860. 
The  necessary  land  for  the  making  of  Ship  Street  on  its 
present  site  was  given  by  the  late  Mr.  C.  C.  Tooke,  in 
return  for  a  relinquishment  of  all  public  rights  over  the 
old  road  which  led  immediately  past  his  front  door  and 
under  the  dove-cote.  The  scheme  was  approved  by  the 
Vestry  on  October  2nd,  1860. 

An  exact  and  careful  measurement  of  all  the  roads  in 
the  parish  was  completed  on  March  14th,  1881,  and  the 
following  table  of  distances  was  compiled : — 

Miles.  Yds. 

From  Felbridge,  through  the  town,  to  Wych  Cross 6     1653 

Imberhorne  Lane,  from  near  Felbridge,  to  Hazelden  Cross     1     1 395 

From  Hazelden  Cross  to  Saint  Hill  Green 1 186 

,,  ,,  ,,      ,,  Hurley  Farm 1       556 


160  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Miles.  Yds. 

From  the  town  end  of  West  Street  to  Hazelden  Cross    ....  1       528 

the  top  of  West  Street,  by  the  Ship  Inn,  to  Tyes  Cross  3     1546 
the  Crossways,  near  Hurst-an-Clays  dove-cote,  to  the 

Town  by  the  Hermitage    692 

Tyes  Cross  to  Forest  Eow  Church 3       826 

Ashdown  Park  to  Stone  Farm.    4       246 

the  Forest  Road  to  Twyford  Lodge 548 

Lingfield  Eoad,  from  London  Road  to  the  County  Boundary  833 

Opposite  Miles'  Cottage  at  Felbridge 216 

Hartfield  district  turnpike  road 1       888 

From  Forest  Row  to  Park  Corner  1 128 

,,     Ashurst  Wood  to  East  Grinstead  Lane,  by  Shovel- 
strode  2       648 

Road  at  Ashurst  Wood,  opposite  Brambletye  lower  lodge  . .  40 

From.  Hartfield  Parish,  by  East  Grinstead  Lane,  to  the  Town  3     1 700 

Frog's  Hole  Road 243 

Shepherd's  Grove  Road 596 

From  the  Larches  to  Sandhawes  Hill. .  182 


Total 33     1570 

Since  that  date  many  new  roads  have  been  laid  out, 
and  the  following,  within  the  Urban  District,  at  present 
taken  over  by  the  public  authority,  completes  the  list  to 

date  I—  Yards. 

Portlands  Road 417 

Moat  Road 434 

Cranston  Road    418 

Maypole  Road    121 

Durkins  Road 1 80 

Green  Hedges  Avenue 99 

Queen's  Road 440 

Wellington  Town  Road     264 

Charlwoods  Row    70 

Lower  Glen  Vue     110 

GlenVue 313 

Station  Road 209 

De  la  Warr  Road 330 

Cantelupe  Road 418 

Chequer  Road     99 

St.  James'  Road 198 

Fairfield  Road    225 

This  gives  a  total  of  36  miles,  635  yards,  of  which 
there  are  in  the  existing  parish  of  East  Grinstead : — 

Miles.    Yds. 
Main  County  Road 3       338 

District  Roads  .,  15     1330 


Total..  18     1668 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  RAILWAY, 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  residents  of  East  Grinstead  and  the  neighbour- 
hood first  began  to  agitate  for  railway  facilities  in  1845. 
On  October  10th  of  that  year  a  public  meeting  was  held 
at  the  Crown  Hotel  and  an  influential  committee,  under 
the  chairmanship  of  Mr.  Robert  Crawfurd,  of  Saint  Hill, 
was  formed  to  facilitate  the  scheme.  Numerous  meetings 
followed  in  rapid  succession  and  at  a  very  large  gather- 
ing held  on  November  6th  a  decision  was  come  to,  but 
not  unanimously,  in  favour  of  a  branch  running  from 
East  Grinstead  to  join  the  South-Eastern  Company's  line 
at  Godstone.  This  gave  great  annoyance  to  many  of 
the  gentry,  who  strongly  favoured  a  branch  to  join 
the  South  Coast  Company's  line  at  Three  Bridges. 
Encouraged  by  both  the  decision  and  the  opposition, 
surveys  were  immediately  commenced  for  both  lines, 
and  the  two  Companies  named  went  to  Parliament,  each 
with  a  Bill  to  secure  the  necessary  powers.  The  South- 
Eastern  was  unwise  enough  to  change  the  proposed  site 
of  its  terminus  from  where  the  Urban  Council  offices  now 
stand  to  a  less  convenient  spot ;  a  public  meeting  held  on 
March  4th,  1846,  protested  against  the  alteration;  the 
Company  would  not  give  in,  so  on  the  14th  of  the  same 
month,  at  a  great  public  gathering,  the  inhabitants 
decided  that  "  owing  to  the  want  of  straightforwardness 
in  the  South-Eastern  Company "  they  would  withdraw 
support  from  their  scheme  and  transfer  it  entirely  to  the 
Brighton  Company's  proposals.  This  was  apparently 
the  turning  point  in  the  fight  between  the  two  Companies, 
for  six  days  later  the  Brighton  Company's  Bill  passed  a 
Committee  of  the  House  of  Commons  and  that  of  the 
South-Eastern  Company  was  rejected.  The  raising  of 
£106,666  was  authorised  to  carry  out  the  work  and  duly 
subscribed,  but  the  railway  panic  of  the  following  year 
induced  the  Company  to  devote  the  money  to  some  other 
purpose,  and  so  the  town  lost  the  benefit  of  both  schemes. 


162  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

This  action  on  the  part  of  the  Railway  Company  gave 
great  dissatisfaction,  and  so  indignant  did  the  residents  of 
East  Grinstead  become  at  the  delay  shown  in  carrying 
out  the  approved  proposals  that  on  June  5th,  1848,  a 
public  meeting  was  held  and  a  large  number  of  signatures 
obtained  to  a  petition  to  the  House  of  Lords  praying 
them  not  to  grant  permission  to  the  South-Coast  Company 
to  commence  any  more  new  projects  until  they  had  com- 
pleted the  East  Griustead  and  Three  Bridges  branch. 
Nothing  came  of  the  agitation,  however,  and  in  the 
summer  of  1852  the  residents  of  East  Grinstead  and  the 
district  intervening  between  this  town  and  the  main  line 
themselves  took  the  matter  up  in  earnest,  formed  a  Com- 
pany in  September  of  that  year,  raised  the  necessary 
capital,  went  to  Parliament  and  got  their  Bill  provisionally 
approved  on  May  12th,  1853,  the  reception  of  the  news 
being  made  the  occasion  of  great  rejoicing  in  the  town. 
The  Act  finally  passed  both  Houses  on  July  8th.  The 
first  sod  was  cut  by  Mrs.  A.  Hastie  on  November  22nd 
of  the  same  year,  and  the  first  engine  passed  over  the 
new  line  on  June  6th,  1855.  A  month  later,  on  July 
9th,  ordinary  traffic  commenced.  The  first  train  ran  out 
of  East  Grinstead  at  12.15  and  returned  from  Three 
Bridges  at  one  o'clock,  some  hundreds  of  townspeople 
being  carried  free  of  charge.  It  was  a  day  of  great 
festivity  in  East  Grinstead.  All  the  shops  were  closed 
at  noon ;  a  band  came  up  from  Brighton ;  the  church 
bells  were  rung;  flags  were  flying;  over  200  sat  down 
to  a  banquet  served  on  Mr.  Hastie's  lawn ;  and  the  six 
trains  in  and  out  were  all  well  patronised.  The  building 
of  the  line  cost  £53,000,  and  incidental  expenses  brought 
up  the  capital  expenditure  to  £60,000,  of  which  £10,000 
was  raised  by  debentures  and  £50,000  by  shares  of  £25 
each.  The  original  East  Grinstead  terminus  was  where 
the  goods  station  house  now  stands.  Later,  when  the 
line  was  extended  to  Tunbridge  Wells  in  1866,  the  now 
disused  station  below  the  bridge  in  London  Road  came 
into  use,  and  the  entrance  on  the  bridge  and  down  the 
steps  was  provided.  This  finally  ceased  to  be  used  for 
passenger  traffic  on  October  14th,  1883,  when  the  present 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  RAILWAY.       163 

more  commodious  station  was  opened  and  approached  by 
way  of  Glen  Vue.  There  was  originally  no  station  at 
Grange  Road.  Sir  C.  M.  Lampson  sold  his  land  rather 
cheaply  on  condition  that  a  station  should  be  built  at 
Rowfant  and  that  the  train  leaving  East  Grinstead  each 
morning  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock,  or  the  nearest  to 
those  hours,  should  always  stop  there,  and  this  arrange- 
ment is  still  in  force. 

The  provisional  Directors  of  the  Company,  according 
to  its  prospectus,  were  Mr.  J.  Dorrien  Magens,  of  Hammer- 
wood  (Chairman),  Mr.  George  Head  (Banker,  of  East 
Grinstead),  Mr.  F.  Moor  ( Holy wych,  Hartfield),  Mr.  Wm. 
Stenning  (Halsford),  Mr.  C.  C.  Tooke  (Hurst-an-Clays) 
and  Mr.  F.  C.  Worsley  (Imberhorne),  with  Messrs.  Wm. 
Fearless  and  Arthur  Hastie  as  joint  secretaries.  The  two 
latter  acted  until  the  Company  was  wound  up,  but  the 
Directors  were  reduced  to  four  in  number,  and  the 
following  acted  for  almost  the  whole  time  of  the  Com- 
pany's existence:  Messrs.  J.  D.  Magens,  B.  Hale,  W. 
Stenning  and  G.  Head.  Before  it  was  completed  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  leasing  the  line  to  the  Brighton 
Railway  Company  for  £2,000  per  annum,  not  a  very 
satisfactory  financial  bargain,  as  by  the  time  all  expenses 
had  been  met  and  interest  on  debentures  paid  there  was 
not  enough  left  for  a  3  per  cent,  dividend  on  the 
ordinary  shares,  and  the  most  the  shareholders  ever  got 
in  one  year  was  £2.  18s.  8d.  per  cent.  The  Brighton 
Company  had  a  purchasing  clause  in  the  lease,  and  in 
1865  they  put  this  in  force,  taking  over  the  debenture 
debt  of  £10,000  and  paying  £43,000  in  addition,  so 
that  the  shareholders  in  the  East  Grinstead  Railway 
Company  did  not  get  back  their  capital  in  full.  The 
expenses  of  managing  the  Company  were  only  about 
£b'0  a  year.  The  Directors  drew  £20  a  year  between 
them,  the  two  Secretaries  only  £12.  10s.  each  and  the 
two  Auditors  (Messrs.  John  Mills  and  John  Turley)  a 
guinea  each.  Such  economy  of  working  is  sufficiently 
rare  as  to  merit  notice. 

At  the  outset  the  Sunday  trains  were  naturally  more 
freely  patronised  than  were  those  on  week-days,  and  this 

M  2 


164  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

brought  about  strong  protests,  the  leader  in  the  agitation 
being  the  Rev.  H.  Woodingtori,  who  was  then  Curate 
here.  He  used  to  go  to  the  station  at  train  time, 
distribute  tracts  and  urge  the  people  to  listen  to  the 
church  bell  rather  than  the  railway  bell.  A  public 
meeting  was  held  in  reference  to  the  matter,  but  the 
agitation  was  devoid  of  results,  for  Sunday  trains  have 
not  yet  ceased  to  run. 

The  first  turf  of  the  section  between  East  Grinstead 
and  Tunbridge  Wells  was  cut  on  July  18th,  1864,  by 
Lord  West;  and  a  company  of  about  300,  including 
the  Bishop  of  Oxford  and  many  noblemen,  celebrated  the 
event  with  a  sumptuous  luncheon,  at  which  there  was 
no  stint  of  either  wine  or  meat.  This  section  of  line 
was  opened  on  October  1st,  1866,  without  any  public 
ceremony  in  East  Grinstead.  At  the  same  time  there 
were  numerous  other  projects  in  view  in  which  East 
Grinstead  was  to  play  a  leading  part.  Bills  were  intro- 
duced for  a  line  from  London  to  Beckenham,  East  Grin- 
stead,  Lewes  and  Brighton;  another  from  Redhill  to 
East  Grinstead;  and  a  third  from  East  Grinstead  to 
Uckfield;  but  not  one  of  these  projects  met  with  the 
approval  of  Parliament.  The  first-named  did  pass  the 
Lords  on  July  25th,  1866,  and  the  East  Grinstead  church 
bells  were  set  ringing,  the  band  was  called  out  and  torches 
and  tar  barrels  were  lighted  and  carried  through  the  town. 
The  place  of  this  proposed  line  was  taken  nearly  20  years 
later  by  the  South-Coast  Company's  low-level  route  from 
Lewes,  through  East  Grinstead,  to  a  junction  with  the 
old  main  line  at  South  Croydon.  The  southern  section 
below  East  Grinstead  was  opened  in  August,  1882,  and 
the  northern  part  in  March,  1884. 

In  making  the  new  line  from  East  Grinstead  to 
Croydon  the  Railway  Company  took  possession  of  the 
Old  Parish  Pound  and  paid  the  sum  of  £50  to  the 
Churchwardens  and  Overseers  for  it.  Subsequently, 
Mr.  A.  H.  Hastie,  on  behalf  of  Lord  Sackville,  Lord  of 
the  Manor  of  Imberhorne,  claimed  the  money.  The 
ratepayers,  in  vestry  assembled,  declined  to  part,  so 
Lord  Sackville  claimed  the  sum  from  the  Company  and 


THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  RAILWAY. 


165 


they  eventually  paid  him  and  reclaimed  the  money  from 
the  parish,  and  it  was  refunded  to  the  Railway  Company 
some  three  years  later. 

The  following  table  gives  particulars  of  the  lengths 
and  dates  of  opening  of  the  five  lines  running  out  of 
East  Grinstead :-  Length- 

Route.  Authorised.  Opened.       Miles.  Chains. 

East  Grinstead  to  Three 

Bridges July  8,  1853  July  9,  1855  6  71 

East  Grinstead  to  Groom- 
bridge  Aug.  7,  1862  Oct.  1,  1866  10  10 

East  Grinstead  to  Culver 

Junction  Aug.  10,  1877  Aug.  1,  1882  17  13 

East  Grinstead  to  South 

Croydon June  17,  1878  Mar.  10,  1884  18  70 

East  Grinstead  to  St. 
Margaret's  Junction 
(loop  line) „  „  „  „  55 

In  the  following  table  is  given  the  train  service  as  it 
was  on  the  opening  day  of  each  section  : — 

EAST  GRINSTEAD  AND  LONDON   (vid  THREE  BRIDGES). 
JULY,  1855. 

Week-days.  Sundays. 

London    (dep.)     6.0      10.0      12.0     4.0      5.5      6.0      j    7.0      6.0 

East  Grinstead   ....(arr.)     8.20    11.20      1.20    5.15    6.30    7.40    |    9.14    7.50 

East  Grinstead  ....  (dep.)     6.55       8.30       11.30       3.50       6.50        7.50    6.50 
London     (arr.)     9.15       9.50         1.0         5.25       8.45      10.45    9.0 


EAST   GRINSTEAD  AND  TUNBRIDGE   WELLS. 

OCTOBER,  1866. 

Tunbridge  Wells ..  (dep.)    7.53    9.0      11.10    3.5      5.40    7.35 
East  Grinstead   ....(arr.)     8.25    9.26    11.42     3.27     6.12    8.7 


East  Grinstead  ....  (dep.)    9.33    1.7 
Tunbridge  Wells   . .  (arr.)  10.5      1.39 


3.41 
4.13 


5.16     6.13 
5.40    6.45 


8.11 
8.43 


8.16  5.46 

8.48  6.18 

10.20  8.5 

10.52  8.37 


EAST  GRINSTEAD  AND  LEWES. 
AUGUST,  1882. 

Lewes (dep.)     8.15    10.47    2.42    6.30      9.0 

East  Griustead   (arr.)     9.25     11.53    3.48    6.35    10.6 

East  Grinstead  ....  (dep.)     6.45      9.55     1.20    5.45      9.10 
Lewes   (arr.)     7.46    10.56    2.21     6.51     10.22 


8.52  2.47  6.37 

9.58  3.52  7.43 

10.35  4.20  8.15 

11.36  5.21  9.16 


EAST   GRINSTEAD  AND   LONDON   (vid  OXTED). 
MARCH,  1884. 

London    (dep.)    8.10  11.50  4.10  7.27 

East  Grinstead   ....(arr.)     9.23  1.3  5.26  8.40 

East  Grinstead (dep.)     8.7  10.22  2.55  8.55 

London     (arr.)    9.24  11.35  4.8  10.8 


8.40  6.50 

9.53  8.3 

9.58  8.8 

11.12  9.22 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  COMMITTEE  was  appointed  in  1779  to  carry  into 
execution  a  plan  for  raising  24  Volunteer  Companies  to 
be  associated  for  the  defence  of  Sussex,  and  Captains 
were  appointed  in  the  different  Rapes  of  this  County,  but 
the  movement  would  seem  to  have  been  of  a  temporary 
character.  However,  in  the  year  1803  so  real  and  acute 
became  the  fear  of  an  invasion  of  this  country  by  the 
French  that  the  inhabitants  of  East  Grinstead  and  the 
surrounding  neighbourhood,  comprising  the  northern 
district  of  the  Rape  of  Pevensey,  offered  to  form  a  legion 
of  1,220  men,  consisting  of  two  troops  of  cavalry,  two 
companies  of  riflemen  or  skirmishers,  and  12  light 
infantry  companies.  The  then  Lord  Sheffield  was  at 
the  head  of  the  movement ;  it  was  strongly  backed  up 
by  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  and  George  III.  was 
"  graciously  pleased  to  approve  and  accept"  it,  especially 
as  the  Legion  asked  nothing  from  Government  but  arms 
for  the  infantry  and  "a  jacket  and  pantaloons  for  such 
of  the  infantry  as  cannot  afford  to  supply  themselves ;  or 
an  allowance  of  one  guinea  each  to  furnish  the  same." 
Thus  sprung  into  being  the  first  local  volunteer  military 
organisation.  The  first  East  Grinstead  officers  were : — 

The  Et.  Hon.  Charles  Abbot,  Kidbrook 

(Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons)  Lieut. -Colonel. 

Edward  Cranston,  East  Court    Major. 

Magens  Dorrien  Magens,  Hammerwood  Capt. -Lieutenant. 

Alexander  Geo.  Mackie,  East  Grinstead  1st  Lieutenant. 

John  Shuter,  East  Grinstead 2nd         ,, 

Thomas  Palmer,  jun.,  East  Grinstead  . .        ,,  ,, 

The  following  were  the  first  non-commissioned  officers : 

David  Duke Pay  master  Sergeant  (afterwards  2nd  Lieut.). 

John  Stenning  ....  Sergeant. 

John  Palmer ,,          (afterwards  Qr.-Master-Sergt.). 

William  Moon  ....  Drill  Sergeant. 

James  Lynn Corporal. 

John  Trice     ,,          (afterwards  Sergeant). 

William  Pobgee   . .  „ 

Henry  Bysh ,, 


THE   VOLUNTEER   MOVEMENT.  167 

The  oath  of  allegiance  required  from  each  Volunteer 
was: — 

I,  A.  B.,  do  sincerely  promise  and  swear  that  I  will  be  faithful  and 
bear  true  allegiance  to  His  Majesty  King  George  the  Third,  and  that 
I  will  faithfully  serve  His  Majesty  in  the  North  Pevensey  Legion 
against  all  his  enemies  and  opposers  whatsoever.  So  help  me  God. 

This  was  taken  after  Divine  service  in  the  morning  on 
Sunday,  October  23rd,  1803,  and  in  the  evening  the 
men  were  drilled  for  the  first  time  in  the  Chequer  Mead. 
A  month  later  Lord  Sheffield  issued  a  special  order,  in 
which  he  thanked  the  Volunteers  of  East  Grinstead  "  for 
their  great  attention  and  steadiness  under  arms,  which  at 
once  renders  them  equal  to  any  service." 

By  the  end  of  the  year  the  East  Grinstead  contingent, 
which  had  a  total  strength  of  84,  was  in  good  working 
order.  Sunday  was  always  the  day  set  apart  for  drills 
and  field  days,  the  former  taking  place  in  a  large  barn 
at  the  back  of  Newlands,  the  firing  in  the  Pit  field  at 
Fairlight  Farm,  on  Major  Cranston's  East  Court  estate, 
and  the  field  manoeuvres  on  Ashurst  Wood  Common.  The 
men  always  slept  with  their  arms  and  uniforms  by  their 
side  and  several  days'  provisions  packed  ready  for  use, 
so  that  no  delay  should  ensue  when  the  beacon  signal 
flashed  its  warning  light  over  the  country  side.  It  was 
arranged  that  in  the  event  of  invasion  by  Napoleon 
the  families  of  all  the  gentry  resident  in  the  Lewes 
and  Pevensey  Rapes  should  be  conveyed  for  safety 
to  the  wild  district  of  Copthorne,  the  famous  rendezvous 
of  prize-fighters,  smugglers  and  poachers.  An  enormous 
number  of  cartridges,  both  blank  and  ball,  were  served 
out,  and  the  consumption  of  flints  for  use  in  the  old  flint- 
lock muskets  was  also  considerable.  At  Christmas 
the  signal  for  assembly  was  hourly  expected.  The 
East  Grinstead  Company  was  ordered  to  remain  in 
the  town,  except  for  detaching  a  Lieutenant,  Sergeant, 
Corporal  and  20  men  to  Hartfield  or  Withyham.  The 
general  orders  were  amplified  by  Major  Cranston  on 
New  Year's  Day,  1804,  in  the  following  terms : — 

The  following  regulations  for  the  good  of  the  Company,  the  Com- 
manding Officer  thinks  it  both  prudent  and  proper  to  insert  in  orders, 


168  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

to  prevent  confusion,  should  the  enemy  occasion  an  alarm,  which  seems 
to  be  daily  expected.  On  the  beacons  being  fired,  or  any  other  certain 
intelligence  arriving,  the  drums  are  to  beat  to  arms  and  the  Company 
will  immediately  assemble,  sending  away  one  or  two  of  the  Volunteers 
to  summon  in  the  out-resident  men.  After  the  names  are  called  over 
and  the  Officer  Commanding  has  made  out  the  real  strength,  he  must 
then  send  a  Sergeant  to  the  Magistrate  requesting  him  to  order  the 
constables  to  billet  the  Company  as  equally  as  possible  among  the 
public-houses.  Those  men,  however,  who  have  homes  and  families  in 
the  town  will,  of  course,  have  no  occasion  for  billet. 

The  men  were  divided  up  into  messes  of  seven,  orderlies 
were  appointed,  sentries  nominated  and  every  possible 
detail  arranged  to  fit  the  Company  for  immediate  active 
service.  Before  the  Legion  had  been  in  existence  nine 
months  Lord  Sheffield  was  able  to  issue  the  following 
very  complimentary  order: — 

Lord  Sheffield  has  been  highly  gratified  by  the  general  good  conduct 
of  the  North  Pevensey  Legion,  as  observed  during  the  late  inspection. 
The  attention,  steadiness  and  soldierlike  appearance  of  the  Volunteers 
is  truly  honourable  to  them.  The  perseverance  they  have  manifested 
will  ensure  that  degree  of  perfection  which  is  necessary  to  the  forma- 
tion of  good  troops,  on  which  the  welfare  of  the  nation  is  to  depend. 

It  may  not  be  necessary  during  the  ensuing  hay  and  corn  harvest  to 
assemble  for  exei'cise  on  the  week-days,  but  it  is  earnestly  requested 
that  the  several  troops  and  companies  meet  either  early  on  the  Sunday 
morning  or  in  the  afternoon,  in  order  that  they  may  not  lose  the 
ground  they  have  gained  so  creditable  to  themselves,  the  necessity  for 
their  preparing  to  defend  their  religion,  their  liberty,  their  families 
and  property  being  no  less  urgent  than  it  has  been  at  any  period  during 
the  existence  of  the  nation. 

On  July  8th,  1805,  the  Legion  received  its  colours  and 
the  men  swore  they  would  never  allow  them  to  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemies  of  our  country.  They  kept 
their  word.  Major  Cranston  occasionally  read  his  men  a 
severe  lecture,  but  always  finished  with  a  stirring  appeal 
to  their  patriotism.  Here  is  an  eloquent  conclusion  to 
one  of  his  addresses  : — 

Let  us  then  go  forward  with  our  present  undertaking  hand  in  hand, 
and  become,  in  unanimity  and  in  discipline,  an  example  to  the  Legion, 
and  still  endeavour  to  retain  that  credit  we  already  have  acquired — 
that  our  names  may  be  recorded  for  posterity  to  see  that  in  an  hour 
when  danger  threatened  this  happy  Isle  we  (the  Volunteers  of  East 
Grinstead)  came  forward  to  protect  and  defend  our  country  and  our 
King! 


THE   VOLUNTEER   MOVEMENT.  169 

During  August  and  September  of  1805  the  whole 
nation  was  in  a  ferment,  and  no  one  doubted  but  that 
the  Frencli  would  be  landing  before  many  weeks  had 
passed.  Precautions  were  doubled  and  all  possible 
preparation  made  to  resist  invasion.  Napoleon  had 
concentrated  an  army  of  130,000  men,  15,000  horses, 
600  guns  and  a  vast  flotilla  at  Boulogne,  and  was  only 
waiting  for  the  junction  of  the  French  and  Spanish 
fleets  in  the  English  Channel  to  carry  out  his  purpose. 
Then  came  the  ever  memorable  battle  of  Trafalgar  on 
October  21st,  1805,  and  the  temporary  shattering  of  the 
maritime  power  of  the  two  countries  opposed  to  us. 
England  breathed  freely  again  and  the  general  feelings 
of  jubilation  which  prevailed  may  well  be  judged  from 
the  following  "  Orders"  issued  in  East  Grinstead : — 

In  consequence  of  His  Majesty's  proclamation  for  a  general  thanks- 
giving on  Thursday,  the  5th  day  of  December  next,  for  the  late 
florious  and  unexampled  victories  obtained  over  the  combined  fleets  of 
ranee  and  Spain,  by  the  late  tho'  ever  memorable  and  most  gallant 
Admiral  Lord  Viscount  Nelson,  and  other  distinguished  officers  of 
His  Majesty's  Royal  Navy,  the  Volunteers  are  desired  to  assemble  for 
parade  in  uniform  with  side-arms  only  at  £  past  10  o'clock  in  order  to 
proceed  to  church  to  unite  in  prayer  and  thanksgiving  for  those  signal 
exercises  so  recently  received,  whereby  the  dread  of  invasion  is  in  a 
great  measure  removed  and  may  ultimately  open  to  us  the  prospect  of 
peace,  when  each  of  us  may,  without  interruption  from  military 
service,  pursue  our  respective  avocations  and  rest  secure  under  the 
pleasing  reflection  that  in  an  hour  when  our  country  was  in  danger  from 
the  threatened  attacks  of  our  enemies — in  which  all  that  is  dear  and 
valuable  would  have  fallen  a  sacrifice,  without  that  general  spirit  and 
unanimity  which  hath  so  manifestly  appeared  in  every  rank  and 
condition  in  life — we  also  came  forward  to  contribute  all  in  our  power 
to  the  general  cause. 

On  September  28th,  1806,  the  Legion  was  disbanded 
and  the  East  Grinstead  men  were  called  on  to  hand  back 
their  arms  and  accoutrements  at  the  Vestry  on  October 
8th  and  to  dine  with  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Commons  at  the  Swan  Hotel  that  evening.  The  order 
of  dismissal  seems  to  have  given  intense  dissatisfaction. 
The  Company  met  in  the  Play  Field  on  Sunday,  October 
5th,  to  receive  it,  but  before  doing  so  addressed  a  letter 
to  their  Commanding  Officer,  Lieut.-Col.  Cranston, 
setting  forth  that  Lord  Sheffield  had  tendered  the 


170  HISTORY   OP   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

resignation  of  the  services  of  the  Legion  "  without  any 
general  consultation  of  the  members  thereof,"  and  that 
the  East  Grinstead  men,  to  vindicate  their  own  honour 
and  credit,  could  not  but  express  their  deep  concern  at 

so  unexpected  and  as  we  conceive  unreasonable  an  event  and  do 
consider  it  is  an  extreme  hard  case  that  after  a  conscious  and  faithful 
discharge  of  our  duty  for  upwards  of  three  years,  we  should  now  be 
reduced  to  the  unpleasant  situation  of  meanly  retiring  from  so 
laudable  and  beneficial  an  undertaking  and,  in  consequence,  becoming 
liable  to  serve  in  the  Militia  or  other  additional  promiscuous  force,  as 
also  that  our  past  exertions  should  be  thus  ungratefully  rewarded. 

The  letter  proceeded  at  great  length  much  in  the 
same  strain  and  the  writers  concluded  by  offering  their 
services  to  form  a  distinct  Company  under  the  command 
of  Lieut.-Col.  Cranston.  The  offer  was  refused  and  on 
October  7th  the  East  Grinstead  men  again  met  and 
decided  to  present  a  similar  petition  to  the  Speaker,  who 
was  also  an  officer  of  the  Legion.  Their  wishes  were 
again  set  forth  at  great  length  and  the  writers  concluded 
with  the  following  expressions : — 

It  is  then,  Honourable  Sir,  iinpress'd  with  these  sentiments,  we  are 
now  induc'd  to  tender  our  services  under  your  command,  for  your 
acceptance  and  that  of  our  country.  But  should  our  application  fail 
and  from  other  important  duties  of  your  exalted  station,  you  cannot 
possibly  meet  the  wishes  of  the  Company — We  shall  then  retire  in 
silence  under  the  reflection  of  having  done,  thus  far,  all  in  our  power 
to  assist  in  the  general  cause  ;  and  tho'  obliged  to  yield  to  resignation 
on  one  hand,  yet  on  the  other  willing  to  renew  our  services,  were  they 
thought  of  sufficient  moment  to  meet  acceptance.  Still  should  the 
horrors  of  war  threaten  our  native  land  and  the  inveteracy  of  our 
enemies  increase  towards  us,  we  are  determined  individually  to  act 
like  Britons,  and  in  an  hour  of  impending  danger  to  use  our  efforts  to 
defend  and  rescue  our  weeping  country  from  every  foe. 

The  Rt.  Hon.  Lieut.-Col.  Abbot  wrote  back  express- 
ing his  deep  regrets  that  he  was  unable  to  accept  the 
patriotic  offer,  but  he  promised  that  if  the  war  continued 
and  circumstances  changed  he  would  do  his  very  best  to 
enable  the  men  of  East  Grinstead  to  give  effect  to  their 
loyalty  and  ardour.  Thus  closed  the  three  years'  history 
of  the  East  Grinstead  contingent  of  the  North  Pevensey 
Legion. 

The  warlike  spirit  of  our  ancestors  seems  to  have 
slumbered  for  46  years,  but  in  1852  groundless  fears  of 


THE   VOLUNTEER   MOVEMENT.  171 

another  invasion  by  the  French  were  disseminated  and 
some  of  the  townspeople  were  induced  to  ascertain  which 
of  the  inhabitants  would  be  ready  to  take  up  arms  in 
case  their  hearths  and  homes  were  threatened.  On  July 
12th  of  that  year  a  public  meeting  was  convened  by  Mr. 
R.  Crawfurd,  of  Saint  Hill,  and  the  matter  was  talked 
over,  but  nothing  definite  was  done.  The  Crimean  war 
soon  began  and  the  Alliance  between  England  and  France 
caused  public  fears  to  subside,  and  no  further  attempt  to 
re-establish  a  local  Volunteer  Company  was  made  for 
seven  years.  Then  came  the  Carbonari's  attempt  to 
assassinate  Napoleon  III.  The  conspirators  had  lived 
and  prepared  their  bombs  in  London  and  the  French 
soldiers  looked  on  our  Metropolis  as  a  centre  of  con- 
spiracies. A  number  of  French  colonels  sent  an  address 
to  the  Emperor  asking  to  be  allowed  to  invade  England 
and  "  rout  out  this  nest  of  treasons."  The  address  was 
published  in  the  official  organ  of  the  French  Government 
and  England's  immediate  reply  was  the  formation  of  the 
present  body  of  Volunteers. 

East  Grinstead  again  took  its  fair  share  in  the  move- 
ment. A  Rifle  Club  was  formed  in  1859,  with  Mr. 
W.  A.  Head  as  its  Honorary  Secretary,  and  a  large  sum 
of  money  was  raised  for  its  support.  But  it  was  thought 
better  to  form  a  Rifle  Corps  and  some  members  were 
sworn  in  during  November,  1859,  but  owing  to  infor- 
malities the  ceremony  had  to  be  gone  through  again  a 
few  months  later.  The  oath  was  administered  by  Earl 
De  la  Warr,  and  present  on  the  Bench  when  the  first 
contingent  made  allegiance  was  Mr.  John  Stenning,  who 
was  not  a  Magistrate,  but  had  served  in  the  local  Company 
of  the  North  Pevensey  Legion  as  a  Sergeant  56  years 
before.  The  first  officers  were  Major  A.  R.  Margary, 
Captain  ;  Mr.  A.  C.  Ramsden,  Lieutenant ;  and  Mr.  W.  A. 
Head,  Ensign ;  and  all  three  attended  the  reception  of 
Volunteer  officers  held  by  Her  late  Majesty  early  in  1860. 
The  first  muster  was  on  February  23rd,  1860,  and  60 
members  formed  the  local  Corps,  which  was  known  as  the 
5th  Sussex  Rifle  Volunteers.  In  April  of  the  same  year 
three  Administrative  Battalions  were  formed  for  the  whole 


172  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

county  and  East  Grinstead  was  put  in  the  Third,  with  the 
Brighton,  Ouckfield,  Lewes  and  Battle  Companies.  It 
remained  associated  with  this  Battalion  until  January 
22nd,  1862,  when  it  was  united  to  the  2nd  Administrative 
Battalion  of  the  Sussex  R.V.,  the  head  quarters  of  which 
were  at  Petworth,  where  they  remained  until  1869,  when 
they  were  removed  to  Horsham.  On  February  20th, 
1874,  the  two  Battalions  were  consolidated,  and  the  head 
quarters  have  since  been  at  Worthing.  On  February 
7th,  1880,  the  existing  Corps  were  formed  into  one 
Regiment,  and  that  in  East  Grinstead  became  "  C " 
Company  of  the  2nd  Sussex  Rifle  Volunteers,  after- 
wards the  2nd  V.B.  of  the  Royal  Sussex  Regiment. 
The  Company  wore  the  grey  uniform  until  March, 
1880,  when  the  colour  was  changed  to  scarlet,  the 
present  drab  uniforms  being  first  worn  in  the  spring  of 
1903. 

The  Boer  War  which  broke  out  in  1899  gave  the 
Volunteers  their  first  chance  to  engage  in  active  fighting. 
The  East  Grinstead  men  were  possessed  of  a  good  deal 
of  that  spirit  which  animated  the  members  of  the  North 
Pevensey  Legion  a  century  before  and  several  members 
of  "C"  Company  were  among  the  first  to  offer  their 
services.  The  contingent,  consisting  of  116  officers  and 
men,  under  the  command  of  the  late  Major  Sir  Walter 
Barttelot,  sailed  for  South  Africa  on  March  10th,  1900, 
and  two  months  later  a  further  draft  of  21  was  sent  out. 
The  Company  embarked  for  home  on  May  15th,  1901, 
having  seen  some  severe  fighting,  and  leaving  16  of 
their  number,  including  Private  Caldwell,  of  the  East 
Grinstead  Company,  buried  beneath  the  African  veldt. 
Meanwhile  steps  had  been  taken  to  form  a  second  Active 
Service  Company,  and  on  April  27th,  1901,  Lieut. 
S.  W.  P.  Beale,  of  the  East  Grinstead  Company,  and 
who  was  given  the  temporary  rank  of  Captain,  sailed 
in  command  of  115  officers  and  men.  They  remained 
in  South  Africa  12  months.  A  third  contingent  was  sent 
out  on  April  17th,  1902,  but  the  war  was  over  before  it 
reached  the  scene  of  actual  fighting,  and  this  third 
Company  returned  immediately. 


THE   VOLUNTEER   MOVEMENT.  173 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  officers  who 
have  commanded  the  East  Grinstead  Company  : — 

Capt.  A.  E.  Margary,  of  Chartham,  Feb.  9th,  1860,  to  May  4th, 
1861.  Capt.  Margary  was  formerly  in  the  54th  Foot  and  was  made 
an  honorary  major  in  the  Army  on  retirement. 

Capt.  Grenville  Granville  Wells,  of  Ashdown  House,  May  4th,  1861, 
to  June  27th,  1863.  This  officer  joined  the  Corps  as  a  Lieutenant  on 
Oct.  3rd,  1860. 

Capt.  W.  A.  Fearless,  June  27th,  1863,  to  Feb.  16th,  1866.  Mr. 
William  Austen  Fearless,  a  member  of  the  well-known  firm  of  local 
solicitors,  joined  as  an  Ensign  on  May  4th,  1861,  and  got  his  Lieutenancy 
on  April  18th,  1863.  On  Feb.  16th,  1866,  he  resigned  the  captaincy 
and  was  made  Honorary  Assist.  Quarter-Master  of  the  Regiment.  He 
rejoined  the  East  Grinstead  Corps  on  March  7th,  1871,  and  for  a 
second  time  became  Captain,  commanding  the  Company  until  June 
28th,  1885,  when  he  died  at  Uplands,  while  his  men  were  encamped 
at  Arundel  Park.  He  had  been  made  an  Honorary  Major  on  Nov. 
23rd,  1881. 

Capt.  F.  S.  Blunt,  of  Crabbett,  Feb.  16th,  1866,  to  March  7th, 
1871. 

Major  E.  Henty,  of  Crawley,  from  the  autumn  of  1885,  to  Dec.  9th, 
1893.  This  officer  also  served  in  the  Cuckfield  and  Arundel  Com- 
panies. He  holds  the  Volunteers  Officers'  decoration  for  20  j'ears' 
service. 

Capt.  J.  8.  Oxley,  of  Fen  Place,  Dec.  9th,  1893,  to  Aug.  8th,  1902. 
Mr.  Oxley  joined  the  Company  as  2nd  Lieutenant  on  June  25th,  1887. 
He  was  made  Lieutenant  on  Jan.  26th,  1889;  Captain  on  Feb.  I  Oth, 
1894 ;  and  Honorary  Major  on  Nov.  10th,  1897.  He  was  first  appointed 
to  the  Staff  of  the  Battalion  on  Dec.  6th,  1890,  as  Instructor  of 
Musketry.  He  was  formerly  a  Captain  in  the  1st  V.B.  Royal  Fusiliers 
and  since  1901  has  been  A.D.C.  to  the  Brigadier  commanding  the 
Sussex  and  Kent  Volunteer  Infantry  Brigade.  On  Aug.  9th,  1902, 
he  was  on  duty  as  a  Gold  Staff  Officer  at  the  King's  Coronation 
in  Westminster  Abbey  and  received  the  Coronation  medal.  As  a 
long  range  shot  Major  Oxley  has  had  few  superiors.  He  has  often 
been  included  in  the  English  team  for  the  Elcho  Shield  and  has 
won  many  valuable  prizes  at  Wimbledon  and  Bisley. 

Capt.  S.  W.  P.  Beale,  of  Standen,  took  command  Aug.  8th  1902. 
He  joined  the  Corps  on  April  28th,  1887,  as  2nd  Lieutenant;  became 
Lieutenant  on  March  15th,  1899;  was  made  an  Honorary  Captain  in 
the  Army  on  July  26th,  1902,  and  Captain  of  "C"  Company  on 
Sept.  27th  of  the  same  year.  He  commanded  the  second  Active 
Service  Company  sent  out  to  South  Africa  from  Sussex,  and  served 
in  the  Boer  War  from  April,  1901,  to  June,  1902.  He  acted  as 
Intelligence  Officer  to  Lieut. -Col.  Du  Moulin's  and  Major  Gilbert's 
column  from  Aug.,  1901,  to  March,  1902.  He  wears  the  Queen's 
medal,  with  clasps  for  Cape  Colony  and  Orange  Free  State. 


174  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

Since  the  establishment  of  the  Corps   the  following 
have  also  held  commissions : 

Arthur  Charles  Eamsden,  Lieutenant  from  Feb.  20th,  1860,  to 
Oct.  3rd,  1860. 

William  Alston  Head,  of  High  Street,  now  of  Domons,  East 
Grinstead,  joined  as  Ensign  Feb.  20th,  1860,  made  Lieutenant  May 
4th,  1861  ;  resigned  April  18th,  1863  ;  made  Hon.  Assist.  Quarter- 
Master  in  the  Battalion  March  7th,  1871,  resigned  April  24th,  1880. 

John  Whyte,  Lingfield  Lodge,  East  Grinstead,  Hon.  Assist.  Surgeon 
from  May  18th,  1860,  to  Dec.  19th,  1864. 

Rev.  Edward  Polehampton,  Rector  of  Hartfield,  Hon.  Chaplain  from 
July  llth,  1861,  to  July  24th,  1880. 

John  Cuthbert  Stenning,  Steel  Cross,  Tunbridge  Wells,  Ensign 
April  18th,  1863;  Lieutenant  June  27th,  1863;  resigned  Sept.  6th,  1867. 

William  Rudge,  Ensign  from  June  27th,  1863,  to  December  19th, 
1864. 

James  Richardson  Fearless,  of  The  Hermitage,  now  of  Sackville 
Cottage,  East  Grinstead,  joined  the  Corps  on  its  formation  ;  made 
Ensign  Dec.  19th,  1864;  Lieutenant  March  7th,  1871  ;  Hon.  Capt.  on 
his  resignation  Feb.  7th,  1891.  Received  a  public  presentation  on 
completing  30  years'  service  Feb.  22nd,  1890,  and  Volunteer  Officers' 
Decoration  in  July,  1892. 

Robert  Turner  Head,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead,  Hon.  Assist. 
Surgeon  from  Dec.  19th,  1864,  to  Dec.  22nd,  1875;  Assist.  Surgeon 
to  the  Regiment  Dec.  21st,  1872;  Surgeon  Oct.  1st,  1877;  resigned 
Jan.  5th,  1881. 

William  Vicesiinus  Knox  Stenning,  Halsford,  East  Grinstead, 
Ensign  March  7th,  1871  ;  Lieutenant  June  1st,  1873;  resigned  July 
7th,  1880.  Mr.  Stenning  was  a  renowned  county  shot  and  brought 
several  valuable  prizes  to  East  Grinstead. 

Charles  Edward  Collins,  Redstede,  East  Grinstead,  Assist.  Surgeon 
December  22nd,  1875;  Surgeon  Oct.  1st,  1877;  Staff  Surgeon  Feb. 
7th,  1880  ;  Surgeon- Major  Aug.  29th,  1891  ;  resigned  Feb.  10th,  1894. 
Mr.  Collins  has  been  a  well-known  shot  at  Wimbledon,  where  he  won 
many  valuable  prizes,  including  the  Wimbledon  Cup  in  1886. 

Evelyn  Alston  Head,  of  Westfields,  now  of  Daledene,  East  Grinstead, 
2nd  Lieutenant  May  18th,  1881  ;  Lieutenant  July  1st,  1881  ;  resigned 
Nov.  17th,  1883. 

Reginald  Wilson  Fearless,  of  The  Hermitage,  now  of  Green  Hedges, 
East  Grinstead,  Lieutenant  from  Oct.  24th,  1885,  to  March  26th,  1887. 

John  Ashburner  Nix,  Tilgate,  Crawley,  2nd  Lieutenant  Nov.  2nd, 
1889;  Lieutenant  June  13th,  1891;  made  Captain  and  posted  to  the 
command  of  the  Worthing  Company,  March  24th,  1897. 

John  H.  Luscombe,  Hayheath,  Worth,  2nd  Lieutenant  April  28th, 
1897;  Lieutenant  June  3rd,  1899;  resigned  Aug.  llth,  1902,  and 
joined  the  Royal  Garrison  Regiment, 


THE   VOLUNTEER    MOVEMENT.  175 

Ernest  Gresham  Moore,  High-street,  East  Grinstead,  Lieutenant 
since  Feb.  27th,  1901  ;  made  Captain  March,  1905,  and  granted  at  the 
same  time  the  honorary  rank  of  Major.  Is  Commanding  Officer  of 
the  Cyclist  Company  of  the  Battalion.  Was  formerly  a  Captain  in 
the  1st  Notts  (Eobin  Hood)  E.V. 

The  following  have  held  office  as  Sergeant-Instructors : 

Sergt.  Smith,  Royal  Sussex  Militia.  He  did  not  nominally  rank  as 
Sergeant-Instructor,  but  did  excellent  work  in  getting  the  Corps  into 
shape. 

Sergt.  Edward  Brind,  21st  Scots  Fusiliers,  died  in  1870. 

Sergt.  Hand,  60th  Rifles. 

Sergt.  J.  C.  Raw,  100th  Foot,  from  Nov.  15th,  1878,  to  Aug.  3rd,  1886. 

Sergt.  James  Palmer,  Royal  Sussex  Regiment,  Sept.  15th,  1886,  to 
April  15th,  1897. 

Col. -Sergt.  H.  W.  Saynor,  Royal  Sussex  Regiment,  April  1st,  1897, 
to  Jan.,  1905. 

Col.-Sergt.  H.  W.  Gallop  for  two  months  in  1905. 

Col. -Sergt.  A.  Nye,  Royal  Sussex  Regiment,  appointed  July,  1905. 


SOME  LOCAL  WORTHIES. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  lives  of  many  local  worthies  have  already  been 
dealt  with,  but  there  are  others  who  also  merit  mention. 

JOHN   ROWE. 

John  Rowe,  a  most  able  lawyer  and  antiquary, 
described  by  one  writer  as  "  The  Father  of  Sussex 
Archaeology,"  came,  on  the  maternal  side,  from  an  old 
East  Grinstead  family.  His  father  was  John  Rowe,  of 
Tonbridge,  and  his  mother  was  the  daughter  and 
co-heiress  of  Thomas  Drew,  of  East  Grinstead.  He 
was  born  in  1560  and  became  principal  of  Clifford's  Inn. 
He  died  on  November  27th,  1639,  and  was  buried  at  St. 
Anne's,  Lewes.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was 
Steward  to  Lord  Abergavenny,  and  while  so  acting  made 
a  vast  collection  of  manuscripts  relating  to  the  manorial 
history  of  Sussex,  and  a  copy  of  this,  ornamented  with 
the  arms  of  the  owners  of  the  Manors,  was  for  a  long 
time  kept  at  the  Hermitage,  East  Grinstead,  while  Mr. 
Wakeham  and  his  widow  resided  there.  It  is  not  known 
where  these  documents  now  are,  but  a  duplicate  is 
preserved  in  the  British  Museum.  His  daughter  Anne 
married  Edward  Raynes,  of  Lewes  and  Conyboro', 
which  marriage  resulted  in  an  only  daughter,  Susanna, 
who  became  the  wife,  on  August  15th,  1672,  of  Thomas 
Medley,  of  Buxted,  ancestor,  through  female  lines,  of  the 
present  Earl  of  Liverpool. 

BISHOP  KIDDER. 

Richard  Kidder,  afterwards  a  distinguished  Bishop, 
was  born  at  East  Grinstead  and  christened  in  the  Parish 
Church  on  February  9th,  1633-4.  The  family  of  Kidder 
came  from  Maresfield,  but  the  future  Bishop's  direct 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  177 

ancestors  established  themselves  in  East  Grinstead  prior 
to  1571.  They  were  originally  bailiffs  under  the  Duchy 
of  Lancaster  for  part  of  Ashdown  Forest.  Richard 
Kidder's  father  was  William  Kidder  and  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Wickenden.  The  father  was  a  mercer, 
but  possibly  fell  on  hard  times,  for  both  he  and  his  wife 
died  while  inmates  of  Sackville  College.  Richard  was 
the  youngest  but  one  of  a  family  of  nine,  and  in  his 
early  days  was  taught  to  read  by  a  lady  living  in  the 
neighbourhood.  He  made  such  good  progress  that  he 
was  sent  to  a  grammar  school  carried  on  by  Reyner 
Herman,  who  was  Warden  of  Sackville  College  from 
1646  to  1656.  At  the  age  of  15  he  was  so  far  advanced 
that  he  was  fitted  for  a  University,  but  as  his  relatives 
did  not  possess  the  means  to  enable  them  to  continue  his 
education  he  was  sent  to  Sevenoaks  to  learn  the  business 
of  an  apothecary.  Some  friends,  however,  took  pity  on 
the  lad  and  raised  enough  money  to  send  him  to 
Cambridge.  Here  he  made  good  use  of  his  time  and  in 
1659  was  presented  to  the  living  of  Standground,  Hunts. 
After  the  Restoration  of  1662  he  declined  to  subscribe 
to  the  revised  liturgy,  so  was  one  of  the  2,000  clergy 
ejected  from  their  benefices  on  that  account.  At  length 
the  Earl  of  Essex  offered  him  the  living  of  Raine,  near 
Braintree,  and  Kidder  lived  there  for  10  years  in  great 
discomfort.  Other  incumbencies  followed  and  on  the 
accession  of  William  and  Mary  he  was  made  Dean  of 
Peterborough  and  one  of  the  King's  Chaplains,  and  the 
degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  on  him  in  the  King's 
presence.  Finally  he  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  Bath 
and  Wells  on  August  30th,  1691,  and  controlled  this 
diocese  with  much  zeal  and  ability  until  his  awful  death 
during  the  night  of  November  26-27th,  1703.  That 
night  a  storm  of  almost  unparalleled  fury  passed  over 
England.  It  did  enormous  damage  in  East  Grinstead 
and  also  swept  down  a  stack  of  chimneys  in  the 
episcopal  palace  at  Wells,  and  the  good  Bishop  and  his 
wife  were  killed  as  they  slept  and  both  buried  in  the 
ruins. 


178  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 


SPENCER  PERCEVAL. 

The  Right  Hon.  Spencer  Perceval,  a  son  of  the  Earl  of 
Egmont,  and  the  Prime  Minister  who  was  shot  in  the  lobby 
of  the  House  of  Commons  in  1812,  after  holding  his  high 
position  for  nearly  two  and  a  half  years,  by  a  man  named 
Bellingham,  has  quite  an  accidental,  but  romantic,  con- 
nection with  East  Grinstead.  In  1787  the  Hon.  Chas. 
Geo.  Perceval,  his  eldest  brother,  married  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  Spencer  Wilson,  Bart.,  an 
ancestor  of  the  well  -  known  family  still  occupying 
Searles  at  Fletching.  His  brother,  the  Hon.  Spencer, 
also  became  attached  to  one  of  the  sisters,  Miss  Jane 
Wilson,  a  beautiful  girl,  but  as  he  was  then  only  a 
briefless  barrister  his  suit  was  not  encouraged  by  her 
parents.  When  Miss  Wilson  came  of  age  the  affection 
was  as  strong  as  ever,  so  her  father  apparently  decided 
to  give  way,  but  not  publicly.  He  accordingly  discreetly 
remained  ignorant  while  his  daughter  was  sent  to  East 
Grinstead  on  a  visit  to  Mr.  Thomas  Wakeham,  an 
attorney  in  this  town  and  estate  agent  for  the  Wilson 
family,  then  living  at  the  Hermitage.  Her  lover  followed 
her  and  on  August  10th,  1790,  the  bride  being  dressed  in 
her  riding  habit,  they  were  married  here,  report  com- 
monly saying,  in  the  ruins  of  the  church  which  had  been 
but  recently  destroyed.  This  is  quite  possible,  as  the  main 
walls  had  been  rebuilt  in  the  preceding  year.  But  the 
idea  is  not  favoured  by  the  family,  for  Sir  Spencer 
Walpole,  writing  in  1876  to  the  Rev.  D.  Y.  Blakiston, 
says : — 

I  understand  from  Mr.  Perceval's  relatives  that  the  wedding  did  not 
take  place  in  East  Grinstead  Church,  but  in  a  blacksmith's  shed  where 
service  used  to  be  done  at  the  time.  Miss  Wilson  was  staying  for  the 
occasion  at  Mr.  Wakeham's  (The  Hermitage),  who,  it  is  believed,  was 
Sir  Thomas  Wilson's  agent.  So  far  as  I  know  Mr.  Perceval  did  not 
afterwards  visit  East  Grinstead. 

According  to  Cooke's  "  Topographical  Description  of 
Sussex,"  services  were  held,  while  the  church  was  in 
ruins,  in  Sackville  College  Chapel. 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  179 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  entry  in  the  parish 
register : — 

1790.  The  Honorable  Spencer  Perceval,  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  in  the 
County  of  Middlesex,  Batchelor,  and  Jane  Wilson,  of  this  parish, 
spinster,  married  in  this  church  by  licence  this  tenth  day  of  August  in 
the  year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety  by  me  Chars. 
Whitehead,  Vicar. 

Witnesses.         Dorothy  Wakeham  Spencer  Perceval 

T.  Wakeham  Jane  Wilson 

The  marriage  was  a  happy  one  and  the  union  was 
blessed  by  a  family  of  twelve  children.  Two  days  after 
the  assassination  Parliament  voted  a  pension  of  £2,000  a 
year  to  Mrs.  Perceval  and  the  sum  of  £50,000  to  be 
invested  for  the  benefit  of  her  large  family,  some  of  whom, 
living  to  extreme  old  age  at  Baling  and  elsewhere,  have 
only  quite  recently  died. 

THE   REV.   C.   J.   PATERSON. 

The  Rev.  Charles  John  Paterson  was  a  Curate  of 
East  Grinstead  who  gained  considerable  fame  beyond 
this  town,  and  an  interesting  account  of  his  life  was 
afterwards  written  by  Archdeacon  Hoare,  of  Winchester. 
He  was  born  on  March  llth,  1800,  and  educated  at 
Putney,  under  Dr.  Carmalt.  His  widowed  mother 
removed  to  Brighton  as  soon  as  he  left  school,  and  here, 
while  still  a  lad,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  the 
mineral,  animal  and  fossil  kingdoms.  He  formed  one  of 
the  most  valuable  collections  of  Sussex  shells  and  insects 
ever  got  together.  He  went  to  Cambridge  when  19 
years  of  age  and  was  ordained  at  Easter,  1824,  being 
immediately  appointed  to  the  curacy  of  East  Grinstead, 
under  the  Rev.  Richard  Taylor,  taking  up  work  princi- 
pally in  the  Forest  Row  district.  He  became  "  admired, 
applauded,  courted  and  engaged  in  most  of  the  circles  of 
general  society  in  the  neighbourhood."  From  the 
proceeds  of  a  purse  presented  to  him  for  extra  voluntary 
work  undertaken  while  in  East  Grinstead,  he  provided  a 
service  of  sacramental  plate  and  a  statuary  marble  font, 
executed  with  much  taste  under  his  own  immediate 
order.  Finally  his  outspoken  sermons  lost  him  many  of 

N    2 


180  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

his  friends,  and  in  1826  he  resigned  and  went  to  Hasle- 
mere,  in  Surrey.  His  farewell  sermon  here  was  preached 
on  July  4th,  1826,  and  a  great  part  of  the  congregation 
were  moved  to  tears  and  left  the  church,  so  he  himself 
writes,  "  as  returning  from  a  funeral."  A  year  later 
very  strenuous  efforts  were  made  by  Lord  Colchester  and 
others  to  get  him  back  to  East  Grinstead,  and  though 
they  failed  in  this  they  got  him  appointed  on  August 
29th,  1827,  to  the  living  of  West  Hoathly.  Here  he 
accomplished  a  remarkable  work,  and  his  touching, 
eloquent  sermons,  which  changed  the  character  of  the 
whole  neighbourhood,  were  published  in  1838.  It  was 
while  here,  on  November  10th,  1836,  that  he  married 
Miss  Cordelia  Cranston,  third  daughter  of  Mr.  Edward 
Cranston,  of  East  Court,  East  Grinstead,  but  their  happy 
married  life  was  of  very  brief  duration,  for  Mr.  Paterson 
died  on  January  22nd  in  the  following  year,  having  won 
a  reputation  which  few  men  of  36  are  able  to  enjoy. 
His  widow  lived  until  November  13th,  1847,  and  accord- 
ing to  the  diary  of  one  who  knew  her  well,  "  exhibited 
a  decision  of  character  and  devotedness  rarely  exceeded 
in  the  circle  in  which  she  moved."  Her  only  daughter 
married  the  Rev.  G.  H.  Marriott,  the  present  owner  of 
part  of  the  Cranston  Estate,  formerly  comprised  in  the 
East  Court  Estate,  which,  before  its  partition,  consisted 
of  about  900  acres  round  the  present  house. 

THE   REV.   F.   MILLS. 

An  extremely  interesting  career  was  that  of  the  Rev. 
F.  Mills,  who  was  born  at  East  Grinstead  of  very  poor 
parents,  and  gained  what  little  education  he  had  at  Zion 
Chapel  School.  He  was  a  wild  youth,  got  into  trouble 
and  spent  a  month  in  Lewes  Prison.  He  afterwards 
enlisted  as  a  soldier  and  was  sent  out  to  Jamaica.  In 
time  he  was  invalided  home  and  discharged  from  the 
Army.  By  this  date  he  had  entirely  changed  his  mode 
of  life  and  became  a  city  missionary  and  lay  preacher. 
In  due  course  he  was  ordained  and  obtained  a  Church 
of  England  curacy  in  the  North  of  England.  About 


SOME   LOCAL   WOETHIES.  181 

1860  he  was  presented  to  the  living  of  Lindfield,  near 
Hayward's  Heath.  Coming  back  so  near  his  home 
proved  a  serious  error.  Stories  of  his  past  career  were 
spread  about,  the  gentry  ignored  him  and  steps  were 
taken  to  have  him  removed,  but  he  remained  in  the 
place  five  years,  lived  down  all  calumny  and  made  many 
friends.  He  died  on  August  9th,  1867. 

DR.   EPPS. 

Dr.  John  Epps  was  a  famous  writer  and  social 
reformer.  He  published  some  two  dozen  botanical  and 
medical  works  and  classical  translations.  He  was  born 
at  Blackheath  on  February  15th,  1805.  The  family, 
which  traced  its  origin  in  this  country  from  a  Frenchman 
who  came  back  with  Charles  II.  at  the  Restoration,  after- 
wards removed  to  Sevenoaks,  and  in  due  course  young 
Epps  was  apprenticed  to  Mr.  Durie,  a  London  surgeon. 
He  soon  commenced  to  write  poetry  and  published  a 
tragedy  dealing  with  the  life  of  John  the  Baptist,  wrhile 
still  a  lad.  After  a  course  of  study  at  Edinburgh  he 
commenced  to  practice  in  London  in  1827,  and  while 
there  married  Miss  Ellen  Elliott  on  August  24th,  1831. 
He  started  the  Medical  Reform  Association  and  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Homoeopathic  Society.  He 
lectured  all  over  the  country  on  many  subjects,  being 
particularly  active  in  urging  the  abolition  of  capital 
punishment  and  church  rates.  He  lived  for  a  time  at 
Warlingham,  and  after  a  visit  to  Hastings  was  driving 
back  through  Ashurst  Wood  when  he  saw  a  bill  announcing 
a  small  property  for  sale.  He  liked  the  situation  of  the 
land,  so  he  drove  on  to  East  Grinstead,  called  on  the  late 
Mr.  Pearless,  whom  he  then  met  for  the  first  time,  and 
told  him  to  go  and  buy  the  place.  The  deal  was  carried 
through  and  the  transaction  led  to  a  sincere  and  lasting 
friendship  between  Mr.  Epps  and  Mr.  Pearless.  He 
afterwards  bought  more  land  adjoining  and  built  The 
Yews,  since  enlarged  and  re  -  named  Yewhurst.  He 
permanently  took  up  his  residence  there  on  April 
30th,  1861,  and  remained  for  eight  years,  going  back  to 


182  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

London  early  in  1869,  where  he  died  on  February 
12th  of  that  year.  He  had  been  invited  to  contest 
Northampton  for  Parliament,  but  he  preferred  to  work 
outside  Westminster,  and  became  very  intimate  with  all 
the  great  Radical  leaders,  the  Chartists,  the  Cobdenites 
and  the  Friends  of  Italy,  being  on  the  Council  of  the 
latter  Society.  As  a  speaker  and  writer  he  won  a  world- 
wide reputation.  By  reason  of  his  connection  with 
Epps's  cocoa,  Yewhurst  was  at  one  time  locally  known  as 
Cocoa  Castle. 

THOMAS  CRAMP. 

Mr.  Thomas  Cramp,  the  founder  of  the  Temperance 
cause  in  East  Grinstead,  was  born  at  Lewes,  where  his 
father  was  a  veterinary  surgeon,  on  April  21st,  1810. 
He  spent  his  boyhood  at  Bexhill  and  came  to  East 
Grinstead  as  an  apprentice  to  Mr.  Palmer,  the  bookseller, 
stationer  and  u  Royal  Quill  Pen  Manufacturer."  He 
married  Miss  Jane  Pretty,  the  daughter  of  a  Wesleyan 
minister,  on  June  25th,  1841.  He  had  begun  his  total 
abstinence  practice  exactly  four  years  earlier  —  total 
abstinence  from  tea  and  coffee  as  well  as  alcoholic 
liquors,  water  being  his  only  beverage.  The  Society  he 
started  met  with  most  violent  opposition.  Its  members 
were  stoned  in  the  public  streets;  Mr.  Cramp  was 
suspended  from  Zion  Church  and  removed  from  his  post 
of  Superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School ;  and  his  pastor 
preached  a  public  sermon  strongly  condemning  the  new- 
fangled craze.  The  chapel  was  crowded  and  at  its  close 
an  adjournment  was  made  to  one  of  the  local  inns  and  a 
dozen  of  wine  voted  the  preacher  for  his  excellent  dis- 
course. But  he  declined  the  gift.  It  took  many  a  long 
day  to  live  down  the  opposition,  and  it  was  not  until 
August  25th,  1845,  some  eight  years  later,  that  the  use 
of  the  same  chapel  was  first  granted  for  a  temperance 
meeting.  But  the  cause  grew  and  in  due  course  East 
Grinstead  boasted  of  one  of  the  strongest  temperance 
societies  in  the  county.  In  1887  Mr.  Cramp's  temperance 
jubilee  was  publicly  celebrated,  and  on  April  21st,  1890,  a 
public  meeting  was  held  to  congratulate  him  on  attaining 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  183 

his  80th  birthday.  He  lived  to  celebrate  one  more, 
passing  away  on  August  18th,  1891.  The  clock  in  front 
of  the  Literary  Institute  was  afterwards  erected  to 
perpetuate  his  memory. 

Mr.  Cramp  was  a  useful  public  man.  For  over  35 
years  he  was  High  Bailiff  of  the  County  Court,  now  an 
obsolete  office ;  he  founded  the  Penny  Bank  in  East 
Grinstead ;  he  was  one  of  the  founders  and  for  25  years 
Secretary  of  the  first  Gas  Company ;  and  he  served  most 
of  the  parochial  offices.  For  a  long  term  of  years  he 
kept  a  brief  diary,  which  now  fills  five  fairly  large 
volumes.  By  kind  permission  of  his  son,  Mr.  Jury 
Cramp,  of  Horsham,  the  following  interesting  extracts 
are  made : — 

1842,  June  22nd.  Mr.  Edwards  was  buried.  He  was  carried  to 
church  by  dissenters,  who  were  detained  with  the  mourners  in  the 
church  for  almost  an  hour,  the  Vicar  (Eev.  C.  Nevill)  being  at  a 
cricket  match  and  forgetting  the  funeral. 

1842,  June  25th.  The  anniversary  of  Thomas  and  Jane  Cramp's 
wedding  day.  Their  wedding  was  celebrated  on  the  teetotal  principle ; 
they  have  neither  tasted,  given  nor  kept  in  the  house  any  intoxicating 
drinks  throughout  the  year  ;  they  have  been  preserved  in  health — no 
doctor  has  been  near ;  in  peace — no  quarrel  has  arisen  ;  in  comfort — 
no  want  has  been  unsupplied. 

1842,  Aug.  22nd.  A  cricket  match  with  East  Grinstead  and 
Lingfield  in  the  Chequer  Mead.  A  great  number  of  persons  present. 
At  about  3  o'clock  a  heavy  thunderstorm  stopped  the  play.  They  are 
now  (10  p.m.)  singing  and  rioting  at  the  Crown.  Such  are  the  usual 
endings  of  cricket  matches.  They  have  led  many  a  young  man 
astray  and  brought  him  to  ruin. 

1842,  Sept.  17th.  Walked  to  Edenbridge  Station  and  rode  per 
railway  to  London.  This  mode  of  travelling  is  superior  to  any  other. 
There  is  no  stopping  at  public-houses — no  fees  to  coachmen  and  guards 
— no  suffering  and  cruelty  to  the  poor  horses-1—  but  there  is  regularity, 
speed,  accommodation,  civility  and  cheapness,  and  with  at  least  an 
equal  degree  of  safety. 

1844,  Aug.  14th.  Miss  C.  Cranston  was  this  day  married  to  Col. 
Leslie.  In  consequence  of  the  Vicar's  Puseyite  views  and  practices 
the  parties  were  forced,  though  very  reluctantly,  to  have  the  marriage 
performed  at  Lingfield  Church. 

1844,  Nov.  15th.  Lord  Ellenborough  passed  through  the  town  on 
his  way  to  Kidbrooke.  An  arch  of  evergreens  made  in  honour  to  him, 
music  played  and  bells  rang  also,  but  all  was  got  up  by  a  publican, 
who  reaped  the  principal  benefit,  for  the  rioters  spent  the  evening  and 
part  of  the  night  at  his  house. 


184  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

1845,  Mar.  23rd.  Mary  Ann  Meads,  a  blind  young  woman,  was 
interred  in  the  churchyard  without  the  tolling  of  the  bell  or  the  usual 
ceremony,  the  Vicar  refusing  it  in  consequence  of  the  young  woman 
never  having  been  baptised. 

1847,  Mar.  24th.  In  consequence  of  the  famine  in  Ireland  and 
some  parts  of  Scotland  a  general  fast  has  been  appointed  for  this  day 
by  the  Government.  The  shops  were  generally  closed  and  labour,  for 
the  most  part,  suspended.  Service  twice  at  church,  morning  attendance 
large.  The  Dissenters  took  no  account  of  the  day. 

1849,  Feb.  27th.  About  25  teams  competed  in  a  ploughing  match 
on  the  Moats  and  Blackwell  Farms. 

1849,  June  22nd.  A  company  of  players  have  hired  the  Court 
House  for  six  weeks.  They  gave  their  first  performance  this  evening. 
It  is  earnestly  hoped  that  the  friends  of  religion  and  morality  will 
make  some  decisive  effort  to  counteract  the  evil  tendency  of  this 
dangerous  amusement. 

1849,  July  5th.  I  enclosed  a  tract  on  the  immoral  and  anti-Christian 
tendency  of  the  Theatre  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  town. 

1849,  July  6th.  The  sending  round  of  the  tracts  has  caused  a 
ferment.  Many  persons,  out  of  opposition,  determined  to  go  to  the 
play.  The  room  was  crowded  and  the  Vicar  informed  me  he  had 
heard  that  the  performers  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  me. 

1849,  July  9th.     Scarely  20  people  at  the  play  to-night. 

1849,  July  12th.     A  large  attendance  of  the  gentry  at  the  play. 

1855,  June  5th.  Took  a  debtor  to  Lewes  Prison.  By  the  prisoner's 
desire  I  walked  all  the  way  through  Birch  Grove,  Sheffield  Park  and 
Newick.  From  Lewes  I  walked  to  Brighton,  took  train  to  Three 
Bridges  and  walked  home.  I  walked  about  35  miles  and  not  over 
tired. 

1858,  Jan.  2nd.     An  unusually  mild  season.     Ripe  strawberries  and 
raspberries  have  been  gathered  in  several  places. 

1859,  Sept.  6th.     Walked  to  Cowden  and  summoned  a  young  gentle- 
man staying  at  the  Rectory.     Mr.  Harvey,  the  Rector,  invited  me 
into  the  breakfast  room  and  bade  me  partake.     There  was  grouse, 
partridges,   tongue,   honey,    &c.,    &c.     What   renders   this   invitation 
remarkable  on  the  part  of  the  Rector  is,  I  was  dressed  in  a  round  frock, 
came  on  anything  but  an  agreeable  errand  and  was  well  known  to  the 
Rector  as  a  decided  Nonconformist.     Mrs.  Harvey  was  equally  pleasant 
and  hospitable. 

1860,  July  llth.     Lord  De  la  Warr's  rent  audit  at  the  Crown.     I 
did  not  go,  thinking  such  gatherings — that  is,  the  drinking  part  of 
them — great  evils. 

1860,  Oct.  23rd.  A  most  unusual  wet  summer.  There  appears  to 
have  been  nothing  approaching  it  for  wetness  for  nearly  50  years. 
Parties  returned  from  hop-picking  and  then  went  to  reaping  and 
mowing  again. 

1860,  Nov.  24th.  Robert  Payne  died.  Himself,  his  grandfather 
and  great-grandfather  have  all  filled  the  office,  of  sexton. 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  185 

1861,  May  29th.  Mr.  Palmer  was  buried  to-day  in  the  family  vault. 
A  legacy  of  £100  was  left  me  by  my  old  master. 

1861,  Nov.   28th.     Took  a  debtor  to  Lewes  Prison.     He  walked 
four  miles  and  brought  me  a  rabbit  by  6.30  a.m.     It  is  not  common  to 
find  prisoners  so  obliging.     I  walked  round  the  town  of  Lewes  with 
him  before  I  lodged  him  in  prison. 

1862,  June  10th.     Mr.  John  Smith  died.     Having  been  auctioneer, 
banker,  &c.,  for  so  many  years  he  will  be  missed.     He  had  obtained  a 
respectable   standing,  being   a  man   of  integrity  and  had   acquired 
wealth. 

1862,  Aug.  14th.  Rev.  J.  H.  Bray  died  this  evening.  He  has  been 
curate  here  1 1  months.  His  simple,  direct  and  earnest  preaching  of 
the  Gospel,  coupled  with  a  consistent  life,  secured  the  approval  and 
attachment  of  the  parishioners  generally,  including  the  Dissenters. 

1864,  May  31st.  Went  to  Felbridge  Park  and  seized  a  horse  for  a 
heriot,  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Gatty's  death. 

1867,  May  22nd.  Snow  storms — not  a  stray  flake  or  two,  but 
actually  fierce  and  plentiful  falls  of  snow,  covering  the  house-tops.  It 
is  the  Derby  day. 

1867,  May  24th.     Ice  this  morning  half  an  inch  thick. 

1868,  Feb.  4th.     Mr.  John  Stenning  died  at  Brighton,  aged  93.     A 
remarkable  instance  of  what  industry  and  sobriety,  when  blessed  by 
God,  will  do. 

1868,  Aug.  12th.  The  Judge  has  an  attack  of  gout  Drinkers 
have  not  always  settled  their  wine  account  when  they  pay  their  wine 
merchant. 

1870,  June  8th.     I  now  cease  my  connection  with   Zion  Sunday 
School,  after  about  38  years'  close  attachment  and  steady  attention  to 
it.     I  have  not  had  fair  play  from  the  ruling  deacons  and  shall  join 
the  new  Moat  School,  where  I  anticipate  a  wider  and  fairer  course  of 
action. 

1871,  Feb.  6th.     Mr.  Murphy  lectured  on   The   Confessional.     I 
doubt  whether  the  evil  is  not  more  likely  to  predominate  than  the  good 
from  such  revelations. 

1872,  March  14th.     Wound  up  accounts  of  Thanksgiving  festivities 
for  recovery  of  Prince  of  Wales.     Besides  their  subscriptions  each 
member  of  the  Committee  had  to  pay  8s.  to  make  fund  balance. 

1872,  Dec.  llth.     Fair  day.     In  consequence  of  the  liquor  shops 
being  compelled  to  close  at  1 1 ,  there  were  but  few  cases  of  rioting. 

1873,  Feb.  loth.     Coal  is  now  50s.  a  ton. 

1874,  Jan.  2nd.     Mr.  Wm.  Stenning  died;   a   gentleman   highly 
respected  by  all  classes  and  who,  by  a  generous  and  consistent  life, 
showed  that  he  was  a  doer  as  well  as  a  hearer  of  Christ's  words. 

1875,  August  30th.     Mr.  Pearless  was  buried  to-day.     There  was  a 
marked  absence  of  the  too  frequent  funeral  trappings,  no  hat-bands, 
no  scarves,  no  feathers,  no  mutes,  no  coaches,  mourners  walked  behind 
an  unadorned  hearse. 


186  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

1877,  Sept.  24th.  Mr.  T.  E.  Burt,  solicitor,  died.  He  was  the 
oldest  professional.  He  was  practising  and  living  where  he  died  when 
I  came  to  East  Grinstead  in  1825. 

1877,  Dec.  13th.  Fat  Stock  Show — a  large  display.  I  doubt  the 
Tightness  of  making  the  poor  creatures  so  helplessly  fat.  I  think  the 
Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  should  look  into  the 
matter. 

1881,  Oct.  14th.  Heavy  gale  ;  12  large  elms  blown  down  in 
Chequer  Mead  and  near  there. 

1881,  Oct.  23rd.  I  resigned  my  offices  as  Treasurer  and  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Moat  Sunday  School.  Nearly  all  the  teachers  resign  also. 

1884,  July  25th.     Attended  a  Conservative  meeting  at  the  Crown 
Assembly  Koom.     I  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Chairman  and 
commended  the  plain  and  gentlemanly  manner  the  speakers  stated 
their  views,  although  I  was  not  able  to  endorse  them. 

1885,  May  5th.     To  the  Exhibition.     Just  as  we  entered  there  was 
a  little  bustle,  when  lo  !  the  Queen,  having  hold  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales's  arm,  was  just  coming  out.     We  were  almost  touching  her. 
I  had  not  seen  her  for  53  years.     She  was  a  little  12-year-old  girl 
then,  now  a  bulky,  serious-looking  old  lady. 

1891,  Feb.  9th.  A  beershop  closed  at  Crowborough  Town  by  the 
East  Grinstead  Magistrates.  Hoo-rah  ! ! 

1891,  March  3rd.  Not  well  enough  to  attend  County  Court.  Only 
the  second  time  absent  during  the  36  years  I  have  been  High  Bailiff. 
Judge  Martineau  called  on  me  and  very  kindly  chatted  for  a  while. 

1891,  April  17th.  First  visitor  to-day,  a  retired  brewer  (Mr. 
Absalom) ;  second,  a  fierce  innkeeper  and  violent  opponent  of  our 
temperance  work  (Mr.  Tracy).  Both  stayed  awhile  and  chatted  very 
friendly. 

1891,  June  22nd.  The  28th  temperance  excursion.  I  never  missed 
one  before. 

With  this  very  appropriate  entry  the  diary  closes. 
Two  months  later  the  good  old  gentleman  passed  away. 

MRS.   NEIGHBOUR. 

Although  East  Grinstead  is  located  in  one  of  the 
healthiest  parts  of  this  favoured  county  it  cannot  boast 
of  a  long  list  of  centenarians  to  hold  up  as  witnesses  to 
its  health  giving  properties.  Many  residents  have  closely 
approached  five  score  years,  but  history  records  only  one 
instance  of  an  individual  who  passed  that  number.  In  an 
old  Family  Bible  the  following  was  the  quaint  record  : — 

Mary  Taylor  Wos  Bornd  December  5  5  minets  Be  for  to  in  mornen 
1796. 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  187 

On  December  5th,  1896,  I  visited  her — a  pleasant 
faced,  but  feeble  old  lady — and  got  from  her  some  very 
interesting  particulars  of  her  life.  Her  father  was  James 
Taylor,  who  was  for  many  years  tenant  of  the  still 
existing  blacksmith's  forge  at  Lingfield,  where  the  old 
lady  in  question  first  saw  the  light.  He  committed 
suicide  by  hanging  himself  when  his  daughter  Mary  was 
but  four  years  of  age.  Mary  Taylor  first  married  a 
Mr.  Baker,  a  carpenter,  and  gave  birth  to  her  first  child 
on  November  16th,  1814,  before  she  was  18  years  of  age. 
Her  second  husband  was  John  Neighbour,  a  tanner,  who 
worked  first  at  Lingfield  and  then  at  Ashurst  Wood. 
By  her  first  husband  she  had  four  children,  not  one  of 
whom  survived  her,  and  by  her  second  husband  seven 
children.  The  chief  branches  of  the  family  are  now  the 
Huggetts,  of  East  Grinstead,  holding  responsible  and 
honoured  positions,  one  the  Clerk  to  the  Guardians, 
another  the  Assistant  Overseer  and  Rate  Collector,  and  a 
third  the  Parish  Sexton  and  Cemetery  Caretaker,  and 
the  Inglefields,  tradesmen  of  Westerham  and  Limpsfield. 
When  she  was  100  years  old  her  descendants  numbered 
303,  namely,  11  children,  86  grandchildren,  172  great 
grandchildren,  and  34  great  great  grandchildren,  of 
whom,  at  that  time,  about  200  were  living.  Before  she 
died,  on  September  5th,  1897,  in  her  101st  year,  the 
number  had  been  still  further  increased.  Mrs.  Neighbour 
was  over  90  before  she  gave  up  active  work.  She  used 
to  walk  into  East  Grinstead  daily  from  Ashurst  Wood 
to  work  as  an  upholsteress  and  was  very  clever  indeed 
at  the  trade. 

SIR  EDWARD  BLOUNT. 

Sir  Edward  Blount  was  born  on  March  14th,  1809,  at 
Bellamour,  near  Rugeley,  Stafford.  He  was  the  second 
son  of  Mr.  Edward  Blount,  M.P.,  at  one  time  Member 
for  Steyning  in  this  county,  by  Frances,  daughter  of  Mr. 
Francis  Wright,  of  Fitzwalters,  Essex.  The  family 
trace  their  origin  to  the  Le  Blounds,  Counts  of  Guisnes, 
in  Picardy,  the  head  of  whose  family  accompanied 
William  I.  when  the  Conqueror  invaded  these  islands. 


188  HISTORY   OF    EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

One  of  them  is  said  to  have  been  Commander  of  the 
ships  of  war,  and  another  brother  General  of  the  Army. 
Many  members  of  the  family  were  knights,  but  the  first 
baronet,  Walter,  was  created  by  Charles  I.  in  1642.  Sir 
Edward's  grandfather  was  the  sixth  baronet  of  this 
creation.  The  family  has  always  remained  staunch  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  Sir  Edward  fully  main- 
tained the  faith  of  his  fathers. 

Sir  Edward's  education  was  commenced  at  Rugeley 
Grammar  School  and  continued  at  St.  Mary's  College, 
Oscott.  He  first  began  work  in  the  London  office  of  the 
Provincial  Bank  of  Ireland,  but  soon  gave  this  up  and 
became  an  attache  at  the  Home  Office,  being  afterwards 
appointed  to  a  like  position  at  the  British  Embassy  in 
Paris.  This  was  when  he  was  20  years  of  age.  After 
a  time  he  was  transferred  to  the  Consulate  at  Rome. 
He  went  back  to  Paris  in  1831,  where  he  joined  the 
banking  house  of  Callaghan  &  Company.  He  soon 
launched  out  on  his  own  account,  and,  with  his  father's 
help,  founded  the  bank  of  Edward  Blount,  Pere  et  Fils. 
It  was  about  this  time  that  he  married  the  beautiful  Miss 
Gertrude  Frances  Jerningham,  and  their  happy  union 
lasted  only  nine  days  short  of  63  years,  Lady  Blount 
dying  at  Imberhorne  on  November  9th,  1897.  In  due 
course  the  Paris  banking  house  became  that  of  Charles 
Laffitte,  Blount  &  Company,  and  the  partnership  lasted 
until  the  Revolution  of  1848,  when  the  bank  was  ruined, 
but  young  Blount  afterwards  paid  all  his  creditors  in 
full.  Four  years  later,  mainly  by  the  help  of  the  late 
Mr.  Brassey,  he  re-established  himself  as  a  banker  under 
the  style  of  Edward  Blount  &  Company.  This  bank 
lasted  until  after  the  Revolution  of  1872,  when  it  was 
wound  up  and  the  business  transferred  to  the  Societe 
Generale  of  Paris,  of  which  Mr.  Blount  became  President, 
holding  the  position  until  he  resigned,  much  against  the 
wish  of  his  colleagues,  on  June  llth,  1901. 

Sir  Edward  was  the  founder  of  railway  enterprise  in 
France  and  practically  financed  the  Western  Railway 
Company,  of  which  he  was  chairman  for  30  years,  being 
then  ousted  from  the  position  by  the  demands  of  the 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  189 

French  Government,  who  professed  to  see  danger  in  an 
Englishman  having  too  intimate  an  acquaintance  with 
their  army  mobilisation  arrangements. 

His  connection  with  the  political  history  of  France 
was  an  intimate  one.  He  had  the  honour  to  be  the 
personal  friend  of  its  monarchs  and  leading  statesmen ; 
he  was  on  intimate  terms  also  with  Kings  and  Queens 
in  other  countries,  and  was  always  proud  of  the  great 
consideration  ever  shown  him  by  the  late  Queen  Victoria, 
who,  had  she  had  her  own  way,  would  have  raised  him 
to  the  Peerage.  With  the  Pontiffs  of  Rome  his 
connection  had  been  very  intimate,  for  he  was  long  the 
banker  of  the  Papal  Government,  and  after  the  annexation 
of  the  Papal  States  to  the  kingdom  of  Italy  he  arranged 
the  transfer  of  the  financial  liabilities  and  the  conversion 
of  the  Papal  debt. 

It  was  Mr.  Blount's  self-sacrificing,  noble  conduct 
during  the  siege  of  Paris  in  1870-1  that  will  for  ever 
endear  his  name  to  the  English  people.  When  nearly 
all  the  wealthy  foreigners  fled,  he  remained,  making  his 
starving  compatriots,  who  were  unable  to  leave  the  city, 
his  chief  care.  On  January  24th,  1871,  he  was 
appointed  British  Consul  and  his  whole  conduct  of 
difficult  affairs  was  such  that  Lord  Malmesbury,  speaking 
of  him  in  the  House  of  Lords,  said  his  name  would  be 
"  considered  noble  as  long  as  the  history  of  the  siege  is 
recorded."  He  had  2,200  English  poor  on  his  hands 
and  spent  an  enormous  sum  out  of  his  own  purse  in 
relief;  indeed,  he  and  Mr.  Wallace  and  Dr.  Herbert 
distributed  £40,000  in  all,  and  the  total  returned  to  Mr. 
Blount  by  the  British  Government  was  only  £1,000. 

Mr.  Blount  remained  officially  in  charge  of  the  British 
Embassy  until  the  end  of  March,  1871,  when  he  left  for 
London.  In  recognition  of  his  services  Mr.  Blount  was 
made  a  Companion  of  the  Bath  and  on  June  2nd,  1888, 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  K.C.B.,  being  at  that  time 
President  of  the  British  Chamber  of  Commerce,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  founders. 

His  connection  with  the  great  financial  houses  of  the 
world  was  an  important  one.  Not  only  was  he  at  the 


190  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

head  of  the  Societe  Generale,  but  he  was  also  a 
director  of  the  General  Credit  and  Finance  Company 
of  Lothbury,  of  the  Union  Discount  Company  and  of 
the  London  Joint  Stock  Bank. 

Honours  had  naturally  been  showered  on  him  from  all 
sides.  In  addition  to  his  English  knighthood  he  was  a 
Chevalier  of  the  Legion  d'Honneur  and  Commander  of 
the  Orders  of  Pius  IX.,  of  Isabella  of  Spain  and  of  the 
Crown  of  Italy,  and  also  held  the  Grand  Cross  of 
Osmanli,  Turkey. 

In  his  younger  days  Sir  Edward  was  a  keen  sports- 
man. He  was  a  partner  in  Count  Lagrange's  racing 
stable,  and  as  such  had  the  honour  of  sharing  in  the 
carrying  off  of  many  of  the  chief  prizes  of  the  Turf, 
including  the  English  Derby,  which  their  horse, 
Gladiateur,  won  in  1865.  One  of  his  chief  hobbies 
used  to  be  coaching,  and  long  after  he  was  80  he  used  to 
handle  his  four-in-hand  along  the  tortuous  roads  and 
hills  around  East  Grinstead  with  a  skill  which  many  a 
young  whip  might  envy.  He  died  at  Imberhorne  on 
March  15th,  1905,  aged  96,  and  was  succeeded  in  the 
ownership  of  the  estate  by  his  grandson,  Mr.  Edward  C. 
Blount,  J.P. 

JOHN  PAYNE,  SHERIFF  OF  SUSSEX. 

In  the  14th  Vol.  of  the  Sussex  Archaeological  Society's 
Collections,  in  an  article  on  Ashdown  Forest,  by  the 
Rev.  Edward  Turner,  appears  mention  of  a  John  Payne, 
of  Plawhatch,  and  the  writer  proceeds  : — 

The  old  Payne  here  alluded  to  was  probably  the  Patriarch  of  the 
ancient  family  of  Payne  long  resident  at  Legge's  Heath,  in  East  Grin- 
stead,  and  a  Master  of  the  Forest.  A  descendant  of  his  was  Sheriff  of 
Sussex  in  1738,  of  whom  it  is  currently  reported  that  during  the  year 
he  served  the  office  he  never  went  to  church,  or  in  any  way  appeared 
in  public,  except  in  full  dress,  with  a  cocked  hat  on  his  head,  and  a 
sword  by  his  side,  and  whenever  he  went  to  market  or  a  meeting  of 
any  kind  at  East  Grinstead,  he  had,  in  addition,  his  State  saddle, 
saddle  cloth  and  holster  furnished  with  a  pair  of  richly  silver-chased 
pistols.  When  questioned  on  the  subject,  his  reply  was  that  in  his 
opinion  the  dignity  of  the  office  required  it.  The  last  of  the  family 
of  the  direct  line  died  in  Maresfield  at  an  advanced  age  and  in  very 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  191 

reduced  circumstances,  about  six  years  ago  (1856).  In  his  cottage  I 
have  often  seen  the  saddle  cloth,  richly  embroidered  with  gold,  the 
pistols,  the  sword  and  the  spurs,  which  his  father  used  as  Sheriff,  and 
which  the  son  greatly  valued  as  testifying  to  the  quondam  greatness 
of  the  family.  After  his  death  they  were  all  sold  to  a  broker  for  a 
few  shillings. 

The  above  notice,  in  which  the  date  was  incorrectly 
given  as  1768,  in  conjunction  with  his  long  strain 
of  East  Grinstead  blood,  would  seem  to  entitle  the 
subject  of  it  to  a  place  among  our  local  worthies.  John 
Payne,  mentioned  above  as  Sheriff  of  Sussex  in  1738,  was 
of  Legsheath  Farm,  near  Plawhatch,  and  one  of  the  tribe 
of  Paynes  living  in  our  parish,  but,  for  many  genera- 
tions before  his  day,  of  a  family  quite  distinct  from  the 
"  Paynes  of  the  towne,"  to  whom  frequent  reference  has 
been  made  in  the  course  of  this  work  ;  for  we  can  trace 
his  ancestry  back  for  at  least  five  generations  with 
certainty  to  John  Payne,  of  Monkshill,  yeoman,  who 
was  buried  at  East  Grinstead  in  1597,  probably  the 
above  mentioned  Patriarch  and  the  same  person  as  John 
Payne,  of  Plawhatch,  mentioned  in  our  Parish  Registers 
as  alive  in  1562,  and  not  improbably  at  that  date 
recognised  as  a  connection  by  his  better  known  name- 
sakes "of  the  town;"  but  the  fact  remains  that  John 
Payne,  of  Legsheath,  was  the  descendant  of  a  long  line 
of  Paynes  who  more  than  350  years  ago  began  to  settle 
themselves  in  the  small  farms  on  the  extreme  south 
border  of  our  large  parish  and  on  the  verge  of  Ashdown 
Forest;  such  farms  were  Plawhatch,  Legsheath,  Monks- 
hill,  Mawles,  Walesbeech  and,  later,  Charl woods,  and 
all  owned  by  some  member  of  the  family  of  what  we 
may  call  the  Paynes  of  Legsheath,  though  they  seem  to 
have  been  earlier  known  as  the  Paynes  of  Plawhatch,  a 
name  probably  derived  from  the  Plawe  family,  one  of 
whom,  viz.,  John  Plawe,  held  seven  acres  called 
Twyfords,  in  1560. 

In  1560  Leggesheath  was  held  of  Duddleswell  Manor 
by  Rowland  Deane,  and  consisted  of  10  acres  of  assart 
land,  i.e.,  cleared  of  forest  or  heath,  lying  in  the  parish 
of  East  Grinstead,  to  the  pale  of  the  Forest  towards 
the  south,  to  the  lands  of  Lord  Abergavenny  called 


192  HISTOEY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

Hownynggrove  towards  the  north,  to  the  lands  of  Richard 
Infelde  called  the  Plawe  towards  the  west,  and  to  the 
lands  of  Umphreyes  called  Mawles  towards  the  east,  but 
by  degrees,  before  1600  and  in  the  decade  succeeding  it, 
not  only  Legsheath  and  Monkshill,  but  also  Maules  and 
Walesbeech  Farms  had  come  under  the  rule  of  the 
Paynes,  and  so  continued  down  to  the  time  of  the 
subject  of  this  notice  and  after  him  to  about  1825. 

A  bird's-eye  view  of  John  Payne's  ancestry  may  be 
given  as  follows,  and  its  connection  with  farms  in  the 
parish  gives  it  special  interest : — 

JOHN  PAYNE,  of  Monkshill,  Yeoman  (probably  of  Plawhatch  in  1562), 

owned,  freehold  lands  called  Malls  ;  buried  at  East  Grinstead  as 

John  Payne,  senr.,  of  Monkhill,  in  1597. 

JOHN  PAYNE,  of  Maules,  Yeoman,  owned  7  acres  at  Buncegrove,  called 
Baches,  Legsheath  and  Dockets  ;  died  1624. 

WILLIAM  PAYNE,  of    Walesbeech,  Yeoman,  owned  Legsheath,  Maules, 

Dockets  ;  buried  at  East  Grinstead  as  William  Paine,  of 

Walesbeech,  1657. 

WILLIAM   PAYNE,  of  Maules,  Yeoman  (5th  son),  owned  Legsheath  and 

Monkshill ;  died  1658  ;  by  his  will  "  to  be  buried  at 

East  Grinstead." 

Mu.    WILLIAM   PAYNE,   of   Legsheath,   owned    Velvicks ;    his  brothers, 

Edward  and  Robert,  lived  at  Maules  and  Monkshill ;  buried  at 

East  Grinstead  as  Mr.  Wm.  Payne,  of  Legsheath,  1727. 

JOHN   PAYNE,   of  Legsheath,  Esqre.,  owned  Maules,  while  his  cousin, 

Edward,  owned  Monkshill ;    Sheriff  of  Sussex  1738  ;   buried  at 

East  Grinstead  as  "  John  Payne,  Esq.,"  1760. 

So  much  for  his  ancestry,  which  shows  him  to  have 
been  a  true  son  of  our  parochial  soil  and  to  have  made 
strides  forward,  socially  and  financially,  since  his  grand- 
father, Wm.  Payne,  of  Maules,  yeoman,  in  an  interesting 
will,  dated  1658,  bequeathed 

Unto  Susan  my  nowe  wife  seaven  fields  or  severall  closes  and  one 
coppice  wood  next  adjoining  to  my  customary  tenement  or  house 
com  only  called  Munkshill  with  the  orchard  and  garden  plott  there- 
unto belonging,  conteyning  in  all  by  estimacon  18  acres  of  land  more 
or  less  for  and  during  the  terme  of  her  naturall  life.  And  also  three 
rooms  in  the  said  Munkshill  house  during  her  naturall  life  viz.  the 
Hall,  the  chamber  over  the  Hall,  and  the  upper  chamber  over  the 
same  with  egresse  and  regresse  to  and  from  the  same  and  to  have  and 
take  water  and  other  convenient  necessaries.  .  .  . 

The  testator  goes  on  to  give  £150  to  each  of  his 
daughters,  five  pair  of  sheets  to  each  of  his  children 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  193 

and  Monkshill  to  Robert,  his  younger  son,  who  also 
occupied  Stone  and  Standen  Farms.  In  such  surround- 
ings was  John  Payne,  of  Legsheath,  born  in  1675,  and 
duly  baptised  at  East  Grinstead,  succeeding  his  father  at 
Legsheath  in  1727,  as  we  learn  from  the  Court  Rolls  of 
Duddleswell  Manor,  of  which  Legsheath  was  held.  In 
1693  he  married,  at  Hartfield,  Bridget,  daughter  and 
co-heir  of  Richard  Knight,  Esq.,  sen.,  of  Cowden, 
whose  family  had  come  to  prosperity  by  virtue  of  the 
iron  industry  of  those  days.  This  useful  marriage  may 
account  for  John's  somewhat  sudden  rise  in  the  social 
scale  and  may  also  account  in  a  measure  for  his  little 
weakness  for  display  in  his  official  capacity  of  Sheriff, 
a  position  that  would  have,  no  doubt,  vastly  astonished 
his  father,  Wm.  Payne,  of  Legsheath.  There  seems  to 
have  been  no  issue  of  this  marriage  when  his  first  wife 
died  in  October,  1736,  so  he  re-married,  with  no  undue 
delay,  Margaret,  daughter  of  John  Shelley,  of  Fen 
Place,  Worth.  As  John  was  already  62  years  of  age 
his  prompt  re-marriage  was  probably  accelerated  by  the 
meritorious  desire,  as  strong  in  those  days  with  yeoman 
as  with  peer,  to  leave  a  son  to  inherit  the  ancestral 
acres,  however  modest  their  extent.  John's  acres  seem 
from  his  will  to  have  been  numerous  and  productive,  but 
disappointment  was  his  lot,  for  we  find  no  issue  of  the 
second  marriage  beyond  an  only  daughter,  Margaret, 
baptised  at  East  Grinstead  in  1738  (the  year  of  his 
Sheriffdom)  and  buried  there  in  1751.  This  accounts 
for  his  making  his  nephew,  William  Payne,  son  of 
Edward  Payne,  of  Monkshill,  his  heir,  and,  so  far  as 
we  can  now  ascertain,  these  farms  remained  in  the 
hands  of  Mr.  William  Payne  until  about  1827,  when 
he,  or  possibly  his  son  of  the  same  name,  sold  Stone 
Farm  to  Mr.  R.  Crawfurd,  of  Saint  Hill,  and  it  is 
not  unusual  about  this  date  to  find  our  local  yeomen 
tempted  by  the  high  price  of  land  then  prevailing 
to  part  with  their  long  cherished  acres  to  the  gentry 
of  the  class  above  them,  with  the  idea  of  living  in 
ease  upon  the  proceeds  of  the  deal.  Unfortunately 
in  too  many  cases  the  yeoman  had  no  knowledge  of 


194  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

investing  his  money  safely  otherwise  than  in  farming 
land,  and  the  expulsion  from  the  ancestral  acres  by  the 
prosperous  Squire  only  too  often  resulted  in  pauperising 
and  extinguishing  such  old  families  as  we  are  here 
speaking  of.  Some  such  disaster  would  seem  to  have 
overtaken  the  Sheriff's  successors,  for  if  any  descendants 
of  the  name  now  exist  they  are  not  known  to  local 
annalists. 

John  Payne,  ex-Sheriff  and  squire,  died  110  doubt  in 
his  picturesque  old  farmhouse  at  Legsheath  at  the  age  of 
85,  and  was  buried  in  the  Churchyard  of  East  Grinstead, 
13th  March,  1760.  Whatever  his  foibles,  his  will  shows 
him  to  have  been  a  careful  man,  of  kindly  and  genial 
disposition,  with  a  due  allowance  of  family  pride  and 
other  pleasant  traits,  nor  could  his  worst  detractor  say 
that  he  was  too  little  appreciative  of  the  dignity  to 
which  he  was  called. 

The  following  interesting  extracts  are  from  his  will, 
dated  3rd  May,  1754,  and  proved  2nd  May,  1760: — 

To  Mary  Head,  wife  of  Edward  Head,  the  interest  of  £100  to  be 
put  out  at  four  per  cent,  for  her  natural  life,  with  remainder  to  her 
daughter  Mary  Taylor. 

To  William  How  £50,  and  to  Elizabeth  How,  and  Sarah  How  his 
two  sisters  £30  each. 

To  Joseph  Bridgeland  son  of  John  Bridgeland  £100. 

To  John  Showing  £50. 

To  William  Payne,  son  of  Edward  Payne  of  Monkshill  £450  to  be 
laid  out  on  a  mortgage  upon  Monkshill,  The  interest  of  which  £450  I 
give  to  my  cousin  Edward  Payne  of  Monkshill  for  his  life.  I  also 
give  to  my  cousin  Edward  Payne,  of  Monkshill  his  living  in  Legsheath, 
and  the  use  of  all  the  goods  there  till  his  son  William  Paj'ne  is  23 
yr  old. 

To  Robert  Payne  £5  p.  ann.  for  his  life,  to  be  paid  out  of  a  ffarin 
called  Smiths  in  Surrey. 

To  Mary  Payne  40/-  p.  ann.  for  her  life,  to  be  paid  out  of  "  Smiths  " 
aforesaid. 

To  Susannah  Shewing  £30. 

To  Richard  Payne  I  give  a  small  ffarm  called  "  Holehouse  "  for  his 
life. 

To  Colonel  Joseph  Ottaway  £50. 

To  John  Smith  Esq  £500. 

All  the  residue  of  my  estate  real  and  personal ;  all  my  ffreehold 
and  copyhold  Lands  in  Sussex,  Kent,  and  Surrey  I  give  to  my  cousin 
William  Payne  son  of  Edward  Payne,  of  Monkshill  for  his  natural 
life,  and  I  make  him  the  said  William  Payne,  son  of  Edward  Payne, 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  195 

of  Monkshill,  my  heir  after  my  decease — and  from  and  after  his 
decease  I  give  all  to  his  heir  male — and  for  want  of  such  heir  I  give  it 
all  to  John  Payne  second  son  of  Henry  Payne  of  Worth. 

I  desire  John  Turner  of  Imberhorne,  and  Edward  Jenner  of  East 
Grinstead  to  be  trustees  for  the  said  William  Payne,  whom  I  make 
heir  till  he  arrives  at  the  age  of  23  y",  and  to  receive  the  rents,  and 
put  out  money  at  four  per  cent,  for  the  benefit  of  the  said  William 
Payne — and  to  put  him  to  school  till  he  is  a  compleat  scholar.  And 
I  desire  my  executors  to  make  up  that  £1000  for  my  wife  out  of 
Lockyer's  mortgage,  and  that  mortgage  upon  Eichard  Martin's  estate 
at  fforest  rowe. 

I  desire  that  Edward  Payne  pay  unto  his  son  Edward  £10  p.  ann. 
during  the  time  he  lives  at  Legsheath. 

I  desire  to  be  buried  in  a  Christian  manner,  and  to  be  carried  upon 
men's  shoulders.  And  I  desire  there  may  be  roast  beef,  and  boiled 
beef  for  all  the  people  to  eat  of  that  come  to  my  ffuneral.  And  I 
desire  Master  Bond,  Master  Humphry,  Master  Browne,  Master 
Banester,  and  Charles  Woodman,  may  all  have  mourning  hatbands. 
And  I  desire  they  shall  all  have  beer,  wine,  and  gloves  that  are  invited, 
and  the  relations  to  have  mourning  hatbands. 

My  cousin  William  Payne  son  of  Edward  Payne,  of  Monkshill,  to 
be  full  and  sole  executor. 

And  I  make  John  Turner  and  Edward  Jenner  executors,  in  trust  to 
William  Payne  my  heir,  till  he  arrives  at  three  and  twenty  years. 

And  I  desire  to  be  buried  by  daylight. 

The  comment  suggests  itself  that,  whatever  his 
harmless  predilection  for  public  display,  the  careful 
forethought  of  providing  roast  beef  as  well  as  boiled 
beef  for  his  own  funeral  banquet,  when  he  would  no 
longer  be  acting  host,  is  indicative  of  a  kindly  and 
thoughtful  nature.  Possibly  the  "  desire  to  be  buried 
by  daylight"  was  due  to  some  misgivings  as  to  the 
duration  of  the  little  orgy  he  thus  anticipated  over  his 
remains,  for,  considering  what  the  nearest  route  must 
have  been  like  in  those  days  between  Legsheath  Farm 
and  East  Grinstead  Church,  it  would  need  an  early  start 
and  resolute  bearers  to  have  accomplished  the  task  set 
them. 

Much  of  old  Monkshill  was  standing  fifteen  years  ago 
as  it  probably  was  in  Queen  Elizabeth's  time.  Mawles 
has  disappeared,  though  its  site  near  Monkshill  is  well 
known  to  old  inhabitants.  Legsheath,  though  restored, 
still  remains  much  as  the  old  Sheriff  knew  it  in  his  boy- 
hood more  than  200  years  ago,  and,  as  a  farmhouse, 
remote  from  the  haunts  of  men,  happily  retains  much  of 

o  2 


196  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

its  pretty  old-world  character  amid  surroundings  which 
have  probably  altered  little  since  the  days  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  when  the  Sheriff's  ancestors  at  Plawhatch 
and  Monkshill  added  Legsheath  to  their  modest  landed 
possessions. 

THE   PAYNES  OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

It  is  impossible  to  write  much  concerning  East  Grin- 
stead  without  making  constant  reference  to  one  branch 
or  another  of  the  numerous  families  of  Paynes.  The 
origin  of  the  name  is  by  no  means  certain.  The  theory 
generally  accepted  is  that  it  is  derived  from  the  French 
pain — bread,  and  that  the  earliest  owners  of  it  in  this 
county  were  those  who  came  from  Normandy  many 
centuries  ago  and  settled  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Rye 
and  Winchelsea.  The  Paynes  of  Pixtons  are  referred  to 
in  earlier  chapters  and  the  following  additional  particu- 
lars are  of  interest.  The  will  of  George  Payne  was 
proved  November  7th,  1538,  and  is  here  subjoined: — 

In  del  nomine  Amen,  the  xxix.  day  of  August  in  the  yere  of  our 
lord  god  a  Thousande  fyve  hundreth  xxxvij.  I  George  Payne  of 
Estgrensted  in  the  countie  of  Sussex  being  hole  in  mynde  and  wth 
good  remembraunce  make  this  my  last  wille  and  testamente  in  fourme 
following,  in  primis  I  bequeth  my  soule  to  almighty  god  our  lady 
Saint  Mary  and  to  all  the  holy  company  of  hevyn,  and  my  body  to  be 
buried  in  the  Churchyearde  of  Saint  Swythvne  in  Grensted  aforsaid. 
Item  I  bequeth  to  the  high  awter  there  for  my  tithes  and  offeryngs 
forgotten  3"  4d.  Item  I  bequeth  to  Agnes  my  wife  a  bedde  with  all  the 
things  apperteyning  therto.  Item  I  will  to  hir  twoe  kyne  and  a  mare. 
Item  I  will  to  Joane  my  doughter  twenty  pounds  of  lawfull  money. 
Item  I  will  to  Clemens  my  doughter  twentie  poundes.  Item  yf  my 
wife  be  with  childe  w*  a  doughter  I  will  to  it  twentie  poundes,  yf  any 
of  the  said  doughters  to  dye  or  she  be  maried  that  then  I  wille  every 
of  them  to  be  others  heires  equally  to  be  devided  among  them.  Item 
to  Johnne  my  sonne  all  my  freeholds  to  him  and  his  heires.  Item  all 
suche  lands  as  I  have  in  morgage  as  doth  appere  by  Indentures  that 
John  my  sonne  shall  have  them,  yf  my  wife  be  with  childe  w'  a  man 
childe  that  then  I  will  that  Edward  my  sonne  shal  have  the  money  of 
the  said  morgage  landes  yf  the  money  be  paid  agayn  or  ells  the  lands 
whether  it  be.  Item  yf  my  wife  have  no  man  childe  then  I  will  that 
the  money  that  comyth  agayn  in  payment  shall  be  equally  devided 
amonge  all  my  children.  Item  I  will  to  John  my  sonne  my  fferme  of 
Brestowe  parke  w*  all  goods  and  catalls  being  uppon  the  said  grounde 
at  the  making  of  this  p'sent  testamente.  .  .  .  Item  I  will  to  Roger 
my  servant  shal  have  his  mendyng  of  wayes  betwene  fforest  Bowe  and 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  197 

Grensted  20s.  Item  I  will  that  John  Boton  my  servant  shal  have  his 
indenture  and  6s  8J  of  money.  Item  I  bequeth  to  every  of  my  god 
children  4d.  Item  I  will  that  my  good  maister  Sir  John  Gage  twoe 
colts  nowe  being  in  Brestowe  parke  and  to  goo  there  tyll  they  twoe 
be  able  to  be  rydden,  if  it  please  him  desiring  him  to  be  good  maister 
to  all  my  children  and  specially  to  John  my  sonne,  all  the  residue  of 
my  goodes  not  bequethed  I  give  to  my  sonnes  John  and  Edward  except 
that  my  wyfe  have  a  man  childe  that  then  I  will  that  Edward  shall 
have  all  the  said  goodes  to  his  owne  use  and  profite  ffurthermore  I 
make  and  ordeyne  my  brother  John  Payne  and  Thomas  Pellam  of 
ffyrryll  my  executoures  to  see  my  children  ruled  and  this  my  testamente 
f ulfillyed  to  the  pleasure  of  god  and  the  welthe  of  my  soule  and  every 
of  them  to  have  for  their  labours  fyve  mrks.  Testes  William  Auery, 
James  Cole,  Thomas  Rutter  cum  multis  aliis. 

The  above  testator,  George  Payne,  son  of  John  Payne, 
of  Pixtons  (see  pp.  71  -2),  was  evidently  a  yeoman  of 
good  substance  as  money  went  in  those  days.  His 
father  in  1507  had  devised  to  him  the  tenement  of 
Beeches  (?in  Ashurst  Wood),  but  whether  George  lived 
there  we  have  no  certain  information  beyond  the  fact 
that  he  seems  from  the  evidence  of  his  own  will  to 
have  undertaken  repair  of  the  road  between  Forest  Row 
and  East  Grinstead. 

His  elder  brother,  John,  had  succeeded  his  parents  at 
Pixtons  and  his  descendants  seem  to  have  owned  that 
farm  until,  in  1615,  John  Payne,  sen.,  of  Pickstones, 
and  Elizabeth,  his  wife,  sold  it  to  John  Goodwin,  gent., 
from  whose  family  it  seems  to  have  passed  to  Mr.  John 
Conyers,  who  married  a  Miss  Goodwin  and  was  M.P. 
for  East  Grinstead  in  1695,  and  later  it  belonged  to  Mr. 
Wicken  and  the  Trulock  family. 

In  1615  the  Manor  of  Pixtons  seems  to  have  consisted 
of  one  messuage,  one  barn,  one  garden,  one  orchard,  20 
acres  of  arable  land,  16  acres  of  meadow  land,  14  acres  of 
pasture,  four  acres  of  wood  and  three  acres  of  moorland, 
all  in  East  Grinstead,  and  the  whole  appears  to  have  been 
acquired  by  John  Goodwin  for  the  modest  sum  of  £100. 

George  Payne,  whose  will  is  quoted  above,  left  two  sons, 
John  and  Edward,  who  both  became  prominent  townsmen 
of  East  Grinstead.  John  was  the  testator,  whose  will, 
proved  in  1580,  is  mentioned  on  pp.  123-4,  in  connection 
with  the  old  almshouses  in  Church  Street,  and  he  was 


198  HISTOKY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

also  one  of  the  burgesses  of  East  Grin  stead  to  whom  the 
silver  seal  was  presented  in  1572,  and  a  prosperous  iron- 
master, as  mentioned  on  p.  142. 

Edward,  the  younger  son  of  the  testator,  George 
Payne,  born  about  1536,  was  buried  at  East  Grinstead 
in  1599  as  "Edward  Paine  the  Elder."  He  was  a 
burgess  of  East  Grinstead  and  had  married  Katherine 
Losco,  a  widow  of  means  belonging  to  Southwell,  Co. 
Notts. 

Their  eldest  son  Edward  (1560-1642)  became  the 
direct  ancestor  of  a  long  line  of  Paynes  "  of  the  Town," 
who,  as  ironmasters  and  landowners,  rose  to  considerable 
affluence  in  East  Grinstead  and  the  neighbouring  district 
during  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries.  Their 
daughter  Clemence  married  John  Farley,  of  East  Grin- 
stead,  and  had  a  numerous  family. 

Burstow,  or  Brestowe  Park  Manor,  mentioned  in  the 
above  testator's  will,  was  originally  a  possession  of  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  arid  included  in  the  Manor  of 
Wimbledon.  In  1531  Archbishop  Warham  granted  the 
manor  to  Sir  John  Gage  on  lease  for  80  years,  which 
accounts  for  the  testator's  reference  to  Sir  John  Gage, 
and  his  desire  that  the  latter  should  be  a  good  master  to 
his  children,  and  also  perhaps  accounts  for  his  choice  of 
Thomas  Pelham,  of  Firle,  as  an  executor.  In  1649 
Edward  Payne,  of  East  Grinstead,  gent.,  a  descendant 
of  the  testator,  George  Payne,  bought  the  Manor  of 
Burstow  Park  and  it  descended  for  many  generations  in 
his  family. 

THE   SUSSEX  DIARISTS  AND  LOCAL 
REFERENCES. 

Mr.  Cramp  was  by  no  means  the  first  Sussex  diarist. 

The  Rev.  Giles  Moore,  Rector  of  Horsted  Keynes, 
was  one  of  the  first  of  this  small  band.  He  died  on 
October  3rd,  1679,  and  from  his  diary  the  following 
references  to  East  Grinstead  are  taken : — 

Oct.  2nd,  1656.  J.  Dawes  brought  mee  from  Grinstead  4  stone  of 
beefe,  which  at  22d.  the  stone  and  2-lb.  of  sewet  at  4d.  come  to  8s. 


SOME   LOCAL   WORTHIES.  199 

Aug.  18th,  1662.  I  set  forwards  on  my  journey  to  Chichester  with 
Mr.  Hale  and  Mr.  Chatfield,  physician  and  scholemaster  at  East 
Grinstead,  who  met  us  at  Portslade,  whither  wee  went  together  and 
came  back  together.  On  the  19th  I  payed  in  theyr  presence  to 
Eobert  Symes,  sub-collector  for  the  tythes  of  1660  and  1661  due  at 
Christmasse,  the  summe  of  £2  and  a  marke  all  over  and  above  for 
charges,  to  the  which  he  knavishly  and  unjustly  put  me,  amounting  to 
£1.  6s.  7d.  I  spent  in  charges  going  and  coming,  10s.  lOd. 

Aug.  10th,  1667.  To  Mr.  Moore,  of  East  Grinstead,  collector,  for 
8  fire  hearths  due  for  one  whole  yeare  expiring  at  Michaelmas, 
together  with  one  yeare  more  for  the  brewhouse  chimney,  I  payed 
18s.  (The  hearth  and  chimney  tax  was  clearly  no  light  one  at  this 
time.) 

Sept.  12th,  1669.  I  spent  at  East  Grinstead  when  Mat  (apparently 
his  daughter)  was  confirmed  by  the  Bishop,  Is.  4d. 

In  the  journal  of  Timothy  Burrell,  barrister-at-law,  of 
Ockenden  House,  Cuckfield,  occurs  the  following : — 

March  24th,  1687.  Church  tax  lid.  Letter  4d.  9  ells  of  Holland 
£1.  4s.  I  spent  at  East  Grinstead  (possibly  during  the  Assizes) 
£1.  2s. 

March  26th,  1693.  I  spent  at  the  Assizes  at  East  Grinstead  £1.  5s. 
(The  Winter  Assizes  in  these  days  were  held  alternately  at  East 
Grinstead  and  Horsham,  and  in  the  summer  at  Lewes.) 

Richard  Stapley,  in  his  diary,  under  date  August  3rd, 
1697-8,  notes :- 

Bought  a  pair  of  double  sewed  ramskin  gloves  of  Tobie  Showen,  of 
East  Grinstead,  which  cost  me  2s.  6d. 

Tobias  Shewin  will  be  found  mentioned  on  page  40  as 
a  burgess  of  the  Borough  in  1678-1683. 

Thomas  Turner,  of  East  Hoathly,  who  belonged  to 
the  family  which  for  several  centuries  has  occupied 
Tablehurst,  Forest  Row,  left  this  record  in  his 
voluminous  diary : — 

May  2nd,  1764.  This  day  was  fought  a  main  of  cocks  at  our  public- 
house  between  the  gentlemen  of  East  Grinstead  and  the  gentlemen  of 
East  Hoathly,  for  half-a-guinea  a  battle  and  two  guineas  the  odd 
battle,  which  was  won  by  the  gentlemen  of  East  Grinstead,  they 
winning  five  battles  out  of  six  fought  in  the  main.  I  believe  there 
was  a  good  deal  of  money  sported  on  both  sides. 


THE  ABERGAYENNY  FAMILY  AND 
KIDBROOKE, 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THIS   ancient   and   noble   family,    described   bv    one 

J  *  «/ 

historian  as  being  to  mediaeval  England  what  the  Douglas 
family  was  to  Scotland,  had  a  very  intimate  connection 
with  East  Grinstead  for  a  period  which  extended  a  little 
over  a  century. 

The  mansion  of  Kidbrooke,  at  Forest  Row,  was  built 
for  William,  the  42nd  Lord  Abergavenny  and  14th  Baron 
of  the  present  creation,  the  money  for  the  purpose  being 
provided  by  a  special  Act  of  Parliament  passed  in  1733, 
authorising  the  sale  of  the  Abergavenny  entailed  estates 
at  Kidderminster,  known  as  the  Manors  of  Kidder- 
minster Borough  and  Kidderminster  Forren,  and  the 
re-investment  of  the  proceeds  in  this  parish.  In  1744 
another  Act  of  Parliament  was  obtained  for  settling  the 
mansion  of  Kidbrooke  and  the  lands  belonging  to  it  to 
the  uses  of  the  family  estates. 

The  Harleian  manuscripts  in  the  British  Museum 
contain  a  pedigree  which  professes  to  show  the  descent 
of  this  illustrious  family  from  Adam,  through  Enos  and 
Mahalahael  to  Noah,  thence  on  to  Woden,  from  him  to 
Hengist,  King  of  Kent,  then  to  Uchtred  the  Saxon,  then 
through  the  Earls  of  Northumberland  to  the  present 
known  line.  But  modern  historians  generally  content 
themselves  with  tracing  its  descent  from  Gilbert  de  Nevill, 
a  Norman  chieftain,  who  is  said  to  have  been  Admiral  to 
William  the  Conqueror. 

The  particular  branch  of  the  family  which  occupied 
Kidbrooke  sprang  from  Sir  Edward  Nevill,  K.G. 
(whose  mother  was  a  daughter  of  John  of  Gaunt),  sixth 
son  of  Ralph,  1st  Earl  of  Westmoreland,  and  uncle  to  the 


THE   ABERGAVENNY   FAMILY   AND    KIDBROOKE.       201 

famous  Earl  of  Warwick  and  Salisbury,  commonly  known 
in  history  as  "  The  King  Maker."  This  Sir  Edward  was 
the  27th  Baron  of  his  line  and  the  first  Baron  Abergavenny 
of  the  present  creation.  He  was  a  Yorkist,  high  in 
favour  with  Edward  IV.,  and  one  of  his  nieces  married 
the  Duke  of  Clarence,  brother  of  this  monarch.  Another 
married,  firstly,  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales,  son  of  Henry 
VI. ,  and ,  secondly,  Richard  III. ,  who  stepped  to  the  throne 
after  his  murder  of  Edward  V.  and  his  brother  in  the 
Tower  of  London.  The  all-powerful  Earl  of  Warwick 
seized  his  nephews'  lands,  castle  and  lordship,  and  himself 
became  Baron  Abergavenny,  but  the  possessions  were 
re-granted  to  George  Nevill,  grandson  of  Edward,  by 
Henry  VIII. 

It  was  in  1735  that  the  family  removed  from  Birling, 
in  Kent,  to  Kidbrooke,  in  East  Grinstead,  and  in  1805 
they  transferred  their  residence  back  to  Eridge,  the  castle 
there,  which  was  one  of  their  ancestral  homes  many 
centuries  before,  having  been  re-built.  The  then  Lord 
Abergavenny  sold  Kidbrooke  to  the  Right  Hon.  Charles 
Abbot,  who  was  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons  for 
over  15  years,  and  was  made  Lord  Colchester  at  his 
retirement  on  June  3rd,  1817.  He  died  on  May  8th, 
1829.  Kidbrooke  was  greatly  altered  by  him  under  the 
superintendence  of  Mr.  Robert  Mylne,  the  architect  of 
Blackfriars  Bridge.  On  November  3rd,  1874,  the 
mansion  and  park  of  207  acres  were  sold  by  his 
grandson  to  the  late  Mr.  H.  R.  Freshfield,  J.P.,  D.L., 
Sheriff  of  Sussex  in  1885. 

When  Mr.  Abbot  sent  down  his  agent  to  look  at  the 
property  in  1805  the  only  good  road  was  that  which 
ran  through  the  village  from  London  to  Lewes ;  that  to 
Tunbridge  Wells  through  Hartfield  could  be  used  by  a 
carriage  in  summer  only.  The  query  as  to  the  principal 
product  of  the  place  was  answered  in  one  word — Rabbits. 
Mr.  Abbot,  under  the  direction  of  the  famous  garden 
architect,  Repton,  laid  out  the  grounds,  planted  exten- 
sively and  made  ornamental  lakes  and  cascades.  He 
purchased,  either  with  Kidbrooke,  or  very  shortly 


202  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

afterwards,  Hindleap  Warren,  which  he  also  laid  out  as 
an  ornamental  ground,  with  drives,  walks  and  summer- 
houses.  He  planned  a  lodge  to  be  built  near  Hindleap 
Farm  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  but  it  was  never  erected. 
Among  the  documents  left  by  Mr.  Abbot  is  a  draft  of  a 
letter  to  the  Home  Secretary  asking  that  the  bodies  of 
the  highwaymen  hung  on  Wall  Hill  might  be  taken 
down  before  his  wife  drove  to  town.  Thirty  years  ago 
persons  were  living  in  Forest  Row  who  remembered 
having  been  taken,  as  boys,  to  touch  the  heels  of  the 
corpses,  a  custom  in  vogue  in  order  to  impress  their 
minds  with  the  results  of  such  crimes.  It  is  on  record 
that  at  this  time  half  the  hands  employed  in  the 
garden  at  Kidbrooke  were  "dames."  In  Kidbrooke 
woods  there  is  a  spring  of  water  very  strongly  impreg- 
nated with  iron,  and  near  it  an  obelisk,  erected  by  the 
first  Lord  Colchester  in  remembrance  of  the  escape  of  one 
of  his  sons  from  shipwreck  in  the  China  Seas. 

When  the  late  Mr.  Freshfield  bought  the  estate  he 
built  a  new  west  wing,  an  entrance  tower  and  remodelled 
the  hall  and  offices,  making  also  considerable  improve- 
ments outside.  He  also  built  the  Village  Hall  at  Forest 
Row  as  a  memorial  to  his  grandson,  the  architect  being 
the  late  J.  M.  Brydori,  who  designed  the  great  block 
of  public  offices  now  in  course  of  erection  opposite  the 
Houses  of  Parliament.  The  estate  of  Kidbrooke, 
together  with  Hindleap,  Broadstone  and  Pressridge 
Warrens,  is  now  owned  by  his  son,  Mr.  Douglas  W. 
Freshfield,  the  well-known  traveller,  who,  in  the  last 
named  Warren,  has  built,  for  his  own  use,  a  magnificent 
mansion,  surrounded  by  beautiful  grounds,  in  which  the 
wild  beauties  of  nature  are  charmingly  blended  with  the 
art  and  skill  of  man. 

The  founder  of  Kidbrooke  was  the  first  of  his  line  to 
be  buried  in  the  extensive  vault  beneath  the  Parish 
Church  of  East  Grinstead.  He  died  on  September  21st, 
1744,  at  the  early  age  of  46,  and  it  is  to  his  memory 
that  the  only  mural  tablet  concerning  the  Abergavenny 
family  remains  on  the  walls  of  the  building,  others 
having  possibly  been  destroyed  when  the  church  was 


THE   ABERGAVENNY   FAMILY   AND    KIDBROOKE.       203 

wrecked   by  the  falling  of   the   tower   in    1785.     The 
inscription  on  this  reads  :  — 


HlC    JUXTA    DEPOSITS 

HONORATISSIMI  DOMINI 
GVLIELMI  DOMINI  ABERGAVENNY 

BARONIS  ANGLIC  PRIMARII  ; 

Qui  DIGNITATEM,  A  LONGA  TRADITAM  MAJORVM  SERIE 
GERENDO  VERB  ILLUSTREM, 

MERENDO  FECIT  SUAM. 
OMIT  21  SEPTEMBRIS  1744 
47. 


The  bodies  of  two  other  Lords  Abergavenny  lie  in 
the  vault,  namely,  George  Nevill,  the  first  Earl  of 
Abergavenny,  who  died  on  September  10th,  1785, 
aged  58,  and  the  Rt.  Hon.  Henry  Nevill,  the  second 
Earl  of  Abergavenny,  Viscount  Nevill  and  Baron  of 
Abergavenny,  K.T.,  who  died,  aged  88,  on  March  27th, 
1843.  The  funeral  took  place  on  April  4th.  The 
remains  of  the  deceased  nobleman  were  brought  in  great 
state  from  Eridge  Castle.  The  hearse  and  chief  mourn- 
ing coach  were  each  drawn  by  six  horses  ;  three  other 
coaches  were  drawn  by  four  horses  each  ;  numerous 
carriages  were  also  included  in  the  cavalcade,  and  many 
retainers  on  horseback  brought  up  the  rear;  but  the 
grandeur  of  the  display  was  greatly  interfered  with  by  a 
heavy  and  incessant  rain.  The  clergyman  who  officiated 
was  the  Rev.  Robert  Gream,  Rector  of  Rotherfield, 
Chaplain  to  Lord  Abergavenny,  and  the  father  of  the 
first  Mother  Superior  of  St.  Margaret's,  East  Grinstead. 

The  vault  was  in  use  exactly  100  years  and  the 
following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  20  members  of  the 
Abergavenny  family  interred  therein  :— 

William  Nevill,  Lord  Abergavenny,  the  founder  of  Kidbrooke. 
He  was  the  son  of  Commodore  Edward  Nevill,  who  died  abroad,  by 
his  marriage  with  Hannah,  daughter  of  Mr.  Jervoise  Thorp.  He 
succeeded  his  cousin  Edward  as  14th  Baron  and  as  42nd  Lord 
Abergavenny  on  October  9th,  1724.  Lord  Edward  died  when  only  18 
years  of  age  and  left  a  young  widow,  Catherina,  daughter  of  Lieut.  - 
Gen.  Tatton,  of  Withenshaw,  Cheshire.  After  seven  months  of 
widowhood,  this  lady  married  Lord  William,  so  that  she  was  twice 
over  Lady  Abergavenny.  She  died  in  1729  and  nearly  three  years 
later  his  Lordship  married  Lady  Rebecca  Herbert,  daughter  of  the 
Earl  of  Pembroke.  Lord  Abergavenny  was  for  a  time  Master  of  the 


204  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Jewel  Office.  He  died  on  September  21st,  1744,  aged  46,  and  was 
buried  at  East  Grinstead  on  September  30th. 

The  Hon.  Maiy  Nevill,  daughter  of  Lord  William  by  his  second 
marriage  with  Lady  Rebecca  Herbert,  died  July  24th,  1758,  aged  22. 
Buried  August  2nd. 

Lady  Rebecca  Nevill,  Dowager  Lady  Abergavenny,  widow  of  Lord 
William,  of  Kidbrooke,  died  September,  1758,  aged  54.  Buried  at 
East  Grinstead,  September  22nd. 

The  Hon.  Sophia  Nevill,  daughter  of  Lord  William,  of  Kidbrooke, 
died  December  29th,  1758,  aged  21.  Buried  January  4th,  1759. 

Mary  Rebow,  wife  of  Mr.  0.  C.  Rebow,  of  Smallfield  Place, 
Burstow,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Edward  Nevill,  younger  brother  of 
Lord  George,  the  llth  Baron  Abergavenny,  died  June  26th,  1762, 
aged  63.  Buried  July  3. 

The  Hon.  Harriet  Nevill,  daughter  of  Lord  William,  of  Kidbrooke, 
died  August  8th,  1762,  aged  28.  Buried  August  14th. 

Hannah  Nevill,  widow  of  Commodore  Edward  Nevill  and  mother 
of  Lord  William,  of  Kidbrooke,  died  March  25th,  1764,  aged  96, 
having  survived  her  husband  by  no  less  than  63  years.  Buried 
April  2nd. 

Henrietta  Nevill,  wife  of  George,  1st  Earl  and  15th  Baron  of 
Abergavenny.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Pelham,  of  Stanmer, 
and  sister  of  the  first  Earl  of  Chichester.  She  died  August  29th, 
1768,  aged  38,  and  was  buried  on  September  8th. 

George  Nevill,  1st  Earl  and  15th  Baron  Abergavenny,  the  only  son 
of  William,  14th  Baron,  by  his  marriage  with  Catherine,  widow  of 
Lord  Edward,  13th  Baron.  This  nobleman  was  Lord  Lieutenant  of 
Sussex  and  was  raised  to  the  dignity  of  an  Earldom  on  May  17th, 
1784.  Died  September  10th,  1785,  aged  58.  Buried  September  18th. 

Lord  Henry  George,  Viscount  Nevill,  eldest  son  of  Henry,  2nd  Earl 
and  16th  Baron  of  Abergavenny,  died  April  8th,  1806,  aged  21. 
Buried  April  20th. 

The  Hon.  and  Rev.  William  Nevill,  son  of  William,  14th  Baron, 
by  his  second  wife,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Pembroke.  Rector  of 
Bishopston,  Wilts,  and  Burghley,  Hants.  Died  July  22nd,  1810, 
aged  69.  Buried  July  30th. 

The  Hon.  Catherine  Nevill,  only  daughter  of  Lord  William,  of 
Kidbrooke,  by  his  first  marriage  with  his  cousin's  widow.  She  was 
Maid  of  Honour  to  Queen  Charlotte,  Consort  of  George  III.,  and 
died  unmarried  on  January  19th,  1820,  aged  92.  Buried  January 
27th. 

The  Rev.  George  Henry  Nevill,  Rector  of  Chiltington,  Sussex, 
eldest  son  of  the  Hon.  George  Henry  Nevill,  by  his  marriage  with 
Caroline,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  R.  Walpole,  M.P.  for  Yarmouth,  died 
September  20th,  1825,  aged  33.  Buried  September  27th. 

Capt.  Lord  Ralph,  Viscount  Nevill,  R.N.,  second  son  of  Henry,  2nd 
Earl  and  16th  Baron  of  Abergavenny,  died  May  20th,  1826,  aged  39. 
Buried  May  29th. 


THE   ABERGAVENNY    FAMILY    AND    KIDBROOKE.        205 

The  Hon.  Lady  Henrietta  Nevill,  second  daughter  of  Henry,  Earl 
of  Abergavenny,  died  July  28th,  1827,  aged  39.  Buried  August  6th. 

Mary  Ann  Bruce,  Viscountess  Nevill,  daughter  of  Mr.  Bruce  Elcock, 
widow  of  Capt.  Viscount  Nevill,  E.N.,  second  son  of  the  2nd  Earl 
Abergavenny,  died  June  6th,  1828,  aged  32.  Buried  June  16th. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Walpole  Nevill,  second  son  of  the  Hon.  George 
Henry  Nevill.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Sir  Edmund  Bacon,  and 
she  being  left  early  a  widow,  married  Col.  Sir  Hambleton  Francis 
Custance,  K.C.B.  Died  March  3rd,  1837,  aged  33.  Buried  March 
10th. 

Caroline,  wife  of  the  Hon.  George  Henry  Nevill,  of  Flower  Place, 
Godstone,  second  son  of  the  1st  Earl  Abergavenny,  died  December  21st, 
1841,  aged  76.  Buried  December  28th. 

The  Et.  Hon.  Henry  Nevill,  2nd  Earl  of  Abergavenny,  Viscount 
Nevill,  16th  Baron  of  Abergavenny,  K.T.,  died  March  27th,  1843, 
aged  88.  Buried  April  4th. 

The  Hon.  George  Henry  Nevill,  of  Flower  Place,  Godstone,  second 
son  of  George,  1st  Earl  of  Abergavenny,  died  August  7th,  1844,  aged 
84.  Buried  August  15th. 


DR.  NEALE  AND  ST,  MAEGAEET'S, 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

No  history  of  East  Grrinstead  would  be  complete  which 
did  not  contain  some  account  of  the  rise  and  progress  of 
that  beneficent  and  popular  institution  known  as  St. 
Margaret's,  and  some  outline  of  the  career  of  the 
scholarly  and  remarkable  man  who  founded  it.  John 
Mason  Neale  was  born  in  London,  January  24th,  1818. 
His  father  was  a  highly-gifted  clergyman  and  his  mother 
a  lady  remarkable  for  her  force  of  character.  He  was 
brought  up  as  a  strict  Evangelical,  but  after  entering 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  in  1836,  his  views  soon 
broadened  and  he  became  a  co-founder  of  the  "  Cam- 
bridge Camden,"  afterwards  called  "  The  Ecclesiological 
Society,"  its  object  being  to  re-construct  the  visible 
worship  and  Church  architecture  of  England.  How 
vast  was  the  work  it  accomplished  is  known  to  all 
students  of  Church  history.  In  1842  Mr.  Neale  was 
made  a  priest  and  presented  to  the  living  of  Crawley, 
but  he  held  it  for  six  weeks  only,  resigning  in  consequence 
of  ill-health.  The  next  three  years  he  spent  abroad  with 
his  wife,  who  was  a  Miss  Webster  and  aunt  to  Lord 
Alverstone,  the  present  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  England. 
He  was  far  from  idle  during  this  time.  The  amount  of 
literary  work  he  accomplished  was  marvellous.  He 
wrote  magazine  articles  and  pamphlets  by  the  hundred, 
poems  and  hymns  by  the  dozen,  entered  the  domain  of 
fiction,  but  shone  most  as  a  Church  historian,  his  uncom- 
pleted "History  of  the  Holy  Eastern  Church"  gaining 
him  a  world-wide  reputation  and  winning  him  the  special 
thanks  of  the  Czar  of  Russia,  who  made  him  a  valuable 
present  in  recognition  of  his  great  labours.  He  came  to 
East  Grinstead,  as  the  Warden  of  Sackville  College,  in 
1846,  and  here  he  remained  for  20  years,  never  resting, 
always  devising  something  for  the  benefit  of  his  poorer 


DR.  NEALE   AND   ST.   MARGARET'S.  207 

neighbours,  always  having  some  literary  work  on  hand. 
It  was  while  here  that  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity  from  Hartford  College,  Connecticut.  Those 
still  living  can  well  remember  the  bitter  opposition  which 
his  earlier  efforts  aroused,  nor  are  the  riots  in  East 
Grinstead  and  Lewes  forgotten,  while  we  still  occasionally 
get  vague  echoes  of  the  vituperation  which  poured  upon 
him  through  the  Press  of  Sussex.  But  quietly,  lovingly, 
this  great  scholar  and  earnest  worker  plodded  on,  until 
he  lived  down  all  opposition  and  won  for  himself  and  his 
work  a  love  and  a  reverence  which  is  intensified  as  the 
years  roll  on. 

It  is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  great  value  of  his 
contributions  to  our  national  literature.  The  hymns 
composed  or  translated  by  him  are  sung  in  every  country 
where  the  Christian  faith  is  known,  and  the  popularity 
will  never  fade  of  such  beautiful  lines  as  "  Brief  life  is 
here  our  portion,"  "  To  thee,  O  dear,  dear  country," 
"  Art  thou  weary  ?  "  "  Jerusalem  the  golden  "  and  "  The 
day  is  past  and  over."  About  one-twelfth  of  "  Hymns 
Ancient  and  Modern  "  are  from  his  pen.  He  won  the 
Seatonian  prize  for  poetry  about  a  dozen  times  in  all ; 
he  was  for  three  years  leader  writer  for  The  Morning 
Chronicle;  he  published  works  in  many  different  languages 
— he  was  a  master  of  about  twenty;  and  the  British 
Museum  Library  catalogue  contains  a  list  of  something 
like  140  books  written  by  him.  Everything  he  under- 
took he  did  thoroughly  and  he  was  wont  to  say,  "  What 
is  possible  may  be  done ;  what  is  impossible  must  be 
done."  The  keynote  of  his  life  is  beautifully  expressed 
by  his  own  words  in  his  Seatonian  poem  on  Egypt : — 

Go  forward  ! 

Forward,  when  all  seems  lost,  when  the  cause  looks  utterly  hopeless  ; 
Forward,  when  brave  hearts  fail,  and  to  yield  is  the  rede  of  the 

coward ; 

Forward,  when  friends  fall  off,  and  enemies  gather  around  thee ; 
Thou,  though  alone  with  thy  God,  though  alone  in  thy  courage,  go 

forward ! 

So  much  for  the  man ;  now  for  the  work.  Of  the 
reasons  which  led  to  the  founding  of  St.  Margaret's,  no 
better  account  can  be  given  than  that  written  by  Dr. 


208  HISTORY    OF    EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

Neale  himself.  His  study  window  commanded  a  view 
of  Ashdown  Forest,  and  gazing  over  its  wide  expanse  he 
saw  "scattered  farms,  lonely  groups  of  two  or  three 
houses  in  an  isolated  green,  'ellenge'  (i.e.,  solitary) 
cottages,  charcoal-burners'  huts,  places  four  or  five  miles 
— and  then  through  the  worst  of  lanes — from  any  church  : 
how  are  the  poor  inhabitants  to  be  attended  to  in  this 
world  and  prepared  for  the  next  ?  "  This  question  often 
forced  itself  on  his  notice  and  in  the  winter  of  1854  two 
friends  offered  to  engage  in  any  work  of  mercy  he  cared 
to  suggest,  so  it  was  determined  to  start  a  Sisterhood. 
A  few  weeks  later  Miss  Gream,  daughter  of  the  Rector 
of  Rotherfield,  and  who  afterwards  became  Sister  Ann 
and  the  first  Mother  Superior,  offered  her  services.  In 
the  spring  of  1855  a  circular  was  issued,  stating  that  it 
was  proposed  to  establish  an  institution  for  supplying 
the  clergy  of  Central  Sussex  and  South  Surrey  with 
nurses  trained  for  attendance  on  the  sick  poor,  and  their 
services  were  to  be  entirely  gratuitous.  Funds  soon 
came  in  and  one  of  the  future  Sisters  was  sent  to  West- 
minster Hospital  to  get  nursing  training.  A  second 
Sister  soon  followed,  and  in  July  of  the  same  year  the 
operations  of  the  Sisterhood  began.  Its  two  first  members 
were  for  a  time  resident  in  Sackville  College  and  attended 
to  the  needs  of  the  old  people  there.  They  also  had  a 
small  house  at  Rotherfield,  where  one  or  two  resided 
when  not  engaged  in  nursing  work.  The  first  Sister 
who  went  out  on  a  nursing  expedition  of  mercy  left  East 
Grinstead  for  Shoreham  by  the  very  first  train  which  ran 
out  of  East  Grinstead  Station  on  the  day  of  opening  the 
line,  July  9th,  1855. 

The  need  of  a  central  home  in  East  Grinstead  soon 
became  apparent,  so  the  house  now  used  as  offices  by 
Messrs.  Fearless  &  Sons  was  taken  and  the  Sisters 
moved  into  it  in  June,  1856.  Old  Mr.  Gream  died  at 
the  same  time  and  his  daughter  was  free  to  take  up  her 
duties  as  Mother  Superior  and  to  devote  the  remainder 
of  her  life  to  the  work  of  the  Sisterhood.  Then  came 
the  death  of  Miss  Scobell  and  the  riot  at  her  funeral  at 
Lewes,  at  which  Dr.  Neale  and  the  Sisters  barely  escaped 


DR.    NEALE    AND    ST.    MARGARET^.  209 

serious  injury.  The  owner  of  the  house  occupied  in 
East  Grinstead  had  conscientious  scruples  about  allowing 
the  Sisters  to  remain  there  any  longer  and  they  had  to 
seek  premises  elsewhere.  For  a  while  they  sought  a 
home  in  vain,  but  finally  rented  premises,  also  in  Church 
Street  and  nearer  the  main  road,  subsequently  acquiring 
also  the  house  where  Mr.  F.  M.  Wilcox  now  carries  on 
his  saddlery  business,  and  afterwards  getting  the  use  also 
of  the  two  adjoining  houses.  The  premises  were  found 
most  convenient  and  here  the  Sisters  remained  from 
Midsummer,  1858,  until  the  present  head-quarters  were 
ready  in  1870.  Prior  to  this  change  the  original  scope 
of  the  work  had  been  enlarged.  Early  in  1857  Miss 
Elizabeth  Neale,  who  had  for  some  time  carried  on  an 
Orphanage  at  Brighton,  was  invited  to  take  charge  of  a 
Sisterhood  at  St.  George' s-in-the-East,  and  at  her  request 
her  brother  took  over  the  orphans  and  placed  them  under 
the  charge  of  the  Sisters  at  East  Grinstead,  a  house 
being  specially  hired  in  the  town.  Dr.  Neale  took 
for  the  purpose  the  house  known  as  The  Hollies  in 
London  Road,  where  Mr.  Henry  Young  now  resides. 
It  was  called  St.  Katherine's  Orphanage  and  two  Sisters 
were  placed  in  charge.  This  is  his  own  simple,  delightful 
description,  from  one  of  his  children's  books,  of  the  house 
as  it  was  then:—"  This  house  stood  by  the  roadside  on 
the  outskirts  of  a  country  town.  It  was  built  of  brick, 
but  in  summer  it  had  white  roses  that  climbed  very 
prettily  over  it.  On  one  side  was  a  fruit  garden,  on  the 
other  a  little  paddock  ;  and  in  the  distance  there  were 
pretty  blue  hills.  If  you  went  in,  on  the  left  hand  was  a 
kind  of  school  room,  and  on  the  right  a  parlour;  and  if 
you  went  upstairs,  there  were  bedrooms  for  a  number  of 
children,  and  beyond  these  a  little  chapel,  where  these 
children  went  in  to  prayers."  The  Orphanage  was  only 
located  here  until  Midsummer,  1858,  when  it  was  removed 
to  one  of  the  houses  adjoining  the  Home  in  the  High 
Street  and  re-named  St.  Margaret's  Orphanage,  by  which 
title  it  is  still  known. 

St.  Agnes'  School  for  girls  was  opened  in  May,  1862,  at 
the  house  in  Moat  Road  where  Mr.  Charles  Wood,  the 


210  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

dentist,  formerly  resided,  but  it  soon  outgrew  that  and 
was  removed  to  the  larger  residence  now  occupied  by  the 
Rev.  J.  Waller.  In  time  this  likewise  got  overcrowded, 
so  the  next  house,  now  occupied  by  St.  Margaret's  School, 
was  also  taken,  and  the  two  were  joined  by  a  covered 
corridor,  long  since  removed.  One  house  was  known  as 
St.  Agnes,  the  other  as  St.  Cecilia.  The  school  was 
removed  to  the  mother  home  in  1874  and  now  has  about 
65  boarders.  The  necessity  for  some  larger  building, 
where  all  the  various  branches  of  the  work  might  be 
centralised,  had  long  been  apparent,  and  ten  acres  of 
ground  for  the  intended  buildings,  with  the  stone  quarry 
adjoining,  were  purchased  in  1864.  The  first  stone  of  the 
magnificent  pile  was  laid  on  July  20th,  1865,  by  the  late 
Mr.  Francis  Barchard,  of  Little  Horsted,  near  Uckfield, 
and  a  blessing  was  pronounced  on  the  work  by  the 
Archimandrite  Stratuli  of  the  Russian  Church.  Dr. 
Neale  thus  saw  the  beginning  of  the  work  which  lay 
nearest  his  heart.  He  never  lived  to  see  its  completion. 
A  year  after  the  foundation  stone  was  laid  he  passed 
peacefully  away,  his  premature  death  a  distinct  loss  to  all 
Christendom. 

The  founder's  death  was  not  allowed  in  any  way  to 
interfere  with  the  progress  of  the  noble  works  which  he 
had  initiated.  St.  Margaret's  was  at  once  looked  on  as  a 
memorial  to  Dr.  Neale,  and  was  ready  for  occupation 
in  1870.  First  the  Sisterhood  and  Orphanage,  then  St. 
Agnes'  School,  then  the  Industrial  Training  School  for 
Servants  were  removed  there,  and  to-day  the  institution 
has  an  average  residential  population  of  230.  The 
magnificently  proportioned  chapel,  considered  one  of  the 
late  Mr.  Street's  masterpieces,  was  opened  on  February 
24th,  1883,  and  the  next  development  was  the  building 
of  a  Guest  House.  In  1892  St.  Margaret's  College  was 
opened  in  the  old  premises  which  had  been  known  as  St. 
Cecilia,  and  here  there  are  now  about  40  boarders  and  45 
day  scholars.  Some  exquisite  work  is  carried  on  within 
the  Convent  walls.  The  Sisters  make  ecclesiastical  and 
secular  embroidery  of  delicate  and  most  artistic  design. 
They  have  established  guilds,  meetings  and  schools  for 


DR.   NEALE   AND    ST.   MARGARET'S.  211 

all  classes  of  the  inhabitants,  and  many  a  stricken  home 
has  been  brightened  and  many  a  weary  sufferer  cheered 
by  the  presence  of  one  of  the  self-sacrificing,  kindly  ladies 
of  St.  Margaret's. 

The  work  has  long  reached  beyond  the  confines,  not 
only  of  Sussex,  but  of  England.  There  are  to-day  branch 
Orphanages  in  Hitchin,  Worcester  and  Burton-on- Trent ; 
Missions  in  Cardiff,  Sunderland,  Dundee,  Newcastle  and 
Chichester ;  a  Home  for  Consumptives  at  Ventnor ;  a 
Convalescent  Home  for  Ladies  at  Kingsand ;  a  Cottage 
Hospital  and  Nursing  Home  at  Saltash ;  a  Home  of  Rest 
at  Shincliffe ;  a  Free  Home  for  the  Dying  at  Clapham 
Common ;  and  a  number  of  branch  works  in  Ceylon  and 
Johannesburg.  There  are  daughter  houses,  each  with 
several  branch  works  of  her  own,  known  as  St.  Margaret's 
of  Scotland,  Aberdeen;  St.  Saviour's  Priory,  London, 
E. ;  and  St.  Margaret's  Home,  Boston,  U.S.A.  These 
three  daughter  houses  are  governed  by  the  same  rules, 
but  they  elect  their  own  Superiors  and  are  dependent  on 
their  own  friends  and  resources  for  income. 

A  lady  who  feels  disposed  to  devote  herself  to  the  work 
of  St.  Margaret's  must  first  enter  as  a  postulant  for  six 
months,  during  which  time  she  is  bound  by  no  engage- 
ment, but  lives  in  the  House,  shares  the  life  and  keeps 
the  rules  of  the  Sisters,  in  order  that  a  judgment  may  be 
formed  on  both  sides  as  to  her  fitness  for  the  community. 
If  the  judgment  be  mutually  favourable  she  stands  for 
election  as  a  novice,  and  must  be  elected  as  such  by  a 
majority  of  the  Sisters.  The  novitiate  lasts  not  less  than 
two  years,  arid  the  votes  of  a  majority  of  two-thirds  of 
the  professed  Sisters  of  the  House  is  necessary  in  order 
to  admit  a  novice  to  full  profession,  by  which  act  she 
devotes  herself  to  God  and  the  service  of  the  poor  for 
life  as  a  Sister  of  Charity.  How  well  this  work  is 
performed  is  recognised  and  appreciated  wherever  the 
name  of  St.  Margaret's  is  known. 

Dr.  Neale  was  succeeded  in  the  chaplaincy  of  St. 
Margaret's  by  the  Rev.  Laughton  Alison,  M.A.,  who, 
coming  of  a  family  settled  at  Chorley,  in  Lancashire,  and 
in  enjoyment  of  an  honourable  record  in  that  county, 

P  2 


212  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

graduated  from  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  and  after- 
wards served  the  Curacy  of  Cuckfield,  Sussex.  He  was 
appointed  Chaplain  in  March,  1867,  soon  after  completing 
his  31st  year,  and  held  the  position  until  his  death  on 
September  19th,  1892.  He  was  a  worthy  successor  to  the 
great  founder;  a  man  of  sincere  piety,  of  wide  general 
information  and  cheerfulness  of  spirit ;  eloquent  in  speech 
and  kindly  in  manner ;  a  man  who  could  not  fail  to  win 
the  affection  of  all  he  met ;  the  friend  of  all  in  suffering, 
need  or  distress.  Regarded  here  in  his  early  days  with 
distrust,  by  reason  of  his  advanced  views,  he  lived  down, 
and  more  than  lived  down,  every  vestige  of  this  early 
unpopularity,  never  personal  to  himself,  but  attaching  to 
the  office  he  held  in  a  community,  viewed  in  those  days 
with  somewhat  general  disfavour,  but  now  enjoying 
almost  universal  esteem.  Many  probably  will  credit 
Laughton  Alison,  and  justly  too,  perhaps,  with  a  prime 
share  in  effecting  this  pleasant  change  of  sentiment 
towards  an  institution  of  which  East  Grinstead  may 
well  be  proud.  Certain  it  is,  that  for  all  his  retiring 
habits,  and  almost  unconnected  as  he  was  with  the 
parochial  life  of  East  Grinstead,  he  somehow  came  to  be 
known  and  held  in  affectionate  esteem  by  all  classes  in 
the  town,  and  on  the  day  of  his  quiet  funeral  the  place 
seemed  hushed  in  general  mourning  for  a  well-loved 
friend.  Such  in  brief  outline  was  Father  Alison,  a  title 
gradually  conceded  to  him  outside  his  cure,  even  by  those 
who  in  matters  of  ritual  stood  far  apart  from  him,  but 
learnt  to  know  his  worth,  and  to  read  in  him  the  record 
of  a  useful,  unselfish  and  singularly  blameless  life.  To 
him  succeeded  the  Rev.  R.  E.  Hutton,  the  present 
Chaplain,  who  was  born  in  1859  at  Sompting  Vicarage, 
Sussex,  and  ordained  Priest  in  1885  in  Chichester 
Cathedral.  Prior  to  coming  to  East  Grinstead  Mr. 
Hutton  held  several  curacies,  among  others  that  of 
Pevensey,  under  the  Ven.  Archdeacon  Sutton,  and  All 
Saints',  Clifton,  under  Dr.  Randall,  the  late  Dean  of 
Chichester. 

The  first  Mother  Superior,  Miss  Gream  (Sister  Ann), 
was  succeeded  by  Miss  Crocker  (Sister  Alice),  a  very 


DR.   NEALE   AND    ST.   MARGARET'S.  213 

gifted  lady,  who  acted  as  amanuensis  to  Dr.  Neale  for 
many  years,  writing,  at  his  dictation,  in  several  different 
languages,  which  he  himself  had  taught  her.  She  died 
on  June  2nd,  1902,  and  was  buried  with  every  token  of 
wide-spread  respect  in  the  recently-opened  burial  ground 
attached  to  the  Convent.  Sister  Ermenild,  a  daughter 
of  the  founder,  and  a  lady  whose  election  gave  intense 
satisfaction  to  all  friends  of  St.  Margaret's,  succeeded 
her  in  her  honourable  office. 


THE  BUENING  OF  THE  MAKTYKS, 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

EAST  GRINSTEAD  did  not  escape  the  persecutions  which 
became  almost  universal  in  England  during  the  reign  of 
Queen  Mary.  On  July  18th,  1556,  Anne  Tree  (familiarly 
known  as  Mother  Tree),  Thomas  Dungate  and  John 
Form  an  were  burned  at  the  stake  in  East  Grinstead,  and, 
so  far  as  is  known,  were  the  only  martyrs  who  met  their 
doom  in  this  town.  No  record  of  their  examination  and 
sufferings  has  been  preserved,  but  the  martyrdom  is  thus 
quaintly  and  briefly  recorded  in  the  second  volume  of 
Foxe's  "  Book  of  Martyrs :  " 

Nere  about  the  same  tyme  that  the  three  women  with  the  infant 
was  burned  at  Guernsey  suffered  other  three  likewise  at  Grenested  in 
Sussex,  two  men  and  one  woman,  the  names  of  whom  were  Tho. 
Dungate,  John  Forman  and  Mother  Tree,  who  for  righteousness'  sake 
gave  themselves  to  death  and  tormentes  of  the  fire  paciently  abidyng 
what  the  furious  rage  of  man  could  say  or  worke  against  them  at  the 
said  Towne  of  Grrenested  endying  their  lives  the  xvin.  of  the  sayd 
moneth  of  July  and  in  the  yeare  aforesayd  (1556). 

Anne  Tree's  granddaughter  of  the  same  name  resided 
at  East  Grinstead  and  was  married  in  the  time  of 
Elizabeth  to  Edmund  Ellis.  The  late  George  Ellis,  of 
East  Grinstead,  was  a  lineal  descendant.  There  were 
Dungates  here  100  years  later,  as  is  shown  by  the  record 
of  special  marriage  licenses  granted  in  the  Lewes 
Registry  and  recently  published  by  the  Sussex  Record 
Society.  From  these  it  appears  that : — 

Stephen  Dungatt,  of  East  Grinstead,  yeoman,  was  married  13th 
July,  1611. 

Edward  Dungat,  of  East  Grinstead,  weaver,  was  married  14th 
June,  1632,  to  Anne  Bowre. 

John  Dungate,  of  East  Grinstead,  yeoman,  was  married  1st  Nov., 
1642,  at  St.  Ann's,  Lewes,  to  Anne  Constable,  also  of  East  Grinstead. 

In  a  deed  dated  April  9th,  1609,  Stephen  Dungate 
appears  as  owner  of  lands  near  Saint  Hill,  and  as  late  as 


THE  BURNING  OF  THE  MARTYRS.        215 

1800  "Dungates  Fields"  were  held  with  Hollybush  and 
Standen  on  the  Saint  Hill  Estate. 

By  1687  the  Dungates  had  removed  to  Shoreham, 
where  one  John  Dungate  carried  on  business  as  a  mercer. 
On  November  10th  of  the  year  stated  he  and  his  wife 
Susannah  parted  with  their  property  in  Church  Street, 
East  Grinstead,  where  Mr.  J.  E.  Lark  now  resides,  to 
Thomas  Bodle,  yeoman,  and  his  wife  Elizabeth,  with 
remainder  to  Thomas  BodJe,  junior,  a  hat-maker,  and 
his  wife.  This  particular  property  was  long  known  as 
the  Old  Almshouses,  for  what  reason  is  now  unknown, 
except  it  be  that  mentioned  in  the  chapter  dealing  with 
the  charities  of  East  Grinstead.  Not  only  did  one  of 
the  East  Grinstead  martyrs  evidently  reside  there,  but 
they  were  the  home  also  of  the  Kidders,  parents  of  the 
boy  who  became  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells.  Margaret 
Kidder,  a  widow,  sold  the  property  on  April  30th,  1639. 
Much  of  the  adjoining  property,  then  called  Gaynesfords, 
belonged  to  the  Paynes,  and  a  branch  of  this  numerous 
family  held  the  Old  Almshouses  quite  recently.  In 
1580  the  forge  near  by  was  occupied  by  Joseph  Duffelde 
and  John  Larke,  and  it  is  peculiar  that  one  of  the  same 
name,  but  not  sprung  from  a  Sussex  family,  should  be 
residing  there  over  320  years  later. 

About  three  weeks  before  the  burning  of  the  martyrs 
in  East  Grinstead,  Henry  Adlington,  a  sawyer,  of 
Grenestead,  which  may  have  been  either  East  or  West, 
or  Greenstead,  in  Essex,  was  burnt  with  12  others  at 
Stratford-le-Bow. 


CRIMINAL  RECORDS. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

VERY  few,  if  any,  crimes  of  world-wide  notoriety  have 
been  associated  with  the  town  of  East  Grinstead,  but  it 
has  been  the  scene  of  events,  both  civil  and  criminal, 
which  have  excited  considerable  local  interest  and  which 
will  bear  re-telling  in  brief  form. 

The  old  records  tell  us  that,  in  consequence  of  the 
deplorable  condition  of  the  roads  in  Sussex,  the  Winter 
Assizes  were  held  alternately  at  East  Grinstead  and 
Horsham  and  the  Summer  Assizes  at  Lewes,  the  county 
town,  but  this  was  by  no  means  a  fixed  rule,  for  reports 
are  still  obtainable  of  cases  tried  at  Assizes  held  in  East 
Grinstead  during  the  months  of  summer.  On  July  7th, 
1565,  the  Charter  of  Seaford  was  exhibited  before  the 
Judges  here,  and  Assizes  were  also  held  on  June  17th, 
1678. 

The  Court  House  stood  in  the  High  Street,  the  Middle 
Row  at  one  time  forming  one  end  of  an  almost  continuous 
line  of  buildings,  which  joined  the  four  cottages,  known 
as  the  Round  Houses,  formerly  standing  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  Constitutional  Club.  At  the  Lent 
Assizes  in  1684  the  floor  of  the  Court  gave  way  while 
a  trial  was  in  progress,  and  in  Sir  William  Burrell's 
collection  of  manuscripts  this  event  is  thus  described  by 
Mr.  Bachelor,  who  appears  to  have  been  at  that  time 
a  surgeon  of  East  Grinstead : — 

On  the  17th.  of  March,  1684,  the  second  day  of  the  Assizes,  a  jury 
being  sworn,  consisting  mostly  of  Knights  and  gentlemen,  on  a  trial 
between  Lord  Howard  and  another  person  of  distinction,  the  floor  of 
the  Nisi  Prius  Court  fell  down,  and  with  it  all  the  jury  gentlemen, 
counsel  and  lawyers  into  the  cellar ;  yet  no  person  received  any  con- 
siderable injury  except  one  witness,  who  was  cut  across  the  forehead. 
The  bench  where  the  Judge  sat  fell  not,  but  hung  almost  to  a  miracle. 
The  rest  of  the  trials  were  held  in  the  Crown  Court,  and  the  Sessions 
House  was  soon  after  quite  pulled  down. 

The  building  was,  however,  immediately  re-erected, 
principally  at  the  cost  of  the  "burgage  holders" — or,  in 


CRIMINAL    RECORDS.  217 

other  words,  the  owner  of  this  "  pocket  borough."  The 
last  Assizes  at  East  Grinstead  were  held  in  1799. 

The  Judges  were  not  the  only  people  who  held  their 
Courts  at  East  Grinstead  in  the  olden  days.  On  April 
30th,  1605,  Archbishop  Bancroft,  who  was  distinguished 
for  his  opposition  to  the  Puritans,  came  to  the  town  on 
his  Metropolitical  Visitation  and  deprived  ten  ministers 
of  their  livings. 

The  old  Sessions  House,  with  its  adjuncts — the  lock-up 
or  cage  at  the  west  end  and  the  stocks  and  whipping- 
post at  the  east — were  removed  during  1829.  The 
building  materials  were  taken  over  to  Buckhurst  to  aid 
in  the  construction  of  the  mansion  there,  and  the  Judge's 
chair  used  in  the  Court  still  forms  part  of  the  furniture  of 
the  De  la  Warrs'  ancestral  home.  The  old  Court  House 
was  occasionally  used  by  a  company  of  strolling  players, 
and  at  one  time  just  prior  to  its  demolition  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  was  made  to  establish  a  meat  and  vegetable 
market  therein.  The  Dukes  of  Dorset,  as  owners  of  the 
Manor  of  Imberhorne,  long  claimed  a  rent  in  respect  of 
the  Assizes  held  here.  The  following  interesting  entries 
are  copied  from  the  rent  roil  of  the  estate : — 

£    s.  d. 
1700.     Of  the  Bayliffe  for  the  rents  of  Assize  of  the  said 

Borough  pr  ann     1   11  8 

For  one  year  due  Mich"'  1700 Ill  8 

EAST  GRINSTEAD  BURGEES. 

Of  the  Baylift  for  the  Rents  of  Assize  of  the  said  Borough 
p.  ann  llb  xi9  viijd  for  two  years,  rent  due  at 
Michmas  1720  003  3  4 

MASERU  OF  IMBERHORNE. 

Of  the  Baylift  for  the  Rents  of  Assize  of  the  said  maunor 
p.  ann  xiiijlb  xij8  for  two  years  due  at  Michmas 

1720  due     029     4     0 

ffive  years  taxes  due  at  Ladyday  1720   006     5     0 

recvd   022  19     0 

EAST  GRINSTEAD  BURGEES. 
Of  the  Baylift  for  three  years  rent  of   Assize    being 

xxxi8  viij  p.  ann 004  1 5     0 

IMBERHORNE. 
Of  the  Baylift  for  three  years  rent  of  Assize  being  lv8  p.  ann.     008     o     0 


218  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

The  last  execution  took  place  on  the  Gallows  Croft,  a 
field  now  forming  part  of  Halsford  Park,  in  1799,  a  man 
being  hanged  for  horse  stealing.  Gallows  Croft,  described 
in  1710  as  Pilchers,  being  three  acres  near  East  Grinstead 
Common,  was,  for  many  generations,  part  of  the  Paynes' 
property,  and  so  descended  to  Mr.  R.  Crawford,  of  Saint 
Hill,  by  whom  it  was  sold  to  the  Stenning  family  about 
1840.  The  name  Gallows  Croft  does  not  appear  to  have 
attached  to  the  field  until  late  in  the  eighteenth  century. 
In  still  earlier  times  executions  took  place  immediately  in 
front  of  the  fine  old  stone  house  in  Judge's  Terrace, 
belonging  to  Mr.  P.  E.  Wallis.  These  houses  are  so 
named  as  they  stand  on  the  site  of  an  earlier  residence 
occasionally  used  as  the  Judge's  lodgings  during  the 
Assizes,  though  for  some  years  the  representatives  of  the 
law  found  accommodation  in  Sackville  College,  where 
the  suite  of  apartments  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  Dukes 
of  Dorset  was  placed  at  their  disposal. 

For  Magisterial  business  Courts  were  for  very  many 
years  held  alternately  at  East  Grinstead  and  Forest  Row, 
at  the  former  place  at  the  Crown  Hotel,  on  the  fourth 
Monday  in  each  month,  and  at  the  latter  place  at  the 
Swan  Hotel,  on  the  second  Monday.  The  present  Police 
Station  in  West  Street,  or,  as  it  was  then  called,  Chapel 
Lane,  was  erected  in  1860,  and  the  Bench  Room  added 
in  1875,  being  first  used  for  a  Petty  Sessional  Court  on 
January  17th,  1876.  From  1820  to  1860  the  Clerkship 
to  the  Justices  was  held  by  Mr.  C.  N.  Hastie,  who  was 
succeeded  by  his  son  and  partner,  Mr.  A.  Hastie,  who  was 
again  succeeded  on  his  retirement,  January  27th,  1896,  by 
his  partner,  Mr.  E.  P.  Whitley  Hughes. 

In  former  days  the  ordinary  police  were  helped  in 
their  duties  by  the  parish  constables,  who  were  annually 
appointed  long  after  the  creation  of  the  existing  county 
force.  The  last  of  these  appointments  in  East  Grinstead 
was  made  on  February  23rd,  1872,  and  of  the  twelve 
townsmen  then  nominated  Mr.  John  Tooth  is  now  the 
only  survivor.  Under  an  Act,  which  did  not  long  remain 
operative,  he  was  also  appointed,  by  the  Vestry,  on 


CRIMINAL    RECORDS.  219 

October  21st,  1869,  the  first  and  only  local  Inspector  of 
Workshops. 

THE   WALL  HILL  MAIL  ROBBERY. 

On  July  19th,  1801,  the  Beatsons  robbed  His  Majesty's 
mail  on  Wall  Hill,  East  Grinstead.  John  Beatson  was  a 
Scotchman,  who,  after  serving  in  the  merchant  service, 
settled  in  Edinburgh  as  an  innkeeper.  He  had  adopted 
a  child  and  named  him  William  Whalley  Beatson,  who, 
in  due  course,  married  and  took  over  the  father's  tavern. 
His  wife  dying  he  sold  the  house  arid  went  to  London, 
where  he  soon  lost  all  his  savings  at  the  hands  of  some 
unscrupulous  sharps  who  got  hold  of  him.  His  father 
became  a  butler,  and  both  seem  to  have  got  into  low  water. 
For  a  time  they  lived  at  Hartfield  and  then  drifted  back 
to  London.  On  Saturday,  July  18th,  1801,  they  left  the 
Metropolis  and  came  as  far  as  the  Rose  and  Crown,  at 
Godstone,  where  they  slept  for  the  night.  Next  morning 
they  came  on  to  the  Blue  Anchor,  at  Blindley  Heath,  and 
stayed  there  until  the  evening. 

Then  they  tramped  on  through  East  Grinstead  to  Wall 
Hill,  and  there  stopped  the  mail  soon  after  midnight. 
They  did  not  injure  the  driver,  but  led  the  horse  into  an 
adjoining  enclosure  and  carried  off  the  mail  bags  to 
Hartfield,  where  they  hid  in  a  field  of  standing  corn. 
They  opened  all  the  letters  and  took  from  them  the  Bank 
of  England  and  country  notes,  leaving  the  remainder 
of  the  contents  in  the  field.  These  were  discovered  a 
month  later  when  the  reapers  got  to  work.  In  drafts, 
bills,  &c.,  over  £9,530  had  been  left  behind.  This  makes 
a  total  of  £13,000  or  £14,000  carried  by  the  mail.  The 
large  sum  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  in  those  days 
even  the  town  of  Croydori  and  the  whole  district  of 
Godstone  and  Bletchingley  were  served  from  East  Grin- 
stead  every  day  except  Sunday,  for  no  mail  ran  on 
Saturday  nights,  and  the  neighbourhoods  of  Crawley, 
Cuckfield  and  Lindfield  got  their  letters  on  three  days  a 
week  only,  also  through  East  Grinstead.  The  mail  cart 
used  to  leave  Brighton  just  after  seven  o'clock  in  the 


220  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

evening,  and  the  Sunday  mail,  carrying  two  days'  letters, 
was  naturally  a  heavy  one,  a  fact,  no  doubt,  known  to  the 
robbers. 

Meanwhile  the  Beatsons  had  gone  to  Westerham, 
thence  to  Deptford  and  London  and  finally  on  to 
Liverpool.  They  had  been  suspected,  their  descriptions 
circulated  and,  a  hue  and  cry  being  raised  throughout 
England,  they  were  finally  arrested  at  the  port  named. 
Property  to  the  value  of  close  on  £3,000,  chiefly  in 
bank  notes,  was  found  on  them.  They  were  taken  to 
Bow  Street  and  thence  to  Horsham  to  await  their  trial 
at  the  Assizes. 

Here  young  Beatson  nearly  succeeded  in  escaping 
from  prison,  but  was  re-captured  in  a  sewer.  The  trial 
took  place  on  March  29th,  1802,  before  Baron  Hotham, 
and  about  30  witnesses  were  examined.  The  father 
acknowledged  his  guilt  and  both  he  and  his  son  denied 
that  the  latter  had  any  hand  in  the  robbery.  The  jury, 
however,  found  both  guilty  and  sentence  of  death  was 
passed.  On  April  17th  they  were  brought  from  Horsham 
to  East  Grinstead,  and,  on  a  gallows  specially  erected  in 
the  field  where  they  robbed  the  cart,  were  hung  in  the 
presence  of  3,000  spectators.  Both  acknowledged  their 
guilt  and  begged  forgiveness  of  all  whom  they  had 
injured.  After  death  their  bodies  were  taken  back  to 
Horsham  for  burial.  It  is  said,  and  probably  with  truth, 
that  the  place  of  execution  is  clearly  indicated  to  this  day 
by  two  conspicuous  holly  trees,  which  stand  out  against 
the  sky-line  from  the  modern  road  running  below. 

THE   LAW'S  SEVERITY  IN   OLDEN  TIME. 

In  1710,  at  East  Grinstead,  William  Longley  and 
Samuel  Kingston  were  convicted  of  burglaries  and 
sentenced  to  be  hanged  by  Baron  Bury,  but  they  were 
reprieved  and  assigned  for  transportation.  Twenty-four 
years  later  three  death  sentences  were  passed  at  East 
Grinstead  Assizes,  one  on  a  woman  for  robbery  from  the 
person,  but  all  got  off  with  imprisonment.  Baron 
Perrett,  in  sentencing  a  real  old  offender  named  William 


CRIMINAL   RECORDS.  221 

Boldry  at  East  Grinstead  in  1771,  after  ordering  him  to 
be  hung  by  the  neck  till  he  was  dead,  added,  "  Let  him 
be  hung  in  chains  on  the  most  convenient  spot  upon 
Burpham  New  Downs,  in  the  parish  of  Burpham,  nearest 
to  the  gate  at  the  end  of  Blakehurst  Lane,  near  Arundel, 
in  the  County  of  Sussex." 

At  the  East  Grinstead  Assizes  on  March  24th,  1789, 
one  James  Winn  was  convicted  of  horse  stealing,  and  as 
a  reward  for  his  efforts  in  securing  a  conviction,  Henry 
Bye  was  granted  what  was  known  as  a  "  Tyburn  ticket" 
—in  reality  a  certificate  exempting  him  from  all  parish 
and  ward  offices. 

There  were  East  Grinstead  bank  notes  as  early  as 
1812,  for  on  March  23rd  of  that  year  Michael  Ury  was 
sentenced  to  death  for  stealing  a  £2  East  Grinstead 
bank  note. 

On  August  9th,  1817,  sentence  of  death  was  passed  on 
James  Graham  for  burglary  at  Worth. 

On  March  16th,  1818,  James  Cooper  was  sentenced  to 
death  for  cattle  stealing  at  East  Grinstead ;  at  the  Assizes 
a  year  later,  on  March  24th,  James  Betchley  suffered  a 
like  penalty  for  horse  stealing  at  Hartfield,  and  nine 
years  later,  on  the  same  day  of  the  month,  William 
Clarke  was  similarly  sentenced  for  a  like  offence  in  the 
same  parish. 

At  the  Summer  Assizes  at  Lewes  on  July  29th,  1820, 
there  were  two  cases  sent  from  the  East  Grinstead  Bench, 
and  the  death  penalty  was  the  Judge's  order  in  both — 
Horton  Clarke  for  horse  stealing  at  West  Hoathly,  and 
William  Harcourt  and  John  Butcher  for  highway 
robbery  at  Worth.  Three  years  later,  at  the  corres- 
ponding Assizes  on  July  26th,  George  Wood  was 
sentenced  to  death  for  robbery  from  the  person  at  Withy- 
ham,  having  been  committed  from  East  Grinstead.  The 
ages  of  prisoners  had  little  effect  on  the  sentences  in  those 
days.  For  instance,  two  young  boys  named  Wale  and 
Chitter  were  sent  for  trial  from  East  Grinstead  in  1824 
for  housebreaking  at  Hartfield,  and  on  August  14th,  at 


222  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Lewes,  were  sentenced  to  death,  but  a  reprieve,  as  was 
usual  in  such  cases,  was  granted. 

East  Grinstead  Fair  yielded  its  troubles  then  as  it 
does  now.  On  December  20th,  1824,  William  Thompson 
was  transported  for  life  for  stealing,  in  the  Fair,  a  pocket 
book  from  Mr.  John  Hillman,  of  Lewes;  and  on  March 
19th,  1832,  George  Robinson  and  Robert  White  were 
sent  beyond  the  seas  for  14  years  for  stealing  £80  in 
bank  notes  from  John  Wickens,  a  farmer,  who  had  come 
to  the  Fair  to  trade. 

For  a  burglary  at  East  Grinstead  in  1826  William 
Harvey  and  James  Smith  were  transported  for  life,  but 
for  the  less  serious  crime  of  housebreaking  at  Withy  ham, 
on  December  18th  of  the  succeeding  year,  John  Holmes 
was  sentenced  to  be  hung.  A  year  later,  on  December 
19th,  a  like  penalty  fell  to  the  lot  of  Samuel  Thompson 
and  Edward  Moon,  who  were  convicted  of  horse  stealing 
at  East  Grinstead.  Exactly  a  year  later,  for  a  similar 
offence  in  the  same  town,  William  Payne  was  also 
ordered  to  the  scaffold.  Two  years  later,  for  cattle 
stealing  at  East  Grinstead,  James  Booth  got  off  with 
transportation  for  life,  but  on  December  14th,  1833, 
Charles  Arnold  incurred  the  death  penalty  for  stealing 
the  paltry  sum  of  4s.  6d.  from  the  person  at  Worth. 

It  is  given  to  but  few  men  to  be  twice  sentenced  to 
death,  but  such  a  record  is  connected  with  this  town. 
On  January  3rd,  1827,  Cufty  Brooker  was  ordered  to  be 
hung  for  housebreaking  at  East  Grinstead.  He  was 
reprieved  and  imprisoned  for  six  months  only.  On 
August  loth,  1829,  he  was  again  sentenced  to  death  for 
an  exactly  similar  offence  in  the  same  town,  and  a  second 
time  he  got  off  with  imprisonment.  Whether  he 
eventually  died  on  the  gallows  cannot  be  traced. 

On  October  19th,  1829,  was  executed  Richard  Gifford, 
aged  26,  whose  father  was  for  many  years  butler  to  Lord 
Colchester,  at  Kidbrooke  Park.  Lord  Colchester  had 
got  young  Gifford  into  a  Government  office,  but  he  went 
wrong  and  was  hung  for  obtaining  two  sums  of  £125 
and  £27  by  fraud. 


CRIMINAL   RECORDS.  223 

THE  AGRICULTURAL  RIOTS. 

At  the  close  of  1830  the  riots  throughout  the  South  of 
England  left  their  effect  on  this  district.  The  outrages 
commenced  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Kent  and  the 
progressive  march  of  incendiarism  was  as  much  feared 
as  that  of  an  invading  army.  Stacks  of  grain  and  farm 
buildings  were  everywhere  burned  and  consumed ;  gangs 
of  men  went  from  farm  to  farm,  breaking  all  the 
machinery  on  the  premises,  and  where  the  general  body 
of  rioters  did  not  go  the  local  discontent  was  sufficient 
to  change  the  character  of  the  simple  labourer  to  that  of 
the  midnight  incendiary.  Some  neighbouring  villages 
actually  assumed  the  appearance  of  encampments,  as  the 
military  and  yeomanry  made  their  presence  felt  and 
arrested  the  rioters.  The  first  local  convictions  took 
place  at  the  Lewes  Assizes  on  December  18th,  1830, 
when  no  less  than  45  persons  were  charged  with  arson, 
riot,  threats  and  assaults.  In  almost  every  case  there 
was  a  conviction  and  a  number  of  men  were  sentenced 
to  death,  but  the  majority  were  reprieved,  only  two, 
Thomas  Goodman,  a  hoopmaker,  of  Battle,  and  Edmund 
Bushby,  a  labourer,  of  East  Preston,  suffering  the 
extreme  penalty,  both  being  executed  on  New  Year's 
Day,  1831.  Among  those  who  escaped  entirely  was 
George  Buckwell,  charged  with  firing  a  barn  belonging 
to  William  Ken  ward,  of  Hartfield.  Richard  Hodd  had 
been  committed  by  the  East  Grinstead  Magistrates  for 
compelling  two  other  men  "  to  go  along  with  him  and  join 
a  mob  who  had  collected  together  for  riotous  and  illegal 
purposes."  He  was  convicted  and  got  off  with  18 
months'  hard  labour.  A  Magistrate  on  the  East  Grinstead 
Bench  (Mr.  Robert  Crawfurd,  of  Saint  Hill,  J.P.,  D.L.), 
himself  a  considerable  landlord,  records  in  a  letter 
written  some  years  afterwards  to  an  agricultural  news- 
paper an  anecdote  which  illustrates  vividly  enough  those 
troublous  days  in  Sussex.  He  writes:  "During  the 
riots  of  1830  I  dined  with  the  late  Sir  Godfrey  Webster 
(of  Battle  Abbey)  at  Lewes.  At  a  not  very  early  hour 
the  Baronet  prepared  for  his  homeward  journey.  '  You 


224  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

are  a  marked  man,'  said  I ;  *  how  are  you  armed  ? 
Barkers  ? '  '  Pooh,'  said  he,  pulling  from  the  right  and 
left  pockets  of  his  great  coat  a  couple  of  hog  knives, 
1  these  are  the  tools — they  never  missjire.' '' 

THE   SUSSEX  SMUGGLERS. 

The  Summer  Assizes  at  East  Grinstead  in  1749  were 
famous  as  marking  the  final  break-up  of  one  of  the  most 
notorious  gangs  of  smugglers,  thieves  and  murderers  that 
ever  infested  this  country.  Thwarted  in  an  attempt  to 
smuggle  a  cargo  of  tea  from  Guernsey,  a  gang  of  30 
men,  aided  by  30  others  who  kept  watch,  on  the  night 
of  October  6th,  1747,  broke  into  the  King's  Custom 
House  at  Poole,  and  stole  the  whole  consignment  of 
which  the  revenue  officers  had  deprived  them.  They 
then  scattered  themselves  over  the  counties  of  Hampshire 
and  Sussex,  but  the  affair  was  too  serious  for  the  law  to 
overlook,  and  a  man  named  Daniel  Chater  was  brought 
by  a  Custom  House  officer,  named  William  Galley,  to  this 
county  in  order  to  identify  one  of  the  smugglers,  named 
Diamond.  They  got  as  far  as  Rowlands  Castle,  near 
Havant,  where  they  were  seized  by  a  gang  of  the  men 
they  were  in  search  of.  For  several  days  the  poor  fellows 
were  subjected  to  the  most  brutal  tortures,  and  finally 
Galley  was  buried  before  he  was  quite  dead  and  Chater 
was  thrown  into  a  well  in  Lady  Holt  Park,  and  there 
stoned  until  he  succumbed.  One  of  those  who  assisted 
in  Chater's  murder  was  John  Mills,  and  shortly  afterwards 
he  and  Jeremiah  Curtis,  suspecting  a  labourer  named 
Richard  Hawkins  of  having  stolen  one  of  their  bags  of 
tea,  took  him  to  the  Dog  and  Partridge,  at  Slindon 
Common,  where  they  were  met  by  several  of  their 
companions,  including  a  man  named  Rowland,  or  Robb, 
and  commonly  called  "  Little-Fat-Back,"  who  lived  in 
East  Grinstead.  They  thrashed  Hawkins  to  death,  tied 
stones  to  his  arms  and  legs  and  threw  his  body  into  a 
pond  in  Parham  Park,  where  it  was  discovered  nine 
months  later.  A  great  number  of  arrests  followed,  and 
the  first  batch  of  this  dangerous  gang  was  convicted  at 


CRIMINAL   EECORDS.  225 

Chichester  in  January,  1748,  and  met  the  doom  they 
richly  merited.  At  the  East  Grinstead  Assizes  in  August, 
1749,  there  were  numerous  additional  trials. 

John  Mills,  called  Smoker,  a  colt  breaker  of  Trotton, 
whose  father  and  brother  had  both  been  hung,  was 
tried  for  participation  in  the  murder  of  Hawkins,  and 
Henry  Sheerman,  otherwise  Little  Harry,  of  West 
Strutton,  for  his  share  in  the  murder  of  Galley.  Both 
were  sentenced  to  death  and  numerous  other  charges 
against  them  were  not  gone  into.  Among  others  of  the 
gang  convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  hung  at  the  same 
Assizes  were  John  Brown,  called  "  Jockey,"  a  well- 
known  young  smuggler,  for  robbing  John  Walter  of  12 
guineas  in  gold  and  £12  in  silver  at  Bersted;  Lawrence 
Kemp  and  Thomas  Kemp,  two  members  of  the  notorious 
Hawkhurst  gang,  for  burglary  at  the  farmhouse  of 
Richard  Havendon,  of  Heathfield ;  and  Robert  Fuller,  a 
keen  old  smuggler,  for  stealing  7s.  6d.  from  William 
Wittenden,  at  Worth.  All  these  men  were  executed, 
Mills  on  Slindon  Common,  where  his  body  was  after- 
wards hung  in  chains,  and  the  others  at  Horsham. 
Among  the  counsel  who  appeared  for  the  prosecution  in 
these  various  trials  were  Mr.  Smythe,  K.C.,  M.P.  for 
East  Grinstead,  and  Mr.  Staples,  of  Hurst-an-Clays. 

A  BRAMBLETYE   SUIT. 

Let  us  now  take  a  look  backward  for  three  centuries. 
Queen  Elizabeth's  Council  of  State  had  a  most  peculiar 
matter  brought  to  its  notice  from  East  Grinstead  in  the 
year  1579.  Brambletye  House  was  then  occupied  by 
James  Pickas  and  Katherin,  his  wife,  and  they  both  seem 
to  have  been  mixed  up  in  strange  matters.  The  Vicar 
of  East  Grinstead  at  that  time  was  Richard  Burnopp, 
who  was  brought  before  the  Council  of  State  for  falsely 
accusing  this  James  Pickas  of  having  arrested  him  at  his 
own  altar.  According  to  the  Star  Chamber  proceed- 
ings, this  Vicar  was  a  man 

that  p'cured  his  said  neighbours  to  spende  in  trobles  and  sutes  in  law 
above  five  hundred  poundes  and  to  the  end  he  may  still  dwell  in  bralles 


226  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

and  sutes  of  lawe  he  hath,  very  shamefully  offered  certain  somes  of 
money  unto  one  Thomas  Ellis  to  enter  into  sutes  of  lawe  again  with 
him. 

He  may  therefore  have  had  a  finger  in  the  following 
strange  suit,  in  which  a  lady  figures  very  prominently. 
John  Turner  was  the  attorney  appointed  for  the  "  liverie 
and  sesin  of  a  dede  made  from  John  Farnam  of  a  chapel 
and  certain  lands  to  the  Lord  Buckhurst,"  and  Katherin 
Pickas  hunted  him  up  at  the  house  of  Stephen  French 
in  East  Grinstead  and  asked  him  what  he  was  up  to.  He 
told  her  he  was  there  "to  take  possession  for  my  Lorde 
of  Buckhurste  of  the  chapel  of  Brambletie  and  land 
which  pertanied  thereunto."  Thereupon  ensued,  accord- 
ing to  the  lady,  the  following  conversation  :— 

Mrs.  Pycas :  By  what  authoritie  ? 
John  Turner :  By  authoritie  from  John  Farnam. 
Mrs.  Pycas  :  What  hath  he  to  do  here ;  this  matter  is  ended  by  the 
Quene,  God  save  her  highness. 

John  Turner  :  Yt  makes  no  matter  for  the  Quene. 

Mrs.  Pycas  :  No ;  Is  my  Lord  of  Buckhurst  above  the  Quene  ? 

John  Turner :  Yes,  in  this  respect. 

This  was  enough  for  my  lady  of  Brambletye.  Here 
was  rank  sedition ;  here  was  a  false  allegation  against 
the  Queen.  Off  she  went  with  her  six  attendants  and 
very  soon  made  her  way  to  Lewes,  where  she  laid  her 
version  of  the  story  before  six  Magistrates.  They  hardly 
cared  to  deal  with  it,  so  they  drew  up  a  statement  of  the 
facts  and  laid  them  before  "  the  Right  Honable  and  our 
verie  good  Lordes  the  Lordes  of  her  Majestie's  most 
honourable  Privee  Counselle."  Katherin  Pycas  was 
supported  in  her  version  of  what  was  said  by  her  six 
attendants.  John  Turner's  story  was  a  very  different 
one.  He  stated  that  when  he  went  to  make  "  liverie  and 
seizin"  of  the  chantry  and  chapel  of  Brambletye  he 
and  his  men  were  set  upon  and  beaten  and  had  to  flee. 
Katherin  Pycas  followed  and  on  catching  Turner  up 
said,  "What  have  you  to  do  here,  and  will  you  show 
your  authority  ?  "  He  produced  the  deed  and  the  lady 
thereupon  claimed  that  her  title  to  the  chapel  was  a  good 
one,  so  Turner  asked  her  to  prove  it.  So  she  would, 
"  to  his  betters,"  she  said,  and  as  the  lady  was  apparently 


CRIMINAL   RECORDS.  227 

losing  her  temper  Turner  walked  away,  but  she  and  her 
men,  armed  with  staves  and  other  weapons,  followed 
him,  she  saying,  "You  Berkshire  gentlemen,  you  think 
to  make  me  stoop  to  you,  but  I  will  not."  Eventually 
Turner  got  away,  and  so  ended  the  episode.  The  Privy 
Council  possibly  smiled  and  put  it  all  down  to  a  woman's 
wilfulness,  for  nothing  was  done  to  the  "  seditious  " 
attorney. 

A  HIGH  TREASON  TRIAL. 

A  special  commission  of  Oyer  and  Terminer,  addressed 
to  several  Peers,  Judges  and  Esquires  of  the  County  of 
Sussex,  opened  at  East  Grinstead  on  February  1st,  1586. 
Before  the  Court  was  brought  William  Shelley,  of 
Michelgrove,  who  was  charged  with  having,  on  Septem- 
ber loth,  1583,  imagined  and  compassed  the  death  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  the  subversion  of  the  established 
religion  and  government  and  the  procurement  of  an 
invasion  of  the  Kingdom.  It  appeared  that  one,  Charles 
Paget,  who  had  been  an  exile  for  treason,  came  back 
secretly  to  England  and  Shelley  met  him  in  a  wood  at 
Patching,  and  there  the  pair  "  held  traitorous  intercourse 
touching  the  proposed  invasion  and  the  elevation  of 
Mary  Queen  of  Scots  to  the  throne."  It  was  occurrences 
of  this  character  that  no  doubt  helped  to  bring  about  the 
execution  of  that  unhappy  monarch  a  year  later. 
Shelley  was  found  guilty,  committed  to  the  Tower  and 
later  on  brought  to  Westminster  Hall  for  judgment. 
He  was  sentenced  to  death  at  Tyburn,  but  he  escaped 
the  headsman,  his  attainder  was  subsequently  removed 
and  when  the  order  of  Baronets  was  instituted  in  1611 
his  son  was  the  fifth  person  placed  on  that  roll  of 
honour. 


Q  2 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  POOE, 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

ABOUT  the  year  1631  there  was  great  distress  through- 
out England,  and  the  Poor  Law  Commissioners  were 
called  on  to  make  special  reports  to  the  King  as  to  the 
state  of  their  respective  districts.  Those  acting  for  East 
Grinstead  and  the  17  other  parishes  forming  the  northern 
part  of  Pevensey  Rape  were  Sir  Henry  Compton,  of 
Brambletye,  Sir  Thos.  Pelham,  Sir  Richard  Michel- 
bourne,  Robert  Morley  and  Anthony  Fowle.  They  met 
monthly  at  Uckfield  and  gave  instructions  to  the 
Overseers  to  make  provision  for  the  poor  more  plenti- 
fully. Contributions  were  raised  from  the  more  wealthy 
inhabitants  and  a  "badger"  was  appointed  to  buy  corn 
and  sell  it  to  the  poor  at  one  shilling  per  bushel  less  than 
it  cost.  They  also  got  30  boys  apprenticed  and  found 
that,  by  reason  of  the  flourishing  state  of  the  Sussex 
ironworks,  there  was  ample  employment  for  those  who 
wanted  it.  They  routed  out  the  vagabonds,  punished 
some  of  those  who  harboured  them  and  closed  up  16 
alehouses  where  the  poor  were  tempted  to  spend  what 
little  cash  they  had. 

One  hundred  and  fifty  years  later  the  cost  of  maintain- 
ing the  poor  of  the  parish  of  East  Grinstead  was 
exceedingly  heavy.  The  money  raised  by  assessment 
was,  in  £  s.  a. 

1783   1,48219  6 

1784   1,374  14  9 

1785   1,532  0  6 

and  the  average  yearly  amount  spent  exclusively  on  the 
maintenance  of  the  poor  was  £1,349.  15s.  8d.  The  same 
return  sets  forth  that  the  average  yearly  cost  of  enter- 
tainment for  those  who  attended  meetings  relative  to 
the  poor  was  £1.  10s. 

At  a  Vestry  meeting  held  on  November  14th,  1821, 
the  Overseers  reported  that  a  number  of  paupers  were 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  POOR.  229 

out  of  employ,  that  their  numbers  were  daily  increasing 
and  that  they  were  costing  the  parish  nearly  £20  a 
week.  It  was  proposed  to  ballot  off  the  unemployed 
poor,  according  to  the  rentals  of  the  respective  occupiers, 
each  man  to  be  employed  for  a  certain  number  of  days 
by  such  person  and  to  be  paid  by  him  after  the  rate  of 
18d.  per  day  to  married  men  and  12d.  per  day  to  single 
men.  At  this  date  the  amount  of  the  poor  rate  was  no 
less  than  £5,391.  2s.,  an  average  of  34s.  per  head  per 
annum,  7s.  more  than  the  average  for  the  whole 
country. 

In  December,  1832,  another  meeting  was  held  in  the 
town  to  consider  the  better  employment  of  agricultural 
labourers.  It  was  resolved  that  every  ratepayer  should 
employ  his  share  of  labourers  at  10s.  a  week  each,  but 
the  Magistrates  considered  this  insufficient  remuneration 
for  the  best  workers,  so  local  agriculturists  finally  agreed 
to  pay  12s.  per  week  and  fine  every  ratepayer  10s.  a  week 
for  each  labourer  not  employed  according  to  his  propor- 
tion. 

In  1847  the  prices  of  provisions  generally  rose  to  a 
most  prohibitive  figure.  Seconds  flour  advanced  to 
2s.  l^d.  per  gallon,  and  in  May  of  that  year  there  were 
no  vegetables,  except  a  few  cabbages,  to  be  had  at  any 
price  in  East  Grinstead.  The  Queen  herself  issued  an 
order  that  only  seconds  flour  was  to  be  used  in  all  the 
Royal  palaces  and  the  strictest  economy  everywhere 
observed.  It  is  on  record  that  several  of  the  East  Grin- 
stead  gentry  followed  her  example. 

Distress  became  so  acute  in  East  Grinstead  during  the 
winter  of  1852-3,  that  on  February  1st  the  parishioners 
met  in  the  Vestry  and  decided  to  supplement  what  was 
being  done  by  the  Guardians.  Having  regard  to  the 
extreme  wetness  of  the  season  and  the  advanced  prices 
of  provisions  generally,  the  meeting  authorised  the  free 
distribution  of  100  gallons  of  soup  per  week  to  the  poor 
and  this  was  continued  until  the  warmer  weather  set  in. 

On  August  30th,  1869,  the  Vestry  decided  for  the  first 
time  to  allow  owners  to  compound  for  their  rates  at  a 
discount  of  25  per  cent.  Poor  rates  were  authorised  at 


230  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

specially  convened  Vestry  meetings,  and  the  last  occasion 
on  which  this  was  done  was  October  13th,  1892.  Since 
that  date  the  Overseers  have  exercised  their  powers  and 
gone  direct  to  the  Magistrates  without  consulting  the 
ratepayers.  The  last  appointment  of  Overseers  by  the 
Vestry  was  on  March  26th,  1894.  Since  then  appoint- 
ments have  been  made  by  the  Urban  Council. 

An  order  was  issued  on  September  5th,  1835,  assigning 
three  Guardians  to  the  parish  of  East  Grinstead.  On 
September  10th,  1874,  the  Local  Government  Board  was 
asked  to  increase  the  number  to  five  and  a  schedule  was 
attached  to  the  appeal,  showing  the  increase  of  popula- 
tion from  1841  to  1871.  But  the  figures  for  the  1831 
census  were  inserted  instead  of  those  for  1841  and  the 
petition  was  ignored.  In  1889  the  ratepayers  again 
appealed  for  an  increase,  and  on  June  26th  of  that  year 
the  Local  Government  Board  issued  an  order  dividing 
the  old  parish  into  two  wards  and  assigning  three 
Guardians  to  the  Urban  District  and  two  to  the  Rural, 
and  the  first  election  under  the  new  system  took  place  in 
March,  1890. 

One  of  the  most  important  local  law  cases  ever  fought 
concerned  the  old  Workhouse  in  the  London  Road.  In 
1747  Sir  Thomas  Webster  was  a  considerable  owner  of 
property  in  East  Grinstead  and  it  was  represented  to  him 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  parish  "  had  come  to  a  resolu- 
tion to  build  a  Workhouse  for  the  better  reception  and 
employment  of  the  poor."  Sir  Thomas  was  desirous  of 
helping  in  this  good  work,  so  he  leased  an  acre  of  land 
in  the  centre  of  the  town  to  Elfred  Staples,  Benjamin 
Faulconer,  Edward  Green,  Nathaniel  Moore,  John  Smith 
and  Thomas  James,  the  last-named  being  the  Vicar  of 
the  parish,  that  they  might  build  thereon  a  Workhouse 
for  the  reception,  employment,  lodging  and  entertain- 
ment of  all  the  poor  people  of  East  Grinstead.  The 
lease  was  dated  March  10th,  1747,  and  was  for  a  term  of 
150  years,  at  a  rental  of  one  shilling  a  year.  This 
appears  to  have  been  paid  up  to  April  4th,  1776,  on 
which  date  an  endorsement  was  made  on  the  lease  by 
Thomas  Bankin,  an  attorney  residing  in  East  Grinstead, 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  POOR.  231 

that  he  had  "  Received  from  East  Grinstead  parish,  by 
Thomas  Foster,  the  sum  of  one  pound  nine  shillings, 
being  29  years'  rent  of  the  land  let  by  lease."  From 
that  day  the  existence  of  the  lease  was  absolutely 
forgotten  for  over  100  years.  In  due  course  a  new  Poor 
Law  was  passed,  parishes  were  amalgamated  for  poor 
law  purposes,  and  the  Workhouse  having  been  built  in 
Glen  Vue,  the  parishioners  of  East  Grinstead,  in  Vestry 
assembled,  authorised  the  sale  of  the  old  Workhouse,  as 
well  as  the  pest  house  on  the  Common,  on  February 
14th,  1861,  fully  believing  the  former  was  their  free- 
hold property.  It  was  at  first  proposed  to  sell  the 
land  in  plots,  but  finally  on  October  9th,  1862,  it  was 
sold,  as  a  whole,  to  Mr.  Joseph  Turner,  the  well-known 
land  agent  and  auctioneer,  who  sold  it  to  Mr.  Robert 
Pink,  but  before  the  latter  signed  the  conveyance  he 
re-sold  it  to  the  late  Mr.  C.  C.  Tooke,  to  whom  it  was 
conveyed  on  December  16th,  1862.  Subsequently  Mr. 
Tooke  sold  back  the  present  site  of  the  Grosvenor 
Hall  on  May  25th,  1864,  to  Mr.  Pink;  in  the  same 
month  he  sold  to  the  late  Mr.  James  Bridgland  the 
property  now  occupied  by  A.  &  C.  Bridgland,  Ltd., 
and  on  October  4th  following  he  sold  the  remaining  and 
centre  plot  to  the  late  Mr.  John  Southey. 

Meanwhile  the  Websters  had  lost  touch  with  East 
Grinstead  and  disposed  of  all  their  local  property.  Sir 
Thomas  Webster  was  succeeded  by  Sir  Whistler  Webster, 
who  was  M.P.  for  East  Grinstead.  He  left  his  real 
estate  to  his  brother  Godfrey  and  then  came  several  Sir 
Godfreys  in  succession.  The  estate  finally  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Lady  Webster,  who  conveyed  it  to  her  son, 
Sir  Augustus  Webster,  on  March  21st,  1886.  It  was 
about  this  time  that  the  old  lease  turned  up.  By  this 
time  the  land  had  had  valuable  buildings  erected  on  it 
and  was  of  the  estimated  value  of  £12,000.  Sir  Augustus 
demanded  his  shilling,  payment  was  refused,  so  an  action 
was  brought  to  recover  this  sum,  but  in  reality  to  get  a 
declaration  that  a  presumed  freehold  was  only  a  leasehold 
expiring-  in  1897.  The  case  was  tried  in  May,  1887, 
before  Mr.  Justice  Kay,  and  after  a  very  lengthy  hearing 


232  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

judgment  was  given  for  the  defendants  on  the  ground 
that  the  lease  was  bad  ab  initio. 

May  16th,  1887,  will  not  be  readily  forgotten.  A 
special  edition  of  the  East  Grinstead  Observer  was  issued 
giving  the  result,  and  scenes  of  extraordinary  excitement 
were  witnessed  in  East  Grinstead.  "  As  the  news 
spread,"  says  a  newspaper  account,  "  people  shouted, 
danced,  sliook  each  other's  hands  and  alternately 
laughed  and  cried  for  joy."  Flags  and  bunting  of 
every  kind  hung  from  numerous  windows ;  favours  of 
white  and  blue  ribbon  were  distributed  by  hundreds ; 
places  of  business  were  closed;  and  the  streets  became 
crowded  with  people.  Over  1,000  persons  gathered  at 
the  station  to  meet  the  defendants  on  their  arrival ; 
their  carriage  was  drawn  to  the  town  by  the  Fire 
Brigade ;  the  Town  Band  led  the  way,  and  con- 
gratulatory speeches  were  delivered  in  the  presence  of 
3,000  listeners.  The  scenes  of  excitement  continued 
until  long  after  midnight.  To  show  his  disapproval  of 
the  Band  taking  part  in  such  a  demonstration  the  late 
Mr.  C.  H.  Gatty,  J.P.,  of  Felbridge  Place,  resigned  his 
presidency  and  withdrew  all  support  from  the  Band  for 
several  years. 

The  parishes  at  present  forming  the  East  Grinstead 
Union,  together  with  Lingfield  in  Surrey,  were  united 
for  the  purposes  of  Poor  Law  administration  in  the  year 
1835,  but  it  was  not  until  1860  that  they  opened  the 
existing  Workhouse  in  Glen  Vue  for  their  joint  use.  As 
a  result  of  the  Local  Government  Act  of  1894,  the 
parish  of  Lingfield  was  eventually  transferred  to  Godstone 
Union,  wholly  in  its  own  county  of  Surrey.  By  the 
same  Act  was  brought  into  being  the  Rural  District 
Council,  the  members  of  which,  together  with  five  elected 
for  the  urban  parish  of  East  Grinstead,  form  the  existing 
Board  of  Guardians.  Of  the  Rural  Council  Mr.  W.  V.  K. 
Stenning,  J.P.,  of  Halsford,  was  co-opted  as  the  first 
Chairman  at  the  opening  meeting  held  on  January  3rd, 
1895.  To  him  succeeded,  on  May  5th,  1898,  Mr.  Job 
Luxford,  of  Forest  Row,  an  elected  member,  who  held 
the  position  seven  years  and  had  the  honour  of  being 


THE  CARE  OF  THE  POOR.  233 

the  first  ex-officio  Justice  of  the  Peace  to  act  on  the 
local  Bench  of  Magistrates.  He  was  followed,  in  1905, 
by  Mr.  J.  Waters,  of  Hartfield.  The  Clerkship  to  both 
authorities  was  for  many  years  held  by  Mr.  W.  A.  Head, 
who  resigned  in  November,  1 902,  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  partner,  Mr.  F.  S.  White,  as  Clerk  to  the  Rural 
Council  and  Mr.  Alan  Huggett  as  Clerk  to  the  Guardians. 
The  present  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Guardians  is  Mr. 
John  Longley,  of  Turners  Hill,  who  succeeded  the  Rev. 
C.  D.  Nix,  of  Worth.  Prior  to  his  term  of  office  the 
position  was  held  for  several  years  by  Mr.  W.  V.  K. 
Stenning,  and  his  predecessor  was  the  late  Mr.  Bernard 
Hale,  J.P.,  who  presided  over  the  Board  for  a  very  long 
period.  He  bought  and  presented  to  the  Union  the 
piece  of  land  adjoining  the  railway  and  now  used  as  a 
stone  depot. 


PUBLIC  INSTITUTIONS  AND  IMPROVEMENTS, 


CHAPTER   XX. 

THE  present  excellent  condition  of  the  town  of  East 
Grinstead  has  been  brought  about  very  gradually,  most 
new  proposals  meeting  at  first  with  opposition  and  only 
becoming  permanent  institutions  after  most  persistent 
efforts.  Details  are  appended  of  the  inception  of  schemes 
which  are  now  part  of  our  ordinary  life  and  government. 

THE  LOCAL  BOARD  AND  URBAN  COUNCIL. 

The  agitation  for  the  formation  of  East  Grinstead  into 
an  urban  district  took  definite  shape  in  the  year  1881, 
when  a  Committee,  with  Mr.  "W.  V.  K.  Stenning  as  its 
chairman,  was  formed  to  carry  the  project  through. 
The  promoters  met  with  more  than  one  serious  rebuff. 
The  first  Local  Government  inquiry  was  held  on  February 
28th,  1882,  and  the  opposition  to  the  scheme  from  all 
outside  the  town  was  tremendous.  It  was  at  first 
proposed  that  the  area  should  be  that  already  in  exist- 
ence for  lighting  purposes,  having  a  radius  boundary  of 
1^  miles  from  the  Parish  Church  tower.  In  the  end  the 
Local  Government  Board  positively  refused  the  applica- 
tion. But  the  Committee,  though  rebuffed,  were  not 
disheartened.  They  amended  their  proposals,  renewed 
their  application,  and  on  February  2nd  in  the  following 
year  a  second  inquiry  was  held.  The  applicants  proposed 
to  relieve  Forest  Row  of  all  liability  in  regard  to  the 
drainage  rate,  and  not  to  include  the  village  in  the  urban 
district.  The  residents  there  at  once  withdrew  opposition 
and  the  chief  opponents  left  were  mainly  the  proprietors 
of  the  parks  and  agricultural  land  which  it  was  sought  to 
include  in  the  Local  Board  area.  Their  opposition  was 
futile,  and  finally,  on  March  25th,  1884,  the  desired 
sanction  was  given  by  the  Local  Government  Board, 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND    IMPROVEMENTS.          235 

though  they  had  intimated  ten  months  previously  that 
the  scheme  would  be  approved. 

At  the  first  election  no  fewer  than  61  candidates  were 
put  forward,  and  though  many  withdrew,  yet  34  finally 
competed  for  the  12  seats. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  on  August  30th, 
1884,  the  Rev.  C.  W.  P.  Crawfurd  was  elected  chairman 
without  opposition,  and  he  held  this  office  throughout 
the  whole  of  the  Board's  existence.  The  earlier  meetings 
were  often  the  occasions  of  stormy  scenes,  but  the 
Chairman's  tact  in  time  led  to  smoothness  of  working, 
and  the  Local  Board  served  its  purpose  and  did  a  good 
public  work. 

Mr.  Hastie,  the  first  clerk  and  solicitor,  gave  good 
advice  to  friend  and  foe  alike,  and  when  two  years  later 
the  exigencies  of  his  London  business  compelled  him 
to  retire,  his  partner,  the  late  Mr.  H.  S.  Little,  was 
elected  to  succeed  him,  and  on  his  death  Mr.  E.  P. 
Whitley  Hughes  stepped  into  the  breach. 

First  a  Mr.  Brown  and  then  a  Mr.  Gordon  held  the 
position  of  surveyor,  but  the  Board  never  got  on  well 
with  the  holder  of  that  particular  office  until  Mr.  W.  W. 
Gale  was  appointed.  When  he  came,  the  late  Mr.  G. 
Ranger,  who  died  on  June  5th,  1891,  was  relieved  of 
the  rate  collectorship  and  for  the  sake  of  economy  the 
offices  of  surveyor,  sanitary  inspector  and  rate  collector 
were  amalgamated.  The  combination  of  these  multi- 
farious duties  was  not  found  to  work  well  and  in  time 
the  offices  were  again  divided.  Mr.  S.  J.  Huggett 
became  the  Rate  Collector  and  Mr.  R.  Wilds  succeeded 
Mr.  Gale  as  Surveyor  and  Inspector  of  Nuisances.  The 
present  holder  01  the  latter  position  is  Mr.  W.  E. 
Woollam.  The  post  of  Medical  Officer  of  Health  was 
held  first  by  Mr.  G.  Covey  and  then  by  Mr.  P.  E.  Wallis. 

The  Board  came  to  an  end  in  order  to  give  place  to  an 
Urban  Council  in  December,  1894,  and  during  the  decade 
which  covered  its  existence  the  town  in  all  its  public 
thoroughfares  was  well  lighted ;  High  Street  and  London 
Road  paved,  channelled  and  properly  metalled;  the 


236  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

drainage  very  largely  extended;  owners  of  some  half- 
dozen  private  roads  compelled  to  place  them  in  such  a 
state  of  repair  as  to  make  them  fit  to  be  taken  over  by 
the  public  authority;  street  watering  adopted  and  the 
collection  of  house  refuse  inaugurated.  As  a  mark  of 
their  appreciation  of  his  conduct  of  business  the  members 
of  the  Board,  before  they  went  out  of  office,  entertained 
their  Chairman  at  a  complimentary  banquet  on  December 
5th,  1894. 

The  first  Urban  Council  election,  at  which  plurality  of 
voting  was  for  the  first  time  missing,  took  place  011 
December  17th,  1894,  and  the  good  work  done  by  the 
Local  Board  has  been  well  continued  by  the  existing 
authority.  The  Rev.  C.  W.  Payne  Crawford  was  con- 
tinued in  the  chair,  and  occupied  the  post  until  he  retired 
from  public  work  in  April,  1897.  Mr.  Evelyn  A.  Head, 
who  had  for  years  been  an  active  worker  in  the  cause  of 
local  government  and  solicitor  to  the  original  promoters 
of  the  Local  Board,  then  got  a  deserved  reward  in  being 
elected  to  the  chair.  The  office  has  since  been  held  by 
Mr.  T.  J.  P.  Hartigan,  Mr.  W.  Milburn  (Brockhurst),  Mr. 
R.  Chignell  (Stoneleigh),  Mr.  C.  H.  Everard  (Newlands) 
and  Mr.  J.  Rice.  The  last-named  was  the  first  repre- 
sentative of  the  trading  community  to  attain  the  honour 
and  thereby  become  an  ex-qfficio  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
the  county. 

STREET  WATERING. 

The  plan  of  watering  the  streets  during  the  summer 
months  was  first  adopted  in  East  Grinstead  in  1863, 
when  the  heat  was  very  oppressive,  and  the  dust  so  bad 
that  tradesmen  were  quite  unable  to  have  shop  doors  or 
windows  open.  It  was  thought  that  a  supply  of  water 
might  be  obtained  from  a  disused  well,  situated  partly 
under  the  house  then  occupied  by  Mr.  Bailye,  in  the 
Middle  Row.  This  well,  in  former  years,  had  a  pump 
fitted  to  it,  and  was  used  by  Lord  De  la  Warr's  tenants 
in  the  High  Street,  but  it  got  very  much  out  of  repair 
and  neglected,  and  as  no  subscriptions  were  forthcoming 
for  its  restoration  it  was  closed  about  the  year  1840.  The 


PUBLIC    INSTITUTIONS   AND    IMPROVEMENTS.  237 

views  of  the  principal  tradesmen  of  the  town  were 
obtained  in  1863  as  to  the  advisability  of  watering  the 
High  Street  and  part  of  the  London  Road,  and  at  a  public 
meeting  on  May  1st  a  committee  was  formed  to  consider 
the  matter,  consisting  of  the  Vicar  (the  Rev.  J.  N. 
Harward),  Mr.  T.  R.  Burt,  Mr.  E.  Wilkinson,  Mr.  T.  J. 
Palmer,  Mr.  Gr.  Shepard,  Mr.  Meades  and  Mr.  T.  Cramp. 
Proposals  were  submitted  by  Mr.  J.  Tooth,  and  the  Com- 
mittee placed  the  work  in  his  hands.  Permission  was 
obtained  from  Lord  De  la  Warr's  agent  to  re-open  and 
examine  the  well  mentioned,  and  it  was  found  that  the  sides 
had  fallen  in.  When  the  well  was  dug  it  was  six  feet  in 
diameter,  but  the  bottom  was  now  found  to  have  widened 
in  diameter  to  14  feet.  There  was  no  water  in  the  well. 
It  was  decided  to  remove  all  stones  and  rubbish,  have  the 
sides  made  secure  and  dig  the  well  a  few  feet  deeper,  on 
the  chance  of  striking  a  fresh  inlet  of  water.  The  well 
was  accordingly  sunk  five  feet  more  and  an  abundant 
supply  of  water  secured,  rising  to  a  height  of  12  feet. 
A  brass  pump,  with  a  standpipe  at  the  top  fitted  with  two 
nozzles  (one  for  pails  and  the  other  for  the  water  barrow), 
was  then  erected,  and  enclosed  on  three  sides  by  walls  of 
brick  and  cement,  with  an  ornamental  cast-iron  railing. 
There  were  two  accidents  while  the  work  was  in  progress, 
Mr.  Thomas  Criswell  being  badly  injured  about  the  legs 
and  Mr.  Simmonds  (who  is  still  alive  to  tell  the  tale) 
getting  his  shoulders  hurt.  When  the  well  was  finished 
and  in  proper  working  order  it  proved  a  great  boon  to 
the  High  Street  residents,  as  hitherto  they  had  had  to 
fetch  their  water  in  a  barrel  fixed  on  a  wooden  frame,  and 
drawn  by  a  horse,  from  a  spring  situated  beyond  the 
Prince  of  Wales  Inn,  at  Baldwins  Hill.  For  the  purpose 
of  street  watering  the  Committee  bought  a  galvanised 
hand-barrow,  capable  of  holding  100  gallons,  and  a  man 
named  Edward  Geer  undertook  the  task  at  the  rate  of 
6d.  per  hour.  This  went  on  for  two  summers,  but  for 
want  of  sufficient  subscriptions  the  practice  was  then  dis- 
continued and  the  water  barrow  sold,  the  sum  of  one 
guinea,  which  it  realised,  being  given  to  the  funds  of  the 
Cottage  Hospital.  The  pump,  however,  continued  to  be 


238  HISTORY   OF    EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

used  by  the  inhabitants  until  Mr.  Bailye  built  the  present 
premises,  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Alex.  Johnson,  over  the 
site,  when  the  pump,  iron  railing,  &c.,  were  removed  in 
October,  1877,  by  the  parish  authorities  to  the  Union 
"  for  safe  custody."  The  refusal  of  the  Rural  Sanitary 
Authority,  which  then  controlled  the  town,  to  continue 
the  watering  was  one  of  the  things  that  helped  on  the 
agitation  for  the  formation  of  a  Local  Board. 


THE   DRAINAGE   SYSTEM. 

The  universal  use  of  cesspools  in  East  Grinstead  was 
abandoned  very  many  years  ago,  but  the-  drainage 
system  adopted  was  an  extremely  crude  and  dangerous 
one.  At  the  centre  of  the  town  there  was  a  brick  drain 
on  each  side  of  the  road,  receiving  both  surface  water 
and  sewage.  These  drains  united  in  one  sewer,  which 
emptied  itself  into  the  Swan  Mead,  irrigating  this  large 
meadow,  which  was  close  to  the  town  and  extended  from 
the  present  Police  Station  in  West  Street,  across  Queen's 
Road  and  Glen  Vue  to  the  Railway  Hotel.  It  then 
flowed  towards  a  pond,  the  outfall  passed  into  an  open 
ditch,  which  in  course  of  time  also  received  drainage 
from  cottages  in  Glen  Vue,  two  or  three  pigstyes,  the 
occasional  overflow  of  the  Workhouse  cesspools  and  the 
irrigation  from  a  field  near  the  present  Cemetery,  over 
which  a  drain  taking  the  sewage  from  the  houses  in 
Chapel  Lane,  now  West  Street,  emptied  itself.  This 
accumulation  found  its  way  along  the  stream  and  entered 
the  Medway  at  Old  Mill  Bridge.  Another  drain  com- 
menced at  the  back  of  the  Church,  passed  through 
Brewer's  or  Brewhouse  Lane,  arid  emptied  itself  on  to  a 
field  near  the  Hermitage.  A  third  commenced  in  the 
garden  at  the  back  of  the  Swan,  receiving  the  sewage 
from  several  houses  in  that  neighbourhood.  This  was 
carried  to  a  cesspool  built  in  an  old  stone  pit  at  the  back 
of  Chapel  Lane  and  the  overflow  passed  into  a  cleft  in 
the  rocks  and  disappeared.  The  Rocks  district  at  the 
north  entrance  of  the  town  was  drained  by  another 
sewer  emptying  into  the  Dean  cherry  garden.  The 


PUBLIC    INSTITUTIONS    AND    IMPROVEMENTS.  239 

Railway  sewage  and  that  from  a  dozen  houses  near 
the  old  station  was  taken  along  the  line  towards 
Tunbridge  Wells  until  it  ultimately  disappeared  in  a 
cleft  in  the  rocks.  There  were  three  other  minor 
sections,  all  equally  primitive  and  dangerous.  Each 
person  disposed  of  his  refuse  just  as  it  seemed  him  best, 
without  reference  to  any  law  save  that  of  gravitation. 

Things  had  got  so  bad  by  1853  that  on  October  27th 
of  that  year  Mr.  C.  R.  Duplex  was  appointed  Nuisance 
Inspector,  but  he  was  unable  to  do  anything.  The  first 
Sewage  Authority  for  the  town  was  appointed  on 
September  18th,  1866,  but  this  also  was  able  to  do  very 
little.  On  June  25th,  1875,  a  Parochial  Committee, 
consisting  of  Messrs.  W.  V.  K.  Stenning  (the  first  public 
office  he  ever  held),  C.  Absalom  and  T.  Cramp,  were 
appointed  to  act  in  conjunction  with  the  Board  of 
Guardians  in  carrying  out  a  drainage  system  for  the 
town,  which  was  by  this  time  in  a  fearful  condition. 
The  hollow  in  the  fork  formed  by  the  junction  of  Ship 
and  West  Streets  was  nothing  but  a  large  pond  of 
reeking  sewage ;  the  whole  of  the  Swan  Mead,  where 
Queen's  Road  and  Glen  Vue  now  stand,  was  merely  a 
receptacle  for  filth  ;  while  on  the  other  side  of  the  town 
the  Moat  fields  were  in  almost  as  bad  a  condition 
and  typhoid  fever  was  rampant.  The  Committee  first 
endeavoured  to  get  land  for  a  sewage  farm  in  the  valley 
between  East  Grinstead  and  Forest  Row,  but  the 
opposition  was  so  powerful  that  they  were  compelled  to 
look  elsewhere,  and  eventually  the  present  site  of  30 
acres  in  the  parish  of  Lingfield  was  purchased.  Five 
loans,  altogether  amounting  to  £13,000,  were  raised 
during  1879,  and  necessary  extensions  caused  a  further 
expenditure  of  £2,630  before  the  end  of  1882.  The 
pumping  engine  was  fixed  in  May,  1879,  and  the  bulk 
of  the  connections  were  made  with  the  farm  during 
1880.  The  broad  irrigation  system  of  treatment  was 
continued  most  efficiently  until  1903,  when  the  bacteria 
system  was  introduced  with  even  more  satisfactory 
results. 


240  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

THE  BURIAL  BOARD  AND  CEMETERY. 

The  churchyard  of  East  Grinstead  was  closed  for 
future  burials  on  July  1st,  1866,  except  in  existing 
vaults,  and  in  them  it  was  ordered  that  each  coffin  should 
be  embedded  in  charcoal.  On  September  9th  of  the 
previous  year  the  Home  Secretary  had  given  notice  of 
his  intention  to  close  the  churchyard,  and  on  September 
22nd  the  Vestry  decided  to  purchase  from  Earl  De  la 
Warr  a  portion  of  the  "Green  Field"  at  £100  an  acre 
for  use  as  a  cemetery.  The  negotiations  with  his 
Lordship,  however,  fell  through,  and  on  July  16th,  1866, 
the  present  cemetery  site  was  purchased  from  Mr.  W. 
Fearless  at  £200  per  acre.  It  was  consecrated  by  Bishop 
Trower  on  February  3rd,  1869.  The  first  burial  therein 
was  that  of  Mr.  William  East  on  February  6th,  1869. 
The  lowest  number  of  burials  in  any  one  year  since  has 
been  47  in  1889  and  the  highest  79  in  1893.  The  Burial 
Board  was  formed  in  1867,  and  at  its  first  meeting  on 
July  llth,  Mr.  T.  R.  Burt  was  elected  chairman  and 
Mr.  A.  Hastie  clerk.  Subsequently  the  Rev.  C.  W. 
Payne  Crawf urd  became  chairman  and  remained  so  until 
the  extinction  of  the  Board.  It  existed  for  nearly  30 
years,  the  last  election  of  members  to  it  by  the  Vestry 
taking  place  on  July  26th,  1894.  The  duties  were  then 
transferred  to  the  Urban  Council.  The  Mortuary  at  the 
Cemetery  was  added  in  1879. 

TREE   PLANTING. 

In  the  year  1874  it  was  thought  that  it  would  be  a 
great  improvement  to  the  old  town  to  plant  some  lime 
trees  on  the  High  Street  slope,  the  houses  facing  which 
at  that  time  belonged  to  Earl  De  la  Warr.  The  sugges- 
tion had  been  made  by  the  Vicar  to  Mr.  John  Tooth, 
who  had  an  interview  with  Lord  De  la  Warr's  steward, 
and  he  was  granted  permission  to  plant  the  trees,  provid- 
ing the  tenants  gave  their  consent  to  the  proposal.  All  of 
them  fell  in  with  the  suggestion  with  the  exception  of 
Mr.  E.  Gatland  (who  owned  the  premises  now  tenanted 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND    IMPROVEMENTS.          241 

by  Mr.  J.  H.  Honeycombe),  Mr.  Thos.  Steer  (who  lived 
where  Mr.  F.  C.  Watford's  house  now  is)  and  Mr.  Joseph 
Sheppard  (whose  premises  now  form  the  shop  of  Messrs. 
Brooker  Bros.).  The  trees  were  planted  at  the  expense 
of  the  late  Mr.  W.  A.  Head  and  Mr.  Tooth,  and  are 
flourishing  to  this  day,  being  now  taken  care  of  by  the 
Urban  Council.  The  refusal  of  the  three  gentlemen  above 
named  to  allow  the  trees  to  be  planted  in  front  of  their 
premises  accounts  for  two  of  the  gaps  in  the  row  of 
greenery  which  so  charmingly  sets  off  our  quaint  and 
handsome  old  High-street  during  the  summer  months,  the 
space  in  front  of  Messrs.  Brooker  Bros,  having  been  filled 
up  at  a  later  period. 

FAIRS  AND   MARKETS. 

The  date  of  the  establishment  of  East  Grinstead  Fair 
was  July  16th,  1247.  The  following  is  a  translation  of 
an  entry  in  quaint  and  very  abbreviated  Latin,  which 
appears  in  a  Chancery  Charter  Roll  of  this  date  : — 

The  King,  &c.  Know  ye  that  we  have  granted  and  by  this  our 
charter  have  confirmed  to  our  trusty  and  beloved  Peter  de  Sabaudia 
and  his  heirs  that  his  market,  which  was  accustomed  to  be  held  every 
week  in  his  Manor  of  Grenested,  henceforth  shall  be  held  every  week 
on  Monday  in  the  said  manor.  We  have  granted  also  to  Peter  that 
he  and  his  heirs  may  have  a  fair  in  his  aforesaid  Manor  of  Grenestede 
every  year,  to  last  for  two  days,  that  is  to  say  on  the  eve  and  day  of 
St.  James  the  Apostle,  unless  that  market  and  fair  should  be  to  the 
hurt  of  the  neighbouring  markets  and  neighbouring  fairs.  Whereas 
we  will,  &c. 

W.  Bishop  of  Salisbury. 

S.  de  Monte  Forti,  Earl  of  Leicester. 

John  de  Lexinton. 

William  de  Vescy. 

Paulinus  Peyvere. 

William  de  Say. 

Robert  de  Musegros. 

William  de  Bello  Monte. 

Robert  le  Norreys. 

And  others  being  witnesses. 

Given  by  our  hand  at  Clarendon  on  the  16th  day  of  July  in  the 
31st  year  of  our  reign. 

The  day  of  holding  the  market  would  seem,  for  some 
reason,  to  have  been  changed  from  Monday  to  Sunday, 


242  HISTORY   OF  EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

for  in  a  Chancery  Close  Roll  of  1285,  the  13th  year  of 
the  reign  of  Edward  I.,  appears  the  following  entry, 
also  in  abbreviated  Latin  :— 

Whereas  the  King  wills  that  his  market,  which  the  King's  most 
dear  mother,  Eleanor,  Queen  of  England,  has  in  dower,  to  be  held  in 
the  town  of  Grenestede  on  Sunday,  shall  henceforth  be  held  on 
Saturday,  the  Sheriff  of  Sussex  is  commanded  that  he  do  publicly 
cause  that  market  henceforth  to  be  held  on  Saturday,  to  be  proclaimed 
in  every  market  town  of  the  county  aforesaid. 
Witness  as  above. 

Witness  the  King  at  Neubiry  on  the  9th  day  of  Jan. 

The  dates  were  frequently  changed.  The  "  Travellers' 
Almanack"  for  1697  notes  that  two  fairs  are  held  at 
East  Grinstead,  viz.,  on  the  16th  of  April  and  25th  of 
September,  but  in  1766,  according  to  the  "Youths' 
Faithful  Monitor"  for  that  year,  the  dates  were  the  13th 
of  July  and  the  llth  of  December.  Both  books  mention 
that  Thursday  was  then,  as  now,  the  market  day. 
According  to  the  diary  of  Thomas  Marchant  in  1716  a 
fair  took  place  at  East  Grinstead  on  the  30th  of 
November. 

The  13th  of  July  fair  has  not  been  held  since  1816. 
In  this  year  the  spring  and  summer  fairs  were  trifling 
events,  but  the  winter  fair  was  one  of  great  importance. 
In  1826  a  sum  of  £2.  16s.  6d.  was  collected  for  the 
payment  of  special  constables  and  watchmen  during  the 
fair.  The  dates  of  the  two  fairs  now  are  April  21st 
and  December  llth. 

In  years  gone  by  the  fair  lasted  far  beyond  the 
authorised  day.  In  1848  it  began  on  Monday,  December 
llth,  and  a  local  record  of  Thursday,  the  14th,  says: 
"  The  fair  not  done  yet ;  from  the  testimony  of  all  there 
appears  to  have  been  more  dissipation  this  year  than  at 
any  preceding  fair."  It  was  not  until  December,  1875, 
that  the  authorities  succeeded  in  limiting  it  to  the  one 
day  allowed  by  the  charter. 

The  first  Fat  Stock  Show  ever  held  in  East  Grinstead 
took  place  on  December  14th,  1876.  After  being 
allowed  to  lapse  for  some  years  the  stock  market  was 
re-established  on  November  13th,  1884,  and  has  since 
flourished  exceedingly. 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND   IMPROVEMENTS.          243 

THE    FIRE    BRIGADE. 

The  first  Fire  Brigade  was  formed  in  East  Grinstead 
in  the  year  1863.  Long  prior  to  this  time  the  town  had 
possessed  two  fire  engines,  which  were  kept  in  the  west 
room  of  the  church  under  the  belfry.  At  a  Vestry 
meeting  held  on  February  6th,  1852,  it  was  resolved 
that  the  belfry  of  the  Parish  Church  was  "an  incon- 
venient and  improper  depository"  for  the  parish  fire 
engines,  and  the  parishioners  decided  to  request  Lord 
De  la  Warr  to  appropriate  some  building  for  their  safe 
custody.  But  his  Lordship  apparently  took  no  heed  of 
the  request,  for  the  engines  were  still  in  the  belfry  more 
than  ten  years  later.  These  "engines"  were  very 
primitive  machines  indeed.  The  pumps  were  mounted 
on  small  open  trolleys  drawn  by  hand,  and  when  a  serious 
fire  broke  out  on  November  9th,  1863,  at  Messrs.  Stenning 
and  Sons'  timber  yard,  then  situate  in  the  field  now 
occupied  by  Buckhurst  House  and  grounds  belonging  to 
Mrs.  Thompson,  they  were  found  to  be  of  very  little  use. 
The  pumps  were  not  in  working  order,  the  supply  of 
hose  was  very  scanty  and  what  there  was  was  leaky.  The 
need  of  some  change  was  evident.  A  public  meeting  was 
held,  and  the  following  gentlemen  were  appointed  the 
first  Fire  Brigade  Committee :  Rev.  J.  N.  Harward  (who 
died  a  few  days  later),  Mr.  G.  Head  (chairman),  Mr.  A. 
Hastie,  Mr.  T.  R.  Burt,  Mr.  C.  Absalom,  Mr.  C. 
Sawyer,  Mr.  H.  Gatland,  Mr.  William  Head  (the  then 
landlord  of  the  Crown  Hotel),  Mr.  William  Stenning 
and  Mr.  E.  Steer,  sen.  Their  first  work  was  to  have 
the  engine  pumps  mounted  on  carriages  to  be  drawn 
by  horses  and  make  the  vehicles  such  that  twelve 
or  fourteen  firemen  could  also  ride  on  them.  This 
work  of  re-construction  was  carried  out  within  three 
months  by  Mr.  John  Tooth  at  a  cost  of  £95.  A  Fire 
Brigade  was  organised  and  its  first  members  were : 
Edward  Steer  (the  late),  captain ;  John  Tooth,  engineer ; 
James  Cooper,  R.  Puddicombe,  R.  Cheal,  Wm.  Tooth, 
F.  F.  Payne,  George  Hills,  William  H.  Steer  (who 
subsequently  became  Captain  and  was  accidentally  killed 


244  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

on  the  railway  at  Grange  Road  Station  on  January 
23rd,  1895),  R.  West,  J.  Hay  ward  and  H.  Skinner,  fire- 
men. One  of  the  engines  was  placed  at  Forest  Row  and 
a  separate  Brigade  formed  there.  The  two  sections  met 
to  test  the  engines  at  Moat  pond  and  they  were  found  to 
act  admirably.  Of  course,  the  completion  of  the  work 
and  the  formation  of  a  Brigade  had  to  be  celebrated  by  a 
dinner  at  the  Crown  Hotel.  Helmets,  boots  and  tunics 
were  provided  for  the  firemen  out  of  voluntary  subscrip- 
tions collected  in  the  neighbourhood.  The  first  fire  the 
Brigade  was  called  to  was  at  Wilderwick,  where  two  large 
haystacks  were  burnt,  but  some  stables  close  by  were 
saved. 

The  re-built  engine  was  too  large  to  go  back  to  the 
church  tower  and  it  was  for  a  time  kept  in  a  shed  in  the 
Crown  yard ;  then  it  was  removed  to  the  Police  Station ; 
and  when  the  late  Mr.  James  Cooper  became  captain  of 
the  Brigade  he  found  a  place  for  it  at  the  rear  of  his 
premises  in  the  High  Street.  Later  the  premises  now 
used  by  the  Central  Meat  Company  were  specially  built 
as  a  Fire  Brigade  Station  by  the  late  Mr.  A.  Hastie,  and 
finally  the  engine  found  a  habitation  at  the  present  building 
adjoining  Mr.  Heasman's  corn  stores.  The  existing  engine 
was  purchased  in  1884  with  subscriptions  collected  by  Mr. 
A.  H.  Hastie,  and  its  reception  in  the  town  on  October 
21st  of  that  year  was  the  occasion  of  great  public  rejoicing. 

Up  to  March  25th,  1895,  the  affairs  of  the  Brigade 
were  managed  by  a  Committee  elected  by  the  Vestry, 
and  since  that  date  the  Brigade  has  been  under  the 
control  of  the  Urban  Council.  Mr.  Evelyn  A.  Head  and 
Mr.  H.  Young  have  acted  as  Captains  during  that  period. 

THE   COUNTY  COURT. 

The  first  County  Court  was  held  in  East  Grinstead  on 
Wednesday,  April  28th,  1847,  when  Judge  Furner 
commenced  monthly  sittings  at  the  Dorset  Arms  Hotel. 
In  1858,  owing  to  the  small  amount  of  business,  the 
Judge,  despite  a  memorial  to  the  contrary,  abandoned 
monthly  sittings  and  held  his  Court  but  six  times  in 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND    IMPEOVEMENTS.          245 

each  year.  This  remained  the  custom  until  1904,  when 
Judge  Scully  instituted  a  system  which  gives  five  Court 
days  to  East  Grinstead  in  one  year  and  six  in  the  next. 
The  Court  was  held  at  the  Dorset  Arms  until 
Thompson's  corn  store  was  turned  into  a  Court  House, 
when  the  sittings  were  transferred  to  the  more  com- 
modious building  and  continued  there  after  its  conversion 
into  the  Public  Hall.  Then  for  a  time  the  Police  Court 
was  utilised  and  finally  the  Queen's  Hall  came  into  use. 
Judge  Furner,  when  first  appointed,  was  a  solicitor,  and 
almost  the  only  member  of  this  branch  of  the  legal 
profession  who  secured  such  an  appointment.  He  got  it 
by  virtue  of  being  Judge  of  the  "Court  of  Requests" 
or  "  Court  of  Conscience"  at  Brighton,  a  civil  court  held 
in  the  larger  centres  for  the  summary  recovery  of  debts 
under  40s.  and  which  were  superseded  by  the  County 
Courts.  Judge  Furner  afterwards  qualified  as  a  barrister. 
He  remained  in  office  for  30  years,  the  late  Mr.  Martineau, 
one  of  the  most  able  County  Court  judges  ever  appointed, 
coming  to  East  Grinstead  as  Judge  for  the  first  time  on 
October  24th,  1877.  He  died  on  September  30th,  1903, 
and  Judge  Scully,  a  son-in-law  of  the  late  Speaker  of  the 
House  of  Commons  (now  Lord  Selby),  entered  on  his 
duties  on  November  1st  of  that  year.  The  duties  of  High 
Bailiff  were  at  first  performed  by  the  late  Mr.  Lewis,  of 
Lewes.  Mr.  T.  Cramp  was  appointed  to  this  now  obsolete 
office  on  March  25th,  1855,  and  resigned  it  in  July,  1891, 
a  month  before  his  death.  The  office  was  then  amalga- 
mated with  that  of  Registrar.  The  first  Clerk  to  the 
Court  was  the  late  Mr.  Edgar  Blaker,  of  Lewes,  with 
the  late  Mr.  William  Pearless  as  his  assistant.  The 
latter  in  time  became  the  first  Registrar  and  he  was 
succeeded,  in  1873,  by  his  son,  Mr.  J.  R.  Pearless,  who 
still  occupies  the  position. 

THE   POST   OFFICE. 

In  the  early  days  the  Post  Offices  of  the  kingdom  were 
open  on  Sundays  the  same  as  week-days,  but  in  1846 
there  was  an  agitation  set  afoot  in  the  town,  and  the 


246  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Postmaster-General  acceded  to  a  very  numerously-signed 
petition  and  allowed  the  East  Grinstead  office  to  be  closed 
from  10  a.m.  to  5  p.m.  Four  years  later  all  the  Post 
Offices  of  the  country  were  entirely  closed  on  Sundays  by 
order  of  Parliament,  but  the  innovation  caused  such 
intense  excitement  throughout  the  country  that  the  order 
was  soon  rescinded,  and  the  East  Grinstead  office  was 
only  entirely  closed  from  Sunday,  June  23rd,  to  Sunday, 
August  25th.  Mr.  T.  J.  Palmer,  for  so  many  years  post- 
master, was  succeeded  in  that  position  by  Mr.  J.  Hay  ward 
on  January  1st,  1870.  Subsequent  holders  of  the  office 
have  been  Mr.  T.  Isley,  Mr.  R.  S.  Whitehead  and  Mr.  W. 
Cleaver.  The  first  postage  stamps  were  issued  in  May, 
1840.  The  first  telegrams  were  received  in  East  Grin- 
stead  on  September  21st,  1870,  and  the  first  halfpenny 
postage  operated  on  October  1st  following. 

The  Post  Office  was  originally  at  Mr.  W.  H.  Dixon's 
shop  in  the  High  Street,  then  at  the  corner  now  occupied 
by  Lloyds  Bank  and  Mr.  F.  Maplesden's  printing  works, 
the  present  commodious  premises  being  opened  by  the 
Duke  of  Norfolk,  then  Postmaster-General,  on  September 
16th,  1896.  The  day  was  one  of  public  festivities  and 
Miss  Head,  daughter  of  Mr.  Evelyn  A.  Head,  the  then 
Chairman  of  the  Urban  Council,  had  the  honour  of 
posting  the  first  letter  at  the  new  premises. 

EAST   GRINSTEAD   CRICKET. 

So  far  as  the  memory  of  living  men  runs,  and 
apparently  much  further  back  too,  East  Grinstead  has 
enjoyed  throughout  Sussex,  Surrey  and  Kent  a  continuous 
and  well-merited  reputation  for  cricketing  prowess  of  a 
high  order.  When  it  first  acquired  this  celebrity  in  our 
great  national  game  I  cannot  pretend  to  say,  but 
certain  it  is  that  for  many  generations  cricket  has  been 
indigenous  in  the  town  and  in  a  lesser  degree  in  the 
district,  of  which  the  town  naturally  formed  a  convenient 
central  arena.  Even  now,  natives  who  have  passed  their 
three  score  years  and  ten  talk,  and  talk  credibly  too,  of 
their  feats,  as  boys,  on  local  fields  and  of  the  feats  of 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND   IMPROVEMENTS.           247 

their  fathers  before  them.  Arrangements  may  have 
been  primitive,  fixtures  few,  grounds  rough  and  the 
pavilion  a  luxury  non-existent  and  undreamt  of,  but 
though  doubtless  in  cricket,  even  beyond  other  sports, 
the  laudator  temporis  acti  is  a  person  to  be  seriously 
reckoned  with,  yet  we  may  none  the  less  accept  the 
established  fact  that  our  local  champions  did  inspire 
terror  among  the  surrounding  tribes,  at  least  70  and  80 
years  ago.  Precise  authentic  records  of  these  prehistoric 
battles  seem  difficult  now  to  collect  and  classify,  but 
amongst  other  slight  references  to  old  local  cricket  we 
have  distinct  notice  of  an  important  match  played  in  the 
town  in  1835;  the  venue  at  that  date  being  probably 
either  the  present  Play  Field  (fronting  the  Council 
Schools)  or  the  field  on  East  Grinstead  Common,  now 
the  Lingfield  Road  Recreation  Ground,  for  both  seem  to 
have  been  used  in  old  days,  though  soon  after  1840,  if 
not  before,  the  Chequer  Mead,  behind  the  Crown  Inn, 
was  also  in  use,  and  was  probably  the  scene  of  a  grand 
match  on  July  21st,  1845,  when  a  team  came  up  by 
coach  from  Lewes  to  try  conclusions  with  an  East 
Grinstead  eleven.  Be  this  as  it  may,  and  doubtless  as 
an  outcome  of  the  cricket  spirit  already  prevailing  in 
the  town,  the  East  Grinstead  Cricket  Club  as  it  now 
exists  was  founded  in  1857,  the  then  Vicar  (the  Rev. 
J.  N.  Harward,  M.A.),  with  his  sons  and  various 
members  of  the  Hastie,  Head,  Pearless  and  Stenning 
families,  being  prominent  among  its  original  supporters, 
and  the  Chequer  Mead  came  into  regular  use  as  the 
head  quarters  of  the  newly -founded  club.  There,  on 
September  20th,  1864,  eighteen  of  East  Grinstead  and 
District  defied  and  played  the  County  eleven,  sustain- 
ing, however,  a  signal  defeat,  and  about  seven  years 
later  a  similar  match  was  played  with  a  not  dissimilar 
result. 

From  the  Chequer  Mead  the  club  migrated  back  again, 
about  1878,  to  the  field  on  the  Common,  but  this  ground 
was  inconveniently  placed  and  never  enjoyed  the  same 
popularity  as  the  Chequer  Mead ;  besides  which  troubles 
arose  owing  to  public  footpaths  crossing  the  field 


248  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

inconveniently  near  to  the  pitch  and  making  it  impos- 
sible to  keep  the  premises  in  good  order,  so,  after  a 
troublous  tenure  of  some  10  years'  duration,  the  club 
finally  abandoned  the  Common  about  1889. 

In  July,  1890,  Reginald,  Earl  De  la  Warr,  announced 
that  this  field  would  be  sold  by  public  auction,  but  the 
general  outcry  against  interference  with  rights  so  long 
exercised  was  such  that  the  owner  countermanded  the 
sale  and  formally  handed  over  the  field  to  the  care  of 
the  Local  Board,  in  whose  successors  it  now  remains 
perpetually  vested. 

Meanwhile  the  pretty  Chequer  Mead,  the  scene  of  so 
many  cricket  exploits  in  past  days,  had  also  become  no 
longer  available  for  cricket,  and  indeed  soon  became 
seamed  with  new  roads  and  entirely  covered  with  houses, 
so  that  the  next  generation  will  find  it  hard  to  picture 
such  world-famed  bowlers  as  Lilywhite  and  Southerton, 
and  such  famous  batsmen  as  H.  Charlwood  and  the 
Cotterills,  playing  on  this  site  not  so  many  years  ago 
against  our  undaunted  local  giants,  among  whom  it  would 
be  fairly  safe  to  wager,  without  turning  to  the  score 
sheet,  that  there  would  be  found  some  or  all  of  such 
names  as  Draper,  Reynolds,  Simmonds,  Merchant, 
Hooker,  Payne,  Head,  Hoare,  Moor  and  others,  who 
helped  to  make  East  Grin  stead  cricket  famous  in  their 
day,  just  as  their  successors,  G.  H.  Lynn,  Arthur 
Huggett,  Alfred  and  Wm.  Payne,  H.  Tebay,  J. 
Charlwood,  H.  Gibb  and  others  of  more  modern  days 
have  done  by  appearing  in  the  ranks  of  the  Sussex 
County  XL 

To  return  to  plain  facts,  the  Club,  having  left  the 
Common,  turned  in  their  hour  of  need  to  Mr.  C.  C. 
Tooke  and  rented  from  him  the  present  small,  but 
excellent,  cricket  field  in  West  Street,  then  an  outlying 
strip  of  the  Hurst-an-Clays  Estate,  and  once,  as  it  seems, 
a  cornfield.  This  satisfactory  arrangement  was  largely 
due  to  the  good  offices  of  Mr.  P.  E.  Wallis,  then,  and  for 
many  years  previously,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Club, 
as  also  to  the  aid  of  Mr.  J.  Sou  they,  always  an  energetic 
supporter  of  local  cricket  till  his  death  in  1899. 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND   IMPROVEMENTS.  249 

The  new  ground  was  opened  on  May  26th,  1890,  and 
for  several  years,  under  the  management  of  Mr.  R.  P. 
Crawford  (hon.  secretary)  and  an  able  committee,  cricket 
flourished  exceedingly  on  the  new  ground  and  the  matches 
were  once  more  well  attended  by  the  town  and  prominent 
residents  from  round  about.  The  wickets,  provided  by 
Alfred  Payne,  the  groundman  and  an  old  county  player, 
were  in  high  favour  far  and  wide,  and  were  justly 
eulogised  by  such  famous  cricketers  as  Hay  ward, 
Brockwell  and  Lockwood,  of  Surrey,  Mr.  F.  B.  Whitfeld, 
Mr.  H.  Whitfeld,  W.  Humphreys,  Tate  and  Marlow,  of 
Sussex,  Mr.  A.  J.  Web  be,  of  Middlesex,  Mr.  F. 
Mai-chant  and  Mr.  G.  Weigall,  of  Kent,  Mr.  H. 
Leveson-Gower,  of  Oxford  fame,  Mr.  W.  L.  Murdoch, 
the  great  Australian,  and  others  too  numerous  to  recall, 
who  have  played  in  modern  times  on  the  West  Street 
ground  and  delighted  spectators  with  their  prowess. 

On  July  21st  and  22nd,  1896,  a  bazaar,  organised  by 
the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Club  and  opened  on  successive 
days  by  Lady  Evelyn  Goschen,  wife  of  Mr.  G.  J. 
Goschen,  Member  for  the  East  Grinstead  Division,  and 
Sir  Edward  Blount,  of  Imberhorne,  was  held  on  the 
ground  and  brilliantly  patronised  by  the  neighbourhood 
generally. 

The  bazaar  yielded  the  handsome  net  profit  of  £465, 
and  this  sum  was  handed  over  to  a  body  of  seven 
trustees,  who  in  November  of  the  same  year  purchased 
the  freehold  of  the  field  from  Mrs.  Henry  Padwick, 
daughter  of  Mr.  C.  C.  Tooke,  for  £1,000,  the  balance  of 
the  purchase  money  being  raised  by  a  mortgage  on  the 
premises  for  £600. 

The  trustees  first  appointed  were  Mr.  Henry  Blount, 
D.L.,  and  Mr.  Robert  P.  Crawfurd  (then  respectively 
president  and  lion,  secretary  of  the  club),  Mr.  C.  H. 
Everard,  M.A.,  Mr.  F.  Maplesden,  Mr.  J.  Southey,  Mr. 
P.  E.  Wallis,  M.R.C.S.,  and  Mr.  T.  S.  Whitfeld,  and  in 
them  and  their  successors  is  vested  the  freehold  of  a 
field,  as  conveniently  placed  as  it  is,  in  respect  of  its 
outlook  over  distant  Ashdown  Forest,  delightfully 
situated.  Soon  after  the  purchase  of  the  ground  in 


250  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRtNSTEAD. 

November,  1896,  Mr.  R.  P.  Crawfurd  resigned  the 
honorary  secretaryship  of  the  Club,  and  during  the  last 
10  years  this  office  has  been  filled  by  various  members, 
including  Mr.  F.  Maplesden  and  Mr.  E.  T.  Berry. 

In  1901  an  excellent  pavilion,  well  worthy  of  the 
ground,  was  added  to  the  general  amenities  of  the  cricket 
field,  at  a  cost  of  £300,  largely  by  the  exertions  of  Mr. 
F.  S.  White,  then  captain  of  the  Club. 

Cricket,  we  fear,  since  the  advent  of  golf,  does  not 
hold  the  same  place  as  formerly  in  local  affection,  or 
indeed  in  the  country  generally,  but  in  East  Grinstead 
its  roots  struck  deep,  and  with  such  famous  traditions 
behind  it,  of  skill  and  knowledge  of  the  game,  unusual 
in  country  towns,  the  Club  will  never  allow  itself,  even 
in  days  of  partial  eclipse,  to  despond  or  to  forget  the 
palmy  days  of  its  pre-eminence  among  all  surrounding 
clubs. 

COTTAGE   HOSPITALS. 

East  Grinstead  was  the  fourth  place  in  the  British 
Islands  to  boast  of  a  cottage  hospital  for  the  reception  of 
those  suffering  from  accident  or  illness  not  easily  treated 
in  their  own  homes.  The  first  of  the  kind  was  opened 
at  Cranleigh,  in  Surrey,  in  1859,  and  the  little  seed 
planted  there  has  since  borne  fruit  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  land.  The  great  cities  and  towns 
had  long  had  their  hospitals  and  dispensaries,  but  in  the 
large  tracts  of  country  between  these  centres  of  civilisa- 
tion there  was,  prior  to  the  year  stated,  no  refuge  to 
which  poor  creatures  suffering  from  accident  could  be 
taken  but  the  Union  Workhouse.  Fowey  followed  the 
example  of  Cranleigh  a  year  later,  and  in  1861  the  third 
institution  of  the  kind  sprang  into  existence  at  Bourton- 
on-the- Water. 

The  Rev.  C.  W.  Payne  Crawfurd  was  then  curate 
there,  and  he  rendered  very  material  assistance  to  its 
energetic  surgeon  and  founder,  Mr.  J.  Moore.  On  his 
return  to  East  Grinstead  he  was  able  to  render  similar 
aid  to  Mr.  J.  H.  Rogers,  then  assistant  warden  and  after- 
wards warden  of  Sackville  College.  Mr.  Rogers  then 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND   IMPROVEMENTS.  251 

lived  at  Green  Hedges,  where  Mr.  R.  W.  Fearless  now 
resides,  and  he  hired  the  cottage  in  the  lane  immediately 
opposite  his  own  residence.  It  was,  and  still  is,  a 
delightfully  situated  cottage,  its  charming  garden  being 
well  bedecked  with  beautiful  blooms  and  shrubs,  the 
cultivation  of  which  was  a  great  hobby  with  the  doctor. 
At  his  own  expense  he  added  a  spacious  room  at  the  back 
of  the  house,  amply  lighted  by  two  large  windows.  He 
was  materially  helped  by  local  residents,  one  lady 
supplying  the  entire  furniture  of  a  room,  another  person 
giving  all  the  medicinal  and  surgical  appliances,  and 
others  helping  in  various  ways.  It  was  opened  in  1863 
and  gave  accommodation  for  seven  patients.  For  a  short 
time  Mr.  Rogers  carried  it  on  almost  entirely  at  his  own 
expense,  but  others  being  desirous  of  helping,  he  accepted 
subscriptions  and  it  was  thus  maintained  until  1874. 
Its  first  balance  sheet  was  issued  for  1865,  in  which  year 
34  cases  were  beneficially  treated.  The  donations  and 
subscriptions  were  £75.  12s.  6d.,  the  payments  by 
patients  £33.  12s.  and  the  collecting  box  at  the  hospital 
realised  £2.  7s.  6d.,  a  total  income  of  £111.  12s.,  not 
quite  sufficient  to  meet  all  outgoings.  Food,  wine, 
medicine,  appliances,  fuel,  &c.,  cost  £86.  7s.  4d.,  the 
nursing  staff  £17;  rates,  insurance,  furniture  and  other 
sundries  £12.  5s.  5d.  This  was  hardly  a  typical  year, 
for  the  hospital  accumulated  considerable  funds,  having 
nearly  £370  to  its  credit  when  it  was  closed  in  1874. 

The  need  of  such  an  institution  soon  again  became 
apparent.  The  late  Mr.  C.  H.  Gatty  took  an  interest  in 
the  matter  and  in  1881  built  a  splendid  cottage  hospital 
in  the  Moat  Road.  This  he  completely  furnished  and 
equipped  even  to  the  provision  of  surgical  instruments, 
but  because  people  grew  impatient  and  ventured,  both 
publicly  and  privately,  to  ask  him  when  he  proposed  to 
open  it  he  took  offence,  removed  the  equipment  and 
finally  sold  the  property  to  Mr.  John  Betchley.  East 
Grinstead  remained  for  seven  years,  after  Mr.  Gatty 
built  his,  without  the  benefits  of  a  cottage  hospital,  but 
in  1887  the  late  Mrs.  Oswald  Smith,  of  Hammerwood, 
took  the  matter  up  and  hired  the  premises  now  known  as 


252  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

Lansdowne  House,  then  only  just  completed.  They 
were  opened  as  a  hospital  on  January  llth,  1888.  Mrs. 
Smith  formed  a  ladies'  committee,  consisting  of  herself, 
Mrs.  Collins,  Mrs.  Covey  and  Miss  Wallis.  Feeling, 
however,  that  it  was  not  right  to  keep  the  hospital 
entirely  in  their  own  hands,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  decided, 
in  May  of  the  same  year,  to  make  it  known  that  they 
would  be  willing  to  receive  subscriptions  and  hand  the 
hospital  over  to  a  properly  appointed  committee.  In 
July  a  public  meeting  was  held,  presided  over  by  the 
late  Mr.  H.  R.  Freshfield,  and  the  first  meeting  of 
subscribers  was  held  in  the  following  November.  It 
was  then  announced  that  the  cost  of  maintaining  the 
hospital  would  be  about  £300  a  year.  On  January 
8th,  1889,  the  first  meeting  of  the  properly  appointed 
committee  was  held.  That  meeting  was  attended  by 
Mrs.  Smith  and  her  eldest  son,  Mr.  Guy  Smith,  and  they 
formally  handed  over  to  the  committee  the  possession 
and  care  of  the  hospital.  At  the  same  time  Mrs.  Smith 
handed  them  the  sum  of  £50  given  by  the  late  Mr. 
Bernard  Hale,  and  on  behalf  of  herself  and  family 
guaranteed  handsome  yearly  subscriptions.  At  that 
same  meeting  Mr.  H.  A.  Perkins  was  appointed  to  the 
secretaryship  and  he  has  held  the  appointment  ever 
since.  The  Trustees  then  elected  were  Messrs.  H. 
Jeddere-Fisher,  B.  G.  0.  Smith  and  W.  V.  K.  Stenning, 
and  they  still  hold  office.  On  February  9th,  1900,  the 
sum  of  £374.  6s.  9d.,  the  balance  of  funds  remaining 
from  the  original  cottage  hospital  started  by  Mr.  Rogers, 
was  handed  over  to  these  Trustees.  The  work  went  on 
smoothly  and  beneficially  until  1892,  when,  owing  to 
the  lamentable  failure  of  Head's  Bank,  the  hospital  had 
to  face  an  initial  loss  of  £473.  5s.  That  was  very 
unfortunate  for  the  hospital,  as  in  June  the  premises 
were  thrown  into  the  market  for  sale,  and  the  committee 
felt  it  was  their  duty  and  for  the  advantage  of  the 
hospital  to  purchase  the  property,  which  they  did  at  a 
cost  of  £675  and  £25  legal  expenses.  In  consequence  of 
the  loss  by  Head's  Bank  failure  the  committee  had  to 
make  a  special  appeal  for  £300,  and  the  response  was 


PUBLIC    INSTITUTIONS    AND    IMPROVEMENTS.  253 

so  liberal  that  £347.  3s.  6d.  came  in.  Of  that  sum  Mr. 
Oswald  Smith  gave  £100.  The  committee  sold  out  the 
Consols  standing1  in  the  Trustees'  names  to  the  extent  of 
£364.  4s.  6d.,  making  a  total  of  £711.  8s.,  as  compared 
with  £700  which  the  premises  cost.  Subsequently 
dividends  were  received  out  of  the  bank's  assets  amount- 
ing to  £116.  11s.  4d.,  and  that,  added  to  the  result  of  the 
special  appeal,  meant  a  total  loss  owing  to  the  bank 
failure  of  only  £9.  10s.  2d.  From  1892  to  1899  the 
hospital  went  on  quietly  with  its  work.  In  the  latter 
year,  at  the  annual  meeting,  the  following  resolution 
was  moved  by  Mr.  C.  Wright  Edwards  (one  of  the 
medical  staff,  who  then  had  Dr.  Poynder's  practice) 
and  unanimously  adopted: — "That  the  meeting  recom- 
mends the  committee  to  take  steps  to  consider  the 
advisability  of  making  improvements  and  alterations  in 
the  hospital  accommodation."  A  sub-committee  was 
appointed  to  seek  an  available  site  for  a  new  hospital, 
with  the  result  that  a  piece  of  land  in  Imberhorne  Lane 
was  purchased  for  £275. 

The  endeavours  to  erect  a  hospital  on  that  site  were 
much  quickened  by  Mr.  T.  H.  W.  Buckley's  liberal  offer 
of  a  sum  of  £250  towards  the  building  in  memory  of  his 
mother.  In  July,  1900,  the  committee  endeavoured  to 
get  out  plans  for  a  building  to  cost  not  more  than  £3,000, 
but  after  making  most  careful  inquiries  and  visiting  other 
hospitals  the  sub-committee  found  that  at  least  £4,200 
would  be  required  to  erect  a  hospital  replete  with  neces- 
sary modern  requirements.  An  appeal  was  accordingly 
issued  on  January  8th,  1901.  Eight  days  later  it  came 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  Secretary  that  the  Holiday  Home 
in  Queen's  Road  was  likely  to  come  into  the  market. 
This  place  was  erected,  and  for  some  years  carried  on,  as 
a  coffee  tavern,  known  as  the  Elephant's  Head,  after  the 
crest  of  Mr.  0.  A.  Smith.  Then  it  was  let  to  the  Ragged 
School  Union,  and  by  that  body  opened  as  a  holiday 
home  on  September  2nd,  1885. 

Certain  communications  passed  between  Mr.  Oswald 
Smith,  the  owner  of  that  property,  and  the  Rev.  C.  C. 
Woodland  (chairman  of  the  Hospital  Committee),  with 


254  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

the  result  that  Mr.  Smith  offered  the  holiday  home  and 
the  land  surrounding  it  absolutely  free  of  cost  for  the 
purposes  of  a  hospital.  At  that  time  the  whole  country 
was  being  moved  to  erect  memorials  to  the  late  Queen 
Victoria,  and  the  committee  thought  it  a  grand  oppor- 
tunity to  associate  such  a  memorial  with  the  new  hospital, 
and  at  a  public  meeting  held  on  March  28th  it  was 
unanimously  decided  that  the  memorial  to  Queen  Victoria 
should  take  the  form  of  a  new  cottage  hospital,  and  that 
Mr.  Smith's  munificent  offer  should  be  gratefully  accepted. 

Plans  for  altering  the  building  were  got  out  by  Mr.  H. 
E.  Mathews,  Mr.  H.  Young's  tender  to  do  the  work  for 
£2,345  was  accepted,  and  in  September,  1901,  the  work 
was  commenced.  In  May,  1902,  Mr.  Abe  Bailey,  of 
Yewhurst,  gave  £1,000  in  memory  of  his  late  wife,  and 
this  practically  freed  the  committee  from  serious  financial 
worry.  The  land  in  Imberhorne  Lane  was  subsequently 
sold  to  Mr.  Alan  Stenning,  from  whom  it  had  originally 
been  bought,  and  the  old  hospital  in  London  Road  to  Mr. 
W.  H.  Hills.  The  total  cost  of  adapting  the  Queen's 
Road  "  cottage  hospital "  and  contingent  expenses  came 
to  £3,276,  and  after  it  was  paid  for  nearly  £300  remained 
in  hand,  a  result  not  often  achieved  in  connection  with 
public  institutions.  It  was  opened  for  use  on  October 
15th,  1902. 

THE   GENERAL   DISPENSARY. 

In  August,  1858,  a  movement  was  set  on  foot  to  establish 
a  Dispensary  in  East  Grinstead,  and  after  a  few  pre- 
liminary meetings  two  rooms  were  taken  at  the  house 
now  occupied  in  the  High  Street,  and  the  institution  was 
started  on  September  30th  of  the  year  named,  1 1  patients 
being  treated  the  first  day.  The  first  meeting  of  sub- 
scribers had  been  held  on  September  23rd,  the  Honble.  and 
Rev.  Reginald  W.  Sackville  West  (afterwards  7th  Earl 
De  la  Warr)  being  in  the  chair,  but  it  is  to  Mr.  Henry  H. 
Kennedy,  then  tenant  of  Saint  Hill,  that  the  institution 
really  owes  its  existence.  At  this  meeting  the  late  Mr. 
J.  H.  Rogers,  of  Green  Hedges,  proffered  his  gratuitous 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND    IMPROVEMENTS.          255 

professional  services  to  the  charity,  which  were  gratefully 
accepted.  For  a  long  period  the  institution  did  good 
work  therapeutically,  but  was  less  successful  financially. 
Mr.  Rogers  controlled  the  finance  department  as  honorary 
secretary  until  January,  1865,  when  he  tendered  his 
resignation  of  this  office,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev. 
C.  W.  Payne  Crawford,  who  still  carries  out  its  duties. 
It  may  be  remarked  that  the  position  of  the  Dispensary 
now  greatly  differs  from  that  which  it  held  at  its  incep- 
tion. It  then  occupied  a  hired  house,  there  was  no 
patients'  waiting  room,  the  medical  officers  received  no 
salary,  the  credit  balance  was  at  zero.  But  the  curtain 
has  risen  on  a  transformation  scene.  The  freehold  house 
has  been  purchased  and  vested  in  trustees,  a  commodious 
waiting  room  has  been  supplied,  the  medical  officers  are 
salaried,  there  is  a  credit  balance  in  Consols.  The  Com- 
mittee of  Management  embody  the  principal  residents  in 
the  district,  and  the  average  annual  number  of  medical, 
surgical  and  dental  cases  treated  may  be  taken  to  be  about 
800. 

LITERARY   AND    SCIENTIFIC    INSTITUTIONS. 

One  hundred  years  ago,  when  circulating  libraries  in 
the  country  were  unknown,  book  clubs  were  common 
institutions  in  the  country  districts.  Some  survive  in 
parts  of  Cardiganshire  to  the  present  day.  A  number 
of  people  associated  together  and  each  was  allowed  to 
order  books  to  a  given  amount.  These  were  then  circu- 
lated for  a  year  in  regular  order  amongst  the  members, 
and  at  the  end  of  12  months  each  member  had  the  first, 
privilege  of  purchasing  any  book  which  he  had  ordered 
at  a  given  discount,  and  those  books  which  were  not  so 
disposed  of  were  put  up  to  auction  among  the  members 
generally  and  a  fresh  stock  procured  for  the  following 
year.  A  club  of  this  kind  existed  in  East  Grinstead,  at 
any  rate,  from  1811  to  1841,  and  possibly  for  a  much 
longer  period.  The  only  relic  of  it  now  is  a  decanter 
waggon  (for  passing  the  decanters  round  the  table  after 
dinner)  in  the  form  of  a  large  boat  mounted  on  wheels, 


256  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

framed  in  oak  made  from  the  "Royal  George"  and 
decorated  and  modelled  in  silver,  with  a  very  beautiful 
silver  chiselled  dolphin's  head  for  a  figure  head,  now  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Hastie.  On  one  side  is  the  following 
Latin  inscription : — 

CAROLO  NAIRX  HASTIE 

qui  sodalitatis  literariae  in  Villa  de  East  Griiisted  constitute 

per  xxx  annos  immunis  suaque  voluntate  rationes 

fideliter  procuravit 

Hoc 

Benevolentise  simul  gratique  animi  qualecunque 
testimonium 

DD 
Amici  ejus  sodalesque 

A.D.    MDCCCXLI. 

The  following  is  a  free  translation  : — 

To  Charles  Nairn  Hastie,  who  of  his  own  free  will  for  thirty  years 
gratuitously  managed  the  affairs  of  the  Literary  Society  of  East 
Grinstead,  this  slight  testimonial  of  goodwill  and  grateful  mind  was 
given  by  his  friends  and  companions  in  1841. 

On  the  other  side  is  another  Latin  inscription  as 
follows : — 

E  Nave 

in  classe  Brittannica 

Regalis  Georgii  cognomine  insignita 

qua?  A.D.  MDCCLXXXII  rnari  subinersa  est 

Anno  MDCCCXLI  e  fluctibus  revocata 

Excerptum  est 

hoc  robur. 

This  may  be  freely  translated  : — 

This  piece  of  oak  is  taken  from  a  ship  in  the  British  fleet  known 
by  the  name  of  the  "Royal  George"  which  was  sunk  in  the  sea  in 
1732  and  raised  from  the  water  in  1841. 

When  the  book  club  came  to  an  end  in  1841  a 
circulating  library  was  established  in  the  back  room  of 
the  shop  of  the  late  Henry  Nicholas  in  the  High  Street. 
He  was  the  first  person  to  undertake  the  sale  of  daily 
newspapers  in  East  Grinstead. 

As  the  outcome  of  a  meeting  held  on  November  14th, 
1843,  at  the  Hermitage,  the  residence  of  Mr.  W. 
Fearless,  the  first  Literary  and  Scientific  Institute  was 
founded  in  East  Grinstead.  It  occupied  two  rooms  at 
Mr.  Paul's,  adjoining  the  Swan  Hotel,  and  among  the 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND   IMPROVEMENTS.           257 

furniture  purchased  were  12  candlesticks  and  four  pairs 
of    snuffers.     The    committee   was   soon   charged   with 
promulgating    infidel    principles,    but    at    a    specially 
convened  meeting  on  September  13th,  1844,  the  accusa- 
tion was  denied.     Some  dozens  of  lectures  were  given, 
but  the  committee  refused  to  hear  one  on  capital  punish- 
ment.    The  Institute  was  dissolved  for  want  of  patronage 
on  October  14th,  1847.     Then  the  East  Grinstead  Young 
Men's  Mental  Improvement  Society  sprang  into  being 
and  lasted  from  August  22nd,   1849,  to  October   10th, 
1851,  meeting  in  Zion  School  Room.     Another  Institute 
was   established   on    December    15th,    1851,    and   used 
rooms  at  Mr.  Garrett's  in  the  Middle  Row  for  two  years, 
when   it   ceased    to    exist.     On    March    28th,    1853,    a 
Mechanics'  Institution  was  founded  and  flourished  for  a 
long  time  at  the  old  Court  House,  which  stood  on  a  part 
of  the  site  now  occupied  by  Mr.  C.  M.  Wilson's  furniture 
stores.     On  November  26th,  1855,  the  experiment  was 
made  of  lighting  one  room  by  gas.     On  March  31st, 
1858,    the    Court    House    and    a    coachbuilder's    shop 
connected   with   it   were    demolished   by   fire   and   the 
Institution    Library    of    some     700    volumes    entirely 
destroyed.      The  organisation  continued  to  exist  until 
September  26th,  1861,  when  its  remaining  property  was 
handed  over  to  the  landlord  in  lieu  of  rent.     The  fifth 
institution  of  the  kind  was  called  "  The  East  Grinstead 
Association  and  Circulating  Library,"  and  this  also  used 
the  rebuilt  Court  House,  lasting  from  March  10th,  1862, 
to   April   2nd,    1869.      Nothing   more   was   done   until 
January,   1881,  when  Messrs.  F.  Tooth  and  C.  F.  W. 
Stannard  were  the  means  of  forming  a  Mutual  Improve- 
ment Society  at  the  Elephant's  Head,  now  the  Cottage 
Hospital.     Mr.  W.  Hosken  was  its  first  President  and 
Mr.  F.  Tooth  Vice-President.     This  changed  its  name 
to  the  East  Grinstead  Debating  and  Social  Club.     From 
the  Elephant's  Head  the  Society  moved  to  a  room  at  the 
then   Public    Hall    and    became    the    East    Grinstead 
Debating    and    Social    Club.     About    this    time    some 
gentlemen   (Mr.  E.  A.  Arnold,   Mr.  C.   E.  Collins  and 
others)  felt  the  desirability  of  and  need  for  a  Library  for 


258  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

the  town.  They  collected  a  sum  of  money  sufficient  to 
form  the  nucleus  of  a  Library,  and,  not  wishing  to  create 
another  Society,  approached  the  members  of  the  Social 
and  Debating  Club  and  amalgamated  with  them,  the 
Society  becoming,  on  October  13th,  1882,  the  East 
Grinstead  Literary  and  Scientific  Institute.  At  the  same 
time  it  moved  to  a  room  in  the  premises  now  occupied 
by  the  International  Tea  Company,  and  from  here  to 
rooms  then  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Geo.  Bridgland  and 
now  occupied  by  Haylock  &  Co.  In  October,  1888,  the 
members,  with  the  Societies'  effects,  went  over  en  bloc  to 
the  new  Institute  established  in  the  present  building, 
which  was  first  used  on  November  3rd,  but  formally 
opened  by  Lord  Hampden  on  November  24th  of  that 
year,  the  foundation  stone  having  been  laid  on  April  7th 
by  Mrs.  Oswald  Smith,  whose  husband  had  granted 
the  land  on  which  the  building  was  erected  on  a  999 
years'  lease,  commencing  on  December  9th,  1887,  at 
a  rental  of  Is.  a  year  if  demanded.  The  Trustees 
nominated  in  the  trust  deed  were  Messrs.  B.  G.  0. 
Smith,  C.  E.  Collins,  W.  V.  K.  Stenning,  G.  S.  Head, 
H.  S.  Little  (since  deceased),  J.  Rice  and  W.  Young. 
This  building  stands  as  the  town's  memorial  of  the 
celebration  of  Queen  Victoria's  first  jubilee,  and  when 
the  999  years  of  the  lease  have  expired  Mr.  Smith's  heirs 
will  have  the  right  to  take  possession  of  it  on  paying 
its  full  ascertained  value. 

PUBLIC  HALLS  AND   MEETING  PLACES. 

East  Grinstead  possessed  its  theatre  as  long  ago  as 
1758,  but  it  was  evidently  of  a  very  primitive  character, 
for  an  old  play  bill  announcing  the  performance  of  the 
"  Tragedy  of  Theodosius"  for  May  4th  of  that  year 
states  that: — "  On  account  of  the  prodigious  demand  for 
places,  part  of  the  stable  will  be  laid  into  boxes  on  one 
side,  and  the  granary  be  open  for  the  same  purpose  on 
the  other."  Another  play  bill  of  June  7th,  1826, 
announces  "  the  elegant  comedy  of  '  How  to  Get 
Married,' "  in  the  "  Theatre,  Town  Hall,  East  Grinstead." 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND    IMPROVEMENTS.          259 

For  many  years  the  room  used  for  public  entertainments 
was  known  as  "  Thompson's  Corn  Store,"  and  then  it 
became  known  and  used  as  the  County  Court  House. 

The  first  step  towards  building  a  really  suitable  Public 
Hall  for  East  Grinstead  was  taken  on  November  20th, 
1867,  when  a  town  meeting  was  held  to  consider  the 
matter,  a  committee  formed  and  a  deputation  appointed 
to  wait  on  George,  5th  Earl  De  la  Warr,  and  Lord  West  to 
seek  their  aid.  In  due  course  a  Company  was  formed,  the 
site  of  the  old  County  Court  House,  which  belonged  to  Mr. 
William  Fearless  and  Mr.  John  Smith,  was  secured,  and 
the  Public  Hall  erected.  Builders  varied  in  their  tenders 
in  those  days.  The  highest  was  £1,750,  the  lowest 
£1,007.  The  building  was  commenced  in  June,  1875, 
and  first  used  on  January  4th,  1876. 

Mr.  G.  Bridgland  erected  the  Grosvenor  Hall,  London 
Road,  in  1883,  and  it  was  first  used — for  a  C.E.T.S. 
musical  entertainment — on  February  llth,  1884. 

The  Queen's  Hall  was  commenced  by  the  late  Mrs. 
Murchison,  widow  of  Mr.  K.  R.  Murchison,  of  Brockhurst, 
as  a  part  of  the  Workmen's  Club  and  as  a  memorial  to 
her  husband,  but  she  suddenly  stopped  the  work  when 
she  discovered  that  it  was  proposed  to  let  the  hall  for 
public  purposes.  The  Trustees  took  possession  of  the 
unfinished  building,  borrowed  money  for  its  completion, 
and  it  was  opened  on  July  8th,  1899,  by  the  late  Sir 
Edward  Blount. 

The  Parish  Hall,  standing  in  a  corner  of  the  old 
Chequer  Mead,  was  erected  by  members  of  the  Church 
of  England  connected  with  the  Parish  Church,  and 
opened  on  December  28th,  1899. 

THE  NATIONAL  SCHOOLS. 

The  need  of  Elementary  Day  Schools  became  very 
pressing  in  1859.  For  those  who  would  not  or  could 
not  get  accommodation  at  the  Grammar  School,  there 
was  no  alternative  but  to  walk  to  Forest  Row,  and  many 
lads  did  so,  while  the  occasional  closing  of  the  Grammar 
School,  owing  to  disputes  as  to  its  management,  rendered 

s  2 


260  HISTORY   OP   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

the  need  all  the  more  imperative.  On  January  13th  of 
the  year  named  a  public  meeting  was  convened  and 
immediately  two  factions  sprung  into  existence.  The 
Church  of  England  adherents  urged  school  establish- 
ment on  the  National  or  Church  system,  and  the 
Nonconformists  favoured  the  British  and  Foreign  School 
Society.  The  meeting  adopted  a  resolution  favouring 
the  latter,  but  a  fortnight  later  the  Rev.  J.  N.  Harward 
(Vicar)  announced  to  a  second  meeting  that  the  site  for 
the  new  buildings,  money  for  their  erection  and  means 
for  their  maintenance  were  all  forthcoming  for  schools 
upon  the  National  system.  The  Dissenters  strongly 
protested,  but  without  avail,  and  the  building  of  the 
present  Boys'  and  Infant  Schools,  with  the  school-house 
between,  was  almost  immediately  commenced,  the  date 
"1859"  appearing  over  the  centre  doorway.  The  site 
and  much  of  the  necessary  fund  for  erecting  the  build- 
ings were  found  by  the  Countess  Amherst,  a  lady  who 
took  the  deepest  interest  in  all  religious  work  in  East 
Grinstead  and  provided  large  sums  of  money  for  Church 
purposes. 

On  October  23rd,  1860,  as  the  buildings  were  nearing 
completion,  she  and  her  trustees  granted  and  conveyed 
them  "  without  valuable  consideration"  to  the  Vicar  and 
Churchwardens,  as  trustees  for  the  time  being,  "to  be 
used  for  a  school  for  the  education  of  children  and  adults 
or  children  only  of  the  labouring,  manufacturing  or  other 
poorer  classes  in  the  parish  of  East  Grinstead  and  for  no 
other  purpose."  The  schools  were  to  be  "  always  in 
union  with  and  conducted  according  to  the  principles 
and  furtherance  of  the  ends  and  designs  of  the  National 
Society  for  promoting  the  education  of  the  poor  in  the 
principles  of  the  Established  Church."  They  were  to  be 
managed  by  a  committee,  of  whom  the  Vicar  was  to  be 
one,  his  curate  or  curates,  if  he  cared  to  appoint  him  or 
them,  others  and  ten  more  elected  by  subscribers  of  10s. 
each,  but  no  one  was  to  be  qualified  to  serve  as  a  Manager 
unless  he  subscribed  20s.  or  more  annually  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  England.  The  first  10 
nominated  by  the  trust  deed  were  Messrs.  R.  W.  Smyth, 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND   IMPROVEMENTS.          261 

G.  E.  Clarke,  W.  Stenning,  W.  A.  Head,  G.  Head,  J. 
Whyte,  G.  Covey,  J.  Smith,  A.  Hastie  and  J.  Hayward. 
Not  one  of  these  survive  to-day.  The  schools  were 
opened  on  January  1st,  1861,  but  the  committee 
appointed  soon  ceased  to  take  an  active  interest  in 
them.  For  some  10  years  or  more  they  were  con- 
trolled by  the  Rev.  C.  W.  Payne  Crawfurd  and  for  a 
time  flourished  exceedingly,  but  after  a  while  there  was 
a  decided  falling  off  in  the  voluntary  subscriptions,  and  a 
demand  for  public  control  arose.  At  a  specially  convened 
Vestry  meeting,  however,  held  on  June  17th,  1875,  the 
ratepayers  decided  by  11  votes  to  eight  that  a  School 
Board  would  be  very  prejudicial  to  the  parish,  but  on 
September  28th  of  the  same  year,  the  schools  having 
been  entirely  closed  for  a  time,  this  decision  was  reversed 
and  the  formation  of  a  School  Board  decided  on.  The 
first  members  of  this  body  were  the  Rev.  D.  Y.  Blakiston 
(Vicar),  the  Rev.  G.  C.  Fisher  (afterwards  Bishop  of 
Ipswich),  Rev.  E.  E.  Long  (the  Pastor  of  Zion),  Mr.  G. 
Head,  Mr.  T.  Cramp,  Mr.  J.  Mills  and  Mr.  W.  Young. 
For  six  years  a  contested  election  was  avoided,  but  in  1881 
there  were  nine  candidates  for  the  seven  seats.  Messrs.  T. 
Cramp  and  W.  H.  Steer  were  rejected,  and  those  chosen 
were  Rev.  J.  Brantom  (now  of  Hurstmonceux),  Rev.  W. 
A.  Linnington,  Mr.  J.  Bridgland,  Mr.  J.  I.  Glaysher,  Mr. 
J.  Mills,  Mr.  H.  Morris  and  Mr.  Ovenden  (then  landlord 
of  the  Crown  Hotel).  Mr.  Evelyn  A.  Head  was  Clerk 
to  the  School  Board  for  the  whole  time  of  its  existence. 

In  1877  the  Vicar  and  Churchwardens  leased  the  build- 
ings to  the  School  Board  for  seven  years,  at  a  rental  of 
5s.  per  annum,  and  in  1884  this  lease  was  renewed  for 
another  21  years  on  the  same  terms.  When  the  School 
Board  commenced  work  there  was  accommodation  for  473 
scholars,  and  when  its  duties  were  taken  over  by  the 
Education  Committee  of  the  County  Council  837  scholars 
could  be  dealt  with.  The  present  schoolmaster's  house 
and  the  girls'  school  were  erected  by  the  School  Board 
on  land  other  than  that  conveyed  by  Lady  Amherst,  the 
whole  forming  part  of  what  was  once  known  as  Slaughter- 
house Mead. 


262  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

At  the  present  time,  the  lease  having  expired,  there  is 
some  talk  about  the  Church  party  re-taking  possession  of 
the  old  section  of  the  buildings  and  carrying  on  therein 
a  Church  of  England  Voluntary  School. 

THE  MODERN  SCHOOL. 

This  valuable  and  much  -  needed  institution  was 
established  at  its  present  location  in  the  Cantelupe  Road 
in  the  year  1894  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Bid  well  Matson, 
B.A.,  who  had  for  some  time  been  Curate  here  and  who 
saw  the  great  need  of  a  high-class  day  school  for  the 
sons  of  the  trading  and  professional  classes  in  the  town. 
The  number  of  scholars  averages  from  30  to  40  and  the 
boys  are  given  a  thoroughly  sound  and  Christian  educa- 
tion. In  fact,  Mr.  Matson  not  only  turns  out  good 
scholars,  but  he  makes  gentlemen  of  them.  Though  the 
school  has  only  been  established  twelve  years,  several  of 
its  old  boys  have  already  attained  honourable  positions 
in  private  life  or  public  service.  Mr.  Matson  is  a  B.A. 
of  Merton  College,  Oxford,  was  ordained  in  1884  and 
prior  to  coming  to  East  Grinstead  held  a  curacy  at 
Busbridge,  Surrey,  and  a  lectureship  at  the  Exeter 
Training  College  for  schoolmasters,  and  was  head  master 
of  Zonnebloem  College,  South  Africa. 

BANKS. 

The  East  Grinstead  Savings  Bank  was  started  on 
February  1st,  1819,  and  it  very  rapidly  developed  into 
an  important  and  popular  institution,  its  deposits  reach- 
ing to  £20,000  in  a  very  short  time.  Its  affairs  were 
managed  by  a  number  of  local  residents  and  it  served  a 
useful  purpose  until  the  need  for  it  ceased  in  consequence 
of  equal  facilities  being  afforded  by  the  Government 
through  the  Post  Office.  Mr.  Charles  Turner  was  its 
last  Actuary  and  under  his  superintendence  its  affairs 
were  wound  up  and  it  ceased  to  exist  on  January 
20th,  1896,  the  accounts  of  depositors,  amounting  to 
£11,553.  19s.  lid.  and  a  clear  surplus  of  £114.  12s.  5d., 


PUBLIC   INSTITUTIONS   AND   IMPKOVEMENTS.          263 

being  handed  over  to  the  Post  Office  Savings  Bank. 
The  owners  of  several  accounts,  some  running  into 
hundreds  of  pounds,  have  never  been  traced,  and  of 
these  the  National  Debt  Commissioners  stand  a  fair 
chance  of  reaping  the  benefit. 

To  meet  the  needs  of  the  poorer  classes  a  Penny  Bank 
was  established  on  September  18th,  1851,  and  opened  on 
the  following  Saturday  week,  when  28  individuals  made 
deposits  amounting  to  16s.  2d.  A  week  later  58  deposits 
were  made,  amounting  to  £2.  2s.  2d.,  and  by  October 
llth  the  depositors  numbered  85.  In  the  first  half-year 
they  grew  to  215  and  the  amount  deposited  was 
£61.  17s.  8d.,  increased  to  £121  by  the  time  the  year 
closed.  Mr.  A.  Hastie  was  the  Treasurer  and  Mr.  T. 
Cramp  the  Secretary  throughout  its  existence.  It  came 
to  an  end  on  December  21st,  1877,  when  the  £20  balance 
remaining  in  hand  was  divided  amongst  the  six  Sunday 
Schools  in  the  parish. 

The  existing  commercial  banks  are  all  of  comparatively 
modern  date.  At  the  beginning  of  the  last  century  and 
down  to  about  1810,  there  was  a  bank  in  East  Grinstead, 
known  as  John  and  Andrew  Burt,  carried  on  at  the 
house  in  the  High  Street  now  occupied  by  Messrs.  Young 
and  Sons'  extensive  grocery  establishment.  After  the 
Burts  gave  up  business  Mr.  John  Head,  grandfather  of 
Messrs.  William  and  Evelyn  Head,  now  in  partnership  as 
solicitors,  had  the  same  premises  and  became  agent  for 
the  Lewes  Old  Bank,  and  he  was  succeeded  in  the  same 
agency  by  his  son  George,  who  in  time  established 
himself  as  a  banker,  and  Mr.  John  Smith  then  became 
Messrs.  Molineux,  Whitfeld  &  Co.'s  agent.  To  him 
succeeded  Mr.  William  Rudge,  and  at  his  death,  on 
February  23rd,  1887,  the  bankers  themselves  took  over 
the  direct  management  of  the  branch  here.  Their  firm 
was  amalgamated  with  that  of  Barclay  &  Co.  in  1897. 
Head's  Bank  failed  on  February  24th,  1892,  and  this 
immediately  brought  into  existence  here  branches  of 
Lloyds  Bank  Ltd.  and  the  Capital  and  Counties  Bank, 
both  of  which  were  opened  in  the  town  the  day  the 
failure  was  announced. 


FRIENDLY  SOCIETIES  AND  KINDEED 
ORGANISATIONS, 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

BENEFIT  CLUBS  had  a  footing  in  East  Grinstead  in  very 
early  times,  but  those  which  existed  in  the  opening  years 
of  the  last  century  were  all  conducted  on  the  share-out 
system,  and  in  course  of  time  shared  the  fate  of  all  such 
societies  and  one  by  one  became  extinct. 

THE   FREEMASONS. 

The  Sackville  Lodge  of  Freemasons,  No.  1,619  in 
the  Register  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  England,  and  the 
18th  oldest  of  the  35  Craft  lodges  in  the  Province  of 
Sussex,  was  consecrated  by  Wor.  Bro.  E.  J.  Turner, 
Dep.  Prov.  G.M.  of  Sussex,  on  July  llth,  1876,  its 
warrant  being  dated  May  9th  of  the  same  year.  Its 
founders  were  Bros.  W.  Hale,  C.  Sawyer,  J.  H.  Heckford, 
W.  H.  Hook,  C.  T.  Young,  J.  Clements  and  W.  Clilverd. 
The  following  have  held  office  as  Worshipful  Masters : — 

1876.  W.  Hale.     Also  P.M.  of  Lodges  78  and  1,351  ;  Prov.  S.G. 
Deacon  of  Sussex  in  1878;  Lodge  Treasurer  from  July  llth,  1876, 
to  July  5th,  1881.     Died  April,  1883. 

1877.  W.  H.  Hook. 

1878.  Chas.  Sawyer.      Lodge  Secretary  from  July   1st,   1879,  to 
September  7th,  1880.     Bro.  Sawyer  went  to  New  Zealand  in  1885  and 
in  1891  became  Junior  Grand  Deacon  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New 
Zealand. 

1879.  J.  G.  Horsey. 

1880.  S.  Davison. 

1881.  E.  A.  Head.     Prov.  G.  Steward,   1881  ;  Prov.  S.G.  Deacon 
in  1882;  Secretary  of  the  Lodge  from  July  3rd,   1877,  to  July  1st, 
1879;   Treasurer  since  July  3rd,   1883.     Is  a  Life   Governor  of  the 
Eoyal  Masonic  Institution  for  Girls,  and  has  twice  served  as  Steward ; 
also  a  Life  Governor  of  the  Boys'  Institution. 

1882.  W.  Eudge.     Prov.  G.   Steward,    1883;  Prov.  G.  Standard 
Bearer,  1884.     Died  February  23rd,  1887. 


FRIENDLY  SOCIETIES.  26o 

1883.  J.  G.  Calway.     Prov.  Assist.  G-.  Pursuivant,  1887. 

1884.  J.  Hopkinson. 

1885.  A.  M.  Betchley.     Prov.  G.  Steward,  1888;  Prov.  G.  Sword 
Bearer,   1889;   Secretary  of  Lodge  since  July  5th,  1887.     Is  a  Life 
Governor  of  the  Boys'  Benevolent  Institution. 

1886.  T.  Smith.     Prov.  G.  Standard  Bearer,  1893. 

1887.  G.  D.  Woolgar. 

1888.  W.  Hosken.     Prov.  Assist.  G.  Pursuivant,  1894. 

1889.  G.  Mitchell.     Prov.  G.  Pursuivant,   1890.     Lodge  Secretary 
from  October  5th,  1880,  to  July  5th,  1887.     Is  a  Life  Governor  of  the 
Boys'  Benevolent  Institution. 

1890.  W.  H.  Brown.     Prov.  G.  Standard  Bearer,  1891. 

1891.  G.Wilson.     Prov.  G.  Standard  Bearer,  1892. 

1892.  F.  J.  Budd-Budd.     Prov.   G.   Steward,    1896;    Prov.   S.G. 
Deacon,  1897.     Is  a  Life  Governor  of  the  Boys'  Benevolent  Institu- 
tion, and  has  twice  served  as  Steward. 

1893.  F.  J.  Budd-Budd. 

1894.  D.  Wood. 

1895.  G.  M.  Wilson.     Prov.  Dep.  Assist.  D.  of  0.,  1900. 

1896.  W.  H.  Dixon. 

1897.  J.  E.  Lark.     Prov.  G.  Sword  Bearer,  1902. 

1898.  F.  J.  Budd-Budd. 

1899.  A.  Brandt.     Is  a  Founder  of  the  Gatwick  Lodge. 

1900.  J.  Harrison.     Is  a  Founder  of  the  London  Hospital  Lodge. 
Prov.  Dep.  D.  of  C.,  1905. 

1901.  W.  H.  Hills.     Is  a  Life  Governor  of  the  Boys'  Benevolent 
Institution. 

1902.  H.  Young.     Is  a  Life  Governor  of  both  the  Boys'  and  Girls' 
Benevolent  Institutions  and  has  served  as  Steward  for  each.     Is  a 
Founder  of  the  "  Semper  Paratus  "  (Fire  Brigade)  Lodge. 

1903.  W.  J.  S.  Mann.     Is  a  Life  Governor  of  the  Royal  Masonic 
Benevolent  Institution  and  has  served  as  Steward. 

1904.  E.  P.  Whitley  Hughes. 

1905.  H.  E.  Mathews.     Is  a  Life  Governor  of  the  Boys'  and  Girls' 
Institution,  and  a  Founder  of  the  Royal  and  Loyal  Lodge,  No.  2,952, 
a  Coronation  Lodge  in  connection  with  the  King's  Royal  Rifles. 

From  its  establishment  until  May  19th,  1885,  the 
Lodge  met  at  the  Crown  Hotel.  The  Masonic  Rooms 
over  the  Ironworks  at  the  top  of  West-street  were  then 
furnished,  and  here  the  brethren  met  from  July  7th, 
1885,  until  March  3rd,  1891,  when  they  went  back  to 
the  Crown  Hotel  until  the  Masonic  Hall  in  St.  James's 
Road  was  opened  on  Sept.  6th,  1898,  the  foundation 
stone  having  been  laid  on  June  22nd  in  the  same  year. 


266  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

THE   FORESTERS. 

Court  "  Hand-in- Hand,"  No.  4,660,  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Foresters  is  the  largest  and  oldest  of  the  local 
permanent  benefit  societies.  It  was  opened  at  the  Dorset 
Arms  Hotel  on  June  18th,  1857.  Some  six  years  later 
the  Sussex  Arms  was  made  its  head  quarters,  and  even- 
tually it  migrated  to  the  Crown  Hotel,  which  house  has 
remained  its  place  of  meeting  ever  since.  Mr.  W.  Harding, 
the  present  librarian  of  the  Literary  Institute,  was  its 
first  secretary,  a  position  which  has  been  held  for  the 
past  36  years  by  Mr.  John  Moon.  The  membership  roll 
totals  481  and  its  funds  to-day  reach  the  very  gratifying 
total  of  £10,104.  12s.  lOd. 

THE   SHEPHERDS. 

The  Ancient  Order  of  Shepherds  was  founded  as  an 
off-shoot  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Foresters,  the  rules  of 
the  latter  at  one  time  not  admitting  of  the  payment  of 
more  than  14s.  a  week  sick  pay.  The  Shepherds  was 
started  in  order  that  those  Foresters  who  could  afford  it 
might  secure  an  extra  7s.,  and  for  many  years  no  person 
was  allowed  to  join  who  was  not  already  a  Forester.  A 
Sanctuary  was  opened  at  the  Dorset  Arms  Hotel  a  year 
or  two  after  the  founding  of  the  Foresters'  Court.  The 
late  Mr.  William  Tooth  was  its  first  scribe,  or  secretary, 
and  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  A.  M.  Betchley.  The 
membership  in  time  became  so  small  that  those  remaining 
eventually  amalgamated  with  the  "Star  of  Sussex" 
Sanctuary  at  Brighton,  about  a  dozen  members  passing 
over.  In  1882  Mr.  Charles  Betchley  took  the  matter  up 
in  earnest  and  was  instrumental  in  re-establishing  a 
Sanctuary  in  East  Grinstead.  This  was  opened  on 
September  26th  of  the  year  named  at  the  Railway  Hotel, 
and  Mr.  Betchley  became  its  first  scribe.  The  position 
has  since  been  held  by  Messrs.  W.  Grove,  J.  W.  Brown 
and  Geo.  Bristow.  The  Sanctuary  has,  for  some  years 
now,  had  its  head  quarters  at  the  Crown  Hotel.  There 
are  at  present  71  members,  with  accumulated  funds 
amounting  to  £390.  15s.  6d. 


FRIENDLY   SOCIETIES.  267 

THE   « PRINCESS  ALEXANDRA"   LODGE   OF 
ODD  FELLOWS. 

This  Lodge  was  opened  on  October  26th,  1864,  at  the 
Station  Inn,  now  the  Railway  Hotel,  by  the  officers  of 
the  Lewes  District,  a  dispensation  for  the  purpose  having 
been  granted  to  the  "Victoria"  Lodge  at  Uckfield. 
Twenty  members  joined  the  first  evening.  Two  years 
later  the  Lodge,  at  its  own  request,  was  transferred  from 
the  Lewes  to  the  Tonbridge  District.  In  1878  the  head 
quarters  were  removed  to  the  Crown  Hotel,  which  has 
been  the  place  of  meeting  ever  since.  Mr.  W.  H.  Wood 
has  been  Secretary  to  the  Lodge  for  28  years.  The 
members  now  number  256  and  the  funds,  exclusive 
of  a  large  share  in  the  district  capital,  amount  to 
£4,371.  11s.  lid. 


There  are  branches  in  the  town  of  the  Redhill  Work- 
men's Provident  Society ;  the  Tunbridge  Wells  and 
South -Eastern  Counties  Equitable  Association;  and  the 
Hearts  of  Oak  Friendly  Society. 


LIMITED  LIABILITY  COMPANIES, 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

THE   GAS  AND  WATER  COMPANY. 

THE  question  of  establishing  a  Gas  Company  for  East 
Grinstead  was  first  considered  in  1847,  a  committee  being 
appointed  at  a  meeting  on  January  19th  in  that  year  to 
consider  the  matter.  Nothing  came  of  it,  however,  and 
on  October  25th,  1854,  another  public  meeting  was 
held  and  the  question  taken  up  in  real  earnest.  The 
necessary  capital  was  soon  guaranteed;  the  provisional 
directors  were  elected  on  November  16th;  a  week  later 
Mr.  T.  Cramp  was  appointed  the  first  Secretary  ;  a 
month  after  a  site  for  the  works  was  chosen ;  and  on 
February  1st,  1855,  the  P^ast  Grinstead  Gas  Light  and 
Coke  Company  was  formed  under  a  deed  of  settlement 
and  duly  registered.  In  its  early  days  the  Company  did 
well.  For  many  years  its  capital  did  not  exceed  £1,780, 
arid  dividends  reaching  10  per  cent,  were  paid.  Then  it 
fell  upon  bad  times  and  the  whole  concern  was  mort- 
gaged for  £500.  But  in  due  course,  with  a  change  of 
management,  its  old  prosperity  was  restored  and  enough 
was  earned  to  pay  a  dividend  of  22%  per  cent.  Then 
came  the  addition  of  the  Water  Works,  which  were 
opened  with  some  ceremony  on  December  21st,  1880. 
To  meet  the  great  expense  involved  a  new  Company, 
with  increased  capital,  had  been  formed  under  an  Act 
passed  on  June  17th,  1878.  It  was  named  the  East 
Grinstead  Gas  and  Water  Company.  The  shareholders 
in  the  old  Company  received  £12.  10s.  of  stock  in  the 
new  for  every  £5  of  their  holding  in  the  first  Company. 
Mr.  William  Pearless  was  the  first  Chairman  of  the  old 
Company  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  W.  V.  K. 
Stenning,  who  still  holds  office.  The  first  Directors,  in 
addition  to  Mr.  Pearless,  were  Messrs.  W.  Chapman,  J. 


LIMITED    LIABILITY    COMPANIES.  269 

Sheppard,  T.  Gravett,  T.  Foster,  J.  Fowle  and  A.  T. 
Hooker.  The  present  Directors  are  Messrs.  W.  V.  K. 
Stenning,  J.  B.  Allwork,  P.  E.  Wallis,  T.  Fieldwick,  F. 
Turner  and  J.  Donaldson.  Mr.  Evelyn  A.  Head  has  held 
the  position  of  Secretary  for  many  years.  Mr.  D.  T. 
Livesey  is  in  charge  of  the  Gas  Works  and  Mr.  R.  G. 
Payne,  who  comes  of  a  very  old  East  Grinstead  family, 
has  the  superintendence  of  the  Water  Works.  The 
authorised  capital  is  £57,814,  of  which  £5,814  is  "A" 
stock,  £7,000  "A"  shares,  £5,000  "B"  shares  and 
£40,000  "  C  "  shares.  The  whole  of  the  "  A  "  stock  and 
"A"  and  "B"  shares  have  been  issued,  together  with 
£20,000  of  the  "C"  shares.  There  have  also  been 
debentures  issued  to  the  amount  of  £8,053.  10s.,  making, 
with  premiums,  a  total  capital  issue  of  £48,232.  7s.  6d. 

The  progressive  section  of  the  community  were  not 
long  in  making  their  presence  felt  after  the  establishment 
of  the  Company.  The  subject  of  public  lighting  was 
brought  before  a  specially  convened  Vestry  meeting,  held 
on  September  22nd,  1855,  and  a  resolution  in  favour  of 
the  adoption  of  the  Watching  and  Lighting  Act  was  only 
defeated  on  the  casting  vote  of  the  Chairman.  Nothing 
daunted,  the  promoters  began  the  collection  of  subscrip- 
tions, and  on  November  9th,  1855,  the  streets  of  the 
town  were  lighted  for  the  first  time  by  gas.  The 
benefits  of  the  system  were  so  appreciated  that  a  year 
later,  October  16th,  1856,  the  Vestry  reversed  its  prior 
decision  and  agreed  to  adopt  public  lighting  by  gas  for  a 
radius  of  1^  miles  from  the  Parish  Church  at  an  expense 
not  exceeding  £80  a  year.  Having  got  the  required 
permission,  the  Gas  Company  lost  no  time  in  extending 
the  system  under  the  direction  of  the  lighting  inspectors. 
To  meet  the  cost,  the  charge  then  being  7s.  6d.  per  1,000 
feet,  it  was  found  necessary  at  the  ensuing  Easter  Vestry 
on  March  19th,  1857,  to  make  a  lighting  rate  over  the 
specified  area  of  8d.  in  the  £  on  houses  and  2d.  in  the 
£  on  land.  As  soon  as  they  had  to  pay  people  began  to 
grumble,  and  the  result  was  that  on  November  27th  of 
the  same  year  a  poll  was  taken  on  the  question  of  the 
amount  to  be  allowed  and  152  people  voted  for  £80  a 


270  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

year,  but  only  16  for  cutting  it  down  to  £40  a  year. 
Since  then  the  system  has  gradually  developed  until  now 
East  Grinstead  is  as  well  provided  with  public  lights  as 
any  town  of  its  size  in  the  South  of  England  at  a  cost  of 
about  £500  per  annum. 

In  1896  an  attempt  was  made  to  introduce  the  electric 
light,  and  on  June  26th  of  that  year  the  East  Grinstead 
Electric  Lighting  Company  was  incorporated  with  a 
capital  of  £15,000.  The  Urban  Council,  however,  gave 
notice  that  it  would  oppose  the  Company's  provisional 
order,  as  it  desired  itself  to  have  control  of  the  electric 
light.  Consequently  the  Company  died  out,  and  in  time 
the  Urban  Council  changed  its  mind  and  abandoned  all 
idea  of  building  electric  light  works.  The  electric  light 
was  first  used  in  East  Grinstead  on  January  13th,  1885, 
when  it  was  temporarily  installed  for  a  bachelor's  ball  at 
the  Crown  Hotel. 

Gas  was  first  publicly  used  in  the  village  of  Forest 
Row  on  November  18th,  1903. 

SANITARY  LAUNDRY  COMPANY. 

This  Company  was  incorporated  in  September,  1889, 
with  a  capital  of  £4,000  in  800  shares  of  £5  each,  of 
which  590  shares,  producing  £2,950,  have  so  far  been 
issued.  The  Company  was  formed  to  take  over  the 
laundry  which  had  been  built  in  Wood  Street,  Station 
Road,  and  to  carry  on  there  or  elsewhere  the  business  of 
a  laundry  company  in  all  its  branches.  The  premises 
were  publicly  opened  for  use  on  November  2nd,  1889. 
The  present  Directors  of  the  Company  are  Messrs.  Evelyn 
A.  Head  (chairman),  H.  S.  Martin,  A.  Bridgland,  C.  M. 
Wilson  and  W.  H.  Hills.  Mr.  S.  J.  Huggett  is  secretary. 

CONSTITUTIONAL  CLUB   COMPANY. 

This  Company  was  incorporated  on  July  3rd,  1890, 
with  a  capital  of  £4,000,  divided  into  4,000  shares  of  £1 
each,  of  which  2,124  shares  have  at  present  been  issued. 
The  Directors  of  the  Company  are  Messrs.  W.  V.  K. 


LIMITED   LIABILITY   COMPANIES.  271 

Stenning  (chairman),  W.  H.  Hills  (managing  director 
and  secretary),  H.  Daniels,  H.  B.  Harwood,  A.  Heasman, 
H.  S.  Martin  and  J.  A.  Payne.  The  Club  was  opened 
on  March  30th,  1893,  the  building  occupying  the  site  of 
several  small  shops  and  cottages  formerly  known  as 
"  The  Round  Houses." 

RICE   BROTHERS,   LIMITED. 

This  highly-reputable  and  widely-spread  business  is 
one  of  the  oldest  of  the  local  trading  companies,  and 
has  had  a  successful  career  since  its  formation.  Its 
certificate  of  incorporation  is  dated  August  llth,  1893. 
The  Company  was  formed  to  take  over  the  business  of 
saddlery  manufacturers  and  implement  agents  carried  on 
by  Mr.  Thomas  Rice  and  Mr.  Joseph  Rice,  which  had 
been  established  many  years  before  in  the  premises 
now  owned  by  Mr.  George  Brinkhurst  and  adjoining 
the  Swan  Hotel.  It  was  for  a  long  period  owned  by 
members  of  the  Hay  ward  family,  and  then  passed  through 
the  hands  of  the  Charlwood  and  Brinkhurst  families 
before  coming  to  the  Rices.  The  capital  of  the  Com- 
pany is  £4,200,  divided  into  100  four  per  cent,  preference 
shares  of  £10  each  and  320  ordinary  shares  of  £10  each. 
The  whole  of  this  has  been  issued.  Since  its  incorpora- 
tion the  Company  has  opened  up  branches  at  Edenbridge, 
Tunbridge  Wells,  Hay  wards  Heath,  Lindfield  and 
Horsham.  The  Directors  are  Messrs.  P.  E.  Wallis 
(chairman),  T.  Voice,  Thomas,  Joseph,  Alfred  and  James 

/'  '  *•        ' 

Rice,  the  last-named  having  taken  the  place  of  Mr.  Henry 
Smith,  who  was  an  original  Director. 

THE  SOUTHDOWN  AND  EAST   GRINSTEAD 
BREWERIES,  LIMITED. 

This  Company  was  registered  on  June  1 1th,  1895,  with 
the  object  of  acquiring  the  businesses  of  brewers  and 
maltsters  and  wine  and  spirit  merchants  of  Messrs. 
Dashwood  &  Co.,  East  Grinstead,  and  Messrs.  A.  G.  S. 
and  T.  S.  Manning,  of  the  Southdown  Brewery,  Lewes, 
as  from  July  1st,  1895. 


272  HISTORY   OF   EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

The  capital  was  originally  £95,000,  divided  into  5,000 
5  per  cent,  preference  shares  of  £10  each  and  4,500 
ordinary  shares  of  like  value.  There  was  also  a  4  per 
cent,  first  mortgage  of  £25,000  on  the  Southdown 
Brewery,  and  4  per  cent,  debenture  stock  for  £50,000. 
In  1898  Messrs.  Monk  &  Sons'  Bear  Brewery,  at  Lewes, 
and  the  Dolphin  Brewery,  at  Cuckfield,  having  been 
purchased,  the  share  capital  was  increased  to  the  present 
total  amount  of  £165,000,  by  the  creation  of  4,500  pre- 
ference and  2,500  ordinary  £10  shares,  which  were  offered 
for  public  subscription  in  March,  1898,  the  preference 
shares  at  a  premium  of  10s.  and  the  ordinary  shares  at 
par.  At  the  same  time  subscriptions  were  invited  at  £103 
per  cent,  for  £96,000  4  per  cent,  perpetual  "A"  mortgage 
debenture  stock,  forming  part  of  an  authorised  total  of 
£170,000.  By  this  means  the  total  capital  was  increased 
from  £170,000  to  £321,000,  the  mortgage  on  the  South- 
down Brewery  having  been  paid  off.  The  balance  of 
the  authorised  debenture  stock  has  since  been  issued,  so 
that  the  paid-up  capital  is  now  £335,000,  made  up  of 
£95,000  in  preference  shares,  £70,000  in  ordinary  shares 
and  £170,000  in  debenture  stock. 

Mr.  A.  G.  S.  Manning  is  the  chairman,  the  other 
Directors  being  Mr.  William  Pawley  and  Mr.  T.  S. 
Manning  (managing  director).  The  Company  has  been 
most  successful,  dividends  on  its  ordinary  shares  having 
reached  18  per  cent. 


A.  &  C.  BRIDGLAND,  LIMITED. 

This  Company  took  over  the  well-known  manufactur- 
ing and  furnishing  ironmongery  business  established  in 
the  High  Street  in  the  year  1840  by  the  late  Mr.  James 
Bridgland.  It  was  removed  in  1865  to  the  existing 
premises  in  London  Road,  and  there  carried  on  by  Mr. 
Bridgland  until  his  death  in  1887,  and  afterwards  by  his 
sons,  Messrs.  Alfred  &  Charles  Bridgland.  The  Company 
was  registered  on  November  3()th,  1898,  with  a  total 
capital  of  £10,000,  in  5,000  5  per  cent,  preference  shares 


LIMITED    LIABILITY   COMPANIES.  273 

of  £1  each  and  5,000  ordinary  shares  of  £1  each.  There 
have  so  far  been  issued  the  whole  of  the  preference  shares 
and  4,000  of  the  ordinary  shares.  The  Directors  of  the 
Company  are  Messrs.  A.  Bridgland  (chairman  and 
managing  director),  A.  Heasman,  J.  B.  All  work  and  A. 
Davis.  Mr.  E.  T.  Berry  has  been  secretary  from  the 
commencement. 


FARNCOMBE  AND   COMPANY,   LIMITED. 

This  Company  owns  businesses  at  Lewes,  Eastbourne 
and  East  Grinstead.  It  was  registered  on  August  31st, 
1899,  to  take  over  the  general  printing  works  in  the 
towns  named  long  owned  by  Mr.  Joseph  Farncombe  and 
the  newspapers  published  by  him,  including  the  East 
Sussex  News,  Eastbourne  Clironicle,  East  Grinstead 
Observer,  Sussex  and  Surrey  Courier  and  other  well- 
known  county  journals.  The  capital  of  the  Company  is 
£30,000,  divided  into  6,000  shares  of  £5,  of  which  4,300 
shares,  making  a  capital  of  £21,500,  have  up  to  the 
present  been  issued.  The  Directors  from  the  first  have 
been  Messrs.  J.  Farncombe,  J.  Farncombe,  jun.,  T.  J. 
Farncombe,  F.  R.  Terson  and  H.  G.  Walston. 


FOSTERS,   EAST   GRINSTEAD,   LIMITED. 

This  Company  was  registered  on  April  10th,  1901, 
with  a  capital  of  £3,000  in  600  shares  of  £5  each,  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  over  the  business  of  steam  road 
roller  proprietors  and  reaping,  mowing  and  haulage 
contractors  hitherto  carried  on  by  the  Executors  of  the 
late  Mr.  Abraham  Foster,  of  Hazelden  Farm,  East 
Grinstead.  Up  to  the  present  500  of  the  shares  have 
been  issued.  The  first  Directors  were  Messrs.  Joseph 
Rice  (chairman),  D.  Dadswell,  W.  Miles  and  W.  H. 
Hills,  and  they  still  hold  office.  The  character  of  the 
business  has  been  greatly  changed  during  latter  years 
and  the  Company  has  now  the  largest  engineering  works 
in  the  neighbourhood. 


274  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

H.   S.   MARTIN,   LIMITED. 

This  Company  was  registered  on  June  23rd,  1904, 
with  a  capital  of  £10,000  in  10,000  shares  of  £1  each. 
It  was  established  to  continue  the  business  so  long 
conducted  by  Mr.  H.  S.  Martin,  and  subsequently  by  Mr. 
W.  Carter,  of  chemist  and  mineral  water  manufacturer. 
Only  £2,880  of  the  share  capital  has  been  issued. 
There  is  also  a  debenture  issue  of  £3,000  out  of  an 
authorised  series  of  £3,500.  The  Directors  are  Messrs. 
J.  C.  Umney,  W.  Carter,  H.  S.  Martin  and  W.  H.  Hills. 

JOHN  STENNINa   &   SON,  LIMITED. 

This  Company  has  a  capital  of  £36,000,  divided  into 
3,600  shares  of  £10  each,  of  which  2,276  shares,  repre- 
senting a  capital  of  £22,760,  have  been  issued.  It  was 
incorporated  on  July  llth,  1900,  for  the  purpose  of 
acquiring,  carrying  on  and  working  as  a  going  concern 
the  business  of  John  Stenning  &  Son,  timber  merchants 
and  sawmill  proprietors,  of  London,  East  Grrinstead  and 
Robertsbridge,  and  which  was  originally  established  in 
1792.  The  Directors  of  the  Company  are  Messrs.  A.  H. 
Stenning  (chairman),  W.  J.  Stenning  and  H.  B.  Harwood. 


ADDENDA. 


Pages  16  and  31. — Thomas  Cure,  who  obtained  the  grant  of  arms  for 
East  Grinstead  on  being  returned  by  the  Borough  to  Parliament, 
was  buried  in  Southwark  Cathedral,  and  over  his  tomb  is  a  marble 
stone,  inscribed : — 

THOMAS  CURE,  Esqr 

(of  Southwark) 
Obiit  24th  May,  1588 

Elizabetha  tibi  princeps  servivit  Equorum 
A  Sellis  Gurus  quern  lapis  iste  tegit. 
Serviit  Edwardo  Regi  Mariaeque  Sorori  ; 
Principibus  magna  est  laus  placuisse  tribus. 
Couvixit  cunctis  charus  respublica  Curae 
Semper  erat  Curo  Coinmoda  plebis  erant. 
Dum  vixit,  tribui  senibus  curavit  alendis 
Nummorum  in  sumptus  annua  dona  domos. 

Tliis  piece  of  punning  poetry  has  puzzled  many  a  latter-day  scholar. 
Was  Cure  a  prosperous  tradesman  who  served  three  monarchs,  or 
was  he  an  officer  in  three  successive  Royal  households — those  of 
Edward  VI.,  Mary  and  Elizabeth  ?  Bearing  in  mind  that  it  was 
in  the  reign  of  the  last-named  monarch  that  he  was  elected  to 
Parliament  and  that  Lord  Buckhurst,  the  patron  of  this  Borough, 
was  Lord  High  Treasurer  to  Queen  Elizabeth,  the  latter  was 
possibly  the  honour  he  enjoyed,  and  the  following  is  perhaps  not 
a  very  incorrect  free  translation  of  the  inscription  :  — 

Cure,  whom  this  stone  covers,  served  Elizabeth  as  Master  of  her  saddle-horses. 
He  served  also  King  Edward  and  Mary  his  sister.  A  great  honour  is  it  to  have 
pleased  three  Sovereigns.  He  lived  beloved  by  all.  The  State  was  ever  a  care  to 
Cure.  The  welfare  of  the  people  was  a  care  to  him.  During  his  lifetime  he 
cared  for  the  support  of  the  aged  and  caused  annual  gifts  of  money  to  be  assigned 
to  meet  the  expenses,  and  he  gave  houses  also. 

Page  24. — In  1384  Ricardus  Danyell  and  Ricardus  Woghere  were 
returned  M.P.'s  for  East  Grinstead  on  April  29th  and  November 
12th. 

Page  30th. — At  the  bye-election  in  1557-8,  caused  by  Thomas  Sackville 
electing  to  sit  for  Westmoreland,  Thomas  Farnham  was  returned 
for  East  Grinstead. 

Page  38.— On  April  21st,  1675,  Edward  Sackville  was  elected  for 
East  Grinstead  in  the  place  of  Lord  Buckhurst,  created  a  Peer. — 
On  October  25th,  1678,  Thomas  Pelham  was  returned  in'ce  Edward 
Sackville,  deceased. 

Page  49. — The  following  were  additional  bye-elections  :  On  April  5th, 
1715,  and  November  6th,  1722,  Richard  Lord  Viscount  Shannon 
was  returned  for  East  Grinstead  vice  Spencer  Compton,  who  on 
each  occasion  elected  to  sit  for  the  County  of  Sussex ;  on  April 
6th,  1725,  Edward  Conyers  was  returned  vice  John  Conyers, 
deceased. 

T  2 


LIST  OF  SUBSCRIBERS, 


COPIES 

The  Most  Noble  the  Marquess  of  Abergavenny,  K.G.,  Bridge  Castle,  Sussex  3 

J.  Brook  Allwork,  28,  High  Street,  East  Griustead       1 

Colonel  C.  H.  Bagot,  C.B.,  Brook  Cottage,  East  Grinstead 1 

Abe  Bailey,  J.P.,  Yewhurst,  East  Grinstead      2 

J.  S.  Beale,  J.P.,  Standeu,  East  Grinstead          1 

Alfred  M.  Betchley,  White  Lion  Hotel,  London  Road,  East  Grinstead       ...  2 

The  Rev.  Douglas  Y.  BlaMston,  M. A.,  The  Vicarage,  East  Grinstead         ...  1 

Edward  C.  Blount,  J. P.,  Imberhorne,  East  Griustead 2 

Alfred  Bridgland,  33  and  35,  London  Road,  East  Grinstead 1 

Frank  Brinkhurst,  Henfield  Villa,  Cranston  Road,  East  Grinstead    1 

Frederick  Bristow,  Elm  House,  East  Grinstead 1 

W.  Brunsden,  Camden  Cottage,  East  Grinstead  1 

T.  H.  W.  Buckley,  The  Grange,  Crawley  Down,  Sussex          1 

Harry  Bentinck  Budd,  F.Z.S.,  Cromwell  Hall,  East  Grinstead         1 

F.  J.  Budd-Budd,  76A,  Marine  Parade,  Brighton          2 

Miss  Bunting,  The  Larches,  East  Grinstead        1 

Colonel  W.  H.  Campion,  C.B.,  V.D.,  J.P.,  Danny,  Hassocks 1 

F.  H.  Champneys,  M.D.,  L.R.C.P.,  Nutley,  Uckfield,  and  42,  Upper  Brook 

Street,  Park  Lane,  London,  W.  1 

T.  H.  Church,  20,  Bucklersbury,  London,  E.C 1 

Mrs.  Clark,  6,  Cyril  Street,  Northampton 1 

Alfred  Clark,  Moat  Nursery,  East  Grinstead  1 

Mrs.  Stephenson  Clarke,  Brook  House,  West  Hoathly 1 

The  Right  Hon.  the  Lord  Colchester,  F.S.A.,  Carlton  Club,  London,  S.W...  1 

F.  G.  Courthope,  Southover,  Lewes  1 

The  Rev.  C.  W.  Payne  Crawfurd,  M.A.  Oxford,  J.P.  for  Sussex,  Ardmillan, 

East  Griustead 2 

The  Rev.  Gibbs  Payne  Crawfurd,  M.A.  Oxon.,  The  Vicarage,  Bicester,  Oxon.  1 

Robert  Payne  Crawfurd,  Baidland,  Seaford,  Sussex  1 

The  Rev.  Chas.  H.  P.  Crawfurd,  M.A.  Oxon.,  The  Vicarage,  Milbonie  Port, 

Somerset 1 

The  Rev.  Lionel  P.  Crawfurd,  M.A.  Oxon.,  St.  Cuthbert's  Vicarage, 

Gateshead,  Durham  1 

Raymond  H.  P.  Crawfurd,  M.A.  Oxon.,M.D.,  F.  R.C.P.,  71,  Harley  Street,  W.  1 

Edgar  M.  Crookshauk,  J. P.,  Saint  Hill,  East  Grinstead  1 

J.  Dalziel,  Craigcoila,  East  Griustead       1 

The  Rev.  Prebendary  Deedes,  M.A.,  Little  London,  Chichester        1 

John  Ditch,  Old  Buckhurst,  Withyham 1 

W.  H.  Dixon,  51,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead 2 

\Vm.  Eagles,  Falconhurst,  Lingfield,  Surrey       1 

The  Rev.  Arthur  Eden,  M. A.,  Ticehurst,  Sussex  2 

J.  Kennedy  Esdaile,  J.P.,  Hazelwood,  Horsted  Keynes  1 

Chas.  Hugh  Everard,  M.A. ,  J.P.,  Newlands,  East  Griustead 1 

Miss  Everard,  Newlands,  East  Grinstead 1 

John  H.  Every,  The  Croft,  St.  Anne's,  Lewes 1 


278  HISTORY   OF    EAST   GRINSTEAD. 

XO.  OF 
COPIBS 

A.  Faber,  Offerton,  Forest  Row      1 

Alderman  Jos.  Farncombe,  Saltwood,  Spencer  Road,  Eastbourne     1 

Sir  Richard  Farrant,  Rockhurst,  West  Hoathly 1 

The  Rev.  Robert  Fisher,  M. A.,  St.  Thomas's  Vicarage,  Groombridge          ...  1 

W.  H.  B.  Fletcher,  M.A.,  J.P.,  Aldwick  Manor,  Bognor,  Sussex     1 

Geo.  P.  Forwood,  Great  House  Court,  East  Grinstead 1 

Alex.  Freeland,  The  Hermitage,  East  Grinstead  2 

Douglas  W.  Freshfield,  M.A.,  Wych  Cross  House,  Forest  Row,  and  1,  Airlie 

Gardens,  Campden  Hill,  W 1 

The  Hon.  A.  E.  Gathorne-Hardy,  77,  Cadogan  Square,  London,  S.W.        ...  1 

Geo.  A.  D.  Goslett,  Chelworth,  Chelwood  Gate,  Sussex          1 

J.  Eglinton  A.  Gwynne,  J.P.,  F.S.A.,  Folkington  Manor,  Polegate,  R.S.O., 

Sussex       1 

R.  Hall,  Bookseller,  Tunbridge  Wells       1 

J.  Southey  Hall,  Albion  House,  London  Road,  East  Grinstead          1 

A.  H.  Hastie,  17,  Queen  Street,  Mayfair,  London         6 

Miss  H.  A.  Hastie,  Place  Land,  East  Griustead 1 

Evelyn  Alston  Head,  Daledene,  East  Grinstead ..  1 

W.  Alston  Head,  Domons,  East  Grinstead          1 

Alfred  Heasman,  Holmewood,  Station  Road,  East  Grinstead 1 

H.  Heasman,  South  wick  House,  East  Grinstead  1 

H.  S.  McCalmont  Hill,  LL.D.,  The  Priory,  Argyll  Road,  Boscombe  ...  1 

M.  Hills,  Hadfold  Villa,  Boundary  Road,  Hove 1 

Alfred  Hoare,  Charl wood  Farm,  East  Grinstead 1 

John  H.  Hooker,  Courtfield,  Cranston  Road,  East  Grinstead 1 

J.  H.  Honeycombe,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead          1 

W.  Hosken,  The  School  House,  East  Grinstead 1 

Ethelbert  Hosking.  M.R.C.S.  Eng.,  Turners  Hill,  Sussex       I 

Robert  Hovenden,  F.S.A.,  Heathcote,  12,  Park  Hill  Road,  Croydon  ...  1 

Sydney  J.  Huggett,  Belvedere,  Cantelupe  Road,  East  Grinstead      1 

E.  P.  Whitley  Hughes,  The  Moat  House,  East  Grinstead        1 

The  Rev.  R.  E.  Hutton,  St.  Margaret's  Lodge,  East  Grinstead         1 

T.  Hyde,  J.P.,  Pixtoii  Hill,  Forest  Row 1 

Herbert  Jeddere -Fisher,  M.A.,  Apsley  Town,  East  Grinstead  1 

A.  Johnson,  Greenstede  House,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead 3 

W.  H.  Johnson,  Dover  Cottage,  East  Grinstead 1 

Sydney  Larnach,  Brambletye,  East  Grinstead 1 

G.  Locker-Lampson,  Rowfant,  Crawley,  Sussex 1 

Oliver  Locker-Lampson,  Rowfant,  Crawley,  Sussex      1 

The  Honourable  Society  of  Lincolns  Inn,  Lincolns  Inn,  London,  W.C.      ...  1 
The  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Liverpool,  Kirkham  Abbey,  York,  and  2,  Carlton 

House  Terrace,  London,  S.W 2 

Gerald  W.  E.  Loder,  F.S.A.,  Wakehurst  Place,  Ardingly,  Sussex     1 

Henry  Lucas,  Bramblehurst,  East  Grmstead      2 

Job  Luxford,  Forest  Row     1 

Major  T.  A.  Maberly,  Mytten,  Cuckfield 1 

W.  J.  S.  Mann,  Middle  Row,  East  Grinstead      1 

T.  S.  Manning,  The  Brewery  House,  East  Grmstead 1 


LIST   OF   SUBSCRIBERS.  279 

NO.  OF 
COPIES 

Edward  Martin,  J.P.,  Woodcote,  Forest  Row 1 

H.  S.  Martin,  5,  Compton  Avenue,  Brighton      2 

•G.  M.  Maryon- Wilson,  J.P.,  Searles,  Fletching 1 

H.  E.  Mathews,  Woodbury,  East  Grinstead        1 

The  Rev.  R.  B.  Matson,  B.A.  Oxon.,  The  Modern  School,  East  Grinstead  ...  1 

Admiral  Wm.  H.  Maxwell,  J.P.,  Holywych,  Cowden,  Kent 1 

John  McAndrew,  J.P.,  Holly  Hill,  Coleman's  Hatch,  Tunbridge  Wells      ...  1 

Wm.  Milburn,  J.P.,  Shabden,  Chipstead,  Surrey          1 

C.  G.  Morris,  Ashurst  Wood,  East  Grinstead      1 

The  Mother  Superior,  St.  Margaret's,  East  Grinstead 1 

J.  G.  Mortimer,  20,  Clifton  Street,  Brighton      1 

Lady  Musgrave,  Hurst-aii-Clays,  East  Grinstead          1 

Frank  Newington,  208,  High  Street,  Lewes         ...          1 

J.  A.  Nix,  Tilgate,  Crawley 1 

His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  E.M.,  K.G.,  Arundel  Castle,  Sussex          ...  2 

The  Most  Noble  the  Marquess  of  Northampton,  51,  Lennox  Gardens,  S.W.  1 

E.  L.  Nunneley,  Summerford,  East  Grinstead 1 

J.  S.  Oxley,  M.A.,  44,  Beaufort  Gardens,  London,  S.W 1 

Harry  Payne.  151,  London  Road,  East  Grinstead  1 

R.  G.  Payne,  Waterworks,  East  Grinstead          1 

James  R.  Pearless,  LL.B.,  Sackville  Cottage,  East  Grinstead 1 

Pearless  &  Sons,  Solicitors,  East  Grinstead         1 

Sir  W.  ]).  Pearson,  Bart.,  M.P.,  Paddockhurst,  Worth,  Sussex        4 

H.  Perkins,  Old  Bank  House,  East  Grinstead     1 

Childe  Pocock,  R.B.A.,  Birkbeck  College,  Bream's  Buildings,  E.C 1 

F.  C.  Poynder,  M.B.,  92,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead 1 

W.  W.  Radcliffe,  M.A.,  Fonthill,  East  Grinstead         1 

T.  E.  Ravenshaw,  J.P.,  South  Hill,  Worth         1 

Mrs.  Geo.  Read,  19  and  21,  London  Road,  East  Grinstead      1 

Stuart  J.  Reid,  Blackwell  Cliff,  East  Grinstead 1 

Walter  C.  Renshaw,  K.C.,  Sandrocks,  near  Hayward's  Heath  1 

Thomas  Rice,  London  Road,  East  Griustead       1 

George  Rice,  Godstone,  Surrey        1 

Henry  Rice,  High  Street,  UckfLeld 1 

Alfred  Rice,  Fernleigh,  Ship  Street,  East  Grinstead      1 

Joseph  Rice,  J.P.,  Wesley  House,  Cantelupe  Road,  East  Grinstead 1 

James  Rice,  63,  West  Street,  Horsham 1 

Wm.  Ridley,  St.  Wilfrids,  East  Grinstead  2 

F.  S.  Robertson,  The  Mount,  East  Grinstead      1 

R.  Rouse,  Middle  Row,  East  Grinstead 1 

John  G.  Scaramanga,  5,  Campden  Hill  Terrace,  London,  W 1 

Edgar  Soames,  Oasted,  East  Grinstead 1 

J.  C.  Stenuing,  Steel  Cross  House,  Tuubridge  Wells 6 

The  Rev.  Canon  Stenning,  Overton  Rectory,  Hants      1 

Frederick  Stoveld  Stenuing,  M.A.,  St.  Stephen's  Club,  Westminster,  S.W.  1 

Alderman  Wm.  V.  K.  Stenning,  J. P.,  Halsford,  East  Grinstead      1 

Alan  II.  Storming,  F.Z.S.,  East  Griustead          2 


280  HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 

NO.  OF 
COPIES 

Miss  Stenning,  Halsford,  East  Grinstead 2 

Alex.  R.  Stenning,  J.P.,  Hoathly  Hill,  West  Hoathly 1 

Edward  Stewart,  M.D.,  J.P.,  Brook  House,  East  Grinstead 1 

G.  F.  Stone,  Station  Road,  East  Griustead          1 

Walter  John  Sykes,  M.D.,  "Westfields,  East  Grinstead  1 

The  Rev.  J.  Thorp,  Felbridge  Vicarage,  East  Grinstead          1 

W.  Tongue,  Rocklands,  East  Grinstead 1 

John  Tooth,  1,  Hawthorn  Villas,  Sydney  Road,  Hayward's  Heath 1 

Sir  Geo.  Wyatt  Truscott,  Suffolk  Lane,  Cannon  Street,  London,  E.G.         ...  1 

Chas.  Turner,  Oakhurst,  Maypole  Road,  East  Grinstead         1 

Henry  Turner,  Elmstead,  East  Grinstead 1 

Frederick  Turner,  Moor  Place,  East  Grinstead 1 

Geo.  Underwood,  Crown  Hotel,  East  Grinstead 1 

T.  Voice,  Wilmington  House,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead 1 

P.  E.  Wallis,  M.R.C.S.,  Old  Stone  House,  East  Grinstead      1 

Sir  Spencer  Walpole,  K.C.B.,  Hartfield  Grove,  Coleman's  Hatch,  Sussex   ...  1 

A.  E.  N.  Ward,  Yewhurst,  East  Grinstead          1 

Arthur  C.  Waters,  Durkins,  East  Grinstead        1 

F.  C.  Watford,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead       1 

James  Watson,  M.D.,  Dormans  House,  Dormans  Park,  Surrey          ...          ..  1 

Edward  Waugh,  Hayward's  Heath  1 

Geo.  Webb,  87,  Chelsham  Road,  South  Croydon  1 

Mrs.  Whidborne,  Hammerwood,  East  Grinstead  1 

F.  A.  White,  J.P.,  Oakleigh,  East  Grinstead      1 

F.  S.  White,  Portlands,  Portland  Road,  East  Grinstead          1 

T.  S.  Whitfeld,  Dormans  Cross,  East  Griustead 1 

Noah  Whitman,  Turners  Hill,  Sussex       1 

Francis  Moore  Wilcox,  Tor  Leven ,  Cantelupe  Road,  East  Griustead  ...  1 

C.  M.  Wilson,  London  Road,  East  Grinstead      1 

R.  Winser,  London  Road,  East  Grinstead  ,        1 

Leslie  S.  Wood,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead      1 

Chas.  Wood,  76,  Moat  Road,  East  Griustead       1 

William  Jasper  Wood,  New  Maiden,  Surrey       1 

The   Rev.    Clement   C.   Woodland,    M.A.,   Hammerwood   Vicarage,   East 

Grinstead 1 

W.  E.  Woollam,  Council  Offices,  East  Grinstead  1 

J.  H.  Woollan,  19,  Deerbrook  Road,  Tulse  Hill,  S.E 1 

Edward  Young,  39,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead  1 

Ernest  W.  Young,  49,  High  Street,  East  Grinstead      1 

Henry  Young,  The  Hollies,  London  Road,  East  Grinstead      1 


INDEX  TO  LOCAL  PLACE  NAMES. 


INDEX  TO  LOCAL  PLACE  NAMES. 


A. 


Alchornds,  100. 

Almshouscs,  The,  122  to  124,  215. 
Anderida,  Forest  of,  1. 
Ardingly,  132. 
Ardmillan,  81. 

Ashdown  Forest,  1,  2,  3,  5,  32,  41,  116, 
142,  152,  155,  177,  190,  191,  208,  249. 


Ashdowii  House,  115,  173. 
Ashdowu  Park,  160. 
Ashurst,  or  The  Wild,  20,  120. 
Ashurst  Wood,  83,  90,  93,   120,   132, 
134,  160,  167,  181,  187,  197. 


B. 


Baches,  192. 

Baldwins  Hill,  6,  13,  237. 

Beeches,  72,  197. 

Birchcroft,  10. 

Birch  Grove,  184. 

Blackham,  100,  146. 

Blackwell,  67,  83. 

Blackwell  Farm,  184. 

Bletchingley,  137,  138,  153,  219. 

Blindley  Heath,  138,  146,  219. 

Blockfield  Farm,  146. 

Bolebrook,  101. 

Bower,  74,  121,  146. 

Boylies,  74. 

Brambletye,  21,  26,  32,  74,  85,  86,  106, 

109  to  115,  122,  123,  142,  146,   160, 

225,  226,  228. 

Brestowe,  or  Burstow  Park,  196  to  198. 
Brewers,  or  Brewhouse  Lane,  238. 
Brewery,  The,  271,  272. 
Broadstone,  202. 


Brockets,  119. 

Brockhurst,  or  Brookhurst,  or  Broke- 
hurst,  20,  73,  74,  107,  120,  130,  236, 
259. 

Broome,  100. 

Brownings  Cross,  10. 

Buckhurst  (Withyham),  2,  20,  97,  99, 
100,  110,  217. 

Buckhurst  House  (East  Griiistead),  243. 

Bucknors,  74. 

Budgens  Barn,  159. 

Buncegrove,  192. 

Burghurst,  20. 

Burleigh,  or  Burley  Arches,  20,  83. 

Burstow,  117. 

Bushcroft,  4. 

Bushfield,  4. 

Buxted,  1,  2,  59,  132,  176. 

Buxted  Park,  154. 

Buxted  Place,  53. 

Bysshecourt,  120. 


0. 


Cansiron,  141. 

Cantelupe  Road,  160,  262. 

Capital  and  Counties  Bank,  263. 

Cat,  The,  15,  42. 

Cemetery,  238. 

Chapel  Lane,  218,  238. 

Charlwood,  or  Charlwoods,  48,  74,  191. 

Charlwoods  Row,  160. 

Chartham,  173. 

Chartness,  100. 

Chequer  Inn,  The,  15,  53. 

Chequer  Mead,  The,  15,  50,  183,  186, 

247,  248,  259. 
Chequer  Road,  160,  167. 
Church  Street,  73,  106,  123,  197,  209, 

215. 


Clay  Pitts,  119. 

College  Lane,  85. 

Common,  The  (East  Grinstead),  5,  218, 

231,  247,  248. 
Coney boro'  Park,  53. 
Congregational  Church,  Ashurst  Wood, 

134. 

Constitutional  Club,  23,  216,  271. 
Conyclappers,  117. 
Cooke's  Mead,  83. 
Copthorne,  93,  167. 
Cottage  Hospital,  105,  237,  250  to  254, 

257. 

Court  House,  The,  216,  217,  257,  259. 
Cowden,  134,  141,  184,  193. 
Crabbctt,  48,  146,  173. 


284 


HISTORY   OF   EAST    GRINSTEAD. 


Cranston  Estate,  180. 
Cranston  Road,  160. 
Crawley  Down,  93,  141,  143,  146. 
Cricket  Field,  248,  249. 
Cromwell  House,  130. 
Crosses,  146. 


Daledene,  174. 
Dalliugridge,  3,  74,  111. 
Danny,  47. 

Dean  Cherry  Garden,  238. 
Dean  Fields,  85,  118. 
De  la  Warr  Road,  160. 
Digrnan's  Mead,  4. 
Dispensary,  105,  254,  255. 


Crown  Hotel,  The,  15,  50,  116,  153, 156, 
161,  183,  184,  186,  218,  243,  244,  247, 
261,  265  to  267,  270. 

Cullens,  74. 

Cullinghurst,  100. 


D. 


Dockets,  192. 
Demons,  174. 
Dorset  Arms,  The,  14,  15,  42,  147  to 

154,  244,  245,  266. 
Dorset  Head,  The,  15,  53. 
Duddleswell,  23,  85,  119,  191,  193. 
Dungates  Fields,  215. 
Durkins  Road,  160. 


E. 


East  Court,  76,  95,  107,  149,  166,  167, 

180. 
Edenbridge,  183. 


Elephant's  Head,  The,  253,  257. 
Bridge,  201,  203. 


F. 


Fail-field  Road,  160. 

Fairlight,  21,  167. 

Felbridge,  13,  19,  54,  59,  67,  86,   107, 

136  to  141,  145,   157,  159,   160,  185, 

232 

Feldlonde,  115. 
Fen  Place,  173,  193. 
Fire  Brigade  Station,  244. 
Fiscaridge,  100. 
Fletchiug,  1. 
Flower  Place,  205. 


Forest  Row,  1,  6,  12,  73,  88,  90,  121, 
130,  134,  158  to  160,  179,  195  to  197, 
200  to  205,  218,  232,  234,  239,  244, 
259,  270. 

Framfield,  64. 

Frampost,  74,  107. 

Friday  Mead,  50. 

Friston  Place,  53. 

Frogs  Hole,  159,  160. 

Furnace  Farm,  141. 

Furnace  Pond,  141. 


G. 


Gallows  Croft,  83,  218. 

Gas  Works,  The,  268  to  270. 

Gaynesfords,  109,  215. 

George,  The,  4,  10. 

Glen  Vue,  160,  163,  231,  232,  238,  239. 

Goddeiiwick,  82,  83,  121. 

Godstone,  136  to  139,  147,  149,  153  to 

155,  158,  161,  219. 
Gotwick  Farm,  146. 
Grange,  The,  148. 


Grange  Road,  163,  244. 
Gravetye,  82,  141  to  146. 
Greenfylde,  or  Green  Field,  109,  240. 
Green  Hedges,  174,  251,  254. 
Green  Hedges  Avenue,  160. 
Grinstead,  Manor  of,  108,  109,  241. 
Grinsted  Wild,  120. 
Grosveuor  Hall,  231,  259. 
Gulledge,  23,  109,  141. 


H. 


Halsford,  83,  163,  174,  218,  232. 
Hammerwood,  58,  121,   131,   141,  163, 

166,  251. 
Hackenden,  Hakeudeii,  Harkeuden,  or 

Haskenden,  117. 


Hartscroft,  4. 

Hartfield,  1,  2,   21,  82,   112,  121,  134 

141,    142,   160,   167,    174,   193,   201, 

219,  221,  223,  233. 
Harwoods,  74. 


INDEX    TO    LOCAL    PLACE    NAMES. 


285 


Hayheath,  174. 

Hazelden,  20,  74,  120,  145,  273. 

Hazelden  Cross,  159,  160. 

Heathland,  109. 

Hedgecourt,  117. 

Hendall,  99. 

Hengteswynde,  115. 

Hermitage,  61,  122,  160,  174,  176,  178, 

238,  256. 
Hicksted,  82,  83. 
Highgate,  155,  157,  158. 
High  Grove  Sanatorium,  106. 
High  Street,   61,    130,  174,   175,   209, 

216,  235  to  237,  240,  241,  244,  246, 

254,  256,  263,  272. 
Hill  Place,  14. 


Hiudleap,  2,  202. 
Hips  Fields  or  Mead,  15,  50,  130. 
Holehouse,  194. 
Holiday  Home,  253. 
Hollies,  The,  209. 
Holywych,  101,  163. 
Homestall,  74. 
Home,  137. 

Horshoe,  or  Horseshoe,  83. 
Horsted  Keynes,  76,  104,  118,  198. 
Horsted  Keynes  Broadhurst,  117,  118. 
Hownynggrove,  192. 
Hurley  Farm,  159. 

Hurst-aii-Clays,   2,   69,   159,  160,  163. 
225,  248. 


I. 


Imberhorne,  5,  10,  13,  23,  38,  75,  83,  85. 
94,  100,  115,  116,  119.  120,  146,  163; 
164,  188,  190,  195,  217. 


Imberhorne  Lane,  159.  253,  254. 


J. 


Jack's  Bridge,  132. 


Judge's  Terrace,  218. 


K. 


Katteraw's,  or  Katherine's  Mead,  41. 
Kidbrooke,  2,  66,  130,   154,   166,   183, 
200  to  205,  222. 


Kingscote,  116. 


L. 


Lancaster,  Duchy  of,  10,  177. 

Lancaster  Great  Park,  2. 

Lanefeld,  118. 

Lansdowne  House,  252. 

Larches,  The,  160. 

Lavertye,  or  Lavorty,  31,  109  to  115, 

146. 

Legsheath,  83,  190  to  196. 
Lewes  Old  Bank,  263. 
Lindfield,  121,  132,  181. 
Lingfield,  4,  77,  93,  132,  134,  146,  148, 

153,  154,  183,  187,  232,  239. 
Lingfield  Lodge,  174. 


Lingfield  Road,  160. 

Lingfield  Road  Recreation  Ground,  13, 

247. 

Literary  Institute,  183,  256  to  258,  266. 
Little  Horsted,  76,  210. 
Lloyds  Bank,  263. 
London  Road,  61,  90,  95,  122,  160,  230, 

235,  237,  254,  256  to  259,  272. 
Lovekines,  74. 
Love  Lane,  10. 
Lower  Glen  Vue,  160. 
Lullenden,  or  Lunncndcn,  148. 


M. 


Mareafield,  1,  120,  132,  176,  190. 
Masonic  Rooms,  or  Masonic  Hall,  265. 
Maules,  Mawles,  or  Malls,  83,  191,  192, 

195. 
Maveld,  72. 


Mayes,  120. 
Maypole  Road,  160. 
Mays  Fann,  74. 
Mays  Wood,  150. 
Mechanics'  Institution,  257. 


286 


HISTORY    OF    EAST    GRINSTEAD. 


Medway,  The,  12,  238. 

Middle  Row,  50,  216,  236,  257. 

Mill  Place,  44,  74,  141  to  146. 

Moat  Church,  90  to  92,  95,  185,  186. 

Moat  Fields,  239. 

Moat  Pond,  118,  244. 

Moat  Eoad,  90,  147,  160,  209,  251. 


National  Schools,  259  to  262. 
New  House,  11. 
Newick,  126. 
New  Inn,  The,  42. 


Old  Mm  Bridge,  238. 
Old  Road,  95,  130,  159. 


Moats  Farm,  147,  148,  184. 

Modern  School,  The,  262. 

Monkshill,  Monkhill,  or  Muiikhill,  83, 

191  to  196. 
Mudbrook,  3. 
Muuckloe,  99,  100. 


N. 


Newlands,  61,  167,  236. 
New  Road,  159. 
North  End,  13. 


o. 

I   Ounce,  The,  15,  42. 


P. 


Parish  Hall,  259. 

Parish  Pound,  164. 

Park  Comer,  160. 

Parrock,  141,  142. 

Pauls  Farm,  74. 

Paxhill  Park,  84. 

Pevensey  Rape,  8. 

Pigeon  House,  53. 

Pilchers,  or  Pilshers,  83,  218. 

Pixtons,  42,  44,  71,  72,  74,  83,  121,  124, 

196  to  198. 

Placeland,  12,  50,  107,  117  to  119. 
Pluwe,  The,  191,  192. 


Plawhatch,  2,  3,  83, 116,  119,  190  to  192, 

196. 

Play-field,  53,  169,  247. 
Police  Court,  or  Station,  218,  238,  244, 

245. 

Portland,  or  Portlands  Road,  41,  160. 
Post  Office,  245,  246. 
Pressridge,  202. 
Priory,  The,  120. 
Priors,  100. 

Providence  Chapel,  95. 
Public  Hall,  92,  245,  257,  259. 


Queen's  Hall,  245,  259. 


Q. 

|   Queen's  Road,  160,  238,  239,  253,  254. 


R. 


Racies,  116. 

Railway  or  Station    Hotel,   238,   266, 

267. 

Redstede,  174. 
Renvills,  74. 
Riddens,  4. 
Ridgehill,  74. 


Rocks  Chapel,  95. 

Rocks,  The,  132,  238. 

Roman  Catholic  Church,  93,  94. 

Rose  Beerhouse,  The,  89. 

Round  Houses,  23,  216,  271. 

Rowfant,  31,  137,  141  to  146,  163. 

Rutters  Worsteds,  74. 


s. 


Sackville  College,  5,  13,  45,  61,  69,  96 
to  107,  128,  159,  177,  178,  206,  208, 
218,  250. 

Sackville  Cottage,  174. 

Saint  Agnes  School,  209,  210. 

Saint  Cecelia,  210. 


Saint  Hill,  62,  66,  81  to  84,  95,  147, 
159,  161,  171,  193,  214,  218,  223,  254. 

Saint  James's  Road,  134,  160.  265. 

Saint  Margaret's  Convent,  203,  206  to 
213. 

Saint  Margaret's  School,  210- 


INDEX  OF  LOCAL  PLACE  NAMES. 


287 


Saint  Mary's  Church,  86. 

Saint  Swithuu's  Church,  63  to  85,  90, 

105,  122,  178,  196,  213. 
Saint  Tyes,  101. 
Sandhawes  Hill,  160. 
Scarletts,  48,  74. 
Searles,  178. 
Selsfield.  67. 

Serries,  or  Surreys,  126,  127, 131. 
Sessions  House,  216,  217. 
Sheffleld-Grinsted,  109,  120. 
Shepherds,  48,  74. 
Shepherds  Grove  Road,  160. 
Shewell,  74. 
Ship  Inn.  The,  160. 
Ship  Street,  55,  61,  159,  239. 
Shoberys,  72. 
Shortes  Croft,  109. 
Shovelstrode.  19.  116,  117,  160. 
Shuckburgh  Cottage,  59. 


Slaughter  -  house,   or   Slaughter  -  house 

Mead,  53.  261. 
Smallfield  Place,  204. 
Smith's  Farm.  194. 
Standeii,  21.  120,  173,  193. 
Star,  The.  42,  157. 
Station  Road,  160,  270. 
Steel  Cross,  174. 
Scone  Farm,  144,  160,  193. 
Stonefeeld,  118. 

Stonehouse,  Forest  Row,  87,  88. 
Stoneland  Lodge,  53. 
Stoneleigh,  147,  236. 
Stone  Rocks,  117. 
Stumps  and  Gates  Farms,  148. 
Sunnyside,  159. 

Sussex  Arms  Beerhouse,  The,  266. 
Swan  Inn,  The,  East  Griiistead,  67, 154, 

169,  238,  256,  271. 
Swan  Inn,  The,  Forest  Row,  218. 
Swan  Mead,  238,  239. 


T. 


Tablehurst.  199. 

Tannershyll,  118. 

Tavels,  119. 

Thompson's  Corn  Store,  259. 

Thorn  Hill,  134. 

Three  Bridges.  154.  161,  162,  184. 

Tickeridge,  141,  144. 

Tilgate,  174. 


Tilkhurst,  23,  109. 
Tinsley,  47,  142. 
Town  Hall.  258. 
Turners  Hill,  12,  90,  233. 
Twfford  Lodge.  160. 
Twyfords,  119,  191. 
Tyces.  119. 
Tyes  Cross.  160. 


Uplands,  173. 


u. 


Vechery  Wood.  2,  101. 


V. 


Velvicks,  192. 


w. 


Wakehurst,  26.  120,  145. 

Wallhill.  or  Wall  Hill,  6,  72,  74,  83,  119, 

120,  202,  219. 
Walstede.  27,  120. 
Warley,  20. 

Warren.  The.  141  to  146. 
Water  Works,  The.  268  to  270. 
Weild,  Manor  of,  74. 
Wellington  Town  Road,  160. 
Wesleyan  Church,  92,  93. 
Westfeld,  72. 
Westfields,  174, 


West  Hoathly,  83,   118,  134,  141,  142, 

146,  180,  221. 
Westleigh.  10. 
West  Street,  160,   218,   238,   239,   248, 

265. 
Whalesbeach   or  Walesbeech,    21,   74, 

83,  191.  192. 

White  Lion.  The,  12.  122. 
Wilder  wick,  214. 
Wildgoose.  82. 
Windmill  Place,  10. 
Wire  Mill,  141,  145. 


288  HISTORY    OF    EAST    GRINSTEAD. 


Withyhani,   1,   26,  31.   38,  44,   76,  97, 

113,  134,  167,  221,  222. 
Woodcock  Forge,  145. 
Woodcock  Hill,  145. 
Wood  Street,  270. 

Workhouse,  106,  230  to  232,  238,  250. 
Workmen's  Club,  259. 


Worth,  77,  83,  93,  125,  134,  137,  138, 

142,  146,  195,  221,  233. 
Worth  Park,  75. 
Worsteds,  74. 
Wych  Cross,  2,  67,  159. 


Y. 

Yews,  The,  or  Yewhurst,  181,  182,  254. 


z. 


Zion  (Countess  of  Huntingdon's) 
Chapel,  87  to  90,  128,  129,  180,  182. 
185,  257,  261. 


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