So who were the Grey Ladies? They were the daughters of William Pitt Manson and Margaret Jones, neé Donaghue. William and Margaret married on the 11^th May 1842 at St Pancras, they had six children, William Pitt (jnr) in 1843, Susanna Ross in 1844, Thomas Edward Donaghue in 1848, Margaret Ann Catherine in 1849, Frederick William in 1850 and Catherine Neville in 1852.

William was a successful Barrister-at-Law, a second counsel to the Mint and General Post Office, and sometimes correspondent for the Times newspaper but on the 19^th November 1862 he died suddenly aged about 44 years. The family were comfortably off so the daughters did not work and lived in Muswell Hill but by the 1901 census Margaret and Catherine were staying at the College of Grey Ladies, Dartmouth Row, Lewisham.

The College of Grey Ladies was set up about 1893 by the Bishop of Southwark to form a Sisterhood of volunteers to do parochial work such as Sunday school teaching, visiting parishioners, particularly looking after the women and children and the poor. A house was obtained and up to about 20 ladies, mostly of independent means, lived. A report by the Bishop states “The object and aim of the College is to provide a homelike resting place for hard workers, and those things which make healthy bodies, intellectual minds, fresh sympathies, and above all, souls trusting in the peace of God” The idea caught on and colleges were started in other towns.

The two sisters retired to Lancing about 1925 and lived in Trellis Cottage, Manor Road where they became keen supporters of North Lancing church and members of the North Lancing Women's Institute. They were joined by a niece, Freda Manson, who became President of North Lancing W.I. There may have been a connection to Lancing as their brother Frederick William married at St James in 1885.

******

Kong Carl

On Wednesday, 11^th November 1891 the south coast of England was battered by a severe gale causing a schooner to be blown ashore at Lancing.

The schooner was the Kong Carl XV from Norway. The vessel was a wooden one, about 24 years old and 230 tons. She was manned by Captain Jornsen, a mate, 4 men and a boy. She left Liverpool on the 28^th October with a cargo of coke bound for Christiania. The schooner braved rough weather in the Atlantic before heading up the Channel but on reaching Beachy Head the seas proved too much and the schooner lost a mast. Efforts to control her proved fruitless leaving her drifting about until she struck the shore at 11.40 in the morning. The Worthing lifeboat had been standing by and managed to attach lines to enable the crew to jump into the lifeboat before it hit the ashore between the Lancing Tollbar and Lancing Coastguard Station. The shipwrecked mariners were very grateful to reach shore and described the night as “an awfully boisterous one” and after being received at the coastguard station were later sent on to Shoreham Port.

The vessel was scrapped with the figurehead finding it’s way to Worthing Museum and the Capstan ending up near the Beach Office. The cargo of coke found it’s way onto the beach where it was gathered up by the local population. An entry in the log-book of St George’s School, dated 24^th November, states “boys collecting coke from the beach at Lancing”.

That same day Worthing Lifeboat had to go to the rescue of another vessel, The Capella, which washed up opposite Heene Terrace, Worthing.

******

GEORGE BROWN the famous cricketer

Sompting churchyard is the last resting place for George Brown who was a famous cricketer.

George was baptised at Stoughton on the 4^th May 1783 to parents, William and Elizabeth Brown. He married Anne Grainger in 1809 at Chichester and eight of their children were baptised at Warblington, Hampshire. By 1818 he was playing cricket for Emsworth in Hampshire and sometimes for the Hampshire team. His first appearance at Lords was in 1818. He had moved to Brighton and was playing for them by 1824 and had his first appearance for Sussex the following year creating quite a stir. He was a big man, described in ”The story of Cricket” by A D Taylor, as standing over 6ft. 2ins and weighing 18 stone. He was a right-handed batsman and a fast bowler.

He was a tailor by trade until he took on the lease of the Royal Brighton Gardens together with the Hanover Arms Inn and the adjoining cricket ground in January 1832, it was known as “Brown’s Gardens” for a time. That proved unsuccessful for him and he returned to tailoring in 1840. The 1841 census describes him as a tailor, living at 71 Middle Street, Brighton with his wife Ann and three children, Jane, John and Ellen along with several lodgers.

In 1845 a Benefit match was arranged for George but due to unfavourable weather no benefit was made so a Mr Taylor arranged another in August 1846 at the Royal Grounds. There were three days of cricket between Sussex and All England and two evening concerts. Great fun was had at the amateur concerts with songs being sung about “Big Massa Brown”.

George played cricket until he was a good age but then became a scorer and is featured in a famous 1849 print of Sussex v. Kent seated at the scorer’s table. In 1850 when Sussex played Kent, George left his scorer’s table to field as a substitute, returning to score after fielding. He was 67 and perhaps the oldest man to take the field for Sussex.

In the book “Highways and Byways in Sussex” by E.V. Lucas, it is written that “ At the neighbouring village of Stoughton, was born in 1783, the terrible George Brown – Brown of Brighton – the fast bowler, whose arm was as thick as an ordinary man’s thigh. He has two long stops, one of whom padded his chest with straw. A long stop once held his coat before one of Brown’s ball, but the ball went through it and killed a dog on the other side. Brown could throw a 4½oz. ball 137 yards, and he was the father of 17 children. He died at Sompting in 1857.”

It was reported in the newspaper when he died that his “bowling was the terror of all batsmen and he was decidedly the fastest bowler England ever produced”.

By 1851 George, aged 69 was still described as a tailor living with Ann, one servant, a lodger and several visitors. Presumably Ann had died so George moved to Sompting in September 1856 to live with a son at the Marquis of Granby. Conflicting reports state that he lived with a son or a daughter but his son Henry, who was a tailor married in 1855 Jane Trangmar, widow of George Trangmar, late licensee of the Marquis. A report in the Sussex Advertiser dated 20^th March 1855 says that the Inn’s licence was granted to John Brown but it is much more likely it should have read Henry Brown as son John lived in Dorset. In July 1858 the licence was passed to James Maybank. James had married a Jane Brown, who could have been George’s eldest daughter and they lived in Portslade but it is thought they moved to the Marquis prior to obtaining the licence, possibly to look after her father.

His headstone records –

In / affectionate remembrance / of / GEORGE BROWN / late of Brighton / who died at Sompting / June 27^th 1857 / aged 73 years / Though lost to sight, to memory dear / This stone was erected by his youngest surviving daughter /

*****

Duke of Edinburgh Visit

On Monday, 23^rd February 1880, the Duke of Edinburgh inspected the Lancing Coastguard Station and the one at Fishersgate. The next day he left England for Russia travelling via Brussels and Berlin.

******

George Newcombe Prideaux

George Newcombe Prideaux was born in 1845 at Pilton, Barnstable, Devon to parents Thomas and Mary, the name Newcombe being his mother’s maiden name. On leaving school he worked in a factory before becoming a stonemason. In 1871 he was lodging in Chelsea, London working as a stonemason but soon moved to Sussex where he became a foreman stonemason working on the Lancing College Chapel. The foundation stone for the chapel was laid in 1868 so George would have worked on the very early stages. Unfortunately he had a bad fall about 1877 that led to him changing his career. He became a Publican at the Three Horse Shoes.

He married in 1872, Emily Margaret Wingfield, followed by the birth of their children, Rosina Barbara in 1874, Margaret Rachel 1876, Louisa Mary 1878-1882, George Newcombe 1880, Leo 1882, Jesse Maud 1887, and Thomas Edwin in 1890.

As well as being a popular publican, he was a member of the Parish Council for a number of years earning great respect in whatever he did. He also ran a market garden with his sons.

He died on the 9^th October 1915 and is buried in North Lancing churchyard along with his wife, Emily, who died 26^th February 1917. The Three Horse Shoes remained in the family with their son, George Newcombe, as licensee for many years.

******

Lorne Cottage

John Walls purchased Lorne Cottage, which was just to the north of the Three Horseshoes, from the executors of Robert Martin in 1877 and in a Codicil to his Will dated 13^th October 1877 he left the property to his two daughters, Mary Ann Walls and Emily Walls.

John Walls died 1^st September 1887 and along with his wife Hannah is buried in the churchyard of St James the Less.

A year later Emily Walls paid her sister £200 for Lorne Cottage.

In 1908 she granted a Lease to William Henry Lloyd McCarthy for a term of 14 years at an annual rent of £27. Emily was living at The Finches in Elm Grove and Wm McCarthy was at Ada Cottage, Salt Lake.

Amongst the provisions of the Lease was a covenant to properly empty and clear away the contents of the cesspools at such times as is needed. The Landlady gave the tenant permission to erect a Studio in the grounds of the property with the proviso that he made good any damage caused.

Emily married Joseph Charles Walls in the December quarter of 1908 and sold the property in 1919 to William H L McCarthy, then of Horley, for the sum of £500.00.

William’s two sons, Norman and Eric, ran the business as McCarthy Brothers. Eric Justin McCarthy, in 1924, set up his own studio on the corner of East Street and South Street, which he ran until his early death in 1931.

******

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

Lancing and Sompting celebrated with the rest of the country, Queen Victoria’s sixty years on the throne.

Sompting had raised the sum of £60-£70 to enable everyone in the parish to participate in a range of activities on the 19^th June. Mrs Croft had given permission for the use of the field in front of The Abbotts where there was a steam roundabout and swings for everyone to use. Part of the field was used for races and a cricket match. At 2.00 the men and older boys sat down in a marquee to a substantial dinner of roast and boiled beef and mutton, veal and ham, vegetables, tarts, puddings, jelly, cheese and salad, and beer and mineral water. Later in the afternoon about 150 children had tea then the women of the parish sat down to a meat tea with a glass of wine. The Sompting Brass Band was in attendance. There were showers of rain during the day but they didn’t spoil the proceedings.

Lancing had collected about £40 to celebrate in similar style on the Tuesday at the Manor Park. At 2.00 a series of sports started, followed by a tea for the children at 3.30 and an hour later a meat tea for the working adults of the parish. The weather was fine. In the evening at 9.30 a firework display took place followed by the lighting of the beacon. A series of beacons were lit around the country, one of eighty in Sussex was lit at Lancing, west of the College, near the chalkpit. It was built by the staff and pupils of Lancing College. It reached 20 feet in height with a centre pole that had a barrel of kerosene on top. It was surrounded by railway sleepers, and piled high with other sleepers, tar barrels, kerosene barrels, cases of shavings and other flammable material. It was reported that it burned for two hours.

*******

Wedding at North Lancing March 1932

An unusual sight greeted the bride and groom when they emerged from the Church, they had to pass under an archway of garden forks held by employees of H & A Pullen Burry Ltd. The groom was Cecil Ulysses Octavius Fane de Salis, a director of the company. The bride was Ida J. M. C., the daughter of Mr & Mrs J. C. de Jong, of Casswell, The Terrace, Lancing. The bridegroom’s family were formerly Counts of the Holy Roman Empire and his father was Chairman of Middlesex County Council.

The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a white satin ankle length gown of mediaeval design, with a satin train nine feet in length embroidered in true lovers knots in seed pearls and sprays of orange blossom. Her embroidered tulle veil was held in place by a coronet of orange blossom; as an ornament she wore a triple row of pearls, and she carried a sheaf of white lilac, yellow roses, white tulips and white heather.

Two little trainbearers wore Victorian frocks of yellow taffeta, frilled from waist to ankle, puff sleeves and little poke bonnets tied with green ribbons. They had lace mittens and green shoes, and they wore green crystal pendants on silver chains that had been given them by the bridegroom. There were also four bridesmaids wearing yellow taffeta frocks, completed by green velvet coatees, and headdresses of green leaves. They also wore pearl necklaces, and they carried gold sequin evening bags that had been given to them by the bridegroom, and sheaves of daffodils tied with green ribbons. Mr John de Jong was best man.

The reception was held at the home of the bride, after which the couple left for their honeymoon, motoring in Cornwall.

******

Charlotte Tate

Charlotte was born 1847 in a pretty cottage near North Lancing church to parents George and Maria Tate. George had married Maria Blowers from Great Yarmouth in 1840 and they had the following children, Martin 1842, Charles 1845, Charlotte 1847, Francis 1852 (Francis became a well known monumental mason). The children would have attended the old National School in North Lancing that had been provided by Colonel Carr-Lloyd.

She left school to work as a housemaid at Lancing Grammar School where she was in 1861, aged 14. By 1871 she was living at Monks Farm and was employed as a nurse by Charles Stone, a farmer.

When the Education Act of 1870 came into force it was decided to build a new school, it opened on the 16^th September 1872 with Charlotte as the infant’s teacher. It is possible that Charlotte had been a pupil teacher at her old school before leaving to work at the Grammar School because in an interview she gave on her retirement she mentioned that she had taught at her old school before leaving to work elsewhere. She took her teaching exams in the first few years while working at the new school.

She was described as a schoolmistress in the 1881 census and was living with her parents in North Lancing. In 1883 when the owner of the family home wanted it demolished, George, Maria and Charlotte went to live at 4 Latimer Terrace, Oxford Road, Worthing. By this time George was retired and Maria was blind so Charlotte had the added responsibilities of looking after her parents. Every school day she took the train to Lancing station and walked to the school, sometimes walking as far as Sompting in her lunch break to visit a sick child.

Her mother died in July 1891 followed by her father in July 1902. With no family ties she was able to go away on holiday, sometimes to Scotland and sometimes to visit friends. At the time of the 1911 census she was staying at Winchester with Charles Stone, who had been her employer in 1871, and one of his daughters.

Charlotte was due to retire on the 28^th October 1910 but West Sussex Education Committee applied for an extension of her certificate so she could teach for another year but she finally retired on the 31^st October 1912 after 40 years service as the first and only infant schoolmistress at the school in North Lancing. At her farewell ceremony Reverend Peel presented her with a silver mounted umbrella inscribed with “From the teachers and scholars, past and present, of the Lancing C.E. School, October 31^st 1912”. At the event, which was attended by many of the parents, she was thanked by Mr W.G. Heaton, the Headmaster.

At her retirement Charlotte said her main regret was the withdrawal from school of the under fives. She thought that it had a detrimental effect on the children’s work, discipline and attendance. The latter due to older children having to stay at home to look after younger siblings while their mother went to work. After her retirement she was planning to get away from the area to adjust to her change of circumstances.

She died, age 76, in October 1923 and was buried on the 23^rd October 1923 in Broadwater Cemetery, (A6 27/17) with her parents.

******

Sheep Dipping at Upton Farm, Sompting

Four hundred ewes and lambs were dipped on the 5^th October 1842 using the following recipe:

¾ lb arsenic and 2½ lbs soft soap mixed with 10 pails of water (3 hot with 7 cold) to each score, a double dose to begin with. 6 men to help.

W.S.R.O. Mss 22,776

******

John Jabez Edwin Mayall

Jabez Mayall (Meall) was baptised September 1813 in Lancashire. His father, John, was a chemist and dye manufacturer. Jabez married Eliza Parkin in 1834 and their first son, Edwin, was born 1835, followed by Joe Parkin 1840, then John in 1842. Jabez developed an interest in early photography and went to America about 1842 to study the art and science of photography at the University of Pennsylvania, and by 1844 he was a partner in a Dagueurreotype portrait studio in Philadelphia. It was here that he became known as John Jabez Edwin Mayall. Mayall returned to England and his family and set up his own Dagueurreotype Studio in London in 1846 and by 1852 he had a second studio in Regent Street, London. A daughter, Harriett, was born in 1848.

He became well known and was patronised by the rich and famous, including Queen Victoria and the Royal family, J. M. W. Turner, Charles Dickins and Samuel Pepys. He took photographs at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and exhibited there, and in 1856 was called upon to record the return of soldiers with their Russian trophies for Queen Victoria. He published sets of royal portraits in the ‘carte de visite’ style.

It was 1864 that John left his eldest son running the London studios, and he set up a new studio in Kings Road, Brighton. John and his sons always described themselves as ‘artists’ rather than photographers on the census forms.

He must have been making plenty of money at that time because he bought a house and land in South Lancing from Caroline Dabbs for £4503.15.0 in 1864. The following year one of his sons, John, married Eliza Caroline Josephine Dabbs of Lancing, daughter of Caroline. He bought more land from Carr-Lloyd and the rate book of 1869 showed him paying rates on land, a brickfield and 6 houses.

The family continued living in Brighton but when Eliza died in December 1870 she was brought to Lancing to be buried. Not long after Eliza’s death the 1871 census shows John living in Hove and later that year he married a widow, Celia Victoria Hooper. He purchased ‘Stork’s Nest’ in South Lancing in 1872 from William Hore for his new family and they were still there in 1881 and probably until he was declared bankrupt. John had borrowed substantial amounts of money between 1880 and 1885 and the first meeting of his creditors was held in London 25^th September 1885 and a final dividend of 8 1/4d was paid 26^th August 1889. John seems to have continued with his business because a Limited Company was formed in 1888 with John as one of the Directors.

In June 1886, Stork’s Nest was put up for sale along with two other properties in Haverstock Hill, London. The advertisement in the Times, 4^th June, gives the following description;- “The freehold family residence, Stork’s Nest, is most pleasantly situate, facing the sea, a few minutes from Lancing Station, and contains five spacious reception rooms, ample bedroom accommodation for a large family, well arranged pleasure grounds with fine old shrubs, hothouses, stabling, etc., in all a little over four acres. The building land, about 40 acres, adjoins the property and surrounds it on two sides, has a valuable bed of brick earth, which has been worked, and will prove of considerable value in developing the estate.” The house appears to have been sold to Henry Munster and a street directory of 1890 lists a Henry Munster living there but by the 1891 census it was only occupied by servants. By 1901 William Chorley had obtained a lease on Stork’s Nest and turned it into another of his Homes of Rest and called it “Channel View”.

The Mayall family had moved to Southwick and it was there that John died on the 6^th March 1901 at the age of 91, but his body was returned to Lancing to be buried with his first wife.

******

Opening of the Brighton to Worthing Railway Line

On Monday, the 24^th November 1845, the first three trains from Brighton to Worthing and the first two trains from Worthing to Brighton operated without problems but the third returning train from Worthing met with an accident just to the East of Lancing station. Two horses were pulling a train of earth wagons on a temporary line when the lead horse started onto the permanent line just when the train was approaching. The tender was in front of the engine and knocked down the horse before capsizing, falling onto the horse and killing it. The engine also capsized but remained on the line. Luckily the train was still going slow after leaving Lancing station so none of the passengers were injured and they were only detained for about two hours before they were transferred to another train and conveyed to Brighton. Trains were delayed for the rest of the day while the engine and tender were righted but that didn’t stop a celebration dinner being held at the Nelson Hotel, Worthing to celebrate the opening of the line. The driver of the horses was arrested as he hadn’t been holding the bridle of the lead horse and had not had sufficient control over them.

******

A New Housing Estate

September 1910 saw the start of rapid building work to cater for the impending influx of workers for the Railway Works. An estate of about four acres, comprising 68 plots for a mixture of housing was up for auction. The auction took place in a Marquee erected on the land and was conducted by Messrs Jordan & Co. of Worthing.

Mr Jordan explained the benefits of the land as having a distinct advantage of being among the highest in the neighbourhood at eight feet above sea level with commanding views of the Channel and Downs and adjacent to the seashore, ten minutes walk from the railway station and on a Bus route. He also mentioned that Lancing people were known for their longevity and there were excellent breezes from the sea and lovely scenery to the north. The plots would also be in possession of a constant supply of pure water from the Brighton Corporation mains. The 68 plots varied in size from 40-50 ft frontage and 120-165 ft depth. The Vendor was prepared to accept 10% deposit with balance being paid in 5 half-yearly instalments with interest of 5% p.a., the first instalment due on the 24^th December. The rates were likely to be very low, something like 4s. 3d. in the pound, tithes and land tax were free and building materials were very easy to obtain locally. There would be two roads built initially called Kings Road and Alexandra Road.

The first plot offered for sale was a shop plot and was bought for £75, another shop plot on the Brighton Road reached £120, all other plots sold varied between the two prices. Altogether 18 plots were sold on the day and made a total of £1700. 16s. 0d. The other plots failed to reach the reserve price but were negotiated later.

******