Wilmington Priory.

This is from an old quide published by Sussex Archaeological Society 1961.

WILMINGTON PRIORY was formerly one of the possessions
of the Benedictine Abbey of Grestain in Normandy. This Abbey was founded in 1050 by Herluin de Conteville, whose son, Robert de Mortain, accompanied his half-brother, William the Con¬queror, to England, and received from him the Rape of Pevensey. Robert was a liberal benefactor to his father's foundation and amongst his gifts to the Abbey was, as appears from Domesday Book, 1086, the Manor of Wilmington. From its convenient situatjon near the sea, this soon became the headquarters for the Abbot of Grestain's representative in England. The first Prior of Wilmington whose name we know was John who is mentioned in a deed of 1243 in connection with the purchase of lands in Westham. In all probability there were only two Monks normally resident in England and they and their household would live at the Priory, going on journeys from there to inspect the Abbot's other properties. During the wars with France in the 13th and 14th centuries, the King took possession of all alien Priories. He used Wilmington as a source of revenue, letting it to the highest bidder. The object of these lay owners was to get money out of the Priory lands, and naturally, they were apt to let the buildings fall into disrepair. Walter Brystowe was the last Prior; he took the oath of obedience to the Bishop of Chichester in 1401. In 1413 the Priory and lands were granted to the Dean and Chapter of Chichester, and remained in their hands for 150 years. Towards the end of this period (1541) we find that the Vicarage house of Wilmington was in a portion of the old build¬ings. In 1565 Wilmington passed to Sir Richard Sackville and was later let to Thomas Culpepper, who, with his widow and nephew, is buried in the Church. In 1635 another house was built for the Vicar. About 1700 the Wilmington estates passed to Spencer Compton, afterwards Earl of Wilmington, and then by marriage to the Cavendish family. During this time the farmer lived in the Priory buildings. The Duke of Devonshire sold the farm to Co!. R. V. Gwynne and in 1925 conveyed the Priory to the Sussex Archreological Trust, which, under the guidance of Mr. Walter Godfrey, C.B.E., F.S.A., laid out a large sum upon it in necessary preservation work.

From this account of the history of the Priory, it will be seen that the building was planned more like a Manor House than the usual Monastery. But it must be considered as forming one structure with the Church, to which it was connected by the South Aisle of the latter. The 12th century Chancel of unusual length was no doubt the Monks' Quire, while the nave was in use for parochial worship. No part of the 12th century domestic buildings has come• to light, but portions remain of what was probably the Great Hall built in the 13th century (see plan).
After passing through the arched doorway, on the far side of the front lawn (tickets being obtained at the custodian's door immedi¬ately to the left) we turn right through the Well House Court to the North-East Wing, which is now a roofless building but originally of two storeys, with a vault below. The vault is now entered by a doorway leading from the front lawn. This vault, which dates from c. 1300, is larger than the superstructure, which was built a century later, and may have supported the solar of the early house. Notice in the vault the old doorway, with holes for an internal bar. This was probably the way by which stores were brought in. High up in the vault there are three windows which have recesses for shutters. In the room over the vault there are window openings in both the east and west walls and also the remains of a 14th century doorway, which possibly led to a cloister connected with the Church. Against the north wall is the oven of the farmhouse.
The Well House Court was the outer kitchen of the old farm¬house. This Court occupies part of the old Hall and may have been divided off from it when the 14th century Hall was built. It was originally roofed with great oak beams carried on the existing triple stone wall shafts with 14th century capitals. A section of the wall post of one timber truss remains. There is an oak doorway in the south wall. This room was probably the kitchen of the Vicarage built by the Dean and Chapter before 1541.
Retracing our steps and turning right at the custodian's door we pass a timber supported undercroft. On the left is the main entrance doorway of the Hall that consists of three beautifully moulded orders, supported by three shafts on each side and is of 13th century (Early English) work. Adjoining it to the south, is a fine Gatehouse' Of' Porch of two storeys, which is clearly of later date than the doorway, as its vaulting ribs and walls completely disregard the position of the doorway and the windows. There is a similar clash between the outer doorway and the vault, and it may be that there was an earlier porch here contemporary with the doorway and

windows of the old Hall and that it was enlarged when the new Hall was built. The west wall of this room has been largely rebuilt and a chimney inserted. There is, however, in it the reveal of a window with holes for iron bars, which probably represents a hatch com¬municating with the west building. Note the 14th century corbels with heads of monks carved on them.
Leaving the Gatehouse and turning round the left hand comer, we come to the Undercroft of the new Hall built in the 14th century. The Hall was situated on the first floor with rooms below but only the south end and part of the east wall remain. There is a doorway on the east side which seems to have led into the old Hall. In the turrets of, the south wall are spiral staircases. The principal staircase, which was probably at the kitchen end, has disappeared. Stone seats can be seen on either side of the large window, which shows signs of having been altered in the time when the Dean and Chapter had possession. The Tudor bricks used in the western turret show that they did repairs here.
East of the Gatehouse the space between it and the east wing was enclosed on the south perhaps as early as 1500. The south wall of the old Hall seems to have been partly rebuilt in the 14th century and at its east end is a door jamb which was either the entrance to a ground-floor room or to a staircase. The fellow of this jamb has been refixed to form part of the open fireplace in the 16th century kitchen which used to be here. A fine oak chimney beam goes right across it. This kitchen and the room over it are mentioned in Mrs. Culpepper's will, dated 1606.
Passing through a door in the east wall, we enter the inhabited part of the house, where there is an 18th century staircase with a curious balustrade of a Chinese interlacing pattern. This leads to a landing where the rear arch of a 14th century window may be seen with one jamb beside it and also part of the arch of a doorway. This door seems to have led to a gallery running to the east wall of the Prior's Chapel, where is the lower part of the north jamb of a door, or they may both be the doors of separate staircases. Notice the 14th century king-post similar to the one in the Church; it may be seen from the Prior's Chapel, by switching on the light by the entrance to the Museum Room.
Entering the Museum Room notice a large chimney stack inserted in the west wall with an iron wheel fixed to it for turning a spit. Going up some steps we come to the room in the upper storey of the porch which was probably the Prior's Chapel. Here is the greater part of a 14th century three-light east window. There Was at one time an entrance to this Chapel in its west wall leading from the new Hall, but the communicating door has disappeared.

Portrait of the Poor.

Portrait of the Poor
Art Review by Judy Cox,
Review of 'Below Stairs', National Portrait Gallery, London
Wandering through the National Portrait Gallery is always fascinating, and free. You pass kings and queens, politicians, explorers, diplomats, aristocrats and, in the later rooms, sports and film stars.
What you don't see very much of is poor people. Until cameras became cheap, very few working people could have their image reproduced. Portrait painting was overwhelmingly about celebrating the achievements, power and wealth of the elite, with the odd poor poet or footballer made good. But this new exhibition, which you do have to pay for, shows that throughout the centuries a handful of servants did have their portraits painted. And this collection shows them to be a fascinating glimpse of the hidden world below stairs, and class and power relationships.
The earliest portraits date back to the 1600s. These tended to feature the servants in the lord's retinue, just as minstrels, jesters and champions, many of whom would themselves come from high-ranking families. The servants who waited, washed and worked were largely invisible. These portraits tended to come from outlying rural areas of the country where feudal links between master and some servants lasted longer.
By the 18th century households had become more segregated. There was a developing gap between 'upper' and 'lower' servants. Upper servants - such as nannies, gardeners and cooks - often had a close relationship with their masters and had their portraits painted.
In 1790, 90 percent of servants were female. But 90 percent who had their portraits painted were male and most closely associated with their masters' leisure interests, such as gamekeepers.
One of the finest paintings is by Willam Hogarth, famous for his pictures of the darker side of life for the lower classes in 18th century London. Servants became a popular subject in the 19th century, when moralising pictures were the norm. Some show wicked servants getting their just deserts, but others are compassionate pictures of the exhaustion and constant humiliation suffered by many women servants. Some even deal with the widespread sexual exploitation of women servants, brought to attention by Richardson's novel Pamela.
One of the most interesting sections of the exhibition focuses on black and Asian servants. By 1750 there were around ten to 20 thousand black people living in London and other large towns, most brought in as slaves. It became fashionable to have a young black servant boy, and they are painted here like cute little lap dogs. Many suffered a cruel fate when they became too old to be cute and were shipped off to slave plantations.
There is a constant tension that emerges in this exhibition. On the one side is the image of the loyal, trusty servant, like Bridget Holmes, painted when she was 96. Bridget was the 'necessary woman' to generations of royals, emptying their chamber pots.
On the other side were the unruly servants. There seems to have been a constant fear among the 'well to do' that their servants were cheating them, stealing their booze, nibbling their dinners, and disrespecting them. The exhibition includes fierce tirades against naughty servants by the writers Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe.
The rich needed servants. They had to be waited on hand and foot and the size of their household was a barometer of wealth and status. But by having servants they brought the class struggle right into their own parlours - and bedrooms, kitchens and stables.
Servants are making a comeback. The numbers employed as domestic workers are going up again, although nothing like the 1931 figure, which showed 1.3 million domestic servants in Britain, most of them women.
Today they are more likely to be the subject of reality TV shows and period dramas. But this exhibition reminds us of how miserable, powerless and poor servants were and how, despite everything, they constantly managed to get one over on those who considered themselves the rightful masters.

Secret Sussex.

Secret Sussex

Smuggling Sussex

Five and twenty ponies, Trotting through the dark—Brandy for the Parson, Baccy for the Clerk. They ask no questions are not told a lie—Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!
Rudyard Kipling.

A view of smuggling as seen around the turn of the 20th century, expressed by writers of the time often taken and quoted from much earlier writers,
Charles Lamb wrote “I like a smuggler”,” He is the only honest thief.”

As an example of the “respectability” of the smugglers, friends, Alexander Pope, in 1717,writes to John Caryll, a. Sussex squire; “I beg to do me a familiar or rather domestic piece of service. It is, when a hogshead of good French wine falls into your hands-whether out of the skies, or whatever element that pays no customs-that you would favour me with about twelve dozen of it at the price you give,”

Many churchyards in and around Sussex ports bear witness to the constant warfare between the custom men (revenue officers) and the smugglers, they were a mere handfall, but were very brave men, trying to do an almost impossible job. In the churchyard of All Saints, Hastings, is the epitaph of a smuggler, he was shot at sea by a revenue officer. “May it be known, tho, I am clay, a base man took my life away; but freely him I do forgive and hope in heaven we shall live.”

Places of Interest.


Beachy Head is the highest cliff in the South of England, it is very impressive from below as it falls sheer to the beach. The name Beachy has nothing to do with the beach; it is in fact a corruption of Beau Chef.

Belle Tout, The old lighthouse was built in 1831,the great height of the light was an advantage in good weather, but in poor conditions was often a problem to navigators as low cloud would make it become obscured .The lighthouse was built by Jack Fuller, a strange Sussex squire who lies under his pyramid in Brightling churchyard.
Before either of the lighthouses were built there existed, Parson Darby’s Hole, a cave reached by means of steps. There is a lot of uncertainty as to its true purpose. It has been variously suggested that it was built to provide a refuge for shipwrecked sailors, a primitive lighthouse to guild ships, and even a lookout to guide smugglers and keep them informed when the coast was clear.

R.Gunner

Baybridge Canal.

The Baybridge Canal
(River Adur)

Like other Sussex rivers the Adur was a natural navigation route for a long time before the age of the canals, in 1825,the Baybridge Canal Company was formed, this was so that a navigable cut or canal could be formed from the river Adur at Bines Bridge to Baybridge a distance of some 3 ¾ miles.

Strictly speaking, what was built was not so much a canal but an improvement of the north- west arm of the river, this being widened and dredged.
Two locks were built and a small wharf at Baybridge.The northeast arm of the Adur was navigable to Mockbridge, 2miles north of Henfield on the A281.

The canal was built so that the local commodities could be sent to the markets more easier and quicker, this being wheat and high quality timber, especially oak, the canal was in use for about 35yrs,it was abandoned in 1875,but it had not really been used since around 1861,about the time the Shoreham-Horsham railway line opened.

The Canal is worth a visit, there are various areas that have survived the passage of time, the best preserved part is the Lock at Partridge Green, here can be found a brick lock-chamber, the brickwork is very fine, also there are remains of iron fitments. The best way to explore this canal is to walk the entire length, from Baybridge to Binesbridge a little over 3 miles ,refer to OS sheet197,or any good map of Sussex.

R.Gunner

Parkminster.

Parkminster

In February 1873 Mr Boxall of Parknowle near Cowfold stood on his doorstep ready to receive the man who had bought his house, a Russian baron and general.
The buyer was indeed Baron de Nicolai but he was also a Carthusian Monk!
The order had thought it unwise to inform Mr.Boxall, who was known to be a strong protestant, of the true identity of the buyers. It was said that Mr.Boxall did see the funny side of it.

In the succeeding years the country house became an impressive Cathusian monastery and ten years later the monks settled down to regular life under their first prior Don Victor.Parkminster as it was now known, became the first Carthusian monastery in England since the sixteenth century and has remained until only very recently the only Carthusian monastery in the English speaking world.

Parkminster is dedicated to Saint Hugh who was prior of the first English Charterhouse in 1178, Hugh who later became Bishop of Lincoln is justly remembered for his bold defence of the poor and his stand against Kings and Barons
A stole, worn by him is kept at Parkminster.

The life of a Carthusian monk is strict; the monk lives almost entirely on his own in a “cell” which in fact is a small two-story house. He believes that he has been called to this life. There are some thirty-five cells at Parkminster; each has a workshop on the ground floor and a small garden. He studies, and prays, and sleeps on the first floor.
The monk may at times visit the library and the chapel; he may also on special occasions take exercise outside the monastery. Occasionally the white habited monks can be seen walking in pairs around Cowfold, Shermanbury, and West Grinstead

Rodney Gunner.