A Glutton for Punishment

A Glutton for Punishment

A former resident of Binsted, one Isaac Rawlins, was found guilty of crimes which would hardly warrant a mention in the Neighbourhood Watch News today. It was at a time during the early nineteenth century when, following the Napoleonic wars and the return of ‘demobbed’ soldiers and sailors, employment in agriculture had slumped because of the rise of imported food with a devastating effect on the population of the countryside many of whom were desperate, and rioting and civil disobedience worried the aristocracy and harsh measures were adopted to rid the country of undesirables and co-incidentally colonise partially-mapped Australia before the French could do so.

We do not know if Isaac Rawlins or his family were starving. He was born in Slindon in 1785 and appears to have married there although his indictments clearly state that he came from Binsted. He was probably a woodman and if he was working in woods at Binsted he might well have lived there in a ‘bivvie’ (short for bivouac) of hazel sticks with bracken cover. There was no affordable transport to work and this practice was still used up to the 1950s. It was essential for instance for charcoal burners to live by their ‘pits’ to damp down if the pile burst into flames in order to avoid finishing up with a pile of ash instead of charcoal. We know he was 5’8’’ tall, of stout build with hazel eyes and a long face.

His first crime was the theft of a grub-axe (mattock) value 1 shilling in 1819.

His first 7 year transportation sentence at Petworth quarter sessions was in 1822 for stealing 11 gallons of wheat worth 5 shillings belonging to Francis Newland the Younger witnessed by Newland and Joseph Apps. Seven years were enough for most convicts and few risked the return journey and made a life in Australia but our ‘hero’ felt the urge to come back to England and is listed as crew (type ‘C’ for convict) on the Newcastle in 1823.

How he managed this is a mystery – possibly a pardon - but his bitter experience did not prove a deterrent because he was seen, in November 1833, taking away ‘one foot of timber value 9d’ in Rewell or Binsted Woods by Charles Sherwin who was wood-reeve for the Countess of Newburgh and lived in the cottage north of the A27 opposite the end of Binsted Lane (recently converted to a large house.) He also took a similar amount belonging to the Howard family. He was tried at Petworth on 30^th December 1833 and in spite of his plea

“I did not cut the timber off. I hope you will give me my punishment in Petworth gentlemen, if you please.”

he was sentenced to another seven years transportation and, at the age of 48 in those days would have been quite an old man with little hope of return. He spent a 132 day journey on ‘The Surrey 1’ with 260 other convicts during which, unusually, no-one died unlike a previous, notorious voyage of this ship when 56 died from typhus including the captain and both mates. The prospect of 3 weeks stay in Rio in spring, which the convicts experienced, sounds tempting today but not when chained up below decks in foul conditions.

Having spent his 7 years working hard in a form of bondage he received his ‘ticket of leave’ - a kind of probation – in October 1841 aged 56 whereby he could work for himself but must remain in the colony and we can only guess how he survived. I could find no record of his death.

John Heathcote

Mass Dials.

Disappearing :Mass Dials on Sussex Churches

Mass dials have long been a feature on Sussex churches, usually found on south-facing wall of the church, often near the south doorway, and usually about a meter and half above the ground levels.
However, sometimes they are found in other places on the fabric of the church, for over periods of time they have been moved during rebuilding work; so do not always assume that where they are now, is where they have always been positioned.
About 8 or 9 inches across and rather roughly cut, mass dials come in a wide variety of designs, from semi-circles of dots to complete circles with associated radii. Their chronology is difficult to determine but simple versions with only four or five lines are early whilst those with numbers round the edge (rare) are late.
The gnomon, invariably missing, pointed straight out horizontally and so the dial would not record the same hours at all times of the year. The mass dial is usually regarded as an event marker for the church services rather than a timepiece .
It is thought that the earliest mass dials may be a simple carving of four or five lines from the gnomon hole, possibly with circle or arc later. Ashton-under-Hill, Worcsand Wootton, Kent is typical early examples. The Ashton-under-Hill stone also includes an example of 'four holes in a row'; the row of dots would originally have been horizontal with the gnomon stuck into a mortar line above.
There are many examples throughout Sussex to be found, except that today that may not be so easy, the reason for this is that over the passage of time, and air pollution in many areas, the dials have almost disappeared. A good example of this is at Edburton church, this little church is located in the hamlet of Edburton on the road between Fulking and Small Dole, virtually opposite the World Famous Springs Smoked Salmon shop..
The dials are on the south porch of the church, there are two in this location and another on the North side of the church, this is a curious one, for one must assume that it is not in its original position, and therefore in much better condition.
The dials on the south porch are in now poor condition, I remember seeing them for the first time some twenty years ago, and at that time were in good condition, now they are not. What has happened is that the stone has started to flake away, therefore taking with it layers of the original carving into the stone of the dial, if this process carries on, in a very few years time they will all but disappear completely.
The question is can they be saved for future generations to marvel at and appreciate; it will be difficult to stop the deterioration, one solution is to treat the areas with a polycarbonate solution, in effect give them a light plastic covering, which can breath.
It is important that mass dials are saved from further erosion, they are an important part of the history of the church and the Christian faith.