Manuscript History of Hastings and St. Leonards Vol 2

From Historical Hastings


Index to Contents of Volume Two 1835-40

Chapter Thirteen: St.Leonards 1835 Page 118

More difficulties with the sea-defences - No money to be had
Complaints of tradesmen – Arrangement for the new Poor-Law Act
Mr. Burton's new road and the Harrow Road
Rapid coach travelling to London
More about the royal visit
Anecdote of the gift shilling[1] and the "Queen’s” shilling[2]
Victoria prizes to the Archery Society
Death of Anna Maria Cooper
Reminiscences of the libraries, shops and a banking company, when, from Commercial Road to the Battery was more a place of business and fashionable resort than George Street
Celebration of the sixth decade of Queen Victoria's life, and a review of the period
Parliamentary election and its amenities in 1835
Open houses and lavish expenses
Amusing episodes
Tricking the tricksters
Results of the polling
Rejoicings and despondencies
Destructive gales and loss of property
St.Leonards Officials in 1835
Visits of the "Dover Boder"
Death of the Patriarchal Pauper, widow Palmer, Mr. John Harwood, and Mr. Henry Sinden
Reminiscences and death of 'Jerry' Lulham
More of the Poor Law Act of 1834
The Whyborn family. A family of paupers
Old-time system of relief
Enormous parochial burthens
Handbell ringing at weddings
A remarkably unpropitious year
The new Poor Law and establishing of Union-houses
Local arrangements and beneficial effects
The Government evictions
Mismanagement of Crown lands
The exodus to St.Leonards
Construction of new road
A race AIA GILPIN.

Chapter Fourteen: Hastings 1835 Page 125

Parliamentary election and its amenities in 1835
Open houses and lavish expenses
Amusing episodes
Tricking the tricksters
Results of the polling
Rejoicings and despondencies
Enormous cost to the candidates
Bribery and corruption under the new regime
Electioneering frolics
Rival candidates for the mayoralty and strong party feeling
Passing of the Municipal Corporations set
The borough divided into two wards-Constitution of the first Town Council
Public dinners severally to North, Elphinstone and Brisco
Excitement on the resignation of Peel
North unpopular with the Radicals
Political trickery
Transactions of the new Corporation
Parbolinal meetings, etc.

Chapter Fifteen: St.Leonards 1836 Page 131

Formation of new roads
Removal of Coastguard station
Erection of the Union Workhouse
Grand Jury's presentments
Imperial matters and local associations
Mr. Elphinstone's successful efforts
Storms, floods, damaged walls and tenantless houses
Purchase of the Swan Hotel by Mr. Eldridge and his removal from the Saxon
Royal presentations to the Archery Society
The overseers summonsed
Houses already erected between the Archway and the priory
St. Leonards Regatta
The November hurricane
The unparalleled snow storm.

Chapter Sixteen: Hastings 1836 Page 137

Imperial matters
The Irish question
Duties on paper and newspaper stamps reduced
Harmonics at the Swan Hotel
St Clements Church and its associations
Asking for pleasure grounds at the Priory, and the reply: also criticism thereon
The Court of Record and Quarter Sessions
Report of Finance Committee
The Charities again examined
The Watch Committee's "report re the establishing a police force
Abandonment of 73 Corporation rents
Election of Aldermen and Councilmen. The stonebeach dispute
Proposal for a harbour
Political squibs
Capt. Daniel's death
Marvelous achievement of two sailor-boys during the great snowstorms.

Chapter Seventeen: St.Leonards 1837 Page 143

The Subscription Garden (with view, 1830) The prolonged winter
Deaths of Mr. & Mrs. Burton and their last surviving daughter
500 years history of influenza
The harbour project
Mr. North unpopular with the Radicals
Proposed Act for St. Mary Magdalen
List of inhabitants
The Tivoli Tavern
Amusing anecdotes
Memoirs of Mr.S.Putland
Houses brought from the Priory
Grand Archery meeting
Presentation at Coghurst Hall
A violent hurricane and its effects
An organ from the Church
The Infirmary scheme
The Poorhouses
A libel begotten of prejudice, proved by the marriages of nearly 200 couples of "Holy Trinitarians" at Hollington instead of at Hastings
Names of persons thus married between 1822 and 1834
An old view of Hollington Church
Memoir of Mr. Henry Chandler
Work at the “Amsterdam"
Celebrating the Queen's 18th birthday
From whom her Majesty is descended
Assistant-overship rivalry
Everest's defalcations
Arrival and sojourn of Queen Adelaide
St.Leonards and Sedlescombe new road
Cubitt's new harbour plan and estimate
Troup versus the Post Office and defeat of the former

Chapter Eighteen: Hastings 1837 Page 161

The Priory Stream the Commissioners' western limit
The town's liabilities £1,650 and Income £1,000
Additional polling places
Warm debate on the Charities
Misapplied bequests at Guestling and Icklesham
Criticisms on Mr. North's political conduct
Mr. Holland's political address and general liberality. Banquet and oratory of the Loyal Constitution Association
An opposition Liberal Association
The West Hill path dispute (with view of the hill, castle and windmills)
Mr. Brisco turned back
Memoirs and eccentrics of the Rev. W. Whistler
Amusing anecdotes
Elphinstone's retirement & North's withdrawals
Election of Planta and Holland
Heavy election bills
The political position in 1837
Numerous commercial failures
Selling of Poorhouses
Mrs. Milward's character misunderstood
Church-rates contention
The Rev. Satterley's conduct
Municipal elections
Rivalry of the Commissioners and Town Council
The waste beach sales and contentions (from 1596 to recent times)
Election of W. Duke as Mayor
The gaol question.
Female smugglers
Death of William Woods (the emigrant son of the Postmaster)
Mr. Sutherland Graeme's political letter
Mr. Dowell and his library
Fatal accidents by fire
Sudden death of Mr. Arthur Deudney, and reference to his brothers and sisters, fourteen in number
Memoirs of Pearce Egan
Three artists at Hastings Prout, Hunt and Varley)
The effects of groynes complained of
The Town Crier's fees
A view of the West Hill before the excavation of the Castle ruins.

Chapter Nineteen: St. Leonards 1838 Page 191

A trying winter
Great fires
Much distress Coronation festivities
Extension of the parade,
Serious breach by the sea and doleful report of the Commissioners' committee
Bondholders appealed to
Money not to be had
The Battle and Sedlescombe roads impeded
Abortive attempt to obtain a new lighting and paving Act
Burials and extraordinary longevity at Bexhill, and instances of equally long life at Hastings and St.Leonards
Musical dirge on a tombstone "Intercepted letters" from L.E.L.
Nuptial rejoicings
Grand Archery meeting
Racing matches – perilous position of Lady Hampden and party
Flimwell and Hollington Turnpike trusts £40,000 in dept
Delimitation of boundaries at the Priory Bridge
Proposition to reduce the policemen from 13 to 9.

Chapter Twenty: Hastings 1838 Page 199

Seasonable festivities of balls, dinners etc.
Coronation celebrations
The harbour scheme
Poverty and crime
the bad fellow "Goodfellow"
Smuggling fatalities
Dr. Fearon’s sermon on law-breaking propensities
Ore church and Rectory (with view)
Halton Church and Rev. J. Parkin (with portrait)
The soldiers' burying-ground, and "meditation among the tombs"
St. Andrews Church and burials without Christian rites
Bereavements in the Daniel family
The new chapel in Wellington square
Anecdotes of ministers
Death memorials (Mr. Bissenden, Mr. .Giles, Miss Mary Sayers)
The Fortune of War and the supposed tub-hole
The Literary Institution
Mr. Holland, M.P. (with portrait)
Mr. Sutherland Graeme's political-address
Morley versus Harman
Transactions of the Board of Guardians, the Hastings Commissioners and the Town Council
Sir Cloudesly Shovel (arguments for Hastings as his birthplace)
Photo/portrait of R. Hollond, M.P. A view of the old Ore church on the hill and the Rectory in the valley. Portrait of Rev. J. Parkin.

Chapter Twenty-one: St.Leonards 1839 Page 210

The St.Leonards Commissioners
The projected railways
Purchase of a fire-engine
Charge of incumbents of the church
Nuisances forbidden
Rate-defaulters to be summoned
Storing meeting of turnpike trusts
Opening of St. Leonards and Sedlescombe road from Silverhill to Cripp's Corner
Eversfield Estate to repair the damaged sea-walls
Five days destructive storms
Injury and loss to the present writer
There is an emigrant ship (with view of the departure)
The Union Workhouse and its advertisements
The irrepressible Mr. Troup
the railway company and the overseers
An address to the Queen
Grand Archery meeting
Attempt to rob a toll-gate house
Accident to sawyer Brett
Pedestrianisms extraordinary
Interments during 1839

Chapter Twenty two: Hastings 1839 Page 216

Preparations in Hastings for important postal charges and a general review of post-office conditions from 1815.
Other means of communication when the population was rising from less that 4,000 to 31,000
Commerce and fashion moving westward
Numbering of houses
Extraordinary meteorological conditions
Work in the Hastings post-office, 19 hours a day, Sundays not excepted
Marvelous details of the old system
Anomalies and incongruities
Upstart letter
Callers rebuked by "an infernal booby"
Amusing incidents
Frequent discoveries of money in the letter-box
Secret writing in newspapers
Postage of letters from 1d to 5/-
Clandestine correspondence
Tips to mailguards
"The Ghost of the Old Commission"
History of the General Post-office
The great storm of a stormy year
Maritime disasters
Shipbuilding industry
Fancy Fair and other movements for the Infirmary
Lardner's lecture on the locomotive engine
The Mechanic's Institution
The Union Workhouse
The East-hill amusements and murderous attempt by a coastguard
A marvellous feat
Removal of the Priory Bridge
Deaths of Thomas and Boykett Breeds
Poetic Adieus of Euthymus, and view of Hastings from Fairlight
Marriage of Mr. Milward
The blind letter-carrier
Cricket on Sundays, The Fire King, etc.

Chapter Twenty three: St. Leonards 1840 Page 224

Coincident establishment of the Penny Post and a business in St.Leonards
Purchase of a fire-engine
Transactions of the Commissioners
Economic arrangements
Great influx of nobility
Further gambols of "Old Davy"
Wreck of the "Auguste"
Fire at the Allegria
Mr. Hollond's marriage
Celebration of the Queen's marriage
Archery meetings
Dr. Lardner at St.Leonards, and ordered to pay £8,000 for the seduction of Mrs. Heavisido
Major Jeffries and the Board of Guardians
Frustrated attempt of Government officials to divert the road between the two towns
Again the Priory squabbles
Col. Williams abused and challenged to a duel
The Ellsworth charity
Contentions over the Infirmary Site
Cooter's performances
Discovery of Roman coins
The first Cricket club
A story of Verulam Place ("truth stranger than fiction")
Condition of the via media and promise of improvements by the Eversfield Trustees
Parochial officers 1828 to 1840
Parsimony.
Deaths in 1840
Some marriages.

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References & Notes

  1. An explanation of old currency and coinage may be found at the following website Pre-decimal currency, accessdate: 16 June 2022
  2. An explanation of old currency and coinage may be found at the following website Pre-decimal currency, accessdate: 16 June 2022