won these trophies, it would be most mortifying should Reformers now tarnish them by their luke-warmness and indifference to those patriotic principles which once cheered and invigorated their exertions!"
At this time one of the so-called Reformers was Mr. William Henry Honess, who as a cabinet maker, upholsterer &c. had an establishment at 43 Marina, as well as at Hastings. He was an auctioneer, and received instruction to sell on the 1st of February, the materials of 41 Martello Tower, at Bulverhithe, consisting of oak flooring, stone coping and 600,000 bricks. Also, on the following day, the whole of the materials of West Langley Fort. The materials used in these towers were mainly supplied in 1806 by Messrs. Farncomb and Breeds, who it has been said, cleared over £20,000 by their contract. Many of the bricks were made at Bopeep, where thousands of the same article continue to be made.
Obituaries & family connection of Edward Towner and Mrs. Ann Thorp
Interpolatory Chapter
It having been my practice hitherto to give an obituary sketch of such old inhabitants as have died concurrently with the progress of this History, it will be in keeping with that practice if I now add to the already announced deaths a few details as applying to two or three old persons who have recently passed away.
The first to be noticed is Mr. Edward Towner, whose death occurred on the 16th inst. at 40 Gensing road, originally 10 Gensing terrace. The deceased was one of 13 children of the late Thomas Towner, who with a portion of his family came from Seaford on the 29th of May, 1828 —two months after the commencement of St. Leonards town - and located himself in Duley’s cottage at the eastern end of the Rope-walk, now the site of the Queen's Hotel. The said Thomas Towner was a builder, and one of his first contracts in this neighborhood(sic) was to convert the cabinet-making workshops of Mr. W. H. Honiss (where now stands the Holy Trinity Church) into the "Blacksmith’s Arms" public-house. After that, Mr. Towner and his elder sons were engaged in the construction of property at St. Leonards, including the Assembly-rooms, the lower portion of East Ascent, the central portion of Mercatoria, and the north-west corner of Lavatoria; and as soon as the last-named houses were ready for habitation, Mr. Towner occupied one of them, and brought, the remainder of his family from Seaford. It may be mentioned, in passing, that the name of Towner - like that of Woolgar - is a very old one at Seaford, and that the work of reconstruction or conversion which Mr. Thomas Towner was entrusted with in the parish of Holy Trinity, Hastings, was for a member of that well-known and numerous family of Woolgar, of Seaford. Mr Towner continued ax a builder at St. Leonards, and his name has been mentioned in this History in connection with the first National school-house, Adelaide place, the sea-walls, &c, The elder Towner lost his wife when she was 60 years of age, she having died on the 17th of January, 1843. She was interred in the St. Leonards burial-ground, and was followed by her husband in 1846, who died on May 29th - the 18th anniversary of his removal from Seaford to Hastings. Edward Towner, the subject of the present obituary notice, at first worked with his father, but he afterwards followed the calling of a painter; and, for upwards of 40 years, was in the successive employ of Mr. Charles Neve and his son.
He was also one of the choir of St. Leonards (old) church from the time of its erection until some ten or twelve years past. He died at the age of 66, which was just his father’s age at death, and has left a widow, two sons and a daughter to lament his loss. Of his twelve brothers and sisters there are still four survivors, namely, one brother and three sisters, two of whom are over 70 years of age. It is thus shown that though the deceased was not the senior inhabitant, he was one of those who first settled in the town.
Of greater longevity but of shorter existence as an inhabitant of St. Leonards was the late Mrs. Ann Thorp, who died at Warrior-square terrace on the 19th of June, in her 85th year. She was the widow of Mr. John Thorp, who had been butler to Charles Lutwidge, Esq. of 2 Wellington square, Hastings for over thirty years, and who, after his master’s death relinquished the service - to the family’s regret - to assist his wife in a lodging-house at 20 Grand Parade. He had bespoke the offer of the house from Mr. Tree before its erection was completed, and he eventually became its purchaser. There he and his wife continued to reside until August, 1864, when Mr Thorp died, at the age of 70 years, and was interred at the Borough Cemetery. He was much respected by those who knew him for his quiet demeanour, plodding industry and obliging disposition. His only son was several years an assistant at the Victoria Library, and afterwards followed the business of a photographer. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Thorp, assisted by her niece, remained at 20 Grand parade, keeping on the same as a first-class lodging-house for some years longer; but with waxing infirmity and waning chances of success, she removed to West-hill terrace, where her energies and responsibilities seemed to hold out a promise of being, lightened. Finally, the good woman removed to Warrior-square terrace, where, as before stated, she departed this life in her 85th year. She had been a resident in St. Leonards for about 35 years.
Having mentioned that Mrs. Thorp’s husband was butler to Mr. Lutwidge at 2 Wellington square for over thirty years, the circumstance brings another association to the front, namely, that at No. 3, next door to Mr. Lutwidges’s, was a very old resident in the person of Mrs. Druce, of whom it was said that she had dealt with one milkman for a period of 43 years. This lady (Judith, relict of John Druce, Esq.) died in 1863 at the advanced age of 87, and the milkman (Mr. David Murdoch) by whom she had been satisfactorily served for so many years, has recently gone over to the silent majority. At the age of 78, and at his residence, 58 Elphinstone road (formerly 5 Franklin terrace), Mr. Murdock finished his earthly career on the 19th of June last, leaving behind him a widow and two sons, He was known and respected as a man of industrious and quiet habits, notwithstanding that he commenced his existence in anything but quiet times, A volume of local history might be written in association with the life of dairyman David Murdoch, but this is not the place for an indulgence of that sort; and the following biographic outline, with its few surroundings, will fulfil the present intention.
The father of deceased (Mr. Archibald Murdoch ) was an artilleryman, and left Scotland for India in company with the father of the late Alderman Ross, both being afterwards engaged in the storming of Seringapatam. Both were invalided home, after long servitude under Sir David Baird, and both obtained appointments at Hastings. Mr. Ross was made master-gunner of the Hastings Fort and town, and Mr. Murdoch was appointed a similar Post at Bulverhithe Tower. This was about the year 1801 and from that period until 1814, during the Napoleonic wars, they had a good many harassing duties to perform; the almost ubiquity of the French privateers in the English Channel compelling them to be continually upon the qui vive, and not unfrequently calling for a voice of warning from the mouth-pieces of the coast defences. After the Peace ratifications a reduction was made in the strength of the "establishments," and Archibald Murdock became second-gunner under Thomas Ross at Hastings. The families resided together at Government House until the said house was leased to Lady Claremont, when Mr. Ross took up his quarters, first in the gun-rooms and next in a cottage of his own adjoining, whilst Murdock and his family removed to a cottage at the western end of the Rope Walk, near to what is now the site of Carlisle parade. There it was that gunner Archibald Murdock resided until about the year 1824, when he died, and was buried in the ground of the Croft Chapel, whither his eldest son Archibald followed him in the year 1836 or '7. But it was during the family residence at Bulverhithe in 1803 or ‘4 that occurred the birth of the second son, David, the subject of this notice. When he had grown to man’s estate, both he and his younger brother James, became milkmen, and obtained their supplies from the Gensing and Pebsham dairies. In 1850 or thereabout, David hired a portion of the Brook Estate, and kept his own cows.
Here he carried on his business until about 1863, when the land was purchased by Messrs. Clement and Mills, and re-sold by them for building purposes. Mr. Murdoch then retired from active business pursuits, after disposing of his stock to Mr. Hopper. He was twice married, his first wife having preceded him to her last rest by 31 years. On a monumental stone in the cemetery of St. Mary's-in-the-Castle is the inscription "Sacred to the memory of Arabella Eliza, wife of David Murdoch, who died November 14, 1851, aged 54 years." Mr. Murdoch, in addition to his second wife and two sons, who survive him had three brothers and four sisters. Two of the latter (Rachel and Jane) preceded him in death, and two others, Alice and Mary, (Mrs. Darby and Mrs. Marchant) are in Australia. Two of his brothers (Archibald and John) also died before him, while James, his younger brother, still survives to conduct the milk trade which he commenced before the town of St. Leonards was begun.
