Page:Volume 3 1840.pdf/45

The Eversfields - The Commissioners - The Overseers, &c.

Among the festivities of the year was the third annual ball of the Adelaide Lodge of, Oddfellows, an event which increased in importance from year to year until it came to be regarded as one of the town’s most enjoyable gatherings. Of this I shall have more to say further on. The particular ball now referred to was not held in the Assembly Rooms as were those of later years, but in the Lodge-room of the Warrior's Gate Inn, a very different house to the one now existing; and how, on the 16th of February, 1843, sixty persons could find space for their terpsichorean exercises, seems to strike one as a sort of puzzle.

There was a friendly rivalry between the Oddfellows of St. Leonards and those of Hastings even in the matter of dancing, the Adelaiders and the Victorians competing with each other for ornate display and an exchange of courtesies. The ball of the Victoria Lodge was held on the 17th of April, and was very fully attended. It is rather singular that whilst for several years a Hastings band was engaged for the St. Leonards ball, a St. Leonards band occupied the orchestra for the Hastings ball; so that the exchange of amenities extended even to the musical appointments.

Another annual ball was that which took place at the St. Leonards Assembly Rooms on the evening of the second race-day, September 21st There was not a very grand muster on that occasion, there being just then a paucity in the elite constituent of the community. From the same cause the Races were thinly attended; and, as though such conditions exerted an influence upon the horses, the racing was of an inferior character. It was said that the best part of the two days’ performance was that of the united bands of Hastings and St. Leonards, which played for the first time the original polka just introduced as a musical novelty, and repeated by request. With this exception, the two bands performed alternately, one under the leadership of Mr. Elliott and the other under that of Mr. Elford. The race- course was still in the Filsham valley at Bopeep.

Another annual ball was the one in connection with the Royal St. Leonards Archers, after the Grand Prize-meeting on the 17th of August, and at which, as was customary, the prizes were distributed. On this occasion the winners of the Royal Victoria prizes were Miss Mackay and Miss K. A. Wood, and G. W. Willis, Esq., and Capt. Norton. Miss Mackay also won the gold bracelet presented by her Majesty, while Mr. Willis carried off the silver cup.

Apropos of silver cups, I am reminded that an elegant silver tea-service was presented to the Rev. A. Peat, then residing at St. Leonards, as a testimonial from the parishioners of Lambeth.

The next event of a festival character was celebrated at Horsham, but so associated with the history of St. Leonards was it as to deserve a passing notice. For several generations the greater part of the land in the parishes of St. Leonards and St. Mary Magdalen — including the entire site on which the town of St. Leonards now stands — has been successively in the possession of Sir Charles Eversfield, Wm. Eversfield, Esq. (W. Markwick, a son-in-law, taking the name and estate), Chas, Eversfield, Esq., Chas. Eversfield’s trustees, and Charles Gilbert Eversfield, Esq. Their residence was at Horsham, and for three generations the Deudneys - Thomas (who came from Horsham in 1750), Charles, and Robert - have been successively the local agents.for the Eversfields. The festivity to which I am now referring took place at Horsham on the 7th of October, 1843, when Charles Gilbert Eversfield attained his majority and feasted all the children of Horsham, together with 70 work-people, cottagers, &c., on his estate. A dinner was also given to about 80 tradesmen. Even the prisoners in Horsham gaol were not forgotten; and this last act of generosity 80 warmed up the gratitude of the inmates as to fire the muse of one of them to the following strain:—

“Eversfield!
Though distant from us,
Yet our spirits are with thee;
The kindness of thy tender mother
Fills our heart with utmost glee.

Though inmates of a debtors’ prison,
Her Christian love hath entered here;
Her kind and lib’ral hand has given
Plenty on our board to cheer.

Oh! may the son be like the mother !
Tread her path in future life!
And when in Hymen’s bonds united,
Find a mother in a wife !

As on this day your boyhood’s over,
Bud full blossomed in the man,
May blessings from above descending,
Kindly lengthen out life’s span!“

I intended before this To have again entered into an enumeration of the additional house property and its inhabitants, with the object of showing the increase of each since my last description; but it will be convenient to defer this & little while longer. may mention, however, that of the haut ton of St. Leonards in 1843 were Sir Joseph and Lady Littledale, Sir E. and Lady Paget, Lord & Lady Marsham (Adelaide house), Lord Faversham, Lady Hanbury, Dowager Countess Sefton, Count Metaxa (34 Marina) Baron Alderson (Warrior square), Dowager Lady Lubbock (52 Marina), Gen. Mead (Victoria Hotel), Dowager Lady Howden (54 Marina), etc., etc.

The last-named gentleman, who occasionally resided in St, Leonards for many years, and was sometimes almost the only visitor at the hotel, invariably gave a liberal donation to whomsoever played “St. Patrick’s Day in the Morning” under the window of his sleeping apartment on the morning of St. Patrick’s Day. It was to the present writer’s profit to administer to this whim of the old General’s for several years, and as it was not always possible to get the members of an organised band together at so early an hour of the day, the gratuity was never withheld even if the performers consisted only of a couple of flautists and a drummer. When at St. Leonards, it was also the General’s custom to dine every evening with his sister, Lady Howden, whose butler was a Mr. Gower, afterwards a lodging-house keeper at Grand parade, and whose tall footman was a Mr. Hebden, also a lodging-house keeper in the same locality. It used to be said of the latter that he sold his pension to the son of Lady Howden. If this were true, it was, probably, to enable him to take the house and furniture for his new undertaking.

But there is something more to be told of Lady Howden. Her sympathies were so wrought up by the exertions of a pedestrian named Giyde, whom, Her ladyship regarded as being so greatly distressed by the feats which he undertook she gave him a sum of money to relinquish them, That he ceased his walking and running matches in the direction of the Marina is very probable, but that he relinquished the practice altogether is not so likely. He turned his feet, however, another way, as when, on the 30th of May, 1843, he undertook on a wager to run four miles in 26 minutes, the ground being a measured mile from Mitchell’s (afterwards Hempsted’s) Corner, London ​road​, to the Royal Oak, Castle street. Glyde won his wager on this occasion, with a minute of time to spare. Shortly after this success, St. Leonardensis had the courage or audacity to try conclusions with this professional athlete over a portion of the same ground, and carried off the laurels. And here it may be remarked, as showing the self-control of Glyde’s victor, that although the latter’s friends offered on several occasions to back him for considerable sums against any comer in a walking or running match, St. Leonardensis was too chary of so easily acquired notoriety and its associations to accede to the oft-repeated proposal. Since then it has been enough for him to know that he has never yet been beaten in any one of the numberless little spurts at the instance of some casual and silent challenge during a subsequent period of 40 years. The moral of this little display of egotism is, Never let your ability to excel in a doubtful pursuit draw you away from better purposes or fixed intentions on a course of greater usefulness.

On the 5th of January an incident occurred over which the gossip was only equalled by the surprise A sister of Miss W- at St. Leonards, was seen to walk deliberately into the sea and lie down, apparently to drown herself. Some of Mr Rock's men at the White rock coach works rushed and pulled her out and carried her to the Pelham Arms Inn. She begged of her rescuers not to thwart her intention. It was never publicly known why the rash act was attempted, but it is satisfactory to know that the subject of it afterward lived to a very advanced age.

The Commissioners, with the view of securing greater efficiency in the management of the fire engine, resolved — That notice be put up that the key of the engine-house can be obtained at Mr. Naish’s, in the Victoria Mews, and at the South Lodge; that the distance of fire-plugs be painted on the nearest walls; that a crow-bar and pole-axe be provided; that a dozen torches be kept in readiness for the use of the firemen when called out in a dark night; that a duplicate implement be provided for turning-on water in the absence of the turncock; that Mr. Chamberlain be paid £13 17s. for rent of the engine-house & that Mr. Naish be paid £4 14s. for past services, and that he receive £5 per year in future on the understanding that the engine be exercised not fewer than four times 8 year. — The further transactions of the Commissioners were comprised in the following summary: — The usual twice-a-year rate of 1s. on town property and 6d. on agricultural was, of course, levied on owners or occupiers, and the stereotyped order given to summons all defaulters_ if demands were not complied with in a reasonable time. Unfortunately for both parties, the reasonable time was never well defined, it being variously contracted and extended.

The question of a sinking-fund was re-introduced by the Clerk for the ninth or tenth time, but no motion made thereon. Unsuccessful negociations(sic) with replicants to six advertisements in the Times for loans at 4 per cent. were brought to a close, and the advertisements were ordered to be repeated, 1t being desired to pay off the existing bondholders and reduce the cost of interest. A loan of £2,500 at 44 per cent. and an additional loan at the same rate haying been offered by Capt. Style, the said offers were declined, and the Clerk was ordered to make further efforts, but not incur any further expense. In consequence, however, of the death of the the Commissioners’ Clerk (Mr. George Fraser) this duty devolved on his successor (Mr. Wm. Markwick Burton). A draft was to be given for the Clerk’s salary as soon as funds would admit of it, and a similar process was to be observed for the payment of interest to bondholders.

Parochial Matters.

The overseers appointed for St. Leonards were John Painter and Edward Farncomb; the surveyors were Charles Deudney and Edward Farncomb; the assessors were William Noon and Newton Parks for the inbounds, and Edward Farncomb and Richard Lamb for the outbounds; the vestry-clerk was John Phillips. The parochial business of that year was strictly of a routine character, the greatest item of public importance being the levying of two poor rates at 3d., two borough-rates at 3d., and one highway rate at 3d.; which, with the Commissioners’ two rates at 1s., brought up the total of the year’s rating for that parish to 3/3 in the £. It may be mentioned that a threepenny rate at that time realised about £52.

The overseers appointed for St. Mary Magdalen were George Roberts and John Peerless; the surveyors were John Austin and Nelson Andrews; the assessors were William Noon and Newton Parks, The rates for the year were two for the poor at 6d., two for the borough at 3d., and one for the highways at 3d.; total 1/9 for that portion of the parish eastward of the Archway, or 3/9 for the property in the western portion as far as the Victoria Hotel, where the two parishes joined. The average attendance of parishioners at the vestry meetings was about a dozen. The committee appointed for revising the assessment consisted of George Voysey, Stephen Putland, Wm. Noon, John Peerless, James Troup and Charles Neve. The report of this committee was adopted, At one of the meetings it was resolved that the Vestry-clerk give notice to the Trustees of the Magdalen Chanty Lands that it is the intention of the parishioners to enforce their claims and interest as they may be legally advised. At the next meeting, Mr. T. B. Baker was appointed Vestry clerk, and the overseers were desired to take his opinion respecting the rating of the Magdalen turnpike gate and other property.

On the 20th of February a meeting of the owners and occupiers of property in the parishes of St. Leonards and St. Mary Magdalen was held in the Assembly Rooms, with Major Jeffries presiding, when resolutions were passed in favour of the projected Brighton, Lewes and Hastings Railway; but in opposition to this, another meeting was held, three days later, to promote a line in a different direction, whose terminus should be at Hastings instead of St. Leonards. The ball of rivalry was thus again set rolling between the two towns, not to be stopped in this instance until both parties could claim the winnings.

The second meeting was held in the Town Hall, Hastings, the Mayor (Dr. MacCabe) presiding. Excuses for non-attendance were read from the Borough Members (Planta and Hollond), the first on the score of illness, and the second through “ inability.” These gentlemen had been previously requested by the St. Leonards Commissioners (of which Board they had both been members, and one still held office) to support in Parliament the Bill for the Brighton line. They therefore knew of the rivalry of the two towns; and they also knew of the Duke of Wellington’s desire, for military eventualities, to have railways round the coasts. In not attending the Hastings meetings the Borough Members doubtless thought discretion the better part of valor. The Mayor having expressed his disappointment, Mr. North moved and Mr. Staines seconded, "That a railway communication between London and Hastings is desirable, and likely to prove highly advantageous to the borough and its neighborhood.” This being carried, Mr. Fearon said he represented the “Hastings, Rye and Tenterden Railway,” and also the Board of Directors of the South-Eastern Company, of which latter board there were four members present; namely, Major-Gen. Hodgson, Mr. Hankie, Mr. Lewis Cubitt and Mr. Stewart. They were, he said, going to take the line in their own hands, and were determined to back it with all their strength. Mr. Lucas-Shadwell then moved, and Mr. Ginner seconded, “That this meeting having had under consideration the two lines of railway projected between London and Hastings, and now before Parliament, the one having its terminus in the parish of St. Mary-in-the-Castle, and the other in St. Leonards, is of opinion that the Hastings, Rye and Tenterden Railway, as being the nearest to London and passing through the most populous district, is the best adapted to meet our interests.”

It was next moved by Mr. Langham,and seconded by Mr. Phillips, ”That this meeting pledges itself to support the Hastings, Rye and Tenterden Railway, as opposed to the Brighton, Lewes and Hastings line, by all the means in its power.”

Then commenced the real tug of war. In the densely crowded hall there were persons from the western part of the borough who had no objection to a railway communication with Hastings in addition to the one projected to St. Leonards. Some of them, indeed, rejoiced in the prospect of having two lines instead of one coming to different parts of the borough; but when Mr, Langham’s strongly-worded motion was made, “as against,” &c., signs and expressions of dissent were used by those who were present from the district within and without the St. Leonards Archway. they were told, however, by Mr. Langham that they had no lucas standi, for although living in the borough, they were out of the township of Hastings, and were not of those who signed the requisition for the meeting to be convened. This ruling war practically remembered, some years later, when a forcible but unsuccessful attempt was made to bring a portion of the said district under the designation “ Hastings.”

The St, Leonards party were naturally jubilant at the receipt of intelligence that the Bill for the Brighton and Hastings line had passed a second reading on the 19th of March, and were still more elated to find its third reading effected on the 23rd of May, the same to be fully established on the 29th of July. On the evening after the third passing, a band was engaged by the people of St. Leonards to parade the town, with flags and banners, and afterwards to proceed to Hastings, there to enliven the good folk with demonstrations of the happy event. It was said that one effect produced in the old town — an exceptional one, it may be believed - was to cause a chemist to close his shop, he stating as a reason that the Hastings people had had so strong -