for 33 days; £3 2s. 6d. to Arthur Fuller, who lived in the shepherd's house at the top of the White Rock (now the site of White-Rock Villa) for 34 days work; £19 10s. to Mr. Whyborn (who lived at Bohemia) presumably for cartage of materials; and £1 Os. 8d, to a boy, for 31 days work.
On the 19th of August, 1822, a lady and gentle. man were thrown out of their tilbury at White Rock, but not very seriously hurt.
The Infirmary - The Hancocks - The MacKays - Railway Matters
At the commencement of 1826 the White-rock road, which still led on to the western entrance of Hastings at the Priory bridge, was considerably improved, there being a line of posts and rails from the part where the chalk-sloops and colliers discharged their cargoes (at the slipway where the steps now are at the end of the Baths) up to the top of the road, to the south and to the height of (what is now the InfirmaryHospital. The rail was to prevent vehicles and pedestrians falling over, and was additionally strengthened with long and strong supports from the rocks or the beach below. I fancy this expense was not wholly borne by the parish, but by voluntary contributions. In the preceding September (1825) Mr James Eversfield offered to head a subscription list with £25 for improving the White-rock road and building a sea-wall on the western side, it being in contemplation to erect a block of handsome houses, the plans and elevation of which were already prepared Doubtless,the subscriptions, whatsoever they might have been, were greatly inadequate to the cost of all the contemplated improvements, there being a prevalent sentiment that those who would be afterwards selling waste land as building land should construct the wall that was needed for protection, and with greater reason that the cliffs, though otherwise valueless, would yield most of the stone that was required. But, in any case, the wall was not built until nine or ten years after the railing in of the White-rock road — that is to say not till 1834-5, when the rock was leveled(sic) down and the road was leveled(sic) up. Preceding this last operation by about two years was the erection of the projected block of handsome buildings, the work of which had been so long deferred. By the rapid growth of St. Leonards within the archway and the equally rapid extension eastward of St. Leonards without the archway, a fresh impetus was given to the original scheme for building on the western side of the White Rock, and the erection of Verulam place was the result. As I have already described these in detail, as well as the contracts for, and construction of, the roads, parades and walls, together with personal reminiscences, when treating of the years 1834 and ’5; and as no change was made at Verulam place, between the time of their erection in 1833 to 1847, except as to their occupancy of the projected block of handsome buildings, the I subjoin a view of Verulam place and the infirmary, the former as it originally existed before the greater part of it was formed into the Grand Hotel, and the latter before it was replaced by the present Hospital.
It was in 1847 - the year primarily under notice - that the newer White-rock houses, Nos. 1 to 20, were erected and during the operation, a man named Robert Plane was seriously injured by a fall of eighteen feet from those buildings. He was then 34 years of age, and, after a slow recovery, lived the same number of years before he was called to his account. He was one of five children whose father was drowned at sea; the widowed mother by her own industry, bringing up her family respectably, and two of her sons, Robert and Jeremiah, by plodding industry steadiness and civility, raising themselves from very lowly circumstances to the position of master builders. A third son { William), like his father, was drowned at sea, and at the same age, namely, thirty-three. In his rhyming rambles ”The Postman” has interested himself in the family when describing 21 Hill street and Croft-road cottages; and it is his purpose to trace their ancestry if time and opportunity be afforded him.
I have said that at Verulam place no structural alterations had been made, and it may be added that even the residual changes up to that time had been but few. David Manser was still the owner of Nos. 1,4, 9, and 10, these being tenanted respectively by Mrs Charlotte Gilbert, Mrs Ann Baldock, (in lieu of Jno. Geo. Glanfield ) Mrs Fuller and Thos. Cox. No 2 had been purchased by Jos, Sidney Cooper, who had disposed of his business known as the Battery or Powell’s Library to Geo. Curling Hope, and had accepted Spencer Catt a lodging-house keeper as his tenant. No 3, which was still the property of William Creswell, had changed its tenant from Edmund Fuller to Robert Ransom, a surgeon-dentist.
Nos. 5 and 6 (which with No 7 were converted into the Grand Hotel 37 years later, through the enterprise of G. C. Hope, above mentioned), were owned by Edward Hilder and rented by Nelson Andrews, the latter with his wife having failed to make a fortune as a silk mercer, glover &c, at Pelham place, turned his attention to lodging-house keeping. No. 7, owned by Charles Pilcher, was still occupied as a private residence by Miss Hancock, as it had been for twelve or more years, whilst No.8, also the property of Charles Pilcher, was the third house rented by Nelson Andrews, where he also had a small shop — the first and only place of business in that range of large and handsome dwellings.
Apropros of the Handcock's a brother and four three sisters together, with the brother's widow, have been interred at Fairlight - namely Lieut. General Hancock in 1872, aged 70; Susan, his widow, in 1890, aged 88; Frances Hancock, in 1888, aged 84; Lucy, in 1879, aged 71; and Caroline in 1896, aged 89; thus, on the whole, a long-lived family.
Between Verulam place and Cliff Cottages (now 2 and 6 Eversfield place) there was still an open space of about 500 yards — a full quarter-mile, — with a rugged cliff to the north, the sea to the south, and between them a fairly formed parade, parallel with a loose shingly road, and an unkerbed and somewhat dangerous gravelled path. Lamp-posts there still were but no lamps, and to grope one’s way over this via media in a dark and, perhaps, a stormy night, was by no means a pleasant or easy task. In coming from Hastings, as it was my practice to do four or five nights out of seven, it always afforded me some mental relief to have reached Cliff Cottages, No.1 of which was still owned and occupied by George Duke, barrister-at-law, and No. 2, owned by John Jeffery and let to Miss Hill.
It was in 1849 that two fancy fairs were held in the St. Leonards Assembly Rooms on behalf of the Infirmary fund and a fund for that was being raised for the St. Leonards new National Schools. The first was held on the 21st and 22nd of October, the stalls being beingattended by the Countess of Antrimm, the Countess Waldegrave, Lady Webster, Mrs. Robert Hollond and Mrs. Musgrave Brisco; the two last-named being, respectively, the wives of the two rival M. P.'s who, as before stated, exerted themselves greatly for the general welfare of the borough. The admissions on the first day were about a thousand, and the receipts were £450. On the second day, the visitors numbered about five hundred. The Queen Dowager sent £10, and the Lord Warden £5 for the fund. The Ear! of Antrim mounted the rostrum a la George Robins, and disposed of the remnants by auction. The other bazaar was suggested and promoted by the Misses Mackay — three sisters who were mainly instrumental in establishing and maintaining the Archery Society, the Clothing and Coal Clubs, the Parochial schools and some other local institutions. The school bazaar realised a net sum of £155, which amount was added to £868, paid or promised by those who had subscribed to the building fund. In my treatment of 1846, I described the resolutions and plans in connection with these new schools, and it is tor me now to say that at the first general meeting of the Committee in 1847 it was proposed by Mayor Jeffries, J.P., and seconded by Mr. Gilbert, a surgeon, that an additional room be added for the Infant School, the plans of Mr. Burton being submitted to that gentleman for the needful alterations. It was also resolved that the schools be built with stone to be. given by Mr. Burton, the same to be quarried by Mr. Putland, and Mr. Walter Inskipp to be clerk-of-the-works. This last occupation was afterwards declined by Mr. Inskipp on the ground of impaired health. At the next meeting, Aug. 17th, the following tenders were received :
| Geo. Clark Jones, Hastings, | £1564. |
| Burgess and Tree, St. Leonards, | £1456. |
| Hughes, Hunter & Carey, do., | £1309. |
The last-named tender was accepted, as well as an additional tender of £56 by the same contractors for alterations and repairs to the schoolmaster’s house, which Mr. Burton had sold at a low price to the committee. At the December meeting (with Rev. G. D. St. Quintin, as usual, presiding), thanks were again tendered to Mr. Decimus Burton for his gift of ground, stone and architectural designs; also to Mr. W. W. Burton for his gratuitous conveyancing.
The further progress and consolidation of the schools which have done excellent work during the past forty years, will be noticed when I reach the year 1848.
Among the surgical operations at the Infirmary in 1847 — which institution so largely benefitted by the bazaar of that year — was the attempt to remove a dangerous tumour from a young man while under the influence of ether, The effects, however, of this new anaesthetic were such as to alarm the. operators for the safety of their patient, and at the suggestion of Mr. Ticehurst, the chloroform was discontinued. But a few days only were permitted to elapse ere a lady was relieved of a cancerous tumour by Messrs. Barnard and Hobson, of Hastings, and Dr. Underwood, of Battle. This took place on the 24th of February, and being perfectly successful, was the first painless operation of the kind ever performed in Hastings.
The name of Mackay in connection with the schools and the Archery Society instinctively leads me into my annual review of the latter's proceedings. A committee-meeting was held in London on the 19th of April — whither, as is still customary in April, May and June - the St. Leonards gentlefolk had gone for a change, when Mr. Greenough resigned the presidency, and Sir Thomas Marrable was elected in his place. Nine new members were elected and eight competition meetings were fixed on, together with weekly target days. The resolution of 1844 for making the shooting for her Majesty's prize an open one was rescinded, and a resolution passed for the highest scores in the contest for the Victoria Challenge prizes to have no deductions made for previous winnings. The same prosperity waited on the archery amusements of 1847 as was observable in most other affairs. The weather, too, throughout the entire season was more than usually favourable, whilst the attendance was all of the best. There were 62 shooters, 24 family subscribers to the meetings and 46 family subscribers to the grounds. About 3,000 persons visited the grounds during the season, thus contributing to the fund about £50, whilst the receipts from other sources swelled the total to £183. Over forty pounds of this was obtained at the grand annual meeting on the 17th of August, when his Imperial Highness Prince Peter of Oldenberg was elected an honorary member. On that occasion the gold enamelled bracelet was won by Miss Mackay, and the silver cup by Mr. Cuming, their scores being respectively 308 and 355. The Society's prizes were obtained Miss. E. MacKay with 152 points, and Miss Merrick, with 122, The Visitors’ prizes were carried off by Miss Lomax, Miss Bramley, Mr. H. Ford and Mr. W. Ford, The ball in the evening was numerously attended, there being among the company the Earl and Countess of Antrim, Lady Victoria Wellesley, Sir W. and Lady Clarke, Sir Warren Peacock, Sir Thomas Marrable and family, and other persons of distinction.
Railway matters next claim attention as items of importance in the year under consideration. On the already established Brighton and Hastings — now called the London, Brighton and South-Coast — line three accidents, unattended by personal injury, occurred within two days. The first was on May 22nd, when just as the 9.40 train was about to leave the St. Leonards station, the engine broke down and the passengers had to wait two hours whilst the rails were being cleared and another engine brought up. During the detention, an unlucky painter upset his pot and poured its contents down upon the heads and dresses of several persons who were beneath him. The station-master (Mr. Sutton) made every suitable apology, and promised on the behalf of the Company all expenses that the bespattered passengers might be put to. On the Queen's birthday anniversary, two days later, as the 2 p.m. train was coming on to St. Leonards another breakdown of an engine occurred near the Berwick station. The passengers had to wait until the up goods-train came along, then its engine was made to take the place of the disabled one By a vexatious and singular mischance, that engine -
