The Funeral of Henry HEMSLEY: “from his friends in the trade”

One of the floral tributes at the funeral of Henry HEMSLEY was described in the newspaper report as “A token of respect to the oldest license holder, from his friends in the Trade at Uckfield, George Bean, J. H. Elliott, A. E. Hill, M. Tourle, J. Webber, A. Waight, and F. White.”

Having an interest in pub history I thought it might be fun to find out who these people were. Using Kelly’s Directory of Sussex for 1915 on the Historical Directories website I was able to identify all seven of the gentlemen (yes, they were all men) mentioned, all of whom had businesses in the town of Uckfield, Sussex.

George BEAN	King’s Head Hotel	186 High Street
Joseph Henry ELLIOTT	Bridge Hotel	New Town
Arthur Ernest HILL	beer retailer	70 High Street
Mark TOURLE	Ringles Cross Hotel	Ringles Cross
John WEBBER	Maiden’s Head Hotel	91 High Street
Albert WAIGHT	Bell Hotel	96 High Street
Frank WHITE	Alma Arms Public House	Framfield Road

Uckfield High Street was obviously the place to go for a drink. As well as the four businesses listed above there was also a wine and spirit merchant at No. 122 High Street.

The Maiden’s Head Hotel is where Henry’s property, the Gun Inn, was sold at auction six months after his death.

The Funeral of Henry HEMSLEY: The Floral Tributes

As well as detailing the chief mourners at the funeral of Henry HEMSLEY, my 3x great-grandfather, the newspaper report also provided a list of some of the floral tributes at the funeral.

I can only imagine the newspaper reporter standing over the grave with his notebook scribbling down the names and messages on the bouquets and floral displays. I wish I knew who it was I had to thank for capturing all of this information, if only he had owned a camera as well.

To dear father, from Joy and Ada

In loving memory of dear father, Nellie and Ernest

Mr. and Mrs. G. Hemsley, in affectionate remembrance of our dear father

From Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery and son, in affectionate memory of our dear father

In affectionate memory to our dear father, from Emily and Will

In loving remembrance, from Ben and Esther

In affectionate remembrance of dear grandfather, from his loving great-grandchildren, Albert and Cecil

In loving memory of dear granddad, from Harry and family

In affectionate remembrance, from Mr. Lewis Wren and family

In kind remembrance of dear granddad, from Lily Stevens

In loving remembrance, from Tom, Annie, and family

A token of respect to the oldest license holder, from his friends in the Trade at Uckfield, George Benn, J. H. Elliott, A. E. Hill, M. Tourle, J. Webber, A. Waight, and F. White.

Once again there is some useful genealogical information contained amongst the messages and names, and an interesting mention of some of his fellow licensees.

The Funeral of Henry HEMSLEY: The Chief Mourners

Last week I mentioned the discovery of a newspaper report of the funeral of my 3x great-grandfather, Henry HEMSLEY at Framfield, Sussex on the 15th January 1914. The amount of information contained in the report was quite remarkable.

One of the most valuable features was the list of chief mourners at the funeral, which appears to be an almost complete list of Henry’s descendants. Not only does it give the names of the mourners, but it also gives their relationship to Henry.

Mr. H. Hemsley (son)
Mr. and Mrs. Buckley (son-in-law and daughter)
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery (son-in-law and daughter)
Mr. and Mrs. B. Hemsley (son and daughter-in-law)
Mr. and Mrs. T. Hemsley (son and daughter-in-law)
Mr. and Mrs. J. Hemsley (son and daughter-in-law)
Mr. and Mrs. G. Hemsley (son and daughter-in-law)
Mr. and Mrs. E. Winter (son-in-law and daughter)
Mr. M. Stevens (son-in-law)
Mr. C. Wren (brother-in-law)
Mr. C. Hemsley (grandson) and Mrs. Hemsley
Mr. E. Hemsley (grandson) and Mrs. Hemsley
Mr. Bert Hemsley (grandson) and Mrs. Hemsley
Miss M. Hemsley (granddaughter)
Mrs. Ralph (granddaughter) and Mr. Ralph
Mr. W. W. Buckley (grandson)
Mrs. Westgate (granddaughter) and Mr. Westgate
Mr. J. Buckley (grandson)
Miss C. Buckley (granddaughter)
Mr. H. Jeffery (grandson)
Miss A. Hemsley (granddaughter)
Miss N. Hemsley (granddaughter)
Mr. W. Hemsley (grandson)
Miss G. Winter (granddaughter)
Miss O. Hemsley (granddaughter)
Mr. A. Hemsley (grandson)
Master W. Hemsley (grandson)
Miss Ivy Hemsley (granddaughter)
Miss Lily Stevens (granddaughter)
Mrs. Tapp (niece)
Mr. Tapp (nephew)
Mr. G. Wren (nephew)
Mr. and Mrs. L. Winter (nephew and niece)

I am sure don’t need to point out what a valuable piece of information this is. I now have a list of the children that had married, or those who hadn’t (or whose spouse had died). Going one step further than that I can also see many of Henry’s grandchildren as well.

It is going to take a while to go through this list and confirm the details and enter them into my family tree. Some of the information I already have, some will confirm what I previously suspected and some is completely new to me.

The amount of information contained in this report is really quite staggering and it makes me wonder just how the newspaper reporter went about collecting all this information?

More wandering, starting the South Downs Way

As if walking the North Downs Way wasn’t enough, I have started walking the South Downs Way (SDW) as well. I say started, but I don’t know when I shall finish, or indeed when I shall walk the next part, but I have at least made a start.

The photo above shows the start (or end) of the SDW, in Eastbourne, East Sussex. It is right on the western edge of the town, and is about 1½ miles from the railway station mainly through residential streets.

I have decided to do this walk alone, in fact it was partly the solitude and time to think that I wanted to experience and was my reason for starting today. It also means that I can go at my own speed and stop at places of interest on the way, without having to worry about inconveniencing anyone else. I know that when I get further west I will be in ancestral territory and my pace will no doubt slow down dramatically.

This first section was according to the guide book 7½ miles, from Eastbourne to Exceat, by way of Beachy Head, Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters. I have been to all these places before, but have never walked them all in one go.

There is so much history in this landscape. From prehistory to the Second World War. The cliff top at Beachy Head is littered with monuments and other features that attest to this rich history.

My pace today wasn’t particularly fast, partly because I haven’t done much serious walking yet this year, but mainly because I kept stopping the take photos. I had forgotten how beautiful and striking the landscape was. The photo below is of one of the most striking features, Beachy Head lighthouse.

Birling Gap is a small group of buildings that have gathered around an access point to the beach. The buildings are gradually disappearing into the sea as the cliffs slowly erode, but whilst they remain they act as a honey pot to tourists and visitors to the coast.

Heading west from Birling Gap are the Seven Sisters, a range of cliffs with which I have something of a love-hate relationship. I love the challenge of tackling the rise and fall of the hills, and admire the fabulous views, but once I get started I usually regret it, when my legs start to complain. Every year they seem to get steeper!

The best views are of course not from the Sisters themselves, but from Birling Gap (shown above) or Seaford Head (on the far left of the photo). It is possible (although I am not sure that it is advisable) at low tide to walk along the foot of the cliffs.

Last year after my holiday in South Devon I thought that the Sussex coastline was quite dull in comparison to that of South Devon, but today I have changed my mind. I think I have definitely fallen in love with chalk!

Public consultation begins for The Keep

At last there is some sign of progress on the plans for The Keep, the new archive centre for East Sussex. The Keep is a joint project between East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and the University of Sussex.

The East Sussex County Council website now includes much more detail on the project than have previously been available. This includes maps, site plans, floor plans and artists impressions of the new centre, as well as a proposed timeline for the project.

A period of public consultation will take place between the 26th April and 28th May 2010. A feature of this will be three public exhibitions at local libraries, Lewes Library (12th May), Eastbourne Library (13th May) and the Jubilee Library in Brighton (26th May).

Everyone is invited to take part in the consultation, and there is a survey on the website to complete or opinions can be expressed via traditional methods, contact details can all be found on the website.

I will be having a closer look at the proposal in the coming weeks, but at first glance there appears to be important factor missing from the plans. There is no mention of how the whole project is going to be paid for. I am sure I am not the only one who would welcome some clarification on where the money is coming from.