The bad news is that this volume is now out of print, but the good news is that as well as being able to find it in second-hand bookshops and libraries, it is also available to view online on the Sussex Record Society website (along with many other useful books and databases).

As the book is essentially just a catalogue there is only a small section of illustrations featuring examples of some of the maps. Due to the limitations of the book format they are not particularly detailed (they can be enlarged on the website), but they do provide a good example of the style of the maps available and level of detail included.

These maps are not the sort of maps that I use a great deal, in general the level of detail is not good enough to be able to pick out individual properties (like you can on some Ordnance Survey maps), but these maps are great for getting an overall picture of the landscape and its development.

Most of these maps show main roads, rivers and settlements, which are great for understanding the landscape and connections of ancestral locations. It is also interesting to see the variations in spelling of place names, which may have changed over the centuries.

The catalogue also serves as a finding aid, providing details of where you can find copies of the 154 maps listed, as well as providing background on the creation of each map and the individuals and businesses involved in the publication.

I wouldn’t normally bother with a little guide-book like this, which I discovered in a collectables shop in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the basis that it is somewhat out of date and rather battered. However because I have ancestors from Shoreham I gave it a second glance, I noticed that the previous owner had actually written his name on it Arthur Harding Norwood and dated it Nov 1898.

What also stood out was that Arthur Harding Norwood had actually scribbled some comments in the guide-book, and that these comments were less than complimentary.

His comments begin on the front cover with the addition of the word VANDAL to name of the author and vicar of Old Shoreham Church the Rev. H. C. Adams, M.A.

We learn the reason for this on page 19, where the guide describes the church at New Shoreham:

Other improvements have been effected of late years. The heavy and unsightly pews have given way to open sittings and chairs, and the whole appearance of the church greatly improved.

At the foot of the page Arthur Harding Norwood has scribbled a note, Are chairs (especially ugly ones) in a church suitable or picturesque?

The guide-book itself begins by describing the situation of the two Shorehams:

The two Shorehams, Old and New, situated on the Sussex coast, half-way between Brighton and Worthing, are places of considerable interest, though no longer of the commercial and naval importance which attached to them some centuries ago. Their decay must be a matter of regret to all connected with them, and the more so because the local advantages, which in the first instance gave them pre-eminence, still exist unimpaired; nor is anything needed but a due employment of capital and enterprise to restore them to their ancient position.

The opening paragraph doesn’t escape Arthur Harding Norwood’s comment, “Capital & enterprise” would never restore Shoreham to it’s “ancient position,” if Shoreham were to be restored it would be converted into a hideous little Liverpool, with factories smoke & filth, the “restoration” began a few years ago with the hideous chemical works. The latest “improvement” being the hateful “Dolphin” Soap Works at Kingston.

The comment above is actually signed and dated (November 1898) but there is another comment, which is dated the 3rd October 1924, “Capital & enterprise” have built a hideous new bridge, in place of the Norfolk. “Enterprise” by the local Council of Vandals, in filling in the grand strips of water above the bridge – with reffuse from Shoreham dustbins, the stench from which is vile.

I would love to know why Arthur Harding Norwood made these comments, and whether they ever went any further than his own copy of the guide-book. I can just imagine him writing letters to The Times or a local newspaper.

I couldn’t help trying to find out who Arthur Harding Norwood was. It turns out that he was a painter, there are references to several of his paintings being sold at auction, but they give no idea of the value they attained (unless I subscribe). I have also found a reference to fact that some of his work was exhibited in London by the Society of British Artists.

A General view of the agriculture of the county of Sussex is available on Google Books, but I have also seen a relatively recent reprint in second-hand bookshops. It was published in 1808 and written by the Rev. Arthur Young for The Board of Agriculture and Internal Improvement.

The book occasionally mentions individual farms or farmers and it is not really a how-to book, but more a general survey of virtually all aspects of farming. An idea of the topics covered can be seen from the list of chapters.

1. Geographical state and circumstances
2. State of property
3. Buildings
4. Mode of occupation
5. Implements
6. Enclosing, fences, gates
7. Arable land
8. Grass lands
9. Orchards
10. Woods and plantations
11. Wastes
12. Improvements
13. Live stock
14. Rural economy
15. Political economy
16. Obstacles to improvement
17. Miscellaneous observations

It is fascinating to just dig into sections at random and get an insight into farming life, and there are many unexpected and unusual descriptions such as the section below on opium, which comes under the heading of crops not commonly cultivated:

The largest quantity of this invaluable drug that was ever cured in this country, was raised in 1797 from the Earl of Egremont’s garden at Petworth; and the fact now indeed thoroughly ascertained, that all the foreign opium is highly adulterated, renders it an object of immense consequence to encourage the domestic growth. Mr. Andre is convinced, that in all his practice, he never made use of any of this drug that could be compared with this. The operation of collecting the produce, is effected by a gentle incision on the heads, as they grow, with a knife or other sharp instrument, which is frequently repeated; and the juices which exude from the wound, are scraped into an earthern vessel, dried by the sun, and preserved for use.

I know that farmers are have been encouraged to diversify, but I suspect this might be frowned upon slightly these days. Less controversial, but nonetheless interesting is the description of how lime was obtained for use ‘manuring’ the fields in the eastern part of the county:

As the chalk-hills extend no further than Eastbourne, in order therefore to supply the rest of the county, the chalk is shipped in sloops from Holywell pits at Beachy-head, from whence it is carried to the Bexhill, Hastings, and Rye kilns: here it is burnt into lime, where the farmers come with their teams and take it away at 6d. per bushel. In this trade 16 sloops are considerably employed from April to the month of November. Nine of these belong to Hastings, and seven to the port of Rye. The total quantity consumed at these kilns, for one year, amounts nearly to 633 sloop-loads of chalk, each containing 550 bushels, or about 350,000 bushels.

These are just two examples of the contents of this book, there is quite a large number of tables of figures, and a few illustrations, although many appear to have folded out and they have not been reproduced in the Google Books version, still it is well worth reading if you have an interest in the history of agriculture.

I have a strong interest in maps but would not really consider myself to be a map addict (and certainly not to the same extreme as the author), so the subject matter obviously appealed to me, but the book is so wide ranging that you don’t really need to have an obsession with maps and mapping to enjoy it. The style of writing is passionate and engaging, and in some places very personal and funny.

The book covers the origins of the Ordnance Survey, through to the impact of the satnav and internet mapping and many points in between, including how Greenwich became home to the Prime Meridian and the Summer Solstice alignments in the heart of Milton Keynes. The book also describes the many and varied reasons for the creation of maps over the centuries.

It has been a long time since I have found a non-fiction (or fiction) book impossible to put down, but it really was the case with this book. It has made me laugh out loud, as well as making me question my own relationship with maps.

Based on the original volume, this edition has been brought up to date by local author Rose Collis, who has also provided many of the new photos for the book. The encyclopaedia contains articles on a huge variety of subjects, reflecting the diverse history of the city of Brighton. You can watch author Rose Collis on the local BBC news discussing the history of three of Brighton’s “attractions” including the Brighton Extra-Mural Cemetery.

There are articles on famous (or infamous) Brighton residents, streets and buildings, tourist attractions, transport, media, shops and pubs, films and television programmes filmed in Brighton. I am sure that there are subjects that aren’t covered, and naturally one volume doesn’t permit an awful lot of detail. Many of the subjects could be, and indeed some are, books in themselves.

Genealogists will probably not find mention of their ancestors, unless they were famous residents, but there is plenty of information about churches, cemeteries, roads, businesses and what they might have done during their spare time, which will no doubt be of interest.

Although my ancestors only had fleeting connections with Brighton, I know I am going to be regularly dipping into this encyclopaedia, either in connection with my family history, or because I see something whilst visiting Brighton that catches my eye and I want to find out more.

If you want a copy and can’t get to Brighton then copies are available on Amazon.co.uk, and probably elsewhere online.

This biography of the ‘celebrated pedestrian’ contains one paragraph about “Mrs Gearing’s Drug Shop”. Unfortunately it is mainly based on the work of Thomas Geering, which I am of course already aware of. There are however a couple of fresh clues in that one paragraph, which add to the GEERING story.

The paragraph begins, “Robert was always fussy about his accommodation. On Monday 1 October [1804] he packed his deal trunk and moved into new lodgings suggested to him by his barrack-sergeant, James Gearing – the small front room of his mother’s drug shop at Hailsham.”

So it appears that Captain Barclay moved to Hailsham on the 1st October 1804. I can’t see where this date comes from, but perhaps I can work it out (or ask the author).

Furthermore it appears that Captain Barclay had previously been barracked in Eastbourne, Sussex, so presumably this is where James Gearing (or James GEERING my 5x great-grandfather) had been barrack-sergeant and not at Hailsham barracks.

Useful clues, and hopefully I can use this date (1st October 1804) and location (Eastbourne barracks) to pin down some details for James GEERING in the form of a service record.

From the street outside, the High Street in Hailsham, Sussex we find that

The front of the house was shut off from the public road by a brick wall, and a gate had to be opened to gain admittance to the shop door.

The shop front featured a window

One small bottle of blue liquid was the only show in the window, across which, reaching about half-way up, stretched a faded green blind, which also added to the melancholy of the interior.

Entering the shop

The door creaked on its hinges, and the floor beneath the feet yielded to the weight as one entered, showing cracks and holes which led one’s thoughts to the cellar; but our dear old lady regarded none of these as blotches. She, her shop and the contents had all grown old together.

The shop had a counter

At the window end of the counter were three slots, or slits, into which dipped the three ointment and plaster knives, which knives were of varying sizes and lengths, to suit the work to be done.

It was apparently plainly decorated

If not poor, it was meagre to a degree, pots, jars, and bottles all being of the plainest pattern. There was a good array for number, but I have always supposed many to have been dummies.

Some of the bottles were labelled

POISON might be read in plain English on a few bottles and jars, to impress her visitors, we will suppose, with a dread of her power; while “Paregoric” and “Soothing Syrup” show in faded gold, to give confidence and to show all was not lost, nor hope entirely fled. The majority of the labels were covered with a mysterious combination of letters, too learned for the general public, but which served to strengthen our faith and to give reverence and confidence to the one, and the only one, person who could unravel their meaning.

But it wasn’t just bottles and jars

There was also a department for dolls and wooden horses, and the house of the cruel, weather-wise old man who would turn his wife out of her door when it rained and keep in himself, had a place on her shelves.

Now sadly the druggist’s shop has gone

Our old druggist’s shop, with the small front sitting-room which the Captain occupied, has now for the last fifteen years been turned into a bookseller’s shop, and the place altogether has undergone a complete transformation. New windows, fittings, counters, etc., have replaced the very old ones.

The story mainly focuses on the famous Captain Barclay, but does include a few snippets of information about the druggist and her family, none of which conclusive, it is sadly very short on hard facts, but makes up for it with some wonderful descriptions of the people and the shop (more about that in another post).

Firstly we begin with the lodger:

CAPTAIN BARCLAY, the celebrated pedestrian, with the 23rd Foot, in which regiment he held his commission, was, about the year 1804-5, stationed, if not in our barracks, in the neighbourhood, he having apartments in the house of Mrs. Gearing, druggist.

Then we have mention of the druggist’s son:

The druggist’s son, James, who had been barrack-sergeant, in after-life delighted to gossip away an hour detailing many of the doughty Captain’s habits while in quarters here…

We then return to the druggist again and her daughter:

Let me give a parting word or two to our old-fashioned maiden druggist, Miss Nancy Gearing. I remember her mother, a little dark-eyed, precise, shrivelled-up old dame. Her fame rested chiefly upon salves and ointments, and to the daughter, Nancy, devolved the honour of continuing to our town and neighbourhood these two blessings.

Then we hear more about the druggist who like her son enjoyed gossiping about their famous lodger:

She, her shop and the contents had all grown old together. Where she drew her first breath, there in the same chamber she breathed her last, and like her creaking old door, she hung on for many a year, always attending to her business duties, and glad to the last to take a shilling over the counter. This was her great delight, and if ever gratification and satisfaction could be seen dominant in one’s features, then these were in hers when a customer had entered the shop and she had fingered the money. But the joy could be intensified by a gossip about her celebrated lodger; it was then her dark eyes sparkled as she recounted her recollections of his manly presence, and his kind, gentlemanly demeanour.

Finally Thomas Geering leaves us with a clue, the age of death of the old druggist:

Our old druggist lived on to be eighty-one, and a very short period of her long life became subject to decrepitude and mortal decay.

So pulling out the hard facts from this selection of quotes we have:

• Mrs Gearing was a druggist, but as well as running a shop, also let  out an apartment or room, but we don’t know whether this was just a one off for the celebrated pedestrian or whether she had other paying guests.
• Mrs Gearing had a son, James, who had been a barrack sergeant.
• Mrs Gearing had a daughter, Nancy, who took over the shop.
• Mrs Gearing lived to be eighty one years old.

There are some similarities between these ‘facts’ and the GEERING family I have previously described.

• Mary GEERING was listed as a chymist and druggist in 1832-4 and 1839 in Hailsham.
• Richard and Mary GEERING had a son named James (my 5x great-grandfather).
• Richard and Mary GEERING probably had a daughter called Ann, who may have been Nancy in Thomas Gearing’s story.
• According to the census Ann/Nancy appears to have run the shop after Mary’s death.

There is a discrepancy in the age of Mrs Gearing when she died, or maybe my confusion in the interpretation of the story. I think Mary GEERING was 78 when she died, and it was Ann who died aged 81 years.

Allowing for some artistic licence or failing memory on the part of Thomas Geering, these two families (the one in the book and the other revealed by census returns and parish registers) are a pretty good match. I have no doubt they are one and the same.

My challenge is to prove that this family is my family, that Mary GEERING/Mrs Gearing was my 6x great-grandmother.

I had never heard of Captain Barclay before, but I have since discovered (through the story and online research) that he was a celebrated pedestrian, who carried out various walking feats, mostly it seems for money, such as walking a 1000 miles in a 1000 hours for a wager of 1000 guineas.

Of course the real interest for me is whether Mrs Gearing the druggist, is my 6x great-grandmother. My gut instinct is that she is, but there is just not enough evidence yet for me to be 100% certain.

My own research has taken my GEERING ancestors back to Hailsham, Sussex. My 4x great-grandfather Richard GEERING was born in Hailsham in 1805 and appears to be the son of James and Ann GEERING. This is really as far back as I can confidently go so far.

I haven’t found a marriage for James and Ann, but it looks like James was the son of Richard and Mary GEERING, baptised in Hailsham on the 26th December 1776. Richard GEERING and Mary JARVIS were married in Hailsham on the 29th August 1776.

The 1841 census shows a household in Hailsham, which appears to relate to my ancestors, but the relationship is a bit confusing, because they are not included in the 1841 census. The first person in the household is Ann GEERING (aged 55), then we have John GEERING (aged 60) and Jane GEERING (aged 35).

Normally if John and Ann were married I would expect John to be listed first, so these are probably not husband and wife (maybe brother and sister). Both Ann and John GEERING have given their occupation as druggist.

John died before the 1851 census, but Ann and Jane are still living together in Hailsham. Ann (aged 67) is shown as unmarried, with the occupation of chemist and druggist. Jane (aged 53) has no occupation and her relationship to Ann is given as niece. My guess is that Jane was the daughter of James, and James was the brother of Ann.

Pigot’s Directory of Sussex for both 1832-4 and 1839 list a Mary GEERING as a “chymist and druggist” in Hailsham. This information may be out of date because I suspect that Mary actually died in 1825.

My hypothesis is that both Ann and James were the children of Richard and Mary GEERING, my 6x great-grandparents, and that the druggist business passed down from Richard and Mary, to just Mary, then to Ann and James, and then just Ann (probably assisted by Jane).

My problem is going to be finding the evidence to support this. The only child that I can find for Richard and Mary GEERING is James, no sign of Ann. I have found three children for James and Ann GEERING, but no sign of Jane.

As you will see in my next post, Thomas Geering’s story about the old druggist does provide a few clues which may fill in some details on the family.

Thomas (pictured left) was born on the 6th September 1813 and baptised on the 31st October 1813 at Ebenezer Chapel, Alfriston, Sussex. His parents were Thomas GEERING and Elizabeth HOLMAN, who had married in Alfriston parish church on the 30th November 1812. It looks like Thomas and Elizabeth may have had another two or three children.

Thomas followed his father’s footsteps into a career as shoemaker and currier, based in Hailsham. By the 1851 census Thomas’ father has died and he is running the business with his mother. In the 1871 census Thomas is employing seven men and two boys in his business, however by 1881 he is only employing five men.

In Q2 1854 Thomas married Frances HOLMAN in Hailsham Registration District. The couple only had one child, Emma, whose birth was registered in Hailsham Registration District in Q1 1858. Thomas died in 1889 and was buried at Hailsham parish church on the 3rd May 1889 aged 75 years. Frances appears to have carried on the business for a while after Thomas’ death. Frances herself died in 1903.

So where does this leave me, well I can’t make a connection to my family yet, in fact I can’t confidently go back beyond Thomas’ father. I have a similar problem with my own GEERING ancestors, things start to get confusing once I get back around 1800.

Only time (and more research) will tell if there is a connection between the two sets of GEERINGs. There is however one story in the book that seems to relate to my ancestors, the story of “The Old Druggist: Her Shop And Her Lodger”, more about that later.