Characters / people 4/9

Mar 8, 20222 min read

1874: Shocking aftermath of Sergison blaze tragedy ...

John Bull - Saturday 23 May 1874 The Sussex Express gives a touching account of the funeral of the Misses Sergison, the daughters of...

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Mar 6, 20226 min read

1874: Sergison sisters die in horror blaze

West Sussex County Times - Wednesday 20 May 1874 THE MELANCHOLY DEATHS OF MISSES SERGISON The following details of this sad occurrence...

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Mar 1, 20221 min read

1872: Henry Kingsley resigns due to execution

Among his cabinet of ministers, Mr Russell* includes a brief notice of Henry Kingsley, who is one of the noteworthy trio brothers, and...

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Feb 21, 20223 min read

1882: Who was FW?

At the corner of London Lane by The Rose and Crown stands Thorne Cottage. The building displays a plaque with the letters F.W. 1882; but...

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Jan 2, 20224 min read

1904: A glance back at the writings of sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth century Cuckfieldians

Extract from Highways and Byways in Sussex by E.V. Lucas 1904 Hayward’s Heath would be our next centre where it's not so new and...

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Dec 28, 20214 min read

1789: A Trip to Brighton

The following is from Rowlandson's 'Sketches on the Road' 1789 In 1789 Brighton was still known as Brighthelmstone, nearly as it had been...

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Dec 22, 20212 min read

1599: John Porter MP, JP

The assumption has been made that the John Porter who sat as MP for Bramber in 1586 was one of the five younger brothers of Richard...

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Dec 18, 20213 min read

?-1606: Henry Bowyer MP JP

In 1573 the 4th Earl of Derby sold his quarter of the Manor of Cuckfield to Henry Bowyer a local ironmaster. Iron was a major industry...

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Dec 16, 20214 min read

1877/8: Disraeli, Gladstone, Mayor Owden and the Jingo demos

Cuckfield-born Thomas Owden, in his office as Lord Mayor of London managed to bring together the country’s two leading politicians after...

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Dec 14, 20213 min read

1909: Distinquished Cuckfield historian and vicar dies

Cuckfield vicar Canon Cooper was a highly respected local historian and both an active member and knowledgable Chairman of the Sussex...

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Nov 30, 20213 min read

1909: The Mid Sussex Times celebrates the life of Major Thomas Maberly 1842-1909

Mid Sussex Times - Tuesday 14 December 1909 MAJOR MABERLY DEAD. PASSED AWAY LAST NIGHT AT CUCKFIELD. Not only in Cuckfield, but...

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Nov 28, 20217 min read

c1800: Talbot and its sister Brighton hotel

How the Talbot suddenly took off to become a serious rival to the King's Head in Cuckfield has long been a mystery. But now some records...

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Nov 26, 20218 min read

1808: A Lord Mayor of London born in The Talbot ... 2

In this second part of the Sir Thomas Owden story we will learn about the Owden family and discover why Thomas moved to London and we...

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Nov 24, 20213 min read

1808: A Lord Mayor of London born in The Talbot ... 1

We have just discovered that Cuckfield was the birthplace of a Lord Mayor of London who became a highly influential and respected...

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Oct 23, 20213 min read

1878: Mary Stoner witnesses naval disaster

Nurse Stoner for many years was Cuckfield's District Nurse, and lived in Cuckfield for her whole life. Her father was employed on the...

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Oct 20, 20211 min read

1984: Charlie's bike is stolen again!

Mid Sussex Times September 6th 1984 CHARLIE PEDALS ON REGARDLESS The oldest paper ‘boy’ in Mid Sussex, Charlie Hawks, 78 has had his...

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Oct 19, 20212 min read

They durdledores dunno sting

This delightful book on Amazon (also available on Kindle) by Sam Bourne called 'The best poacher in Sussex' gives a fascinating insight...

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Oct 13, 20215 min read

Headmaster's son survives Custer's last stand

A senior non-commissioned officer, Frank Lloyd, was one of 53 men left behind to man the Fort 'Abraham Lincoln' at the time of the Battle...

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Sep 29, 20213 min read

1741-1810: Admiral John Douglas No3 in the Navy

John Leigh Douglas (1741-1810) Cuckfield in the late 18th and early 19th centuries attracted several senior navy personnel to live here....

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Sep 26, 20217 min read

1719: Local history in an Indenture for 'the release of a house in Cuckfield' by Charles Sergison

An indenture is a legal contract between two parties, particularly for indentured labour or a term of apprenticeship but also (as in the...

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Cuckfield Connections

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