Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age
c1680-1830
Brambletye, Forest Row, by James Lambert (1725-1788) of Lewes.
Sussex Archaeological Society collection.
Saturday 2 November 2013
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Programme
9.30am
10.00am
Registration
Welcome by Conference Chair
Dr Sue Berry, Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Historical
Research, University of London
10.10am
Was there an Agricultural Revolution in 18th century Sussex?
Professor Brian Short, Emeritus Professor of Historical Geography,
University of Sussex
10.50am
From Beachy Head to Waterloo: Defending the Channel Coast
Dr Jonathan Coad, FSA, Vice-President of the Society for
Nautical Research
11.30am
tea/coffee
11.50am
‘Astonishingly Cheap and Expeditious’: the Development
of Stage-Coaching
Dorian Gerhold, former House of Commons Clerk and Honorary
Research Fellow of Roehampton University
12.30pm
The Georgian Town: a Case Study of Chichester
Alan Green, local historian and author
1.10pm
lunch
2.00pm
The Earls of Arundel and the Origins of the Grand Tour
Professor Edward Chaney, Professor of Fine and Decorative Arts at
Southampton Solent University
2.40pm
Glorious Goodwood: a House of Ducal Splendour
James Peill, Curator of the Goodwood Collection
3.20pm
tea/coffee
3.40pm
Smuggling in early 18th century Sussex
Dr Richard Saville, historian and archive specialist
4.20pm
Sussex and the Artist: Turner, Constable and the Picturesque
Landscape
Alexandra Loske, art historian and freelance writer
4.55pm
Questions and end
2
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Conference Overview
Sussex and the south east in 1808, showing turnpike roads, by Thomas Attree.
The county of Sussex was transformed during the period between c1680-1840
from a rural backwater on the southern coast to part of the national defence
system designed to repel Napoleon and also became a popular choice for seabathing, hunting, racing and other leisure events for the growing number of
wealthy residents and visitors, many of whom made money from trade and
services.
Farming and farm size became more commercial in response to the rising
population and demand for a wider range of produce. The Downs provided sheep
and grain on ever bigger farms and from the Weald came a rich variety of
produce ranging from fruit to livestock, but as the towns expanded so market
gardening close to them also became important.
3
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
th
A sketch of a sheep by one of the Smiths of Chichester, later 18 century.
Sussex Archaeological Society collection.
The long, vulnerable coastline could not be defended solely by concentrating on
investment in defences in Sussex, although some were built such as gun
emplacements at Brighton and the Martello Towers. Such was the faith of many
visitors to the resorts in the safety of the coast that Brighton expanded rapidly
during the Napoleonic Wars, aided in part by hundreds of troops stationed in the
area when fear of invasion peaked, but also by the reassuring sight of the navy.
The transportation of people and goods was transformed by investment in
turnpikes, ports and canals, the latter not always successfully. The principal
turnpikes did play a major role in assisting the development of the resorts and
some market towns inland by greatly improving communication between the
coast and London. Improvements to the design of coaches, often overlooked,
were also significant for they improved comfort and capacity.
The number of big country houses in the county with large parks increased. Their
design and collections influenced by the Grand Tours undertaken by their
wealthy owners to widen their knowledge of art and other cultures. The Grand
Tour developed well before the eighteenth century, although we tend to think of it
as a phenomenon of that period, and so did the passion for collecting which filled
the bigger country houses in Sussex with treasures from Europe and elsewhere.
It is such an important influence on taste that understanding how well established
it was before 1700 should be better known.
It is worth noting that the 2nd Earl of Arundel, the topic of one of our lectures, died
in debt. This is a common occurrence, often to be seen in 18th century estate
archives. Many eighteenth century landowners who collected and built large
houses to show off their purchases lived well above their means.
4
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Kidbrooke Park by Lambert – early eighteenth century house, architect unknown. Owners at time
of construction were the Abergavenny family. Painted late 18th century.
Sussex Archaeological Society collection.
Rising prosperity in the county was also reflected in the Georgian refacing of old
urban facades and extensive new building, transforming the appearance of towns
such as Lewes, Chichester and Horsham, all of which were important and wellconnected service centres meeting the demand for consumer goods. In addition
to shops, the professions, manufacturing (e.g. the iron works in Lewes and
Brighton) and brewing (of which Harveys in Lewes is a reminder), new attractions
such as assembly rooms, public gardens and libraries appeared. Chapels were
also built for a wide range of non-conformist Christian groups such as
Presbyterians and Quakers, as well as the ‘preaching box’ style of new Anglican
churches.
1778 view of Lewes by Lambert, showing how small the town was. What is not apparent is the
dense population typical of the period, with many houses in towns in multiple occupancy.
Sussex Archaeological Society collection.
The Sussex resorts (discussed at a half day conference by the Society earlier
this year) were important to Sussex for they helped to broaden the economy,
which until the 1750s was very dependent on agriculture. From this date,
5
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
however, the long coastline became the location of urban based sea bathing
which rejuvenated the declining coastal towns of Brighton and Hastings and gave
us the ‘new towns’ of Bognor (then Hothampton) and Worthing before 1840.
Ease of access to London, Portsmouth and the French coast all helped to ensure
that sea bathing would be a success, but local landowners and doctors also
promoted it. The prosperous townsfolk of market towns such as Lewes and
Arundel invested in this new idea in Brighton and Littlehampton respectively.
They also unwittingly helped to undermine the dominance of the market towns by
buying shares in the vital turnpikes which would speed the travellers to take the
waters by by-passing inland towns. Contrary to what some contemporary
journalists claimed, travel from London to the coast within a day was possible in
the 1770s. By 1825 it was a morning trip from London to Brighton.
Spas such as Bath and Tunbridge Wells were the precursors of seaside resorts and the
treatments were similar. Many spas lacked a sufficient supply of water to provide bathing. Salt
water was also drunk to purge the body.
Despite what some chose to believe, resorts were never successfully developed
by one person nor established by a celebrity visiting. In Sussex we have plenty of
evidence to undermine both of these well-established myths. Brighton was a
seaside resort long before the Prince of Wales arrived in the early 1780s. Bognor
failed as a Georgian resort because Hotham, the founder, simply did not have the
capital to provide all of the facilities and the variety of accommodation needed, no
matter how many celebrities he invited to stay. The first successful resorts were
all old coastal towns with plenty of cheap accommodation. Local landowners
such as the Earl of Egremont and the Duke of Richmond played a key role in the
development of entertainment such as horse racing and yachting at Brighton.
Worthing was visited by Jane Austen and Hastings became a place of quiet
retreat within which old timber framed houses have survived which give a good
6
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
impression of what early tourists would have seen and stayed in there and in
Brighton until the new lodging houses were built.
Not all consumer goods from abroad were imported legally. Smuggling along the
Sussex coast represented a loss of revenue to the government which tried to
reduce the scale of it by the employment of Excise Men and prosecution of those
who were caught. The evidence for the behaviour of smugglers suggests that a
romantic view of them is misplaced. Smuggling caused problems for shops
selling similar goods legitimately at higher prices, having paid tax on them.
As the county became far better known, so more artists painted here and they,
along with the producers of prints, provide a remarkable record of how the county
looked by 1830. Local artists such as the Lamberts of Lewes and the Smiths of
Chichester had to compete against an increasing number of artists who
recognised that portrayals of Sussex, especially the coast, would interest its
many wealthy visitors. Constable and Turner are good examples of artists who
recognised that some of the landscape of Sussex was sufficiently well known by
the later 1700s for paintings and engravings to sell in a national market.
We cannot cover all of the major themes of the period in one day, and so have
chosen a selection on which there is up-to-date research.
Dr Sue Berry, October 2013
Lewes Castle and Mound 1778 by Lambert.
Sussex Archaeological Society collection.
7
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Abstracts
Was there an Agricultural Revolution in 18th century Sussex?
Professor Brian Short,
The 18th century has variously been described as witnessing the agricultural
revolution in England; as a transition period between ancient rural ways and a
more modern capitalist farming; or as something of a nonentity in terms of
anything important happening! Can these all be true? This paper will consider
whether we can accurately depict farming in Sussex at this time as undergoing a
revolutionary change. Part of the explanation for the opposing viewpoints, it will
be hypothesised, must relate to the important regional differences within the
county, to environmental opportunities and constraints, to patterns of
landownership, and to the force of custom and ‘habit’ among the agrarian
population.
From Beachy Head to Waterloo: Defending the Channel Coast
Dr Jonathan Coad
This talk will look at some of the military infrastructure built in Sussex and its
neighbouring counties of Kent and Hampshire to secure the south coast (and by
implication, the rest of the country) from attack or invasion during this period. As
well as the various fortifications, many of which survive, the talk will also cover
barracks and the massive government investments in the royal dockyards at
Chatham, Sheerness and Portsmouth.
‘Astonishingly Cheap and Expeditious’: the Development of StageCoaching
Dorian Gerhold
A general survey of the development of stage coaching (but not carriers) in the
Georgian period, with reference to Sussex where possible.
The Georgian Town: a Case Study of Chichester
Alan Green
Chichester is a cathedral city as well as a market and garrison town, and up to
the mid nineteenth century was a thriving port. The city underwent a complete
transformation between 1690 and 1830 as the 'new money' from trade was
invested in new and refronted houses and new civic buildings.
The Earls of Arundel and the Origins of the Grand Tour
Professor Edward Chaney
The Earl of Arundel (1586-1646) looks rather early but he is key to understanding
18th century art patronage due to his powerful influence on it. He established a
pattern of collecting that became the model for the next two hundred years.
Arundel made the love of art respectable. His design [drawing] collection was
8
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
the greatest in Europe, his collection of statues large, and his collection of
paintings numerous, particularly his collection of Holbein, which was the greatest
in Europe. He also commissioned works of art.
Glorious Goodwood: a House of Ducal Splendour
James Peill
James Peill, Curator of the Goodwood Collection, will explore the history and art
collection at Goodwood House in West Sussex, the ancestral seat of the Dukes
of Richmond & Gordon. The 1st Duke of Richmond was an illegitimate son of
King Charles II and his French mistress, Louise de Keroualle. He first came to
Goodwood to enjoy the foxhunting with the Charlton Hunt, renting and then
purchasing the original house as a hunting lodge in 1697. His descendants have
lived at Goodwood ever since and the house has been enlarged by successive
generations. Several architects were involved in its creation, including Matthew
Brettingham, Sir William Chambers and James Wyatt. Goodwood was the
childhood home of the famous Lennox sisters, including Emily, Duchess of
Leinster and Louisa Conolly of Castletown.
Among the treasures of the Goodwood Collection are celebrated paintings by
George Stubbs and Canaletto and fabulous Sèvres porcelain bought by the 3rd
Duke of Richmond when he was British Ambassador to the Court of Louis XV in
France in 1765. The first horse race took place in 1801 and racing continues to
this day in what is often called the most beautiful racecourse in the world. Each
year, Goodwood plays host to the Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival,
motorsport events that attract a world-wide following.
Smuggling in early 18th century Sussex
Dr Richard Saville
Smuggling was a notable and well-publicised trade of the Kent and Sussex ports,
much encouraged from the last decade of the seventeenth century by
protectionist legislation and rising tariffs. Although this resulted in disruption to
the ancient trading rights of local ports and seafarers, to some extent southern
farms and fishing fleets did find compensation through supplying the boats,
horses, carts and warehousing that the smuggling trade needed. The growth of
large-scale smuggling, often organised from foreign ports, and augmented by
widespread support in villages and towns in southern England, was a major
headache for Georgian governments. John Collier, five times Mayor of Hastings
and devoted Anglican and Whig, was to be in the front line of the struggle against
the illegal trades; appointed Surveyor General of the Customs riding officers of
Kent, from 1731 his stream of legal and administrative advice provide a narrative
for the struggle as it evolved in the years before and after the Jacobite rebellion
of 1745/1746.
9
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Sussex and the Artist: Turner, Constable and the Picturesque Landscape
Alexandra Loske
Alexandra Loske will explain why these two great painters came to Sussex,
compare their style and choice of subject matter and place them into the greater
context of landscape painting in British art, as well as aesthetic ideas and ideals
of the picturesque and the sublime. The talk will finish by investigating whether
some contemporary Sussex artists see themselves in a tradition of Constable
and Turner.
Newick Park, the seat of Lady Vernon. J Lambert 1780.
Sussex Archaeological Society collection.
10
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Speakers' Biographies
Sue Berry is an Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Historical Research,
University of London. Many of her articles in the Sussex Archaeological
Collections and in national journals have concentrated on the Georgian era and
her book Georgian Brighton revised our understanding of Brighton during this
period. The City of Brighton and Hove for the Victoria County History series is
due out in 2015.
Edward Chaney is Professor of Fine and Decorative Arts and founding Chair of
the History of Collecting Research Centre at Southampton Solent University. He
has written two books on the Grand Tour and others on English Collecting,
Florence and Inigo Jones as well as contributing to books and catalogues on
modern British artists.
Jonathan Coad is a former Inspector of Ancient Monuments. He is a Fellow of
the Society of Antiquaries, a former President of the Royal Archaeological
Institute of Great Britain and Ireland and a Vice-President of the Society for
Nautical Research. He has written extensively on military and naval architecture.
His books include the forthcoming Support for the Fleet: Architecture and
Engineering of the Royal Navy's Bases 1700-1914 (2013).
Dorian Gerhold is a former House of Commons Clerk. He has written
extensively about road transport before the railways, including Carriers and
Coachmasters: Trade and Travel before the Turnpikes (2005). He is a member
of the editorial board of the Journal of Transport History and an Honorary
Research Fellow of Roehampton University.
Alan Green is a local historian and his published works include five books about
Chichester, concentrating in particular on the Georgian period. He also is well
known for his expertise in and contribution to our understanding of the industrial
archaeology of the county.
Alexandra Loske is an art historian at Sussex University and a freelance writer
and translator with a particular interest in late eighteenth and early nineteenth
century European art and architecture. She has curated exhibitions at the Royal
Pavilion and Brighton Museum and Art Gallery and is currently researching
colour and colour theory in the 18th and 19th centuries, with specific reference to
the interior design scheme of the Royal Pavilion.
James Peill, a former director of Christies, is currently Curator of the Goodwood
Collection. His forthcoming book The English Country House will be published by
Thames & Hudson in October 2013.
11
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Richard Saville is a professional historian with nearly 40 years experience of
working on archives. Richard’s research and publications on Sussex include (coedited with David Crossley) The Fuller Letters, Guns, Slaves and Finance 17281755, (Sussex Record Society, vol. 76), and he is currently completing the
volume on The Papers and Letters of John Collier of Hastings, 1731-1746.
Brian Short is Emeritus Professor (Historical Geography) at the University of
Sussex where his successful career included senior management roles. He has
published over sixty books and articles about rural history mainly in the
eighteenth to twentieth centuries.
The Prince of Wales on the Steine at Brighton. Part of View of the Pavilion and Steyne at
Brighton with the Promenade by S.T. Cracklow. Aquatint 1806.
Part of a large print produced to show off a series of engravings of famous people who visited
Brighton but also a reminder of the large garrisons periodically kept there.
12
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
References and Suggested Reading
Was there an Agricultural Revolution in 18th century Sussex?
Professor Brian Short,
On the issue of whether there was an 18th century agricultural revolution,
see the original 1960s proponents
J.D. Chambers and G.Mingay, The agricultural revolution 1750-1880 (Batsford
1966)
And the main critic:
E. Kerridge, The Agricultural revolution (Allen and Unwin 1967)
For more recent summaries of the debate:
M. Overton, Agricultural revolution in England: the transformation of the agrarian
economy 1500-1850 (Cambridge University Press 1996)
A. Howkins, ‘Agrarian histories and agricultural revolutions’ in W. Lamont (ed.),
Historical controversies and historians (UCL Press 1998), 81-91.
And with a greater emphasis on changing landscapes:
T. Williamson, The transformation of rural England: Farming and the landscape
1700-1870 (University of Exeter Press 2002)
S. Wade Martins, Farmers, landlords and landscapes: rural Britain, 1720 to 1870
(Windgather Press 2004)
The standard references to the agriculture of the period are:
J. Thirsk (ed), The agrarian history of England and Wales Vol. V 1640-1750 (2
vols) (Cambridge University Press 1984). Vol. I B.M. Short, ‘Kent, Surrey and
Sussex’ 270-316; Vol. II J.Thirsk, ‘Agricultural innovations and their diffusion’
533-89.
G. Mingay (ed.), The agrarian history of England and Wales Vol.VI, 1750-1850
(Cambridge University Press 1989).
And see:
G Mingay, English landed society in the 18th century (Routledge 1963)
On Sussex, see:
P. Brandon, The common lands and wastes of Sussex (University of London
Unpub. PhD thesis 1963: available for consultation in SAS library)
P. Brandon, The Sussex landscape (Hodder and Stoughton 1974) ch.6
P. Brandon, The South Downs (Phillimore 1998), chs 8 and 9.
P. Brandon, The Kent and Sussex Weald (Phillimore 2003), Ch. 18.
P. Brandon and B. Short, The South East from AD 1000 (Longman 1990), Ch. 5.
J. Chapman and S. Seeliger, Enclosure, environment and landscape in Southern
England (Tempus 2001)
J.H. Farrant, ‘“Spirited and intelligent farmers”: the Arthur Youngs and the Board
of Agriculture’s reports on Sussex, 1793 and 1808’ Sx Arch Coll. 130 (1992),
200-212.
S. Farrant [Berry], John Ellman of Glynde in Sussex’, Agricultural History review
26 (2) 1978, 77-88.
13
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
K. Leslie and B. Short (eds), An historical atlas of Sussex (Phillimore 1999,
reprinted 2010)
S. Webster, ‘Estate improvement and the professionalisation of land agents on
the Egremont estates in Sussex and Yorkshire, 1770-1835’, Rural History 18 (1)
2007, 47-69.
Rev A. Young, General view of the agriculture of the county of Sussex (1813,
reprinted David & Charles 1970)
From Beachy Head to Waterloo: Defending the Channel Coast
Dr Jonathan Coad
Nothing supplied.
‘Astonishingly Cheap and Expeditious’: the Development of StageCoaching
Dorian Gerhold
D. Gerhold, Carriers and Coachmasters: Trade and Travel before the Turnpikes
(Phillimore 2005)
The Georgian Town: a Case Study of Chichester
Alan Green
A. Green, St John's Chapel and the New Town, Chichester (Phillimore 2005)
A. Green, The History of Chichester's Canal Sussex Industrial Archaeological
Society (SIAS) 2005
A. Green, The Building of Georgian Chichester (Phillimore 2007)
A. Green, St Paul's Chichester - The Church its Parish and People, St Paul's
PCC 2010
A. Green, Cattle, Corn and Crawfish - 900 Years of Chichester's Markets,
(Phillimore 2011)
Plus various guide books, and papers for the Sussex Industrial Archaeological
Society Journal etc.
The Earls of Arundel and the Origins of the Grand Tour
Professor Edward Chaney
Chaney, E., The Evolution of English Collecting: Receptions of Italian Art during
the Tudor and Stuart Periods (2003)
Glorious Goodwood: a House of Ducal Splendour
James Peill
Nothing supplied.
Smuggling in early 18th century Sussex
Dr Richard Saville
Richard’s research and publications on Sussex include (co-edited with David
Crossley) The Fuller Letters, Guns, Slaves and Finance 1728-1755, (Sussex
Record Society, vol. 76), and he is currently completing the volume on The
papers and letters of John Collier of Hastings, 1731-1746.
14
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Sussex and the Artist: Turner, Constable and the Picturesque Landscape
Alexandra Loske
Nothing supplied.
General Suggestions - Sussex and National
This includes both books and articles, which are often more up to date than
books. No local or regional topic can be studied without reference to the wider
world for context so we can tell what is part of the typical and what appears not to
be so, and some of the texts are intended to help with that.
Useful background and in print
Langford, P., The Eighteenth Century (Oxford University Press, 2002) covers
1688-1815 – one of the best for succinct general reading.
Langford, P., A polite and commercial people: England 1727-1783. Published
first in 1989 by Oxford University Press and reissued recently as a paperback.
Porter, R., English Society in the Eighteenth Century (Penguin, 1991) social
history.
Facts and figures
Dates, treaties, legislation, campaigns, potted biographies of key people are in
Gregory, J., and Stevenson, J., Britain in the eighteenth century 1688-1820
(London: Pearson, 2000).
Regional background
Short, B and Leslie, K., Atlas of Sussex History, (Shopwyke: Phillimore 2000) has
good summaries and a reading list.
Agriculture and rural life – please refer to Professor Short’s list
The section about the South Downs during this period in Brandon, P., The South
Downs (Shopwyke: Phillimore 1998) is worth reading as an overview. And his
later book called The Weald of Sussex and Kent, also published by Phillimore.
Cobbett, W. Rural Rides (various editions) is well worth reading. He was a
political writer with strong views about the changes in rural society.
Haines, S and Lawson, L., Poor Cottages and Proud Palaces; the life and works
of the Rev. Thomas Sockett of Petworth 1777-1859 (Hastings Press, 2007) is an
insight into early 19th century life. Tom Sockett was first at Sheffield Park
assisting the Earl of Sheffield with the production of Edward Gibbon’s Memoirs
and then at Petworth, the home of the Earl of Egremont in Sussex. His life there
and later is documented in the Petworth papers and by his journal of 1805-07 at
Petworth. This book is based on those sources.
Neeson, J. Commoners: Common right, enclosure and social change in England,
1700-1820 (Cambridge: University Press, 1996).
15
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Wade Martins, S., The English Model Farm (Windgatherer/English Heritage
2002).
Young, Rev. Arthur, A General View of the Agriculture of the County of Sussex
[1813] was reprinted by David and Charles in 1970 and available in reference
libraries and on loan.
Architecture and interiors
Antram, N., Buildings of England – East Sussex (Yale 2013). This is the new
‘Pevsner’ guide to buildings. West Sussex is in preparation).
Antram, N and Morrice, R. Brighton and Hove (Yale 2008).
Art
Loukes, A., Turner’s Sussex National Trust 2013 but not on publication.
Catalogue to exhibition at Petworth.
Harrap, P and Lancaster S., ‘John Constable’s House in Brighton’ Burlington
Magazine April 2013.
Consumerism and its impact on economic growth
Brewer, J. Pleasures of the Imagination (London: HarperCollins, 1997)
Country Houses and their gardens, especially Sussex
Best overview book about gardens in paperback is
Quest-Ritson, C. The English Garden: a social history (London: Viking, 2001)
Andrews, D., ed. The Georgian Country House; architecture, landscape and
society (Allan Sutton, 1998).
Baird, R., Mistress of the House: Great Ladies and Grand Houses (Weidenfeld
and Nicolson, 2003), now paperback.
Baird, R., Goodwood (Frances Lincoln 2007).
Cornforth, J., Early Georgian Interiors (Yale University Press, 2004).
Berry, S., ‘Stanmer House and the Pelham family c1710-1810’ SAC 142 2005,
239-255.
Girouard, M., Life in the English Country House; a social and architectural history
(Yale 1978) and paperback.
Hingston, E.,’ Ashburnham Place, East Sussex’ J. Garden History 29 (1) 2001
which is about Capability Brown and revises the book by D. Stroud called
Capability Brown (London: Country Life, 1984 - the last edition).
Rowell, C., Petworth: The People and the Place, (National Trust 2012).
Wilson, R., and Mackley, A., Creating Paradise: the building of the Country
House 1660-1880, (Hambledon and London, 2000).
Fighting for King and Country
Kenward, D., and Nesbitt-Dufort, R. ed. The memoirs of Sergeant William
Kenward 1767-1828, (Whydown Books 2005). From Fletching (eastern Sussex).
Especially India but also Holland.
Cordingly, D., Billy Ruffian, (Bloomsbury 2004, paperback). The Bellerophon,
ship of the line, 1782-1836. Explains construction, the ‘mothballing’ of vessels not
in use and how the sailors were recruited and treated.
16
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Grand Tour
Black, J., The Grand Tour in the Eighteenth Century (Sutton, 1997) and re-issued
since
Chaney, E., The Evolution of the Grand Tour: Anglo-Italian Cultural Relations
since the Renaissance (Routledge 1998; 2nd, paperback edition, 2000).
Industrialisation
Chapple, P., The Industrialisation of Britain 1780-1914 (Hodder and Stoughton,
2005).
Literature
A vast outpouring, especially towards the end of the period as innovations and
demand both help to reduce publication costs and improve distribution Williams,
R., The Country and the City (London: Paladin 1973 but reissued since and still
available as a paperback). A valiant attempt to put literature into a social context.
Jane Austen is one of the more obvious, but there is also Sussex-born Charlotte
Smith and the Gothic novels of the later 18th and early 19th centuries, now back in
print. Jane Austen’s short stories – Lady Susan/The Watsons and the unfinished
novel called Sanditon might be worth reading and are usually sold together in
one paperback.
There are a considerable number of novels which mention Brighton as a resort.
The Sussex Archaeological Society has some local examples which may be seen
by prior appointment only as they are rare.
People
There are many books now being published about famous Georgians – one of
the best about a woman is Amanda Foreman’s Georgiana: Duchess of
Devonshire. William Hague’s book about William Pitt is also well researched.
Some of the underlying ‘agendas’ of the authors are worth looking for, in
biographies they can quite clear – victims, misunderstood, etc.
In paperback you will also find books about actresses and others of similar
background
Byrne, P., Perdita: the life of Mary Robinson (London: Harper Perennial 2004).
Diaries are also useful and many of these can be found in libraries and in second
hand bookshops. The Creevy Diaries and the Torrington Diaries are examples
which include Brighton in this period.
Resorts
Berry, Sue Georgian Brighton 1740-1820 (Shopwyke, Phillimore, November
2005) includes a survey of overall development.
17
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Berry, S., Myth and Reality in the representation of resorts: Brighton and the
fishing village myth 1770-1824, Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol. 140
(2002) 97-112.
Berry, S., ‘Thomas Read Kemp and the shaping of Regency Brighton’ Journal of
the Georgian Group, XVII, 2009, 125-140.
Berry,S., ‘The Georgian Chapels of the City of Brighton and Hove c1700-1840,’
Georgian Group XVIIII, 2011 published.
Eglin , J. Imaginary Aristocrat: Beau Nash and the invention of Bath (London:
Profile Books), £20.
Hembry, P., The English Spa 1560-1815: a social history (London: Athlone,
1990).
Social attitudes and values
Peakman, J., Lascivious Bodies (London: Atlantic Books, 2004) now a
paperback. A sexual history of the 18th century – one of several out recently.
Towns
Ayres, J., Building the Georgian City (London Yale 1998).
Borsay, P., The English Urban Renaissance 1660-1770 (Oxford: University
Press, 1989).
Chalklin, C., The Rise of the English Town (Cambridge: University Press, 2001
abut £7.95).
Corfield, P.J., The Impact of English Towns 1700-1800 (Oxford University Press,
1982 and since).
Cruickshank, D. and Burton, N., Life in the Georgian City (London, Viking, 1990).
Ellis, J.M., The Georgian Town 1680-1840 (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2001), £16.99
Guillery, P., The small house in eighteenth century London (London Yale 2004)
Longstaffe-Gowan, T., The London Town Garden 1740-1820 (London Yale 2001)
Summerson, J. Georgian London (Yale University Press 2003) – reissue of the
last version that Summerson produced in 1988. A splendid guide to the
architecture and the period.
Journals
The best of the accessible ones are Country Life – older reference libraries hold
this magazine since it began in the 1890s and Sussex Archaeological Collections
(from the 1840s). The latter is in most reference libraries and in the Record
Offices. It contains some articles about Georgian themes and Sussex Notes and
Queries, the sister volume (no longer published), has abstracts from country
house inventories and other items of possible interest. Sussex Record Society
produced two volumes of mainly 18th century images of Sussex in its series – e.g.
Sussex Depicted (2000) and transcripts of archives.
The Georgian Group Journal and The Georgian Magazine, both produced by the
Georgian Group, Journal of Garden History, Agricultural History Review, Journal
for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Economic History Review and The Burlington
Magazine are all well worth checking.
18
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Appendix I
Smuggling in early Georgian Sussex
Dr Richard Saville
[i] Servants and labourers wages, General Quarter Sessions, Lewes, Thursday 5
April 6 George II 1733 ESRO QRE E/416 doc 24
The best ditcher for sufficiently making one rod of new ditch 3' on the top and 1' deep,
not above 1d.
The best dairy maid or cook maid shall not take by the year with meat and drink above
£3, the second sort not above £2, the third sort 20/-.
The shepherd in charge of flock of 500 or under, with meat and drink, not above £5.
No chief servant of a smith shall take by the year, with meat and drink above £6 5s, and
the second sort £5 10s.
Best day labourer in husbandry, with meat and drink, from the Annunciation to
Michaelmas, except in harvest, not above 8d a day, and in harvest not above 2/- without
meat and drink.
The best carpenter, rough hewer, rough mason, stonehewer, joiner, shingler, gardener,
bricklayer, glazier, brickmaker, tilemaker, lime burner, slate, tile layer and thatcher, the
day, from the Annunciation till Michaelmas with meat and drink not above 10d, nor
without meat and drink above 17d a day.
Second sort of artificers, aged 21+ who has served two years in any of these arts, by the
day from Annunciation till Michaelmas, with meat and drink, not above 6d, nor without
meat and drink above 12d.
And all other these occupations of 21+ shall take at all times as Common labourers by
the day in husbandry.
[ii] John Collier to the Duke of Newcastle Add. Ms. 32,688 f.158, 21 August 1733.
The enclosed petition being signed by above sixty freeholders, I think it not all amiss so
far to take notice of it as to present it to my Lord Duke. When I had it from Black's
brother, I told him nothing could be done in the same unless all the persons that signed
it would engage to be in the interest of his grace at the next county election for Mr
Pelham and Mr Butler. I expect the brother with me in a day or so and think it will be
proper to send him round to them with a letter to sign intimating their having signed such
a petition on the behalf of Thomas Black to his grace and that if his grace will please to
take compassion on him they shall esteem it a great favour and will entirely join in his
grace's interest at the next election, I have taken out the names and will get the places
of abode, so you need not send the petition again.
[iii] Speech to the House of Commons from Walter Plumer, MP for Appleby, May
1734, in respect of the Customs duty on the tea trade and for referral of the tea
question to a committee of the House to consider relief for honest traders who pay
tea duties, as reported in the Political State May 1734 pp. 527-8.
The time I spent in the country, during the last recess of Parliament, happened to be in a
county where I had occasion to see a great deal of that infamous practice [of smuggling],
so that if there was no other motive for going in to the Committee proposed, than that of
19
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
endeavouring to do something to prevent smuggling, that alone with me would be a
prevailing motive.
Sir, in that county where I was, the smugglers went about in such formidable bodies, that
if something is not done to put a stop to it, they may soon threaten danger even to our
civil government. I have often met them in gangs of forty or fifty together, and all so well
mounted that even the dragoons could not come up with them; and they give such
excessive wages to the men that will engage with them, that the landed interest in that
part of the country suffers considerably by it; the common price of a day's labour, in that
county where I was is already got up to 18d, and, even at that price, it is with great
difficulty that the farmers can find labourers to till and manage their grounds, and how
can it be otherwise? For all the young, clever fellows of the country engaged and
employed by the smugglers, from them they have 2/6d a day, while they wait upon the
sea coast for the landing of the goods, and as soon as the goods are landed, and they
mount on horseback, to go about the county to dispose of them, they have a guinea a
day and are well entertained during the whole time of their attendance; thus they find a
much easier and more profitable employment than any then can have from the farmer,
and while they are thus employed all improvements of land must remain in suspence.
Gentlemen may talk of the great check that has been put upon smuggling by the joining
of the laws of excise to the laws of the customs [but this] has proved altogether
ineffectual and I am afraid that all other methods will prove ineffectual as long as the
duty is so high, and so much advantage to be got by running. In that part of the country
where I was tea in generally sold by retailers in their shops at 5/- a pound, and as we
must suppose the importer to have a profit upon importation, and as the duty amounts to
about 4/9d a pound, I leave to gentlemen to judge, whether it is possible to sell by retail
at 5/- a pound any tea upon which the duty has been honestly paid. It is easy to guess
from whence all this tea comes, the smugglers buy it in Holland at 2/- a pound ... the
Dutch buy it in the East Indies at 6d a pound, so that this nation pays the Dutch 18d a
pound for the carriage. This must be a vast loss to this nation , and must certainly be so
great an advantage to Holland, that I am sure, if there were now a Dutch minister in the
gallery, he would be extreamly pleased to see this motion rejected, and would not fail to
acquaint the States General by the very first post; how much the interest of Holland had,
by some gentlemen in a British House of Commons been preferred to that of Great
Britain.
[iv] To John Collier, Johnson’s Court, Fleet Street, from William Coppard, Mayor of
Hastings, 20 July 1734
ESRO SAY 338
This morning John Hide came and informed me that last night, in ye evening about 8
o’clock, he spied a sail as he lay at anchor off this town which he took for a smugler; and
there being but little wind, left his cutter in ye road and rowed after him in his small boat,
and about 10 o’clock came up with him off of Kentsway, which is about 2 miles to the
east of this town and he beleives about ye same distance from the shore,1 as soon as
Hide’s boat came near the smugler. They haled from whence and who was master, was
answered John Hide of Hasting, on which the smuglers bid them keep off pouring out a
whole volley of oaths threatning to murder every man. But Hide and his people not
regarding their threats rowed up alongside, and going to leap on board, had a
blunderbuss fired into their boat, which wounded one of Mr Hide’s men in ye hand and
slightly wounded Hide himself on the right temple. One of Hide’s men fired a musket and
as they rowed off they heard the smuglers say that one of their men was shot. The
20
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
smuglers having so much the advantage, they being in the cutler,2 and Hide in his small
boat did not think it prudence to make a second attempt to board him. Hide don’t know
the vessell nor any of the men, he heard them say they were strangers and would not be
taken. The smuglers are got to such a height of insolence both by land and sea that it is
not to be expressed.
1
2
Customs boatman John Hide’s attempt to board the Prince George of Flushing, and if
necessary, seize the vessel, was a lawful proceeding under 6 Geo. I c. 21, 1719, s.
xxxi, ‘any vessel at anchor or hovering within two leagues of the shore, 50 tons or
under, laden in part with brandy, may be ordered into port’. For rules on the
measurement of tonnage, ibid, s. xxxiii. Smugglers were reluctant to cooperate as by
5 Geo. I c.11 (1718), s. 1, vessels under 15 tons, found to be used for running brandy
etc., were forfeit to the Customs; by 8 Geo. I c. 18 s. 1, confiscation extended to 40
tons, which clause covered most cross Channel vessels and coasters capable of
sailing between beaches.
Cutt, a flat-bottomed rowing boat commonly with sails, used in the Channel to move
horses, oxen, donkeys, to navigate shallow water.
[v] East Grinstead Assizes, 1 March 1736, PRO ASSI 94/611
Conviction of John Catt, committed by Major William Battine, Surveyor General of the
Riding officers of Sussex; Catt charged with carrying firearms and other offensive
weapons and with being in company with other dissolute persons to the number of thirty
or more and with aiding and assisting in landing a large quantity of uncustomed tea [at
the Great Groyne, near the sea coast in Bexhill parish] and in endeavouring to carry the
same away, and also for opposing and shooting several times at John Walsh, William
Cooper and John Hall, officers of his Majesties Customs. Sentenced to seven years
transportation to the colonies or the plantations in America.
[vi] To John Collier, at his house in Hastings, Surveyor General of the Riding
Officers of Kent, from Charles Carcasse, Secretary to the Board of Customs, 5
February 1737 PRO CUST 148/12 103-4
The Commissioners having received a fresh information that notwithstanding there are
so many sloops, boats and officers apointed on the coasts of Kent and Sussex, there
were never worse guarded than at present. The Commissioners being likewise informed
that there are no less than ten boats that go constantly to France and Holland on the
smuggling account, and that not less than 200 half ankers of brandy have been lately
run in two days about Dover, and that not one of the officers at that port, being related to
the smugglers, will meddle with them. They direct me to acquaint you they are surprized
at this account after the repeated orders they have given from time to time for preventing
these frauds; and you are again to excite the officers in your district, particularly those in
the port of Dover, to a more carefull of their duty by watching and guarding the coast as
well by night as by day, letting them know the Commissioners think it impossible such a
number of smuggling vessells could frequent ye coast and land their cargoes unseen by
them, if they did their duty.
[vii] To Henry Simon, Solicitor for Bonds and Criminal Prosecutions, to the
Commissioners of the Board of Customs, from John Collier, Hastings, 11
December 1744 reprinted from Charles Lane Sayer, Correspondence of John Collier of
Hastings (1908) pp. 262-4
21
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
The smuglers are got to an amazing height on the Kentish and Sussex coasts that it has
for some time become a very serious thing and highly worthy the consideration of the
senate, in regard to the vast quantitys of goods clandestinely imported, and in a
triumphant manner, and the insults, menaces and abuses given not only to the officers
of the revenue but to any other persons that offer to speak against their detestable
practices. The civil magistrates fully decline putting the laws in execution against them.
In September last I had a great deal of discourse with the Chancellor of the Exchequer
on the situation thereof. As to Macdonald’s affair, I would not for double the money his
being apprehended has cost the government be so much concerned in such another
affair.
As the duty required by the post I have the honour to serve the government in is in Kent,
I shall perform the same to the utmost of my power, but as I advance in years and often
attacked by the gout and other disorders, and having for some years quitted
Westminster Hall and the assizes and sessions, except attending crown business at
assizes, etc., and joyned thereto the audacious insolence of the smuglers, I do not think
of being concerned for the future in any prosecutions, and herein I have the advice and
approbation, inter nos, of my great friends. I shall never cease to acknowledge my
obligations to you and give the utmost intelligence I can to the Board and to the
secretarys and all my assistance for the service of the revenue.
In reply to this letter from John Collier, Henry Simon wrote:
The insolence and outragious behaviour of the smuglers in your parts has been, in my
judgement, a publick concern for some time, and calls loudly for a parliamentary redress.
They are a standing army of desperadoes, who must pay themselves, and can subsist
by no other means but publick rapine and plunder, and if they cannot be broke, shut up
Westminster Hall, and disband all your officers of justice, as an expensive but useless
incumbrance on the nation. I doubt not but that the terrour which they spread round your
country makes Sussex a scene of horrour and confusion ... Time dear sir, runs upon all
people who have not outrun time, as many have done by making an end of themselves
before time came up with them, but I am sorry to hear you complain. Whenever you
decline the prosecutions, the crown loses a very good solicitor, and the solicitor's office
here a very kind and able assistant.'
[viii] To the Commissioners of the Admiralty, from Admiral Edward Vernon, St
George, the Downs, 22 August 1745 Some Seasonable Advice from an Honest Sailor
(London, 1746) 16
I have [the] letter of the 19th enclosing Capt. Bazely's account of there being seven
English boats at Boulogne on the smuggling account when the boat he took coming from
thence came away, and I make not the least doubt but many other ports of France are
daily resorted to by our smugglers, tho' we are in actual war with them, being persuaded
that our British wool is an allowed passport to them for their friendly reception there, who
are such traitors to their country as even in an open war to be contributing to furnish
labour to the poor of France, and depriving the poor of Britain of it, to their
impoverishment, and loading the lands of Britain with the maintenance of them.
[ix] To the Secretary of the Admiralty, from Admiral Edward Vernon, Deal, 13
November1745 Some Seasonable Advice from an Honest Sailor (London, 1746) 10810
22
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
And as are now like to have more [of the soldiers] quartered in the neighbouring towns,
that orders could be effectually executed not only to prevent desertion [of sailors], but to
have a supply of very good seamen for recruiting the Navy from this neighbourhood,
which are now thought to be principally employed in the ruin of their country, by the
smuggling trade, and as daily spies to give the enemy intelligence of all our proceedings.
I can't but think it a seasonable time to suggest to their lordships that there are said to be
in this town of Deal not less than two hundred able young men and seafaring people
who are known to have no visible way of getting a living but by the infamous trade of
smuggling, many keeping a horse and arms to be ready at calls. At Dover it is
conjectured there may be four hundred, at Ramsgate and Folkstone, three hundred
each, and it is said within these three weeks that no less than nine cutters at a time have
gone from Folkstone to Boulogne, and that it is conjecured that from the town of
Folkstone only, a thousand pound a week is run over to Boulogne in the smuggling way.
[x] To the Commissioners of the Admiralty, from Admiral Edward Vernon, the
Downs, 10 December 1745 Some Seasonable Advice from an Honest Sailor (London,
1746) 139-41
Captain Scott, in the Badger, is just returned from his cruise off the coast of Sussex. On
the 25th of last month he was informed of a cutter being going from Fairleigh to Boulogne
that night, but she was gon over before he could get there. On the 3rd of this month he
got sight of the French dogger, privateer, and chased him, and neared him as the other
was edging down to get to leeward of him [and exchanged shots] he has the repute
there of being a confederate with the smugglers, and a convoy to them. I send you
inclosed Captain Scott's day's work, when he seized two of the smugglers boats, in
which you have the names of the two reputed notorious smugglers they belong to, which
are George Harrison and Zevelidton Morphet, and a copy of the Collector of the
Customs certificate, that they are reputed as such, and a little before that above two
hundred horse had been upon the shore to carry off goods brought by another cutter,
and by all accounts they carry on as great an intercourse with the French now, as they
did in times of profound peace with them, by which they are undoubtedly their daily
spies, to inform them of all our proceedings.
[xi] To the Commissioners of the Admiralty, from Admiral Edward Vernon, the
Downs, 13 December 1745 Some Seasonable Advice from an Honest Sailor (London,
1746) 148
I am extreamly pleased their lordships have sent the part of my letter relating to the
smugglers to his grace the Duke of Newcastle, as I hope their lordships will Mr Simon's
opinion of them too, that I sent their lordships up by express yesterday for whatever
calamities are like to befall us, I am persuaded their treachery has in a great measure
contributed to them, and Mr Morphett, I am glad to find by the inclosed account of
himself has been one of them, as his cutter is one of those that Captain Scott of the
Badger brought in here, with his empty tea bags and arms, though they had got ashore,
and landed their cargoe.
[xii] To the Commissioners of the Admiralty, from Admiral Edward Vernon, the
Downs, 14 December 1745 Some Seasonable Advice from an Honest Sailor
(London, 1746) 149-50
23
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Having cast my eye over again upon the information sent me inclosed yesterday as from
Morphett the smuggler, which in my own estimation, in our present situation, I shall
always look upon as synonynous terms with Morphett the traitor, as he can only retail to
us such insituations as they desire he should report, and he under a guard, can know no
other there, where he is at full liberty to make his court to them by all acts of treachery
that may render him agreeable to those to whom he chuses to confide his life and liberty.
[xiii] To Admiral Vernon, from John Collier, mayor, Hastings, 15 December 1745
ESRO SAY 111
1
The 9th instant I had intelligence that 2 there were fitting out with the utmost expedition
at Boulogne all their privateers, trading ships, fishing boats and all the prizes in that
harbour taken from us in this war, and cleansing the slub out of their harbour or bason
that they might ride a float; and that it was publickly talked of that they were designed to
bring over soldiers to be landed on the coast of Kent or Sussex and were to be got ready
in ten days. 3 I forthwith transmitted an account thereof to my lord Duke of Newcastle.
The 14th instant, at 3 in the morning, I 4 had a letter by express from his grace that his
Majesty had received certain intelligence 5 preparations are making at Dunkirk and other
ports in France, for making an immediate descent upon some part of the coast; and
have thereon directions from his grace for a good look out to be kept 6, and upon the first
appearance of any vessels off the coast to send his grace an immediate account of it,
and likewise the same to you in the Downs. I mention this, though I am 7 satisfyed you
have much better and certain intelligence of 8 the designs of the French king against us.
But at this critical juncture think it the duty of every Englishman to give the government
any intelligence he meets with, though much better accounts may have been before in
all probability given.
The bearers hereof, George Harrison and 9 W. Phillips, are natives of this town, and
bread to the sea from their infancy, and esteemed, particularly Harrison, to be good
sailors and perfectly well acquainted with the French coast on this part of the Channel.
They have been reputed, and I beleive with truth, to have followed the detestable
practice of smugling, but both faithfully promise never to be again concerned thereon,
and Harrison’s cutter was one of them taken the 8th out of this road by the Badger sloop.
The lieutenant came on shore to know the character of the masters, not finding any
goods on board.
Upon enquiry I found who were masters and told him they were reputed smuglers, upon
which he carried the two boats away. Harrison came yesterday to me and desired I
would give him a letter to you, that if you’d please to let him and Phillips go in his own or
any other cutter, and put a lieutenant and seamen on board him, he is confident he can
be of service in making discoverys of what is doing at Boulogne or elsewhere on the
French coast. The man’s character is not impeached but only in the infamous practice of
smugling. At his request, and at the desire of several gentlemen here, I presume to give
you this epistle, 10 and it’s left to your pleasure and consideration; but if nothing is done,
hope you’l pardon it.
1
2
3
4
5
6
MS having received struck through.
MS they struck through.
MS the 9th instant struck through.
MS received struck through.
MS that struck through.
MS on the coast struck through.
24
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
7 MS well struck through
8 MS what is … struck through.
9 MS James struck through.
10 MS and hope struck through.
[xiv] To Commissioners of the Admiralty, from Admiral Edward Vernon, Norwich
Downs, 18 December 1745 Some Seasonable Advice from an Honest Sailor (London,
1746) 157-9.
Yesterday in the afternoon I had a letter brought me off from Mr Collier, mayor of
Hastings, in favour of one said to be the bearer, whose name was George Harrison; and
as I knew that was the name of one of the smuggling cutters, that the Badger had
brought in here from that neighbourhood, I enquired for the bearer, and said I could give
no answer to it till I saw him which brought him off in the evening. On my discoursing
with him I inquired of him, if he had not quite forgot the habit of speaking the truth, which
on proceeding farther with him I found he had pretty much, and practiced that of
equivocation in its room; but he came so far, as to own he knew one Morphett very well,
that he was at Boulogne with him a fortnight since.
His friend, the mayor [John Collier] allows he has been a smuggler, but says he
promises never to be so any more, and that he is a very good sailor, and a good pilot for
the neighbouring part of the Channel, and particularly acquainted with the French coast,
and imagines if he was to be employed in his boat he might be of service, and as he is
allowed to be a good sailor, I have taken care to secure his service to the Crown, and
shall endeavour at trying if he can expiate his past guilt of betraying his country, by
labouring to be serviceable to it, and should he prove hardened in his iniquity, I believe
their lordships will judge it prudent to conform to their general order of givin him a foreign
voyage to contemplate on his iniquity and study to repent and amend.
I send you inclosed the examination of George Harrison and believe it contains in part
some intelligence he had directions from the French to retail, but I will soon have my two
sloops of Boulogne to know what certainty there may be in it, and he shall be on board
with them.
[xv] To John Collier, Hastings, from William Cranston, 6 March 1746
SAY 839
ESRO
[Reverse] To Admiral Vernon from John Collier.
I hope you’ll forgive 1 this repeated application on the behalf of George Harrison who I
sent on board you in the Downs with some intelligence 2 in regard to the late intended
invasion from Boulogne, etc., who, after his examination, you was pleased to order on
board the Badger sloop of war, Captain Scot commander, where he still remains.
Harrison has a wife and several children and his whole fishing craft lyes neglected. As I
sent him with a sincere intention for the service of our king and country and gave him
assuranses of not being impressed or deteyned, I humbly hope your honour will please
to let me have a letter or order to Captain Scot for his discharge, on which the captain
says he will instantly set him on shore; the captain gives him a good character as to his
behaviour on board.
1 MS My presuming my putting you in mind of struck through.
2 MS relateing struck through.
25
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
[xvi] Henry Pelham to John Collier 23 May 1746 reprinted from Charles Lane Sayer,
Correspondence of John Collier of Hastings 2 vols (1908) vol. 1, 328-329
I hear great complaints of the violence and increasing of smuggling in our country, which
though you know I have been always an enemy to, and given no protection to any
persons concerned in it, yet great reproaches are thrown out upon me, and calumny,
though undeserved, will have its effects. They tell me there are regular boats going
between Hasting and Ballogne, not only upon smuggling affairs, but also carrying on
very improper correspondencys. It you can trace out anything of this kind, you will not
only do your country great service, but also lay an infinite obligation on me. I must
desire you to take no notice of this hint, but enquire after the truth of it, as from yourself.
They tell me some of the people are returned from transportation. I hope there is no
truth in it, for the sake of your town, but if it is true, the sooner and the clearer it is
detected the better.
[xvii] John Collier's reply to Henry Pelham, 29 May 1746 reprinted from Charles Lane
Sayer, Correspondence of John Collier of Hastings 2 vols (1908) vol.1, 329-331
I should have the greatest satisfaction, if it was in my power, to inform your honour that
smugling practices in this country were suppressed, or were on the declining. We have
companys of soldiers quartered along the coast to assist the civil magistrates and
officers of the revenue in the execution of their duty, and have not heard of any
outrageous violences of late committed by the smuglers in these parts, but I can with
great assurance say that the information you have of boats going between this place and
Boulogne is without foundation, and that I don't think there's any criminal
correspondence carried on there. On the late threatened invasion and descent from
France, I took a list of the smugling or reputed smugling boats at this town, and of the
persons that were with them, an kept a diligent supervize on them, and am very
confident there was not one boat or vessell or inhabitant of this town at Boulogne, or any
other part of France from the beginning of December to April, and the inhabitants
declared the utmost abhorrence against it, and during the same time there were no
boats from this place to Holland, Guernsey, or Jersey, on smugling practices. About the
middle of April I hear that four persons of this town in a small ... had been at Boulogne
for tea and brandy, and run it on the coast. I made strict enquiries after the same and
beleive it was true, of which I gave intelligence to the Commissioners of the Customs,
though the same is not in my survey.
I have observed this winter a great many paragraphs in the publick newspapers of large
gangs of smuglers at and near this place, and of great and outrageous violencys
committed by them here and in this neighbourhood, and of their associating themselves
in a body, regularly armed and in uniforms, and declaring publickly for ye Pretender's
son. Several of the paragraphs were mentioned to be sent from this place and in the
neighbourhood. They were not true, neither do I beleive there were any such paragraphs
sent from this place or the neighbourhood, and though the name of this town was made
use of, they went from other parts of the country. I was concerned that such reports
should appear all over the kingdom, and especially at such a critical time, and could
hardly forbear contradicting them, though as the smuglers behaviour and height of
insolence in most of the maritime countrys of England had very justly raised a universal
abhorence from the government and the subjects, I declined it, apprehending I should be
esteemed as an encourager of their practices, especially as it was so insinuated in one
26
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
of the pamphlets of Mr Vernon. I gave the latter an account of ships appearing, and sent
off boats express to him thereof, for which I had this thanks, but when he thought proper
to print his Seasonable Advice he takes notice of one letter I sent him, with a sort of an
insinuation of my being an encourager of smugling, but ungenerously and leaves out
that part that I think would clear me from such an imputation. I would not presume to
trouble your honour with it, but sent a copy of that whole letter to Mr Stone, and to
several other gentlemen in town, in my own vindication. The correspondence I then had
with that memorable Admiral was in consequence of a letter I had from my Lord Duke of
Newcastle of the 14th of December in regard to the intended invasion.
Further reading: Heather Warne (nee Mathews) first tackled the listing of the Sayer
archives deposited in the East Sussex Record Office, and her detailed introduction to the
Sayer collection has been of invaluable assistance to readers for over forty years. The
Hastings Chronicle website has features on smuggling, a time line, on fishermen and
numerous images, and among other items there is one on Catherine Cookson, who
worked long hours in a Hastings laundry; Steve Peak, Fishermen of Hastings contains
over 140 pictures, maps and drawings, a book endorsed by Manwaring Baines, who
wrote the invaluable Historic Hastings. The Smugglers Britain website discusses several
of the inland bases of early eighteenth century Sussex smugglers, and the site includes
a useful section of the Sussex coastline, the book by Richard Platt, Smuggling in the
British Isles amplifies many of the points raised on the website. Colin Brent Smuggling
through Sussex (East Sussex Record Office 1977), reprints several important
documents; A.L.Cross Eighteenth Century Documents relating to the Royal Forests,
Sheriffs and Smuggling (New York, 1928) covers many relevant papers; Charles Lane
Sayer Correspondence of John Collier of Hastings 2 vols (1908), reprints and calendars
smuggling correspondence written by John Collier now, mostly, in the ESRO; several of
the subsequent books and papers on Sussex and Kent smuggling cite the Sayer
collection. Elizabeth Evelynola Hoon The Organization of the English Customs System
1696-1786 (1968 edition) remains the basic guide to the organisation of the Customs,
and is based around the Treasury and Customs archives in the public record office. Paul
Muskett, in his Open University thesis, offers much material on smuggling in general,
including the connection with France and the Low countries; Sussex History has
published his Gabriel Tomkin: smuggler, Customs officer, Sheriff's bailiff and
highwayman nos 2,3 (1981-2), and The Hastings pirates: A cautionary tale no 26
(1988). Hoh-Cheung & Lorna H. Mui, Smuggling and the British Tea Trade before 1784
in the American Historical Review 74 (i) (1968) and Denys Forrest Tea for the British
(1973) chs. 1-6, both contain useful data and dates on the tea trade. Timothy McCann
The Correspondence of The Dukes of Richmond and Newcastle 1724-1750 (Sussex
Record Society) vol. 73 contains much relevant to early Georgian political and military
life. For the episodes of fighting between the authorities and smugglers, the local public
library services in Sussex and Kent have copies of most of the relevant books published
since the war; the library service has suffered from cuts in the past three years though
the librarians are always willing to assist in finding books and articles, if necessary from
the British Library lending service. Your local library may well have pamphlets
unavailable elsewhere and when in Lewes members of the Sussex Archaeological
Society should take time to visit the archives and library of the Society in Barbican
House, which in addition to holding sources on smuggling, contains much of relevance
for all the papers offered today.
27
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Appendix II
The Lamberts of Lewes in Sussex and other topographical and landscape
artists with Sussex links
The wealth of the county and its visitors has given us a legacy of prints,
watercolours and oil paintings which record the changes to country houses,
market towns and seaside resorts.
The oil paintings of this period held in Sussex are mainly listed in the East and
West Sussex catalogues of the Public Catalogue Foundation (www.thepcf.org.uk)
Brighton and Hove Museums holds one of the biggest collections of prints and
watercolours in the country chronicling the changes to the landscape of a rapidly
growing, fashionable town. Most of the watercolours are either by local people or
were painted by visitors such as Delamotte. Many of the prints of Brighton and
Hove were produced in London but some of the artists involved are local. The
current lack of a comprehensive on-line catalogue is now being addressed as
part of the big task of re-organising and relocating of much relating to the history
of the City in one place. This will be in the new record office called The Keep, at
Falmer (near Brighton and Sussex Universities) which is due to open on 19
November this year. There, the maps of the resort from 1779, copies of the many
guides and street directories, scanned newspapers and archives of the entire
City held before in both East Sussex Record Office in Lewes, and in the Brighton
History Centre (both now closed), will be accessible and for the first time all online for public access.
Other gems well worth investigation are kept in Barbican House at Lewes, the
museum of the Sussex Archaeological Society, one of the oldest history societies
in England (www.sussexpast.co.uk). There, the Sharpe Collection provides a
record in watercolour and other media of the Anglican churches in Sussex
between about 1802 and 1809, mainly by Henry Petrie, supplemented by thirtyfive watercolours by an unidentified artist. Bought with the substantial help of a
donor in 1975 it provides a detailed record of many Sussex churches which have
since been replaced or greatly altered, mainly after about 1860. The Society also
owns many later prints and watercolours and early photographs of churches with
which the Sharpe collection can be compared, R.H. Nibbs published prints of
many of the same churches in 1851 and the Society owns a set of those.
Perhaps the most charming pictures in the Society’s Collection are by the little
known Lamberts of Lewes who have left a legacy of delightful watercolours and
drawings as well as a few oils. At least a third of the known surviving works are
in the Society's collections. Neither James Lambert (1725-1788) nor his nephew,
also James Lambert (1741-99), had the patronage that George Smith of
Chichester (1713-14-1776) received from the Duke of Richmond and if Lambert
senior was given any training it was probably by George Smith. The Lamberts
could not depend on an income from selling oils or watercolours although Sir
28
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
William Burrell commissioned many topographical works from them for his
collection of over 1,300 views of Sussex antiquities and houses of the county
gentry, now in the British Library. James the elder was a typical Georgian
entrepreneur, combining playing the organ at St Thomas at Cliffe in Lewes and
publishing volumes of psalms with selling paints for the interiors of houses such
as Stanmer and Glynde Place, sign writing and painting coaches. It was not
unusual in a small provincial market town. Cater Rand, a contemporary who lived
in Lewes, combined cartography with running a school.
Both Lamberts exhibited at The Free Society of Artists and the Royal Academy
but James senior is regarded as the better artist, even redoing some of his
nephew’s efforts. His watercolours are very useful for the study of buildings and
landscapes that have either long since been much altered or have been lost to
later changes. His enchanting view of Brighton from the east of about 1765 of
which he then sold copper engravings captures the development of the resort
around the Steine which was used as the town promenade for around fifty years
until the current seafront road was constructed by the town commissioners. He
also painted country houses for the local gentry and may be the only artist to
portray Kidbrooke at Forest Row (now Michael Hall School) after recent work on
the landscaping. His picture of Newick Park (now a hotel) for Lady Vernon again
may be a consequence of work on the house and grounds.
The pair also painted Lewes and in so doing left a record of many features lost in
the nineteenth century which helped to make the town fit with the fashions for the
picturesque and for ancient monuments and so attract visitors going to and from
Brighton, a resort which from the 1770s outgrew Lewes, leaving it a bit of a
backwater.
Lambert senior painted animals, and his clients included the Earl of Sheffield who
embellished his new estate at Sheffield Park with a new house by Wyatt,
revamped grounds by Capability Brown and a model farm described
enthusiastically by Arthur Young.
The contrast between those with patronage and those without who worked in
Sussex continued into the early nineteenth century. Turner, now a far more
famous artist than either of the Lamberts or George Smith, enjoyed the
patronage of the Earl of Egremont at Petworth, in West Sussex and Jack Fuller at
Brightling Park in East Sussex. The Earl of Egremont allowed Turner to have a
studio in Petworth House which may be visited. The Earl spent a lot of time in
Brighton at his villa, East Lodge on the East Cliff at Brighton which he had owned
since about 1807. This was probably where Turner stayed when he painted the
famous Chain Pier and other landmarks. The villa, built of local cream bricks from
Hove, had a very good view of the sea for many years until urban development
surrounded it from the 1820s, but it was very close to the Chain Pier, which was
built in the early 1820s. By way of contrast, Constable was certainly paying for
his own accommodation in Brighton as shown in an article in the April 2013 issue
29
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
of The Burlington Magazine. He shared the lack of a single patron with the
Lamberts of Lewes.
Both Turner and Constable overshadow the local artists, but this does not mean
that the local ones should be ignored today. There must be many more provincial
artists whose work is invaluable for the study of the Georgian period, and linked
with other sources may help us to understand the Georgian landscape better.
Further information about the Lamberts of Lewes is J. Farrant’s article about
them in The Sussex Archaeological Collections 135 (1997).
Sue Berry
Battle Abbey – which became famous amongst antiquarians as a genuinely ‘Gothic’ site. Then
the country house of the Webster family.
th
Sussex Archaeological Society collection, late 18 century.
30
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
Sussex Archaeological Society
Established in 1846 and supported by a membership of 2500, the Sussex
Archaeological Society offers a range of benefits for members. An annual
publication, the Sussex Archaeological Collections, and a thrice-yearly magazine,
Sussex Past and Present, plus an active conference and events programme
keep members informed about recent developments regarding the history and
archaeology of the historic county of Sussex.
In addition, the Society owns six historic properties and museums to which
members have free entry. These are Lewes Castle, Barbican House Museum,
and Anne of Cleves House, all in Lewes, Fishbourne Roman Palace just outside
Chichester, the Priest House at West Hoathly (near East Grinstead), Marlipins
Museum in Shoreham and Michelham Priory, Upper Dicker, near Hailsham.
The Society's extensive reference Library is based at Barbican House in Lewes,
and is open to members to use whenever Barbican House is open. Nonmembers may also visit from Monday to Friday subject to normal opening hours.
The Library contains an extensive collection of volumes on archaeology and local
history, archaeological reports and national and county based journals covering
archaeology and local history.
If you are not already a member, do consider joining to support us in all our
activities. Membership forms are available at the registration desk, or you can
join at any of our properties or online at www.sussexpast.co.uk
_________________
The Society has recently published a series of books to mark the creation of the
South Downs National Park, in conjunction with the SDNP authority. The three
books published to date are:
-
The Archaeology of the South Downs National Park, by John Manley
The Natural History of the South Downs National Park, by Robin Crane and
Rendel Williams
The Geology and Scenery of the South Downs National Park, by David
Robinson
The books are available to buy from our bookstall at the conference, from the
shops in all our properties and from various local bookshops in Sussex. You may
also buy online from our website, www.sussexpast.co.uk
_________________
Don't miss our next conference, The Home Front: Sussex in the First World
War, which marks the centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War. Our
speakers will consider the impact of the War on various aspects of Sussex life,
including the care of the wounded, the agricultural slump and resurgence, the
31
Sussex Archaeological Society Conference
Sussex and the Georgian Age c1680-1830
use of film and the cinema, the growth of military camps and other installations
and the persistence of county affiliation. We will conclude with a look at Brighton
in 1918. Leaflets are available at the registration desk or you can visit our
website, where you may also book for the conference.
_________________
If you have enjoyed this conference, please consider offering assistance at future
events. The Society relies very much on volunteers, and conferences especially
require more people than we have staff to ensure that the event runs smoothly.
We would welcome offers of help at the registration desk on the day of the event,
but also a few hours in the week or so running up to the conference to help
prepare the delegate handbooks would be greatly appreciated. Please contact
Lorna (details below) if you might be able to help.
We would also appreciate suggestions for future conferences. In order to obtain
good speakers, we need to plan eighteen months ahead, so we are already
considering ideas for 2015. Remember that we always try to ensure that our
conferences have a Sussex focus, and we do need a topic which will engage a
wide audience and which lends itself to a variety of different speakers. If you can
suggest some speakers and topics within an overall theme, that would be
particularly helpful. Again, please pass any suggestions on to Lorna (details
below).
_________________
For more information on membership or our events, please contact Lorna
Gartside, Membership Secretary, at Bull House, 92 High Street, Lewes, BN7
1XH. Tel: 01273 405737, email [email protected] or visit our website
www.sussexpast.co.uk where you will find details of all our properties as well as
a wealth of other information.
NOTES
The Sussex Archaeological Society would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr
Sue Berry for her work in compiling the programme for today's event.
We would also like to thank Lewes solicitors Adams and Remers for their
generous support of the conference leaflet.
Erratum: The image on the cover of this booklet was wrongly labelled as being
Bolebroke Castle, Hartfield, on our conference leaflet issued in March 2013. It is
in fact, as now shown, Brambletye, Forest Row.
32