LEWES - St John Sub Castro

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi

These are the only shaw baptisms in St John Sub Castro

1846   Mch   22   Shaw   Ellen Rebecca   f   d   Asaph   Winnifred   Edward St   Brewer   Aged 20 Years
1846   Mch   22   Shaw   Rhoda   f   d   Asaph   Winnifred   Edward Sr   Brewer   Aged 18 Years
1847   May   2   Shaw   Ebenezer   m   s   Isaac   Ann   Fisher St   Grocer   
1853   Jan   30   Shaw   Elizabeth   f   d   Joseph   Mary Ann   OTP   Labourer   
1855   Apr   29   Shaw   William   f   d   Joseph   Mary Ann   OTP   Labourer   

Chris in 1066Land

[Mandy]

Chris, you are wonderful    Thank you so much as you've tidy up some loose ends.  I shall certainly go have a look at the headstone correspondence at the ESRO - I've never thought of looking for things like that before, so I wonder what else might there for other Sussex ancestors.  Thanks for that, another new avenue to pursue.  Mandy

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi Mandy

It all helps to put 'Flesh on the Bones' of our Ancestors

This is the Reference Number for those archives

  BRN 01 to BRN 98, East Sussex Record Office, The Maltings, Lewes.

Yes, there are some 98 volumes of the firms books.

I have personally scanned through every volume whilst writing the histoy of the firm, and have extracted data from most of them - got to find where I have stored the file though. When I do, will quote you the best volume for your research.

Most of the Data, apart from the correspondene, is similar to that shown below.

Chris in 1066Land


Fixing the above:
Winhurst 3¼days,    H Townsend 3¼days,    Labour @ 5/-,    lodgings @ 9/6d
17 Iron Cramps,   2½lbs Pitch,    100 Best Bricks,    800 Inferior Bricks,
8lbs of Lead,    12lbs of Sand,   2lb cement,
Friday December 15th 1848
John W Burtenshaw -

Drawing of Tomb (which I cant post)

Portland Stone Tomb as per drawing erected in Ditchling Burial Ground and to include fixing of same @ £27/0/0d
Engraving 117 letters at 1½d per letter = 14/7½d.

 
 

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi Again

Found a shortened version of my list of Parson / Bridgmen Archives at Lewes Record Office:

Surviving records of C.F.Bridgman:1834 – 1959, ESRO, BRN 01 to BRN 98.

BRN01 – 12:   Ledger Books detailing  Masons work
BRN13 – 55:   Day Books again detailing Masons work with costs
BRN56 – 69:   Letter Books, Carbon copies of letters sent to clients etc together with hand drawings of monuments (very difficult to read)
BRN70 – 73:   Order Books – details and drawings of work ordered
BRN74 – 79:   Wage books covering the period 1893 – 1906
BRN80 – 88:   Cash Books – itemised expenditure
BRN89 – 90:   Classified Accounts and Stock in Hand
BRN91 – 92:   Private Accounts
BRN93:              Accounts
BRN94:              Miscellaneous, Patterns, etc
BRN95:           Scrap Album of Drawings, Newspaper cuttings,
BRN96:           Album of photographs of tombs
BRN97:           Monumental, designs for tombs, monuments, etc
BRN98:           Pamphlet – One Hundred and Twenty Sussex Craftsmen, the goods they make …..

Hope it narrows down the search for your ancestors records

Chris in 1066Land 

[penlund1]

Hi Chris

I am looking for CROSSLAND's in Lewes. I have a baptism at St Michael and baptism and wedding at St Anne's from 1785 - 1802 but think there is one in 1813 as well.

Also Elizabeth ROUTLEDGE b ca 1802 in Lewes. Any help would be appreciated.

Regards, Peter in Melbourne

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi there Peter

Unfortunately I do not have a single Crossland or Routledge in my Database.

You picked the two churches that as yet, I have very little data on - the other 4 (John Sub Castro, Southover, South Malling & All Saints) all figure prominently in the data. (You are talking about the posh end of town)

The two churches I have little data on except this information are:

St Michael-in-Lewes. 
This church stands in the busy High Street of Lewes, at the foot of the mound bearing the keep of the Norman Castle, and is distinguished by its slender shingled spire rising from the top of a round flint tower (only two others like it in Sussex). Believed to have been instituted as ‘the church of the castle’, the expression “tanquam matrici ecclesie” (Mother Church) in the 16th century seems to imply that it held a position of seniority in the town. By the time of the Reformation, St Michaels was in a deplorable condition and its fortunes suffered another serious setback during the Puritan revolution as the citizens of the town remained predominantly Dissenters.   In 1748 extensive building works were carried out (rebuilding of South Aisle, with two doors onto the street) and from the incumbency of Frederick Teed (1841 – 1863) a number of changes began to be made to the liturgy and furnishings which reflected the catholicising influence of Newman and Pusey. Much of the churches present-day character is thanks to the Rev Edgar Herman Cross (1877 – 1891)

St Anne's
Built outside the Town walls in the 12th century and originally known as St Peters and St Mary Westout, this church is a splendid example of Norman architecture with its small rounded doorway and its solid carved interior columns. The chancel was rebuilt in the 13th century. The 12th century font has some fine old carvings. The church roof dates from the 16th century. In the 12th century the church was home to an anchoress who allowed herself to be walled up in a tiny cell by the chancel wall, with only a small window. Her little cold cell became her coffin.

Sorry to be so negative

Chris in 1066Land

[penlund1]

Thanks for the effort Chris. Much appreciated. I was in Lewes briefly 2 years ago and had no interest in family history then; much is the pity

Kind regards, Peter in Melbourne

[MikeSompting]

Dear Chris

I have just joined roots and coincidentally visited St John sub Castro Lewes yesterday.  Especially interesting as an ancestor Peter Guerin Crofts built the present church (and less creditably demolished the previous one).  (PGCII's eldest grandchild was Blanche Crofts, she married my great-grandfather Samuel Tristram - they both lie buried at Sompting, where I've just been replanting their graves.)

You say, re photos of memorials and re burial transcriptions etc there,  "Dont worry if you cant get to the Church - all this information is available to you right here in the comfort of your own home through Rootschat.com and the Sussex Boards."  Being a novice I have been unable to access this, can you please point the way?

I have a fair amount of collateral info about these relatives (including some portraits), so it will be fun to put it all together.

There are a lot of Croftses on the registers of nearby Barcombe village (and one at nearby Hamsey) but I have not been able to establish any connection between those and the St John sub Castro / Malling House / Ringmer & Uckfield / Sompting Abbotts line who are detailed on my family tree.   All clues gratefully received.

I am finding it hard to trace the Crofts family prior to Peter Guerin Crofts I's father John.  I have plenty of information about the Crofts/Tristram family at Sompting West Sussex but nothing solid prior to John Crofts who married Daniel Le Pla's daughter Ann. 

One of the earliest Crofts references I have relates to John Crofts who bought Heene House (near Worthing, West Sussex, previous generation to the family's purchase of nearby Sompting Abbotts), and his father James Crofts Kt was said to have been in the Duke of Albemarle's regiment, but there the trail peters out.

A family portrait of John Crofts I's family was described in a sale catalogue as 'of Saxham Parva, Suffolk', and our Croftses crest at least has 3 bulls heads in common with that on the Saxham Parva website [plus we have the addition of a lion, and a dog on the top - might these indicate the point of departure from the main Saxham Parva line?].  But, I have not been able to trace any direct connection with the Saxham Parva lot who had apparently died out in the C18.  Maybe there was a genuine link - or maybe the connection and even the crest was adopted in order to beef up our lot's pedigree!  Either way makes a good story but I'd like to find out which...

I hope to be able to put together a pretty thorough story about this Crofts line, as part of the history of the land they owned at Sompting, and will be grateful for any pointers. 

Thanks,
Mike

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi Mike

Interesting to read your message.

Yes, the info is available - but as yet, it is all stored on my computer.

Memorial Transcriptions, Photographs from inside and outside of the Church of the monuments like the examples below.

Have not got much time at the moment, but will post more later today

Chris in 1066Land