The Brett Manuscripts have been transcribed by Rod Lavers as part of "Hastings Local History Resource"

Rod has over the years been working on a number of things to try and help anyone doing local history research with the intention to eventually be able to electronically search through the indexes of all the Hastings history books and antiquarian guide books, all at the same time, and to further know what Hastings pictures, drawings and photos were already in print or in private collections, and what subject matter they showed. This would all then be combined in order to help others with their archaeological and local history research.

Thank you Rod, I am happy to be able to publish your work.

Manuscript History of Hastings & St. Leonards

by T.B.BRETT

Index to Contents of Volume One 1828 - 34

Chapter One: St. Leonards 1828 - 29 Page 2

Contents - Commencement of the town - Laying the first stone - Its site, the Bullrush pond or Old Womans Tap - Ravages of the sea - Appalling thunderstorm - Legendary lore of the Conqueror’s Stone and its removal - 57 Marina the first house completed - Other erections in 1828 and 1829 - Superb dinner, ball, pyrotechnics and other celebrations - A view of the Conqueror's table; also of the Hotel as first designs - A ludicrous mishap – The men who brought the first load of timber and the first load of stone-lime - Fatal accidents - Daily supply of 300 quarts of milk - A novel sign-board - Notice to quit squatterland - Great reversal of population - A memorable frost - Storms, floods and fall of five houses -

Interpolatory Obituary of Mr. Samuel Chester.

Chapter Two: Hastings 1828 - 29 Page 9

Fatal smuggling conflict - Conviction and transportation of the smugglers - A violent storm and its effects - Court of Record - Great Fall of cliff - Choosing Mayor and other officers – Erection of 1 to 6 Breeds Place - Accidents and offences - Launching of cutters - Anchoring of an emigrant ship and a brig of war – Exciting galley race - The Theatre at Ore - A new coach - Visibility of the French coast - Concerts at the Arcade – Appalling thunderstorm – Prize fight between Wood and Whiteman - Hastings Races and the areonaught Green - Burglaries and robberies - 160 night watchmen – Turning out the old year and. ushering in the new - Death of Tomsett and appointment of Shorter as Town Clerk – Settling Dinners – Smuggling seizures - The Blue Room at the Ship - Comptroller Bevill - The Condemned Hole - Co-operative Stores - Desperate fight by Whiteman and Neve - The beadle Chatfield - The new yacht "St. Canta” - Lasher's and Saunders Charities - St. Mary's Chapel defective – Fatal fires - Sales of stonebeach and paying for new Town Hall, new Light House, etc. - Corporation demands for encroachments – The Town Walk and Hundred Court - Extensive bankruptcies.

Chapter Three: St.Leonards 1830 Page 18

Lady Lubbock's arrival from the French Revolution - The first religious services - Quadrangle Chapel - Application to Parliament for a church - Longevity. - Burton's boundary wall - Erection of Lavatoria - Removal of the barrier (in 1841) - Removal of the Archway – Harold Hotel - Rivalry and jealousy - Fist fox-hunt - The St. Leonards Tap - Daring act of smuggling - Incidents and accidents – Rapid building - The first three years' erections.

Chapter Four: : Hastings 1830 Page 21

Gas works began  - Six weeks frost - Brilliant aurora - Prevalence of smuggling, poaching burglary and incendiarism - Wreck of a French fishing boat - Opening of the Dispensary - Ball at the Swan and a criticism thereon in rhyme - Smugglers' losses - Suicides and fatal accidents - Emigrants leaving Hastings - Mr North elected mayor - Addresses by Ottway Cave and J. Ashley Warre on people's rights - Destruction of the Croft railings; £50 reward - A general demand of the scot-and-lot men to be made freemen, the example having been set by the townsmen of Rye: Success of the Ryers, but defeat of the Hastingers - political movement and enthusiastic reception of Col. De-Lacy-Evans - Proclamation of William IV – Non-successful petition against the return of Planta and Fane - The Bourne street theatre re-opened - Moneys demanded from persons who had built property on the sea-beach - A poacher fatally shot - Successive owners and tenants of Bohemia Farm, erection of the mansion and the residence thereat of the Princess Sophia of Gloucester - Medical controversy on the death of John Woodhams - Demands of agricultural labourers - Epistolary contention on the proposed removal of Beach cottages.

Chapter Five :St.Leonards 1831 Page 34

Departures from original designs - Arrival of the Princess Sophia - Laying memorial stone of the church by Her Royal Highness - Grand dinner and fete - Roasting an ox - Damaging storms - Fall of five houses - Six weeks' frost - St.Leonards beadle and an amusing incident - Races at Bulverhythe and Bopeep - Fist bachelor's ball - Mike Wood, the athlete - Boats and bathing machines - Mounted patrols - Smuggling fatalities - A Hastings M.P. and the Bristol Riots - The Conqueror and Harold Hotels - Poetic vision of the town - Erection of the Colonnade - First residents thereat ~ Faggot roads - Rough traveling over the VIAMEDIA - Presents to the first three native born children - Deaths of early inhabitants - The first Hastings and St. Leonards races - Accidents to workmen - The French coast visible - Incendiarism: a man wrongfully hanged - Sunday newspaper readings - taverns - Hastings money tokens - Commencement of "St.Leonards Without" - The sea's non-encroachment - Adelaide place and Goat's Point - Finding of war instruments and other relics - Stage coaches and their drivers - New road from St.Leonards - New coach to London, beating the old ones by two hours - The "Doctress" Dabney - Mr. Burton's tollgate - The Commissioners' Improvement Act obtained - Maze Hill formed - Miss Burton's residence: her death at 91 years - Fall of another house - The Gardens laid out - a man of many pursuits - An eccentric Colonel - A timely warning - Doings at Quarry Castle.

Chapter Six: Hastings 1831 Page;14

Smuggling fatalities - political meetings and dinners - Parliamentary Reform - Five candidates to represent Hastings and Rye, with rioting at the latter - Terrible riots at Bristol caused by a farmer. Hastings M.P., and nearly 500 persons killed - Life sketches of Sir Charles Wetherell and Col. de Lacy Evans - Population of Hastings - Making of 276 freemen - Copy of the decree of 1725 - Names of the new freemen - Death of the Iris newspaper - Accidents, incidents and miscellaneous occurrences. Completion of the Gas Works - Proceedings of the Corporation.

Chapter Seven: St. Leonards 1832 Page 55

Memoirs of Lady Boothby and family - More about Quarry Castle - Sir Woodbine Parish; his family; his various services under Government - Swimming Baths - Curious church bell - Hook's Tabernacle - Building of West Ascent - Marvelously low rents - Town - ship jealousy - More smuggling events - The submerged "Amsterdam" - A facetious huckster and his practical jokes - Storms, wrecks, and accidents - Sir Godfrey Webster's "One-two-three" - Additional buildings - The early Royalty and Nobility - Revival of Hawking by the Grand Falconer - Inundations and tenantless property - An acoustical rarity - The New England Bank - Bopeep Fair - The Fountain - Memorials in St.Leonards Cemetery - Opening of St. Leonards Church - More smuggling encounters - Finding a smuggler's skeleton - Fatal conflicts - Reform demonstrations - The Grand Reform Banquet (full details) - Mysterious disappearance of the “American" banner - A marvelous dancing crush at an election ball - The St.Leonards Assembly Rooms. - Frederick North, M.P. - Sir Howard Elphinstone, M.P. - Further extension of the town - A gay season - The first baker's oven - The Rev. Joseph Wood - Distinguished visitors: Royalty and Nobility - Two views of the Marina and two of the Assembly Rooms.

Chapter Eight: Hastings 1832 Page 63

Investigation of the Charities - Corrective items in 1781, 1787, 1796, 1801, 1807 & 1809 - The Chancery suit - £1232 borrowed for defending the suit, and more than £1000 otherwise paid to the Chancery Court - A gift by Mr. Milward of £492 to the Corporation. Explanation of the Drowned lands. Successive schoolmasters - The Enquiry of 1832, and report of committee - Death of C.S. Crouch, 8 times Mayor - Reform celebrations - Important political and: municipal changes - The Commissioners' new Act obtained and the old one repealed - Deaths and fatal accidents - Longevity - An exciting race - a violent hurricane - Arrival of the Duke, Duchess and Prince George of Cumberland for 6 months - First election under the provisions of the Reform Bill. political dinners, balls, etc.

Chapter Nine: St. Leonards 1833 Page 82

Turbulent weather and property in danger - continued jealousy between town and town. - Parry's prophetic remarks - Extremely low rents and rates - A street discussion - Magdalen parish with only 3 ratepayers - An Election ball - The first Reform Parliament - Destruction of the House of Commons - Arrival of Royalty - A .four-horse omnibus - Riding "Squimirington" by "Tawnser" Adams and “Jemmy" Hyland - Coach-competition: a ride of 40 miles for a shilling - political galley races and sailing matches - Archery Society established - Death of old inhabitants - Smith and Brett on the destructive tide of 1824 - Cost of Commissioners' Act - £3,000 wherewith to pay £7,026 - appointment of officers - Commissioners declining to be enrolled - Incessant changes - The .first assessment and numerous protests - makeshift places of business - Commercial depression - The obstructional Archway - Practical misnomer of the "Eastern Boundary" - New parade wall - proposed new town of "St. Mary's - Mr. Troup's fruitless efforts – “King” Eldridge beating the magistrates - The Saxon, the Harold and the Conqueror hotels - The builders of Verulam place - Discovery of ecclesiastical remains - The first National schools - Disagreement of parson and pedagogue - The Act and its provisions for the first church-Site of the St. Leonards…?

Chapter Ten: Hastings 1833 Page 90

Elphinstone's Election Ball and Testimonial - An unfortunate episode - The Palmy days of the Pelham Arcade - Disaster to the “Lamburn", submergence (by collision) of the “Coburg", and total loss of the "Four Sisters" - Collections for the fishery - More smuggling fatalities - Rifle Brigade assisting Coastguards - Duke Duchess and Prince George of Cumberland at Breeds Place. Commissioners under the Act - proceedings of the Corporation - Purchase of a new fire-engine - Death of Mr. Milward - More seizures of contraband - Fatal falls from the East Cliff - Exciting boat races - Mr. Planta's election entertainment.

Chapter Eleven: St.Leonards 1834 Page 96

Rating protests - Mackerel caught at the water's edge by hand - An additional seawall - A winter without frost - Destruction of the new wall - Removal of pig-pounds from East Ascent - Further infringements of the Local Act - Abnormal temperatures and their effects - Pecuniary difficulties of the Commissioners - Reminiscences of "Tubal Cain" - Destructive gales and tides - White-rock brewery and Rock's factory undermined - Rope-walk houses swept away - Destruction of Batty's Circus_ - Arrival of the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria (full particulars) - Sad accidents and incidents during the royal visit - Great storm and maritime disasters - Royal patronage of the St.Leonards Archers - Drowning of Lieutenant. Gilly and five preventive men - Rare doings at the Horse-and-Groom - Fashionable gaiety at St.Leonards - Pre-railway customs - The pleasure of being cheated - Situation of the old workhouses - Overseers arrangements - Specimens of parish-book orthography - Poor-rates at 10/6 and 23/ - in the £ - Commissioners doings - Wheat at £40 per load - Loans not obtainable - Rates in arrears - Length of roads - Discovery of hidden money - The rich beggar Bennett - Establishment of All Souls' - Chapel-Barn Farm - Successive owners and occupiers of Bohemia - Princess Sophia thereat - The Whyborn brothers and centenarian sister. - Addition to the Charity estate by an exchange of lands - Searching of records - Committee's report - Gensing House and its predecessor - Reminiscences of St. Mary Magdalen parish - Pre-historic St.Leonards - Old parish accounts. - "Old Sarah" and her son - The Royal George steam-ship passing Hastings in 1821 - The White-rock battery - "Shepherd's Hole" and smuggled brandy - The two Rope-walks - An aged cicerone - Dame Dabney, Dame Fowler, Old Jan Whyborn, Tom Standen, Ned Burchatt and draper Cossum - The eccentric doctors, Satterly and Dutton - Queer orthography - The new Commissioners - Mr. Chester's movements - No offers for an eight-hundred pounds load - Road-crossings - Clothing the beadle - The tailors' strike - Espousal of Chartism - Tailors superceded by tailoresses.

Chapter Twelve: Hastings 1834 Page 109

Prolonged rough weather - Extraordinary catch of mackerel - Bursting of a reservoir - Earthquake shocks - Roads undermined - Sketch from the White Rock - Driven out of house and home - Wrecks at the Fishmarket - Work of the enlarged Corporation and the new Commissioners - committal of fishermen for breaking open the gaol - Removal of the Meat Market - Another new groyne - The Market tariff - Two jurats fined - Corporation enquiry and detailed explanations - Mr. Shorter's resignation - Corporation reforms - Annual Regatta and exciting episodes - Fresh investigation of the Charities - Money recovered from the Chancery Court, entailing a loss of £45 - Other lawsuits by the Corporation - The political situation - Meeting for a harbour and failure of the scheme - Smugglers sentenced to death - Fined for riding Skimmington - Appalling hailstorm - serious poaching affair - Petitions against heriots, quit-rents, etc. - Notice to clear off the priory ground property.

Vol. One end