Last week I visited the Church of St Candida in the isolated Dorset village of Whitchurch Canonicorum. It is the only parish church in England to contain the relic of a saint. Saint Wite. The Latin name for Wite is Candida, hence the name of the church. The shrine of the saint contains three…
Category: East Sussex
Seaford’s Saddest Day
TODAY 100 years ago 3rd September 1916 was one of the darkest days in Seaford’s history with five local men being killed within 24 hours. They were all members of the Royal Sussex Regiment. Four of the men were members of the 11th (South Downs) Battalion. Known as Lowther’s Lambs as they had been recruited…
The Sussex Cyclist and his lasting legacy
Overlooking the Cuckmere Valley between Alfriston and Seaford is a viewing point provided by the Rees Jeffrey Fund. Rees Jeffrey was a cyclist who did more then most people to ensure our roads are safe. William Rees Jeffreys was born in Paddington, London in 1872 but lived in Sussex. He was a keen cyclist…
X-IT the Lewes Dwarf
Today we realise that we should not discriminate a person because of their physical appearance but this has not always been the case. It is clear that in the past, dwarves were used for entertainment particularly amongst the royal families of Europe. One of them possibly had a local connection. His name was XIT and…
When my Grandma met a Prime Minister
When I visit Parliament I regularly pass the statue of the former Prime-Minister David Lloyd-George. The sculpture shows the great Liberal politician in an animated pose. Lloyd George is remembered for his many reforms including those responsible for welfare and women’s suffrage. As a young lady my Grandmother, Bessie Gordon, was a keen photographer. In…
Look out for a man with Spatterdashes
I am always interested in early reports of crime and disorder especially in the early 19th century when the Police were still in their infancy. Sussex had no uniformed force to deter and arrest criminals. There were parish constables of course, but they were used by the parish vestry (a form of early local government)…
Why is Charlie-Joe upside down?
The web-site of the La Trobe University in Australia reports that “Charles La Trobe is much better known in England than he is in Australia” This I doubt, even though he is buried in the delightful riverside churchyard at Litlington, East Sussex. Charles Joseph La Trobe was born in London on 20th March 1801 and…
Beacons for the Queen (and the French!)
Next week beacons will be lit all over Sussex, and indeed the whole country, to commemorate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. Beacons have been used for many years for celebration and also as a means of communication. This was particularly the case to warn us good Sussex folk from invasion against the…
The Alfriston Beaver?
The Church of St Andrew in Alfriston dates from the 14th Century and it is likely that the Easter Sepulchre to the north of the altar is of a similar date. The Easter Sepulchre was a feature often placed in medieval churches. It represented the tomb of Christ and was used for an elaborate ceremony…
A Chubby but Cheerful Soldier
This afternoon I did one of my Guided Tours of Lewes and took people through the lovely churchyard of St John Sub-Castro. I pointed out some interesting graves but noticed something today that I had no seen before. It was a Memorial Plaque – known as a Death Penny or Widow’s Penny, which had been inserted…
Quirky Sussex History by Kevin Gordon 