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…
Accidentally Shot
Last week I gave a talk to a Church Group in Crawley and bought a copy of the parish magazine. I was interested to read about a grave at Worth Church for an unfortunate woman who was shot. Yesterday I travelled back up to Crawley to visit Worth Church which, in my opinion is one…
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…
Winifred’s Service in the Great War
Winifred Mary Wilcox was born in Condover a few miles to the south of Shrewsbury in Shropshire. He parents were Edward and Edith Mary Wilcox. Her father was an Agricultural Labourer. In 1906 Winifred’s father died and the family moved to Liverpool where they took a house at 78, Macdonald Road, Wavertree. The 1911 Census…
The Squinting Speaker from Sussex
On 21st June 2009 I was working in the Houses of Parliament when I heard a rumour that the Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin was about to resign. He found his position untenable due to the his role in the expenses scandal. A Speaker had not been ‘sacked’ since the 17th Century…
Did a 10yr old cause a train crash?
The Railway between Brighton and Lewes was opened on 8th June 1846. The London Brighton & South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) took over the new railway just a few weeks later. Railways were dangerous places, indeed the opening of one of the first railways – The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was marred by the death of…
Quirky Sussex History by Kevin Gordon 