History of Church Street

A HISTORY OF CHURCH STREET, NEW SHOREHAM 1782–1920

Due to its predominance of surviving older properties Church Street is probably the best known of Shoreham’s old streets. Luckily this is also matched by the records and deeds that still exist to provide us with a more complete picture than any of the other streets.

 

Nevertheless, it has not been possible to identify occupiers in Church Street for some of the years – a particular problem area was for numbers 2 to 16, mainly for 1861 and 1871 almost certainly due to more than one household or family at one address – and where this happens the occupants for those years have simply been omitted rather than take an educated guess. To help identify the site of each building and original plot of land the 1782 Survey map has been overlaid on a modern map and street or property numbers are included in each section with their descriptions.

 

 

If you can manage to ignore the vehicles that nowadays seem to be parked permanently both sides along its length the street looks much as it did one hundred and fifty years ago. However, a good many of the houses are of course much older and if you go back over two hundred years ago then some parts of the street would have looked different and even had trees which this research may help to describe. Fascinating though the history of the houses and other buildings in our town may be to us it is the people that built, owned and lived in them that helped to make that history – real people living out real lives within walls that absorbed the sounds of their voices and their touch as they passed by, the same walls that we can still see and touch today.

 

West Side of Church Street from South to North

 

Numbers 1 to 7 (Survey number 38)

 

Number 1

 

The land covered by survey number 38 in 1782 did not actually include 1 Church Street but was in fact part of Ann Foster’s property in the High Street on the south-west corner of Church Street. However, its history is almost totally tied to its neighbour at number 3 and is therefore included here.

 

This is a small, two-storey building which had, until 2017, a ground floor bay window that indicates its use as a shop in years gone by as well as in more recent times. It stands on land that stretched from the corner of Church Street round and along the High Street including what is now the Co-operative store. Owned by Ann Foster in 1780, the site now covered by No.1 was for many years an access way from Church Street into the land behind the High Street houses and when it was eventually built upon there was only sufficient space for a ‘one up – one down’ building. It still has an access passageway from the street to the rear that is now only man-sized with the top storey of the building being built over it.

 

The town maps of 1782 and 1789 still show this access way but by 1818 it is shown as having been built over. Ownership at that time and the original builder is not apparent from records but in 1827 Barruch Blaker is shown as the occupant. Constantine Dowley then purchased the property and probably enlarged or rebuilt it, possibly as an extension to his house initially at number 3 next door, his initials ‘CD’ still appear on a stone in the wall at the rear of the number 1 together with a year of 1837. Dowley was then a 50 year old Customs Officer, later a Coastguard, and in 1861 at the age of 80 still appeared in the street records. After Constantine his son, Thomas Dowley, lived there with his wife and brother using part of the house as a carpenters shop. Constantine’s sister in law, Catharine Morley a spinster, was in occupation for a while in the 1850’s when she carried on a small laundering business there with Mary Sains. Thomas Dowley inherited the properties at numbers 1 and 3 at which time Oliver Kerridge, a 72 year old widower carried on a sweetshop at no.1 in the 1860’s and 70’s followed in 1881 by the widow Maria McKiernon who used the premises for her dressmaking business.

 

 

 

The 1901 census reveals just how crowded this small house would have been then but even more so some years later as one of the Bennett family recalled living in that small cottage during the 1920/30’s with her seven brothers and sisters as well as her mother and father. Even then the downstairs room was divided into two and the front was used by her crippled father, a cobbler, as his shop and workshop. The back part of the room housed a huge cooking range leaving very little room for the family to eat in. Most of the family slept in the main bedroom and every night two of the sons had to hoist their father by rope pulleys up into the space in the loft where he slept.

 

The records from 1841 onwards are:-

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1841	Thos. Dowley 25 Builder (carpenter shop) Mary Dowley 21 Robert Dowley 21 Shipwright	C.Dowley
1851	Catharine Morley unmarried 57 Employed in mangling Mary Sains Widow 50 Laundress Jemima Sains 10 Scholar	C.Dowley
1866/71	Oliver Kerridge, 72, (Census)Widower, Retailer of sweets and confectionery	Thomas Dowley
1881	Maria McKiernon Widow 65 Dressmaker & fancy shop Eliza M. Young 18 Niece Assistant Clara Tipper 64 Lodger Annuitant	?
1891	Florence A.M. Dean 80 Shopkeeper(general shop)	W.R.Horrocks
1901	Osman C.Ward(Confectioner) (Rates) Richard J.J.Sharp 25 Labourer (Brickmakers) Rosa 20 Wife Richard 2 Son Henry 11mths Son Harry Best 20 Boarder, Labourer (Brickmakers) George E.Sharp 17 Boarder, Labourer (Brickmakers)	E.Sayers
1911/20	Horace Hugh Bennett, bootmaker	E.Sayers

 

Number 3

 

Built around 1806 by Thomas Morley after George Brown sold off his land (as described later in number 5), Morley occupied the premises from at least 1807 until 1837 when on his death, ownership passed briefly to his daughter Catherine, then it was acquired by Constantine Dowley, a customs officer and Catherine’s brother in law. Constantine was living round the corner in the High Street next door to the Glazebrook’s butcher shop in the building that has since been replaced by the Co-op store. He had also recently purchased number 1 Church Street and continued to provide accommodation for Catherine there although during its 19^th century life this house did see service as a shop in the late 1840s and again in 1881 as a confectioners.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1841	Catharine Morley 44 Independent John Brown 25 Hair Dresser William Oliver 60 School Master Mary Oliver 55 Ellen Oliver 25 Sarah Duke 10 Tom Duke 7	Con. Dowley
1851	Constantine Dowley 70 Superannuated Customs Officer	Con. Dowley
1861	Constantine Dowley 80 Superannuated Coastguard Susan Dowley 77 Wife Kate Dowley 19 Granddaughter Catharine Morley unmarried 68 Sister Sarah Luff 70 Lodger, Farmer’s wife	Constantine Dowley
1871	?	Thos. Dowley
1881	John Bridger 38 Groom & Confectionery shop Ellen Bridger 53 Wife Annie Tolland 10 Boarder, Scholar Thomas King 27 Lodger, Baker’s assistant	?
1891	Alfred Greenyer (Rates) (Census = Not slept in on night of the 5th April)	W.H. Harker
1901	A.Coles (Rates) Wallace E.Wimble 28 General Labourer Alice 21 Wife Amelia 1 Daughter	Harker
1911	Mary Agnes Reeves	Miss Harker
1920	Alexander Bailey

 

Number 5

 

 

This is the oldest building on this piece of land and is the one described as a tenement and backyard in the 1782 Survey and map. Owned then by George Brown, a shipwright, until 1807 after which he moved to Rotherhithe as a shipbuilder. During Brown’s ownership the building was rented by Thomas Mearsh, an Officer based at the Customs House further up the street, from 1782 to 1790; Henry Partington, later to become a Collector for the Customs, from 1790 to 1795 and lastly by the Rev Robert Briggs who subsequently became the vicar at Lancing until his death shortly after in 1808.

 

William Clegram, the Surveyor of Works at Shoreham Harbour, acquired the property after Brown had left Shoreham and is shown living there until 1827 when he let the house to William Weir. Subsequent owners and occupiers are detailed below and include the Glazebrook family who ran a butcher’s shop just round the corner at 20 High Street and rented a slaughterhouse in nearby Middle Street. Their prolific patriarch, John Glazebrook sired at least 12 offspring that we know of and having acquired the Church Street premises in the 1840’s then installed various of his family to live in and sub-let part of it to the Englishes, a branch of the ropemaking family who had their business in West Street and who also founded the renowned Englishes Oyster Bar in Brighton. John Glazebrook junior was in residence with his family in 1871 later to be replaced by his father who spent his last years there, all this time the family had continued their butchers’ business at the same shop in the High Street.

 

W.H.Harker was a subsequent owner of this house and simultaneously of number three next door as well, he was Shoreham’s well-known corn dealer and ironmonger who had his shop at the western end of the High Street and corn store in West Street, the latter of which subsequently became the dairy. Did he have plans to make the Church Street houses into more of his shops? – if he did they never came to anything. In the 1890’s it was used briefly as a lodging house then a pub under the name of ‘The Farmers Arms.’ The most outstanding period of its history was at the turn of that century when the building was chosen to house the town’s first telephone exchange and later became a post office.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owners
1827	Wm. Weir	William Clegram
1831/33	Robert Weir	William Clegram
1835/38	William. Oliver	William Clegram
1841/46	William Oliver	William Oliver
1851	James Glazebrook	John Glazebrook
1856	W. English Miss Glazebrook	John Glazebrook
1861	Miss Glazebrook (Rates) William English (Census) 43 Coal merchant & Ropemaker Harriet 43 Wife William 20 Son, Master sailmaker Thomas 18 Son Ropemaker Edmund 14 Son Scholar George 12 Son Scholar Eliza 10 Daughter Scholar Harriet 8 Daughter Scholar Ellen 6 Daughter Scholar John 1 Son	John Glazebrook
1866	Miss Glazebrook Mrs Craig	John Glazebrook
1871	John Glazebrook 46 Master butcher Susan 43 Wife John 17 Son, Assistant Gregory 14 Son, Scholar Fanny 12 Daughter, Scholar William 10 Son, Scholar Kate 8 Daughter, Scholar Ernest 4 Son, Scholar Carrie Dolton 18 General Servant (and Rates include George Bagley as the second householder)	John Glazebrook
1881	John Glazebrook (Senior) 79 Butcher Alfred 34 Son Railway porter Elizabeth Cragg 18 Granddaughter, Housekeeper Caroline Grigson 16 Domestic	John Glazebrook
1891	Alan H. Hack 52 Mariner (Steward) Jane 53 Wife Annie E 16 Daughter Pupil teacher Daisy E 4 Daughter The census shows the house as the ‘Farmer’s Arms’ and in addition a second group of householders are included:- Mercy Sedgewick 35 Nurse (sick) Louisa Waddington 45 Visitor	W. H. Harker
1901	Francis E.Hughes 47 Carpenter (Telephone Co. Exchange, Farnborough House) Edith 43 Wife Daisy 18 Daughter/Telephone Operator Gordon 15 Son/Baker’s Apprentice Barnaby 14 Son/Tailor’s Apprentice Gladys 11 Daughter Roland 8 Son Dorris 5 Daughter Bessie 3 Daughter	Harker?
1911	Telephone Co	G.J. Harker
1920	Post Office

 

Number 7

 

Two buildings stood on the plot where the Co-op store goods entrance is now which in 1782 was also owned by George Brown. He sold this off to the Trustees of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Estate in 1812 after he had moved to Rotherhithe and the buildings are mentioned in the sale as “……. two several buildings lately standing one of which was lately used as a Custom House and the other as a warehouse.” It is not generally known that there was a Custom House on this site and these buildings can be clearly seen on the 1782 map (between numbers 5 and 9) which were quite small compared with the later Custom House further up the street. Additionally, further confirmation is provided in the description of John Roberts’ land matching the Survey number 37 in the Land Tax Assessment for 1790 which mentions the existing Custom House and the residents of numbers 9 and 11 but also the ‘Old Custom House.’

 

The chapel was subsequently built on this plot, later becoming the Star Cinema and was eventually absorbed into the Co-op premises. Although the top part of the wall fronting the street was removed the remainder was retained, re-rendered and the new windows and door installed in the same position as the originals.

 

 

These premises are simply recorded in the rates records as ‘Star Chapel’ or ‘Protestant Chapel’ from 1827 (it’s full title was in fact Protestant Free Chapel) until 1911 when W.E. Winton became the owner and by 1920 was known as the ‘Star Cinema Picture Palace.’ The census does not show any details and, as a ‘void’ premises, the rates records did not include it when it was a chapel.

 

Numbers 9 to 17 (Survey Number 37)

 

Originally, all the land from number 7 up to and including 25 was part of the Chantry land in the town, which up to 1549 had been an ancient church-owned land.

 

Numbers 9 & 11

 

If you view these two houses from the opposite side of the road you will have a good idea of how much of 18^th century Shoreham would have looked before the fashionable, but less interesting, rendering of external walls in Victorian times. It is thought that in 1697 the earlier building set back behind a courtyard (still visible in black rendering on the external south end wall of number 9) was the Custom’s store but by 1740 the site belonged to the Fosters, a prominent Shoreham family of the time who built on to the original store to create the two properties we can see today. With walls faced with sea washed flints set in lime mortar the upper, middle window of number nine has been filled in – presumably as a result of the window tax of the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

 

 

The owners are shown as George, John & Mary Roberts in 1782 then John Pelham Roberts in 1788. Although no longer owning the property Mrs Ann Foster still lived at number 9 up until her death in 1805 aged 81 when ownership had by then passed to Hannah Roberts. Hannah was the daughter of John Roberts the Collector of Customs at New Shoreham and herself subsequently lived there from 1807 until her death in 1837. Henry Butler became the owner of number 11 in 1795 no doubt influenced by his marriage to Ann Roberts, Hannah’s sister the year before. Sadly Ann died in 1796 and subsequently Henry spent more time at sea letting the house out to his nephew John Butler junior in 1801, a William Symonds up to 1810 then his own son Henry before returning to the house after his second marriage. Henry, better known as Harry, was the mate on the Revenue cutter ‘Hound’ and brother of Captain John Butler who lived at number 22. Harry and later his descendants continued to occupy their house right up to the 20^th century. A notable owner and occupier of number 9 was William Winton who in the early 1900’s also owned the Star Cinema next door at number 7 and was the organiser of many of Shoreham’s fairs, carnivals and markets.

 

 

 

Number 9

 

Year	Occupier	Owner
1827/35	Miss Roberts	Miss Roberts
1838	John Ulwins(?)	Miss Roberts
1841	John Durrant 44 Dissenting Minister (probably the minister for Star Chapel) Susannah Durrant 45 Charles Carpenter 44 Dissenting Minister Priscilla Carpenter 53	Mrs. Roberts
1846	J.B.Skidder	J.Roberts
1851	James B. Shiddon 36 Beerhouse keeper Ann 34 Wife Rebecca Daughter Scholar Mathew 6 Son Harvey 4 Son Ann 2 Daughter Rebeca Harvey 59 Mother in law James Maybank 56 Superannuated Coastguard Catharine 54 Wife	Rev. M. Good
1856	Barge (Beershop)	Rev’d Good
1861	James Edwin Page 57 Tailor Harriett 43 Wife Thomas 23 Son Ship’s carpenter Charles 19 Son Blacksmith Elizabeth 15 Daughter Domestic George 12 Son Scholar Ann 10 Daughter Scholar Louisa Lashman 42 Schoolmistress Richard Lillywhite 69 Lodger, Gardener	Woolford
1866	James E. Paige	Woolford *
1871	James E.Paige 67 Tailor Harriett 63 Wife Elizabeth 25 Daughter Unemployed domestic Charles 27 Son Bricklayer Emily 7 Granddaughter Sarah 1 Granddaughter Ann Drury 54 Lodger Schoolmistress	Mrs. Helford *
1881	Empty	?
1891	Mary Elphick 61 Widow Charles Farley 23 Grocer’s assistant Albert Hinkley 23 Grocer’s assistant The latter two are referred to as boarders and a second household is also shown:- Thomas Bannister 36 General Labourer Annie 27 Wife	J. E. Brown 1
1901	Jane Gray 47 Widow Edward 20 Son./Butcher Rose 18 Daughter/Scullery Maid, Domestic Charles 16 Son/Baker’s Assistant Lily 13 Daughter/Nurse Girl Thomas Maynard 52 Pilot/Master of Steam Dredger Jane Maynard 47 Sister	J. E. Brown 1
1911	W. E. Winton	W. E. Winton
1920	W.E. Winton, Bill Poster	?

* Possibly spelling errors by the clerk entering the details and perhaps one and the same person.

1 Almost certainly John Ellman Brown

 

Number 11

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827/38	Henry Butler	Henry Butler
1841	Henry Butler 71 Messenger Mary Butler 70 Jane Butler 35 John Butler 18 Tailor Samuel Butler 10 Elizabeth Puttick 73 Ann Greenwood 26 Milliner Mary Greenwood 2	Henry Butler

 

 

 

1851	Henry Butler 83 Superannuated Army Officer Mary 78 Wife Richard 52 Son Painter& Glazier	Henry Butler
1856	Henry Butler (jun)	Henry Butler
1861	Henry Butler 65 Mary 65 Wife Henry 33 Son Journeyman Butcher John 31 Son Labourer Mary Jane 24 Daughter Alfred 19 Son Grocer’s Assistant Georgiana Ratcliffe 14 Granddaughter Scholar Ann Drury 44 Lodger Schoolmistress	Henry Butler
1871	Henry Butler 75 Widower Retired Tea dealer Ellen Ratcliffe 48 Widowed daughter, Housekeeper Henry 46 Son Grocer & Tea dealer John 44 Son Shipyard labourer Ema 34 Daughter General servant Alfred 32 Son General labourer	Henry Butler
1881	Henry Butler 57 Gardener at Swiss Gardens Ellen Ratcliff 58 Sister Widow John Butler 55 Brother Coal labourer Emma Butler 45 Sister Alfred Butler 42 Brother Journeyman Baker	Henry Butler
1891	William Butler 70 Army pensioner Henry Butler 66 General labourer Emma Butler 55 Sister Charwoman	William Butler
1901	Albert Sawyer 31 Harnessmaker Bessie 30 Wife Miriam 4 Daughter Henry Penfold 26 Bricklayer’s Labourer George Cook 30 Carpenter	W.A. Gates
1911	Albert Sawyers	W.A. Gates
1920	C.H. Pope, printer	?

 

Numbers 13 to 17 (consisting of the northern end of Survey number 37)

 

13 to 17 Church Street

 

Prior to the 1850’s this area of land housed what was probably a 16^th century set of buildings of substantial size arranged on three sides around a square courtyard or garden with the open side fronting on to the street. It is probably best remembered for the use of its south wing in the 18^th century as the town’s Custom House, then quite important locally with a good number of clerks and officers, to which the Custom’s business was moved to from the smaller premises that once stood where the Co-op store goods entrance is now. With the exception of the Customs Comptroller or Collector who sometimes ‘lived in,’ officers were required to reside in digs or their own houses in nearby streets as they were always ‘on call’ having to attend when summoned at short notice. Many were employed for their sea going experience. The pay for most men below senior ranks was not generous but like all Customs personnel they did enjoy a proportion of the sale of seized goods. Subsequently, even the lower ranks such as Rice Jones for example, a Tidesman, Henry Edwards and John Snook, Boatmen, managed between them to accumulate sufficient funds to be able to acquire a number of properties around the town.

 

 

In those days the life of a tax man had its demands, risks and stresses as suggested by events involving two of the officers mentioned in the records. One day in 1776, one Collector, Albinus Pelham and his wife were holding a social evening there but when Albinus failed to show his wife went looking for him and eventually found that he had hung himself in their bedroom. Another Collector, John Bridger Norton, was robbed and murdered in 1795 between Southwick and Shoreham by two men from the Westminster Militia that were encamped nearby.

 

There were about twelve officers (besides clerical staff that were not included in the listings) at any one time stationed at the Custom House although the very nature of their jobs meant they were usually working elsewhere – either at sea, at the harbour, riverside or along the coast. Their names and rank we know from the Land Tax Assessments up to 1814 following which for some reason they were no longer included. The following list shows the serving officers and their year or period of service from 1782 to 1814:-

 

Mr John Pelham	Collector	1782
John Roberts Esq	Collector	1786
Thomas Norton	Collector	1790
John Bridger Norton	Collector	1795
Henry Partington	Collector*	1807/1814
Mr Hugh Roberts	Comptroller (Controller)	1782/1786
Thomas Edwards	Comptroller	1790/1813
Richard Gates	Comptroller	1814
Mr James Stow	Surveyor	1782/1795
John Foster	Surveyor	1807/1814
Nicholas Roberts	Tide Surveyor	1790/1807
George Roberts	Tide Surveyor	1810
Edward Lashmar	Tide Surveyor	1813/1814
John Smith	Boatman & Tidesman	1790/1795
James Legg	Boatman	1782/1795
John Snook	Boatman	1782/1795
George Young	Boatman	1807/1814
James Robson	Boatman	1807/1814
James Courtney	Boatman	1807/1814
Henry Edwards	Boatman	1807/1813
William Holcomb	Boatman	1807/1814
Nathaniel Hillman	Boatman	1810/1814
William Fuller	Riding Officer	1782/1790
Thomas Mearsh	Riding Officer	1782/1786
William Corbett	Riding Officer	1807
Thomas Walter	Riding Officer	1795
William King	Officer in Excise	1782/1790
Peter Palmer	Officer in Excise	1795
Thomas Loud	Officer in Excise	1807/1810
William Bourne	Officer in Excise	1810/1813
Charles Richards	Excise Officer	1813/1814
Josiah Ridgwell	Tidesman	1782/1807
Samuel Wilson	Tidesman	1782/1807
William Hosegood	Tidesman	1782
Rice Jones	Tidesman	1782/1795

‘and Searcher’ was included with Partington’s title in 1810

 

At a time when many inhabitants of seaside towns and ports, including Shoreham, were involved in smuggling to some degree or other the presence of a Customs Officer was never welcome. Those Shoreham men who chose to join the Customs, were inevitably ostracised by other townsfolk – Riding Officers particularly who patrolled the area on horseback ran the risk of injury or death from smuggling gangs and pistols and cutlasses were a necessary part of their equipment.

 

There was always a temptation for Customs men to ‘turn a blind eye’ to smuggling activities especially where the perpetrators were local people personally known to them or they were bribed to do so. This had become such a problem that eventually the Customs introduced their own policing system with the result that Comptrollers checked the work of Controllers (despite the former being lower in rank to Controllers) and Surveyors checked Tidesmen etc.,

 

Officers’ titles were descriptive of the task involved, tidesmen (or tidewaiters as they were also known) literally waited for the tides to join a vessel off shore and accompanied it to its berth until unloading was completed. Searchers ensured that a cargo tallied with the receipt and coal meters measured the cargoes of coal. Unsurprisingly Customs Collectors and Comptrollers were expected to be ‘good men of education and respectability;’ Surveyors and Searchers to be ‘people of respectability well versed in figures and accounts;’ Tide surveyors ‘conversant in nautical matters.’ Riding Officers and Coal Meters were to have ‘proved themselves trustworthy servants able to read and write fairly.’ The humble Boatman was not expected to have any particular qualification educationally but to be a ‘regular bred seafaring man.’

 

In 1782 the south wing (including at that time the neighbouring land and houses numbers 9 & 11) was described as ‘Three tenements, Custom House, warehouse and backyard’ owned by the Roberts family as shown in the details for numbers 9 & 11. The Roberts family continued to own the Custom House for many years after:- John Roberts from 1782 until 1794, John Pelham Roberts 1795 to 1814 and finally John Roberts until G.H.Hooper had acquired this and the land north of it (ie., Survey number 36) by 1830.

 

When Hooper demolished the Customs House and built today’s numbers 13 to 17 Church Street he did so at the same time as numbers 19 to 23 in the adjoining land to the north. The subsequent records for numbers 13 to 17 are therefore included with the next section.

 

Numbers 19 to 25 (Survey Number 36)

 

The remainder of the land covered by the west side and the north wing of the old building up to and including number 25 and westwards to Middle Street is described as ‘Two tenements, malthouse, garden stables, coach house, and coachyard’ then owned by the Bridgers who acquired it from the Smith family. A conveyance of 1792 gives us considerably more information about these buildings and describes ‘Chantry House’ as it was known then (before the house of the same name in East Street) ‘with wine vaults, stables, chaisehouse, buildings, forecourt, back yard and garden late in the occupation of John Bridger Norton.’ It goes on to describe a malthouse and cistern or pump room adjoining, with lofts or granaries over the pump room (of which John Burton, a maltster who had previously owned 4/6 Church Street was undertenant) and a washhouse or brewhouse of a messuage at the north end of the pump room belonging to Colvill Bridger (i.e., 25 Church Street) ‘late in the occupation of Rev.William Marchant.’

 

This parcel of land has an old but sparse history of ownership:- pre 1687 Avis, 1687 Dungate, 1701 Bartlett, 1734 Richard Smith, 1743 Mrs. Smith. In 1745 North & Blaker are shown as trustees of a marriage settlement when Richard Smith’s widow remarried to Harry Bridger and the Bridgers obtained and kept the land at number 25 but sold the remainder on in 1792 to John Bridger Norton. Norton sold to Samuel M.Sayers in 1794 and finally G.H.Hooper acquired it in 1830 ‘subject to the lease of the wine cellars’ although he also managed to obtain the latter as well by 1841.

 

 

The wine cellars were beneath the north wing and were in fact one extensive arched cellar constructed of chalk blocks measuring 54 feet in length, 16 feet wide and 8 feet in height. It still survives, now beneath number 21 which was built over it, although its proportions are no longer as easily recognisable due to the brick partition walls that were built during WWII to facilitate its use as an air raid shelter. The entrance is now at the western end but the original entrance was in the southern wall of the cellar that once opened on to steps up to the courtyard in front of the southern wall of the old building.

 

Apart from the chalk blocks, the cellar’s appearance is typical of the brick-built vaults and cellars still to be seen throughout the country of which many originated in medieval times. One of the chalk blocks is inscribed ‘TH 1776’ (possibly Thomas Hanington – the Hanington and Roberts families jointly owned and developed a number of properties in the town at this time). It is most unlikely that the cellar was dug out underneath an existing building which leads us to two possible conclusions:- (i) the building above the cellar was not itself built until after 1776 or (ii) this was perhaps the year when the cellar was renovated. Of the two, general opinion tends to support the latter theory and the style of the old southern entrance suggests a much earlier construction date than 18^th century. Its last recorded use as a wine vault was in 1856 when the land above it was redeveloped.

 

As we have already seen, in 1830 the land now covered by no’s 13 to 23 came into the ownership of G.H. Hooper, a property developer and descendant of the ancient Poole family of Shoreham. Sadly Hooper later demolished the old buildings after having built the new Custom House in the High Street which was later to become the Town Hall (and incidentally in doing so also replaced the Poole family’s lovely old medieval mansion house there). In place of the Custom House in Church Street he built a row of set-back terraced houses in the late 1850’s with small front gardens and at each end of the terrace was a different style of building fronting directly on to the street.

 

During the period 1827 to 1851 there were no references at all to the Custom House in the Poor Rates records as it was a ‘void’ property – that is, one like churches and other similar premises that were not liable to the rates. In 1827 there is only a reference to the part of the property not including the Customs House (the latter being the ‘void’ portion of the building) as being two buildings, one a house and the other a malthouse, both noted as ‘empty.’ In 1830 or 1831 the Customs House moved to the new premises in the High Street when W.I. Pinkey (or Tinkey) a surgeon is shown as the occupier of a ‘house’ which was one of the buildings around the courtyard (probably the southern, ex-customs part) and I.H. Smith used the wine vault on the north side. Both the house and vault were owned by Thomas West.

 

G.H. Hooper is first shown by the rates records as the owner of the land, buildings and vault in 1841 but as already shown we know he acquired most of them in 1830. The occupiers for that year were W. Pinkey again then 59 with his wife Mary, 45, but with Messrs West, Hall & Smith now using the vault which they continued to do so until at least 1856. Frederick King (builder and landlord of the Star Inn across the street) rented a shop there (in those days often a workshop rather than shops as we know them today) from Hooper in 1846 and George R. Butler, brother of Henry at no.11, used another part of the old building as a store.

 

By 1851 W. Pinkey’s residence is still recorded and again in 1856, albeit as ‘empty,’ and it seems likely therefore that the old buildings were not demolished and the new terrace of houses not started until the late 1850’s. By 1861 the new houses were completed and number 15 in fact then housed part of St.Saviour’s school from growing number of pupils that the main building at numbers 22 and 24 could no longer cope with. It may seem strange to use a brand new house for this purpose but we do know that other nearby residential properties were also used during this period and Hooper, a well known local businessman, was probably involved as one of the school’s benefactors perhaps allowing the use of his property until 1870 when the school relocated to Ardingly.

 

Among the residents of Hooper’s new houses were the usual smattering of Customs Officers and also one or two families of oyster merchants that had moved down from Essex to become involved in Shoreham’s oyster trade. This continuous set of properties is a good example of the lack of permanency of residents in rented accommodation with only two or three families remaining in the same place for more than a few years. G.H.Hooper died shortly after 1862 when the estate passed to Robert Poole Hooper. The latter in turn died in 1918 at which time all the houses were sold off individually.

 

Number 13

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1861	Thomas Stapledon 59 Customs Collector Fanny 45 Wife Mary E Parsons 24 Domestic	G.H. Hooper
1866	Wm. W. English	G.H.Hooper
	Empty	R.P. Hooper
1881	William English 40 Sailmaker Ellen 36 Wife Mary Scott 14 Domestic	R.P. Hooper
1891	Robert I Downey 26 Market Gardener Alice 28 Wife Robert 4 Son Dorris 1 Daughter	R.P. Hooper
1901	Smith (Rates) Charles King 30 Furniture Dealer Ellen 33 Wife Daisy 8 Daughter Reginald 5 Son Elsie Turner 16 Daughter in law/Dressmaker’s Apprentice	R.P. Hooper
1911	F.Street	R.P. Hooper
1920	Ernest Bowley

 

Number 15

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1861	Rev. T.J. Meretens (Rates) Part of S St. Saviour’s school 2 staff and 21 pupils Census:- Henry Harris 20 Assistant Master Edward De La Hooke 18 School Secretary Pupils:- Henry Day 14, Edward Edwards 9, James Farmer 13, Edwin Ford 14, Frederick Fulker 11, Charles Goldup 13, Henry Jenkins 13, John Pollard 15, Henry Pollard 13, George Reid 8, William Ring 11, William Rowson 10, Edward Taylor 14, Henry Thomas 14, John Thomas 10, Robert White 12, Henry White 10, Nicholas White 9, Francis Williams 15, Cecil Wilson 12, Richard Winter 12.	G.H. Hooper
1866	Richd. L. Pannell	G.H. Hooper
1871	Alfred English 33 Sailmaker Mary 38 Wife Alfred 9 Son Sabina 7 daughter Mary 5 daughter Eveline 1 daughter Beatrice 2mths Daughter	R.P. Hooper
1881	Charles Bays 34 Mariner(Mate) Emily 36 Wife	R.P. Hooper
1891	Maria Williams 55 Widow, Lodging House Keeper Sarah 20 Daughter/Draper’s Assistant Ann E.Drury 73 Single/Retired Schoolmistress (second household)	R.P. Hooper
1901	Marian Williams 65 Widow Anne E.Drury 82 Retired Schoolmistress	R.P. Hooper
1911	W.L.Scammell	R.P. Hooper
1920	Mrs. F. F. Turrell	?

 

Number 17

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1861	Edward Trangener 28 Railway Clerk Caroline 28 Wife Harry 2 Son Caroline 9mths Daughter	G.H. Hooper
1866	Edwin Trangmar	G.H. Hooper
1871	Eliza Griggs 70 Widow/Oyster Merchant Elizabeth 44 Daughter Rosa 30 Daughter	R.P. Hooper
1881	Clement Barber 34 Accountant at Bank F.E.(Effey?) 28 Wife Ralph 3 Son Clement G 1 Son	R.P. Hooper
1891	Rebecca Read 92 Widow/Independent Mary A 64 Daughter/Single Elizabeth 54 Daughter, Single/Lodging House Keeper Ellen Pepham 58 Widow/Visitor Ethel Pepham 26 Single/Visitor	R.P. Hooper
1901	(then known as ‘Lenerton House’) Ernest Atherfold 24 Mariner Annie 28 Wife Albert 2 Son Arthur Weeks 22 Boarder/Grocer’s Assistant Kerzia Grinstead 73 Widow George J.Trumpton 28 Carter Market Garden Emma J. 28 Wife Louisa G. 2 Daughter Violet M. 6mths Daughter	R.P. Hooper
1911	Emily Keen	R.P. Hooper
1920	Mrs.Keen	Albert James Hatcher

 

Number 19

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1861	John Williams 54 Oyster Merchant Mary 55 Wife Emma 4 Granddaughter, Scholar	G.H. Hooper
1866	J. Augustus Wise(?)	G.H. Hooper
1871	John Wellman 40 Captain of Merchant Vessel Susanna 36 Wife Thomas 12 Son/Scholar	R.P. Hooper
1881	George Green 61 Freehold Houses & Land Fanny 40 Wife Elizabeth 20 Daughter Fanny 18 Daughter George 10 Son/Scholar Thomas 8 Son/Scholar Hannah 6 Daughter/Scholar Harriet Ayres 15 Domestic	R.P. Hooper
1891	William. Snelling 35 Widower, Gardener (Foreman) William 12 Son/Scholar Kate 7 Daughter/Scholar Bertie 6 Son/Scholar Georgie 4 Son/Scholar Elizabeth 3 Daughter Sarah J Snelling 18 Sister/Housekeeper	R.P. Hooper
1901	William.G.Snelling 46 Contract Hire Carter Elizabeth 43 Wife Herbert N. 16 Son/Engineer/Fitter Winifred A. 7 Daughter Hugh 6 Son	R.P. Hooper
1911	A.J. Redman	R.P. Hooper
1920	Arthur John Redman	?

 

Number 21

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1861	James Beach 48 Superannuated H.M. Customs Elizabeth 36 Wife William 21 Son, Journeyman Carpenter Harry 15 Son, apprentice Edward West 28 Hair Cutter Ellen 25 Wife Edward 1 Son Jane 12 Sister Martha Woolgar 60 Widow, wife’s sister	G.H. Hooper
1866	Robert Fieldgate	G.H. Hooper
1871	Robert Fieldgate 45 Customs House Officer Mary 34 Wife George 16 Son/Solicitor’s Clerk Edmond 8 Son	R.P. Hooper
1881	James Fisher 54 Mariner Elizabeth 54 Wife Jessie 18 Daughter/Milliner Annie 15 Daughter/Scholar Jabez 13 Son/Scholar	R.P. Hooper
1891	Elizabeth A.Fisher 66 Widow Leonard Watson 47 Son in Law, Draper(E) Lizzie Watson 28 Daughter Dorothy M.F.Watson 4 Granddaughter Kathleen M.Watson 3 Granddaughter George C.Broadhurst 52 Boarder, Independent Sarah R.Gates 62 Single/Domestic Second household:- Henry S. Brigden 23 Poor Law Clerk and Clerk to School Board Annie 25 Wife	R.P. Hooper
1901	Alfred Adams 38 Milkman Helen 33 Wife Edward 6 Son William 5 Son Helena C. 3 Daughter Edith Hollands 25 Housemaid Domestic Mary A.Englefield 75 Living on own means	R.P. Hooper
1911	Henry West	R.P. Hooper
1920	Henry West

 

Number 23

 

When the records for all Shoreham inhabitants are seen over a period of years the same individuals can often be seen moving from one street to another. Reasons for these moves are not always evident except, for example, in situations where a recently bereaved widow can be seen removing from a house where she lived with her husband to rooms in a shared house, sometimes earning the dreaded ‘poor’ notation alongside her name in the poor rates records as an indication that she is a beneficiary of the rates arrangements and not a subscriber. Others moved on simply because they could no longer afford the rent and changed to another house until, again, rental arrears built up necessitating the next move.

 

In the case of James Dean however, who started life (at least in these records) as the builder of the houses at 27 and 28 Church Street we can see that he gave up building work in the 1850’s to run the post office at Stone House – numbers 23/25 in the High Street. Here his daughter Emma assisted him in his postal duties which would have been in similar circumstances to those that are beautifully described in ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’ albeit two decades or so before the authoress Flora Thompson experienced hers.

 

Following the death of his wife and his retirement from the post office James and his daughter moved back to Church Street at number 23 in the 1880’s. Here Emma demonstrates her apparent diversity, education and talent with her occupational record shown as a teacher, governess and organist. One of the most intriguing facts out of all this is that Emma apparently states her age as 50 in 1881 and again in 1891, then 51 in 1901 by which time she was in her late 60’s – census recorders often made mistakes but these three consistent instances may perhaps suggest a lady a little sensitive of her advancing years?

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1861	William Harfield 35 Tailor Emily 32 Wife Emily 11 Daughter, Scholar Mary 6 Daughter, Scholar Elizabeth 3mths Daughter William 2 Son John March 26 Fisherman Rosina 22 Wife Herbert 11mths Son Jane Good 36 Lodger, Governess	G.H. Hooper
1866	Henry Harris	G.H. Hooper
1871	William English 52 Coal Merchant Harriett 53 Wife William 31 Son/Sailmaker Edmond 25 Son/Widower, Commercial Clerk George 23 Son/Sailor Eliza 20 Daughter Harriett 18 Daughter Ellen 16 Daughter/Scholar John 12 Son/Scholar Edmond J. 6mths Grandson Charles Hack 8 Boarder/Scholar	R.P.Hooper
1881	James Dean 82 Widower, Retired Emma 50 Daughter/Teacher, Governess and Organist Jane Still 15 Domestic	R.P. Hooper
1891	Emma L.Dean 50 Organist and Teacher Emily Still 17 Domestic	R.P. Hooper
1901	Emma L.Dean 51 Governess, School Eleanor E.Paine 16 General Servant Domestic	R.P. Hooper
1911	Wm. Barton	R.P. Hooper
1920	William Barton	?

 

Number 25

 

This northernmost part of the old Chantry land was acquired by the Bridger family, then of Southwick and later of Buckingham Place, around 1745 and details of the complete land’s previous ownership have already been stated in the previous sections. The present house was built about this time but does, on the north wall at least, appear to incorporate an older structure and was another of the houses in town once used as ‘the Vicar’s House’ in the late 18^th century when the Revd. William Marchant, vicar of St. Marys, lived there. The Bridgers were wealthy merchants and land owners so that although they were not Lords of the Manor (that was the Duke of Norfolk) they probably appeared to be so in the eyes of the town’s populace and it may be that is why the house became known as ‘the Manor House.’

 

 

 

The malthouse also mentioned in the description of numbers 13 to 23 was included with the land retained by the Bridgers and still existed as late as 1833 when it is mentioned as being occupied/used by James Turner, a maltster who was then renting the Manor House and the malthouse from the Bridgers. However, this malthouse was unlikely to have been the existing barn we see today (rebuilt in 2002) at the rear of the garden backing onto Middle Street as it is not on the 1782 or 1818 maps and does not appear until the 1860 map.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1782/99	Revd. William Marchant	Colvill Bridger
1801	Revd.William Marchant	Henry Bridger
1807/10	Edward Bridger	Harry Bridger
1814/19	Henry Partington Collector of Customs	Harry Bridger
1827	Harry Bridger junior	Harry Bridger
1831	James Turner	Harry Bridger
1833	JamesTurner	Harry Bridger
1835	James Turner	H.C.Bridger
1838	Mrs.Turner
1841	Sarah Turner 75 Independent Harriet Barker 45 Independent Fanny Weeks 19 F.S.	H.Bridger
1846	Misses Bridgers	H.C.Bridger
1851	Harriet Bridger 80 Landholder Catherine 79 Sister Mary Jane Best 31 Housekeeper Eliza Kidd 21 Servant (Cook) Maria Young 22 House Servant	H.C.Bridger
1856	Miss Bridgers	H.C.Bridger
1861	William Bridger 26 Militia Lieutenant (ManorHouse) Mary 23 Wife James 9 months Son Elizabeth Potter 39 Nurse Mary Barnes 22 Domestic (Cook)	H.C.Bridger
1866	Joseph White	H.C. Bridger
1871	Empty (Manor House)	H.C.Bridger
1881	Mrs Catherine Scott 58 Boardinghouse Keeper (Manor House) Catherine King 15 Granddaughter Pupil Teacher Fred J King 14 Grandson Scholar George King 12 Grandson Scholar Harry Paine 32 Son-in-Law Ironmonger Rosanna Paine 30 Wife Vincent Scott 2 Grandson Mary Scott 9 months Granddaughter Mary McG ? 13 Niece Victor Paine 1 month Grandson	Hny Bridger
1891	Catherine Scott 69 Widow Independent Susannah Hedgecock 23 Domestic	Hy Bridger
1901	G Wm Butler (Rates) (Manor House) (empty by the time of the census)	Hy Bridger
1911	Noel James	Bridger
1920	Noel James

 

Numbers 26 to 29 (Survey Number 35)

 

This land was owned by John Snook in 1782 when the only buildings on it were number 26 and a workshop adjoining it to the north where 27 now is. Snook sold the property in 1791 to William Walker, a tailor, and when William died in 1814 he left it all to his wife Mary. Mary Walker died in 1848 leaving the entire land and property to her six daughters. By 1860 John Battcock, a draper of Brighton had acquired all six shares and his widow is recorded as having sold off the land to the north. However, numbers 28 and 29 were actually built in the 1820’s and although this anomaly is in part explained in the notes for number 28 we can only assume that a similar situation also applied to 29.

 

Number 26

 

This is an attractive, low flint building and its internal structure indicates some antiquity beyond the age indicated by these records. John Snook, a boatman with the local Customs was owner and resident from 1782 to 1806. William Walker purchased the property in 1807 living there until his demise and left it to his wife Mary who let it out to Thomas Greenwood in 1815 then George Parker from 1816 to 1819. Mary moved back in 1823 and stayed there until her passing during the late 1840’s. Following the brief Battcock ownership the house came into the hands of solicitor and one time clerk to the Local Board, J.W.Mardall, who seems to have run into difficulties (but not necessarily financial ones) and ended up in the workhouse perhaps for surgery and nursing care.

 

The house is nowadays remembered mainly for its occupation by the Burtenshaw family of blacksmiths who purchased it from Mardall in 1875. They ran their smithy behind in Middle Street and remained there until 1982. Shortly before the Burtenshaws the house, not a particularly large property, was rented out as a lodging house in which no less than sixteen occupants were accommodated including the town scavenger. This was not unusual for those times when lodgers who were often strangers to each other, adults and children alike, often not only shared rooms but also the same beds although in this case the beds must surely have been palliasses to enable them all to fit in. Sadly, despite its history and like so many of our old properties, its earlier records and deeds have so far not been traced.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827/38	Mrs.Mary Walker	Mrs.Mary Walker
1841	Mrs Walker (Rates) Mary Watkins 76 Independent * Emma Watkins 35 Independent * (* believed to be the recorder’s mistake and should be Mary and Emma Walker)	Mrs Walker
1851	Richard Burton 60 Carrier Annie 60 Wife Elizabeth 34 Daughter Charles Challen 27 Carrier’s Assistant James Boniface 18 Carrier’s Assistant Louisa Tilgate 7 Visitor	Exor. Mrs Walker
1856	Richard Burton	(blank)
1861	Charles Williamson (Rates) Elizabeth Williamson 39 Master Mariner’s Wife Susan Moore 30 Sister Mary A.Williamson 11 Daughter Sarah 5 Daughter	John Battcock
1866	William Bryant	Exors. of Battcock
1871	John Parry 50 Town Scavenger Ruth 32 Wife John 9 Son, Scholar Timothy 7 Son, Scholar Annie 3 Daughter Edward Russell 27 Visitor, Ship’s Carpenter Philip Rose 33 Mariner Eliza 34 Wife Henry 4 Son George Ranger 24 Bricklayer’s Labourer Caroline 18 Wife Alfred Mitchell 17 Blacksmith’s Labourer, Lodger John Ward 35 Lodger, Shipyard Labourer James Woodley 50 Lodger, General Labourer Daniel Greenfield 61 Lodger, Unemployed Labourer Thomas Lind 22 Lodger, Mariner	John Mardall
1881	William Burtenshaw 39 Blacksmith Hannah 40 Wife Elisa A. 14 Daughter, Schoolteacher, unemployed Albert 9 Son, Scholar George 7 Son, Scholar Charles 4 Son, Scholar Alice Dinnage 15 Visitor, Board School Teacher	Wm Burtenshaw
1891	Willam Burtenshaw 49 Ship’s Blacksmith Hannah 50 Wife George 17 Son, Stationary engine stoker Charles 14 Son, Blacksmith’s Assistant	Wm Burtenshaw
1901	William Burtenshaw 58 Ship General Smith Hannah 59 Wife Alfred W. H. Howells 11 Grandson	W.Burtenshaw
1911/20	William Burtenshaw	William Burtenshaw

 

Number 27

 

As already shown by 1782 number 27 had started life as a workshop and surviving deeds for 28 disclose that on her demise Mary Walker left 26, the workshop at no.27 and the rest of the land to her daughters.

 

James Dean rented the premises until nearer 1851 when he acquired it via his wife, one of the Walkers’ daughters. From then on it is no longer referred to as a ‘shop’ (also the term for a workshop in those days) so it is probable that it is about then that James converted it to a residential property and sold it off.

 

The Hedgthorn family, immigrant oyster merchants from Essex are notable residents as is Claud Coffin, a wonderfully apt surname for a pastor who, when it comes to his christian name, may suggest he had parents with a dark sense of humour!

 

Year	Occupier	Owner
1827/38	James Dean (Workshop)	Mrs Walker (Shop)
1841	James Dean	Mrs Walker (Shop)
1846/51	Thomas Frederick Gates 30 Butcher Susanna 30 Wife Emily 5 Daughter Frank 3 Son Caroline 1 Daughter Fanny Page 20 General Servant	James Dean
1861	James Hedgthorn 52 Oyster Merchant Eliza 52 Wife James 26 Master Shipwright Elizabeth 19 Wife Jane 1 Daughter	James Hedgthorn
1871	James Hedgthorn 36 Oyster Merchant Elizabeth 39 Wife James 11 Son Emily 9 Daughter Albert 5 Son Eva 8mths Daughter Eliza 62 Widow, Mother Laura Adams 13 General Servant	Mrs Hedgthorn
1881	Spencer Reid 37 Grocer & Draper Jane 34 Wife Nelson 8 Son, Scholar Ernest 5 Son, Scholar Alice H. 3 Daughter Arthur 4mths Son Emily Allcorn 13 Domestic	Miss Moull
1891	Emily Thomas 51 Widow, Private Day School Mistress Jessie 25 Daughter, Day Governess (School) Emilie 20 Daughter, Dressmaker	Miss Moull
1901	Emily Thomas 61 Schoolmistress Emilie 30 Dressmaker	Miss Moull
1911	E. Thomas	Miss Moull
1920	Claud Coffin, pastor

 

 

Number 28

This property appears to have been built in the early 1820’s when still under the ownership of the Walkers and was occupied by James Dean a builder and later postmaster (as already described with number 23 Church Street) who developed number 27. James was married to Louisa, third daughter of William and Mary Walker and was renting and living in the property at the time. During restoration in the 1960’s a receipt was found recording the sale of 14/-s for half a chalder of coals made out to Albinus Dean who may have been James’ father. There was once a wall inscription dated 1824, perhaps it still exists, indicating that the property was built by James Dean in which case he either built it for his in-laws or had just acquired it himself through his wife. It subsequently transpires that James may have believed that he and his wife had inherited the property from the Walkers or had the tacit agreement of his in laws that led to his building the house. Certainly, the rates records show him as owner albeit incorrectly it seems from at least 1835. He later discovered he and his wife were not the outright owners and had to trace all of the Walker’s surviving daughters. It was not until 1859 that he at last managed to purchase the remaining shares relating to number 28 for £20.

 

In 1860 the Deans sold the house to Richard Ratcliff a market gardener who passed it to his daughter Sarah. She subsequently married William Horrocks, a sea captain who eventually became a ship owner with others in the joint syndicates that operated in the town.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827/31	James Dean	William Walker (Tailor)
1835/38	James Dean	James Dean
1841	James Dean 40 Builder Louise 40 James 12 Emma 8 Edwin 6 Lucy Dean 76	J. Dean
1851	James Dean 52 Builder Louisa 49 Wife Emma 25 Schoolmistress Catharine Parsey(?) 10 Visitor, Scholar Sarah Parsey(?) 8 Visitor, Scholar George Parsey(?) 6 Visitor, Scholar Charlotte Evans 24 House Servant (The mis-spelt Parsey visitors were in fact the Pawsey children, relatives from Marylebone, Middlesex who were staying at the time.)	James Dean
1861	John Cobby (Rates)	Rich. Ratcliff
1866	Richard Horrocks	Richard Horrocks
1871	Thos. R. Horrocks (Rates) Sarah Horrocks 30 Wife of Captain of Merchant Vessel	T.R.Horrocks
1881	William Horrocks 57 Shipowner Sarah 50 Wife	W.R.Horrocks
1891	William R.Horricks 67 Retired Shipowner Sarah M. 60 Wife, Independent	W.R.Horrocks
1901	Robert John Austen 32 Railway Clerk Harriett 33 Wife William 7 Son Robert 5 Son Marian E. Streeter 16 General Servant (Domestic)	R. Austin
1911/20	Colvin West (property known then as Farnham House)	R.J.Austen

 

Number 29

 

Built around 1823 on the northernmost part of the Walkers’ land by Thomas Branton who’s family lived there from then until the 1850’s. The name was subsequently reflected in the house name ‘Branton House’ up to the 1920’s.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827/33	Thos Branton
1835/38	Thomas Branton	Thomas Branton
1841	Thos Branton 68 Independent Elizabeth 67 Mary Mitchell 70	T. Branton
1851	Elizabeth Branton 78 Widow, Annuitant Mary Ann Simpson 16 Servant	Mrs Branton
1856	Mrs Parker	Wm Parker
1861	Henry Lelliott 66 Bargeman Jane 49 Wife Hannah 24 Daughter Henry 20 Son, Gardener Maria 18 Daughter Thomas 10 Son, Scholar	Wm Parker
1871	Thos. C. Comber 28 Saddler (Brandon House) Elizabeth 25 Wife William 5 mths Son	Bernard Parker
1881	Elisa Kenward 44 Widow Elisa 6 Daughter, Scholar Caroline Reeves 12 Visitor	Christian Ludd
1891	Luke Ledward 47 Gardener Lucy 45 Wife Edward A. 18 Son, Beerhouse Labourer Charles 15 Son Beerhouse Labourer Annie E. 12 Daughter Gilbert 7 Son, Scholar Nathaniel H. 4 Son, Scholar	Cowell & Ch(ristian?)
1901	Thos Offord (Rates) Thomas W.H. Holford 26 Contract Carter Mary 24 Wife Edith 4 Daughter	Mrs Christian
1911	Arthur March	Mrs Christian
1920	C.J.Ward (Branton House)

 

Numbers 1 & 2 The Twitten and Number 30 (Survey Number 34)

 

Numbers 1 & 2 The Twitten

 

 

The larger of these two properties on the north-eastern corner of the twitten is late 17^th century with 18^th century alterations. Surviving documentation identifies four one-time owners through two indentures, the first being 1680 when Margaret Hooke sold the property (with other holdings) to John Wood, a blacksmith of New Shoreham. The second is dated 1779 when Thomas Fawler sold (again, with other property including Swan Croft in Middle Street) to John Webb. It is referred to in 1782 as ‘the sign of the Swan’ which alludes to it’s use then as an inn under the ownership of Thomas Bennett who held it until 1795 and rented it out to Rice Jones, a Tidesman with the Customs (1782), Richard Monkhouse (1786), Richard Osbaldston (1790) and Benjamin Roberts (1795). Bennett sold on to George Weller in 1801 when Daniel Young lived there followed by Lieutenant Wetherstone of the Royal Navy who was in occupation from 1807 to 1810 when ownership changed hands again this time to George Carr – subsequent occupants are shown below. Carr’s widow Ann ultimately sold the house to the developer G.H.Hooper.

 

Of the residents Phillip Cunningham, a boilermaker, is noteworthy as renting this house for some 30 years having married widow Helen Mann and taken on her five children! A map of 1818 shows the northern extension to the house to have been added and the small cottage (number 2) on its western end was built between around 1825 during Ann Carr’s ownership. James Dean rented it whilst building numbers 27 and 28 Church Street round the corner and after him James Beach a shoemaker who shortly after moved to East Street where he is shown as having been appointed as a ‘Clerk to H.M.Customs.’ Richard Bacon was the next resident and yet another Customs man who, as a ‘Locker’ was responsible for the security of the Customs wharehouses and held the key to the King’s (or Queen’s) locks.

 

The earlier years of the Parish Poor Rates records suggest that the recorders were undecided as to which of Church and Middle Streets the Twitten should be shown with. As a result it was shown in either one or the other until later into the 19^th century when it became permanently part of Church Street.

 

Number 1 The Twitten

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1813	George Carr	George Carr
1814/18	John Puttick	George Carr
1819	Mrs Platt	George Carr
1823/35	Mrs Ann Carr	Mrs Ann Carr
1838	Henry Brooker	Mrs.Carr
1841	Mrs.Brooker (Widow)	G.H.Hooper
1846	Thos.Puttick	G.H.Hooper
1851	Thomas Puttick 70 Carpenter Mary 70 wife Eliza 11 granddaughter; servant Thomas Holden 24 lodger; boat builder	G.H.Hooper
1856	Wm.Rogers	G.H.Hooper
1861	Joseph Levett 50 Mariner Sarah 46 wife John Woolven 15 nephew; shipwright’s apprentice	G.H.Hooper
1866	Loveland	Exors of G.H.Hooper
1871	Empty	R.P.Hooper
1881	Moss	R.P.Hooper
1891	Philip Cunningham 34 Boilermaker Hannah 40 wife. Caretaker of church hall Harry Mann 14 stepson. Grocer’s errand boy Amelia Mann 10 stepdaughter Alice Mann 8 stepdaughter Ellen Mann 6 stepdaughter. Scholar George Mann 3 stepson Thomas Cunningham 5 months son.	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1901	Philip Cunningham 47 Boilermaker Hannah 49 wife Nelly 16 daughter George 13 son Thomas 10 son	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1911	Phillip Cunningham	Rev.Hooper
1920	P.R.Cunningham (No’s 1 & 2 then known as Church Cottages)

 

Number 2 The Twitten

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1825	James Dean	Mrs Ann Carr
1838	James Beach	Mrs Ann Carr
1841	John Bacon (Rates) (a mistake and s/be Richard?) Richard Bacon (Census) 48 Customs Harriet Bacon 48	G.H.Hooper
1846	Rich.Bacon	G.H.Hooper
1851	Richard.Bacon 57 Locker Customs Harriet Bacon 57 wife	G.H.Hooper
1856	Wm.Waterman	G.H.Hooper
1861	William Lashman 49 Superannuated H.M.Customs Harriet 54 wife Sophia 22 daughter Dressmaker William 18 son Shipwrights’ Apprentice Louisa 15 daughter Dressmaker	G.H.Hooper
1866	William Lashmar	Exors of G.H.Hooper
1871	Henry Street (Rates) James Fenn (Census) 33 Mariner Phebe 30 wife Ernest 6 son Henrietta 3 daughter Frank 5 months son	R.P.Hooper
1881	J.P.Ranson	R.P.Hooper
1891	Charles Pigot 53 Mariner Jane 51 wife	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1901	William E.Dyer 27 Bricklayer Annie E 23 wife	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1911	Hy.Stenning	Rev.Hooper
1920	James Stenning

 

Number 30

 

At one time part of the old timber market, the pre 1827 history of this piece of the land (number 34 on the 1782 Survey map above the Twitten cottages) is tied up with, and included in, the description of numbers 31 to 33 Church Street immediately following. Once a walled garden (of which the wall predominantly survives) the house now in it was built by G.H.Hooper when he acquired the land in 1824. Previously known as ‘Ivy Cottage,’ then ‘Lennoxdale’ and now ‘Myrtle Cottage,’ it was for a while used by R.P. Hooper as his office. The siting of the building appears to place it in Middle Street and, like the Twitten properties below it, was for many years recorded as such but for postal purposes nowadays the front entrance is firmly in Church Street.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827	Thomas Maple (House and Garden)
1831	Daniel Maple (House and Garden)
1841	James Thorncroft 40 Bricklayer (Ivy Cottage and Garden) Jane Thorncroft 40 Alfred Thorncroft 7 Emily Thorncroft 4 Mary Thorncroft 2	G.H.Hooper
1851	James Thornicroft 56 Builder (House and Garden) Jane 53 wife Alfred 16 son. Assistant Emily 13 daughter Mary Jane 12 daughter	G.H.Hooper
1856	James Thornicraft (Shop, House and Gardens)	G.H.Hooper
1861	James Thorncroft 59 Builder (House, Garden and Shed) Jane 64 wife Alfred 26 son. Builder	G.H.Hooper
1866	James Thornicraft (House and Premises)	Exor. of G.H.Hooper
1871	Edwin Burfoot 25 Builder (House and Premises) Ellen 19 wife George 11 months son	R.P.Hooper
1881	Edwin Burfoot 36 Master Builder Emily 29 wife E.E. 10 daughter. Scholar Emily 9 daughter. Scholar Elisa M. 8 daughter. Scholar Edwin 7 son. Scholar John 5 son. Scholar	R.P.Hooper
1891	Edwin Burfoot 45 Builder & Nurseryman (House and Garden) Emily C. 39 wife Eliza M. 18 daughter. Boardschool Teacher Emily C. 19 daughter. Market Stall Attendant Edwin F. 17 son. Assistant Gardener John 15 son. Assistant Gardener Arthur H. 8 son. Scholar	R.P.Hooper
1901	Edwin Burfoot 56 Nurseryman (House and Garden) Emily 49 wife Arthur 18 son Carpenter	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1911	Rev. Hooper (Office)	Rev. Hooper
1920	Baldy Hygate (30a)

 

Numbers 31 to 33 (Survey Number 44)

 

This land with its ‘tenement and garden’ (before 1782 it included the land beneath it now covered by number 30) was known as ‘The Timber Market’ and used as a timber yard. A succession of owners are indicated in 1677 (i.e., ‘late Gibson, lately Sharpe’s, late Richard Shaft’s’ but without any dates) when Edmund Piper a mariner from Old Shoreham sold the land to Henry Robinson, Shipwright of New Shoreham in 1677. It was sold on again in 1700 to John Kemp, Maltster and William Durrant who in turn sold it in 1732 to Daniel Stow. It then passed down through the family, first to Daniel’s son Benjamin in 1767 (at which time we are told that John Partington was in occupation) then a D.E.J.Stow and Susannah Roberts in 1775 who sold it to John Stent but excluded the walled garden from the sale (i.e., the area now covered by number 30).

 

Owned and occupied by the Stents for over 40 years, John eventually left the property to his wife Mary in 1805. When she also passed on her heirs sold it to G.H.Hooper in 1824 at which time he also purchased the previously mentioned walled garden from the Roberts family and built number 30. The ‘tenement ‘ described in the 1782 Survey stood on the north-west corner of this site. Hooper demolished this and built numbers 31 to 33 during the late 1870’s and these were converted into one building sometime near 1910 to form the present day rectory.

 

Number 31

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1881	Moss (Rates) Edward Cook 39 Mason (Census) Fanny 30 wife Edward 11 son Scholar Fanny 10 daughter Scholar John 7 son Scholar Ernest 5 son Scholar W.G. 3 son Scholar George 1 son	R.P.Hooper
1891	Eliz.Buckley (Rates) Elizabeth Bushby 54 widow (Census) George W 18 son Butcher Edward 16 son Baker Walter 14 son Scholar Edith Benson 22 visitor Maggie Benson 2 months visitor	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1901	Elizabeth Bushby 64 widow Bessie B 30 daughter Teacher in Elementary School George W 28 son Butcher’s Assistant Walter H 24 son Gardener (Market)	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1911	Wm.Brown	Rev.Hooper
1920	Miss A.M.Hooper

 

Number 32

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1881	Jacob Boyce 31 General Labourer Maria 34 wife Michael Sabin 12 son-in-law? (stepson?) William Boyce 6 son Sarah Sparks 78 widow aunt	R.P.Hooper
1891	Benjamin Read (Rates) John Snelling 27 Gardener Rose E 28 wife John W 7 son Scholar Albert H 5 son Scholar William H Miller 22 lodger Carter	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1901	Henry G Mann 25 Plasterer Esther 28 wife Gladist 1 daughter Victor 3 weeks son	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1911	Caroline Dyer	Rev.Hooper
1920	Mrs C.Dyer

 

Number 33

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1881	Arthur Allcorn (Rates) Unoccupied (Census)	R.P.Hooper
1891	James Ridley (Rates) James Nutley 52 widower Market Gardener	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1901	Elizabeth Lewis 48 widow District Nurse Rosa 19 daughter Pupil Teacher Catherine Waters 46 sister Housekeeper	Rev.R.P.Hooper
1911	George Norris	Rev.Hooper
1920	George Norris

 

Westover (Survey number 45)

 

The largest of Shoreham’s surviving Georgian houses and now known as Westover this building is another of those addresses that history has recorded at various times in Middle Street and Church Street. In fact it faces Pond Road but for the purposes of this work is included with Church Street. A 19^th century flyer for Shoreham Grammar School includes a drawing of this building showing a typically charming flat fronted three storeyed Georgian fascia which the addition of bay windows in later years has only served to make it look like any other Victorian house. In 1782 the original, smaller building before it was set back further on the site with its garden or yard in front. Described as a ‘tenement and garden’ it was owned by Clement Freeman but without any occupier recorded. Freeman lived at the time at the Fawler family’s mansion house in the High Street and is believed to have been related to them. He achieved a little notoriety by losing his vote in Shoreham’s ‘Christian Club’ rotten borough scandal, died in 1799 and was buried in St.Mary’s churchyard. Clement must have left this property to his son James as he is shown as the next owner at which time the site supported two households.

 

 

 

For much of the 19^th century the new building that replaced the original tenement was known variously as Hutchins Place or Hutchings Place, assumed to reflect the surname of the Reverend Richard William Hutchins whom the Church of England Clergy records show was the vicar of New Shoreham from 1819 to 1828. Although named after him he is not shown as owner nor occupier in the Land Tax Assessments for the years that have been checked and only appears in them briefly as the owner of a field in Shoreham. Between 1890 and 1911 the name ‘Hutchings Place’ was used to describe the all the buildings in the area at the south end of Pond Road, not just the house itself.

 

Although the building nowadays has the appearance outwardly of one big house it was built to contain three separate households. We do know who the builder was, Robert Butler who built it in 1824 and placed a stone in the rear wall recording his name and that year. Robert was joint owner with his brother George (his partner in their building business who probably helped build Hutchins Place) and their brother-in-law C.G.Wrankmore who also lived there for a while as did the Butler brothers. Robert and George were sons of Captain John Butler of 22 Church Street and had previously lived at 55 and 57 New Road, which they also built. George was of course the father of Maria who left us so much information on many Shoreham people of her time and who also related the tragic loss of three of Robert’s sons:- Thomas who died young of measles, Allever who became lame after an accident and died of consumption at 21, and Robert William who perished at sea in the Azores during a hurricane – by some awful coincidence Robert received news of his son’s death on the very day he received his last letter home.

 

With the building facing directly northwards the occupants would have had a grandstand view of the building of the railway embankment at the end of Pond Road and by 1845 witnessed the first locomotives carrying passengers and freight to extend the existing Brighton – Shoreham service to Worthing. Robert Butler and the Wrankmore family continued as owners of their parts of the house until the 1870/80’s. George Butler lived most of his life at his New Road house but left his part of Hutchins Place to his son George Wrankmore Butler who remained there with his family into the next century.

 

Used by Nathaniel Woodard in the 1860’s as one of the many temporary annexes in nearby streets for overflow from his St.Saviour’s school at 22/24 Church Street it was also to accommodate teachers and pupils from the Protestant Grammar School (later to become Shoreham Grammar School) that stood in Pond Road. W.H.Harper, who founded the Grammar school, appears as a resident from time to time as does S. Gregory Taylor the subsequent headmaster and proprietor. By 1911 Gregory Taylor appears to have altered the building internally to make it into two households instead of the three as before.

 

Pre 1824 Building

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1782	None shown	Clement Freeman
1807	None shown	James Freeman
1810	John Penfold Parish	James Freeman
1813	John Penfold Richard Lashmar	James Freeman
1814	John Penfold Widow Lashmar	James Freeman
1815/16	John Penfold Timothy Evans	Late Freeman
1817/1823	John Penfold	Lashman

 

Post 1824 Building

 

Westernmost Household

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827/40	Robert Butler (House and workshops)	Robert Butler
1841	Robert Butler 50 Builder Ann Butler 35 Olliver Butler 12 Robert Butler 9 Ellen Butler 3
1846	Robert Butler	Robert Butler
1851	McAdam 36 Tide Waiter Customs Susan McAdam 37 wife James Robert McAdam 7 son Isabella McAdam 3 daughter Ellen Wright 18 House Servant
1856	Henry Towner	Robert Butler
1861	Part of St.Saviours school (all three households used ) Charles Fitzhenry Hill 22 Assistant Master Charles Decent 20 Assistant Master Pupils:- Enoch Bettersworth 12, Francis Cheetham 16, Thomas Edwards 14, William Haese ? 13, Robert Harmon 11, John Holmes 14, John Meades 9, George Mitchell 12, Alfred Nelson 10, Henry Pannell 11, Richard Pinder 15, T. Rees 12, John Ryan 12, George Taylor 10, Charles Welton 11.
1871	Uninhabited
1881	Herbert Harper 26 Schoolmaster (brother of William H. Harper who founded the Protestant Grammar School)
1882	Charles Harper 31 (also brother of above) Secretary, Clerk
1891	Frederick Chapman (Rates) James C Chapman (Census) 31 Postman and Bill Poster Mary E Chapman 27 wife Frederick Chapman 5 son Arthur J Chapman 2 son	George Seaborne
1901	Empty

 

Middle Household

 

George Butler is shown living here for a while and having a (work) shop up to 1827

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827/33	John Rogers	George Butler
1841	Edward Tate 40 Clerk Priscilla Tate 37 George Tate 10 William Tate 9 Hewlett Tate 5 Frank Tate 1 month Ellen Tate 16 Frances Tate 12 Sarah Tate 4
1846	Edward Tate	George Butler
1851	Edward Poole 49 Railway Clerk Priscilla Poole 47 wife Frances Mary 22 daughter Seamstress Edward Poole 23 son Mariner Sarah Poole 14 daughter Scholar Frank Poole 11 son Scholar Edwin Poole 8 son Scholar Robert Poole 7 son Scholar Alfred Charles Poole 5 son
1856	W.H.Harper	George Butler
1861	Used for overspill from St.Saviour’s school (see westernmost household)
1871	John Aylward 66 Shoemaker (Deaf) Martha Aylward 52 wife May Row 1 Nurse child
1881	Frank Good 35 Assistant. English Master Joseph Callaghan 39 Assistant. French Master Luigi Penco 25 Boarder Scholar
1882	William H. Harper George Gragan 30 Boarder Articled to Piano Manufactory	George Butler
1891	Unoccupied (Census) George W. Butler (Rates)	George W. Butler
1901	George W. Butler Rates) Caroline Miller (Census) 60 Widow Needlewoman	George W. Butler

 

Easternmost Household

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827/33	C.G.Wrankmore	C.G.Wrankmore
1841	Edward Butler 40 Tailor Charlotte Butler 35 Frances Butler 16 David Butler 8 Louisa Butler 1 month
1846	John Mitchell	W.G.Wrankmore
1851	Uninhabited
1856	Rev. E. Field	W.M.Wrankmore
1861	Used for overspill from St.Saviour’s school (see westernmost household)
1871	George Knight 35 Excavator Caroline Knight 35 wife Margaret Knight 2 daughter William Knight 1 son
1881	John Gordon 43 Assistant. Classical English Tutor. Professor Alfred Hill 28 Assistant. English Master Eugene Leplasque 16 Boarder Scholar Andrew Jarman 15 Boarder Scholar Henry Jarman 14 Boarder Scholar
1882	William H. Harper	Mrs. Wrankmore
1891	William Tapner 69 Crab Merchant Martha Tapner 50 wife	William Tapner
1901	William L. Scammell 41 Journeyman Butcher Rosina 27 wife Sallie 7 daughter Winifred 5 daughter Lilian 3 daughter Francis 1 daughter Lidia 5 months daughter	E.R.Harmsworth

 

Post 1901 (two households only)

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1911	S.Gregory Taylor S.Gregory Taylor	S.Gregory Taylor S.Gregory Taylor
1920	S.Gregory Taylor S.Gregory Taylor	S.Gregory Taylor S.Gregory Taylor

 

East Side of Church Street from South to North

 

Number 2 (Part of Survey Number 25 – High Street)

 

Originally part of the Star Inn property in the High Street it was first used as a workshop around 1865 by the then landlord who was also ran a carpentry business. It was not converted to residential use until the end of the 19^th century when the inn was rebuilt. Number 2 was sold off from the main building after 1911.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1866	Fred.Haws.King (Office and Carpenter’s shop)	*F.H.King
1871	F.H.King (Carpenter’s shop)	*F.H.King
1881	Wm.A.Gates (Carpenter’s shop)	*Late King
1891	Void	*Ashby & Co
1901	Emma F. Butler 66 Charing Henry Butler brother 68 General Labourer	*Ashby & Co
1911	William Durrant	*North Street Brewery
1920	Alfred Atkins (Star Cottage)

* also owners of Star Inn

 

Numbers 4 & 6 (Survey Number 26)

 

Now just one block of houses (that now includes what was number 8) rebuilt in the 1960’s and currently housing a dental practice with access to the rear of the High Street shops. Once two dwellings of varying sized frontages these were by Victorian times very similar in appearance to no’s 10 and 12 which still exist to the north of them.

 

Prior to 1775 this plot of land is recorded as being owned by John Burton (believed to be a maltster who later rented the malthouse above the old Customs House) and occupied by a person with the unfashionable surname of Hogsflesh. In that year Burton sold on to John Wood and in 1783 the ‘two tenements and gardens’ were purchased by James Edwards. In 1795 the houses were noted to be in the occupation of John Morey and Thomas Thornicroft when sold by Edwards to John Lintott. John Rice, a merchant, bought and immediately sold the properties straight on to George Short in 1798 when just one previous and existing occupant is shown as ‘James Courtney and now Thomas English’ but does this mean that the other house had been empty for a while? (these records reveal another example of ownership changes being slow to be reflected in the Land Tax Assessments until a year or two after the event.)

 

By 1801 both properties seem to have been sold off seperately, number 4’s long term resident John Moorey had become the owner and J.B.Hooper the owner of number 6 about the same time although the latter is not certain and may not have come into Hooper’s possession until 1823 when he is said to have rebuilt it. John Moorey left his house to his widow following his demise but despite being a house owner then the Widow Moorey was later recorded there as ‘poor.’

 

Number 4

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1782	Ann Whalford	John Wood
1783	John Moorey	James Edwards
1795	John Morey	John Lintott
1800	John Morey George Short	John Rice
1801/19	John Moorey	John Moorey
1823	Mrs Moorey	Mrs Moorey
1827	Widow Moorey {Poor}
1831	Mrs Moorey
1838	John Durrant	M.Broadhead
1841	Mrs Lelliott	Matthew Broadhead
1846	W.J.Pinkey	Matthew Broadhead
1851	W.T.Pinkey (Rates) William Penley 69 Halfpay Officer R.M. (Census) Mary 60 wife Mary Ann 27 daughter Teacher Mary Brown 28 visitor Teacher	Mr Broadhead
1856	Skedden Broadhead	Wm.Broadhead
1861	John Tiltman (Rates) Mary Tiltman (Census) 30 Mariner’s Wife Mary King 9 daughter William King 7 son Georgiana King 5 daughter Elizabeth King 3 daughter Ellen R. Tiltman 8 months daughter	?
1871	Thomas Clark 55 Master Mariner Elizabeth 54 wife William 23 son Mariner Horatio 18 son Mariner Walter 14 son Harry 12 son Lavinia 9 daughter	Kennett Ashby & Co
1881	Empty
1891	John H. Phillips 39 Shipwright Mary 33 wife Ellen 9 daughter Scholar Clara 5 daughter Scholar Thomas 3 son William 1 son	Arthur Eade
1901	Wm. Bacon (Rates) William J. Barton (Census) 46 Cement Miller Alice 32 wife Annie 19 daughter General Servant Domestic Victoria 13 daughter Caroline 10 daughter Edgar 6 son Alberta 4 daughter Reginald 3 months son Harry Loader 29 Boarder	A. Eade
1911	(Not mentioned – possibly used by Eade as a store)	A. Eade
1920	A.G.Snelling

 

Number 6

 

From 1775 to 1823 the ownership of this house was of course the same as shown for number 4 and for those years only the occupiers are shown here. Long standing resident Mary Hills ran the premises as a beer shop for almost 30 years.

 

As another example of the continuous movement of families from one rented property to another, the William Adams family were in John Street in 1861, at this address in 1871, in the Lower Road in 1881 then back at number 6 Church Street in 1891. The Adams were descended from a long line of farmers and millers at Barcombe who came to Shoreham in 1833 and founded a bakers business at 46 – 52 in the High Street using the windmill in Mill Lane to grind their flour.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1782	William Hosegood
1786	Rice Jones
1795	Thomas Thornicroft
1801	Ann Marsh
1823	Webb	J. Hooper
1827	Mrs Hill	late J. Hooper
1831	Mary Hills	G.H.Hooper
1833	Mrs Hills	G.H.Hooper
1835	Mr. Hibbs (Hills?) Beer Shop	G.H.Hooper
1841	Mary Hills (House & Beershop) (Rates) Mary Hills 53 Beer Seller Samuel Meredith 65 Mason	G.H.Hooper
1846	Mary Hills	G.H.Hooper
1851	Mary Hills 74 widow Beerhouse Keeper William Tribe 30 nephew Bricklayer Charlotte Tribe 29 wife James Hopkins 30 lodger Mariner Jesse Jupp 40 lodger Labourer Thomas Tutton 41 lodger Blacksmith	G.H.Hooper
1861	B. Coomber (Beershop) (Rates) John Tull 59 Postman (Census) Ann 56 wife Greengrocer John Cullum 30 Mariner Sarah 26 wife	G.H.Hooper
1871	William Adams 34 House Carpenter Elizabeth 32 wife Kathleen 11 daughter Scholar Alfred 8 son Scholar George 4 son Scholar
1881	Wm. Smith (Rates). Robert Higham (Census) 37 Master Printer June 35 wife Eleanor 14 daughter Thomas 13 son Assistant Printer Robert 11 son Scholar Edgar 9 son Scholar Edith 7 daughter Scholar Ida 4 daughter Ernest 1 son	R B. Higham
1891	Elizabeth Adams 53 widow Alfred 28 son Market Gardener George 24 son Rural Postman John English 57 widower Boarder Gardener	Arthur Eade
1901	Thomas Laws (Rates) Alfred Winter 30 Boat Maker Alice 32 wife Alfred 7 son Robert 3 son Alice 2 daughter Doris 7 months daughter	A.Eade
1911	Geo. King Arthur Eade (Store)	A.Eade
1920	Mrs. E. Monnery

 

Number 8 (Survey Number 27)

 

Records show that in 1761 Bess Bartlett passed the property to Joseph Bartlett and in 1776 he, in turn, sold to Samuel Deane, cordwainer who was still the recorded owner in 1782 by which time he had split the dwelling into two (although the 1782 Survey map only shows one house and the Land Tax Assessments do not show two occupants until 1801). After the Deans left for Kent the property passed to Ambrose Ward, thought to be a relative of the family who held it until 1823 when R. Edwards purchased it (not reflected in the Land Tax records). In 1827 long standing resident Widow Streeter is shown at this address in the Land Tax records and also at 14 Church Street in the Rates records (both exercises carried out at different times of the year) to where she subsequently moved.

 

In 1830 Edwards and others sold to James Turner, a maltster (he lived at 25 Church Street) who rebuilt the property as one house, then left it to Mrs. Turner when he died in 1838. The property is noted to be held in trust for Frederick Cooper by 1843 although the rates still show Mrs Turner as the owner until at least 1861.

 

Mr & Mrs Crackland sold to James Fisher in 1872 and ownership is later confirmed as John Ellman Brown around 1877 then later Minnie Austin about 1910. Most of this is also confirmed by the rates records and the one or two exceptions that occur are almost certainly due to brief periods of ownership that fall between the ten year gap of most of the years researched.

 

This house was eventually to succumb to the same rebuilding as numbers 4 and 6 in the 1960’s. In 2002 further alterations were necessary for the new dentist’s surgery during which time it was discovered that the back wall of the northernmost front room was a surviving relic of the 1830 internal wall. This was of brick construction between a framework of oak timbers but some of the oak timbers were notched and had dowled timber insertions at right angles that had been sawn-off. Furthermore, most timbers were blackened down one side from scorching. Perhaps the earlier building had burned down and the timbers were older salvage from the fire damaged house that Turner reused for the reconstruction in 1830?

 

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1782/86	Ann Lintott	Samuel Dean
1795	Edward Streeter	Samuel Dean
1801	John Sawyer & Thomas Vincent	William Dean
1807	John Sawyer & Widow Streeter	Ambrose Ward
1810/13	William Holcombe (a Customs boatman) & Widow Streeter	Ambrose Ward
1814	Joseph Potter & Widow Streeter	Ambrose Ward
1815/17	William Muggerage & Widow Streeter	Ambrose Ward
1819	James O’Kelley & Widow Streeter	Ambrose Ward
1823	Widow Kelley & Widow Streeter	Ambrose Ward
1827	Henry Lee & Widow Streeter	Ambrose Ward
1831	John Butler	James Turner
1833	John Butler Junior	James Turner
1835	John Butler Jr	James Turner
1838	John Baker	Mrs. Turner
1841	John Baker (Rates) Henry Baker 75 Independent (Census) Sarah Witten 20 Female Servant	Mrs. Turner
1846	John Hilton	Mrs. Turner
1851	Chas.D. Burthwell (Rates) Charles Bakewell 36 Timber Merchant (Census) Elizabeth 32 wife Elizabeth 9 daughter Scholar Emily Eade 19 House Servant	Mr. Turner
1856	Charles Dowley Buckwell	Miss Turner
1861	Thomas English 35 Shipowner Ruth 32 wife Eliza 14 daughter Scholar	Miss Turner
1866	Wm. Beach
1871	William Beach 31 Master Builder employing 4 men & 2 boys Eliza 23 wife Maud 4 daughter Horace 2 son Gertrude 3 months daughter Sarah Clark 12 Nursemaid Ruth English 44 widow Annuitant	Martha Cracklen
1881	Wm. Bush(?) (Rates) William Burt (Census) 49 Sergeant Instructor to Artillery & Chelsea Pensioners Susan 40 wife Caroline 17 daughter William 14 son Grocer’s Assistant Charles 12 son Assistant Clerk on Railway Samuel 11 son Scholar Albert 9 son Scholar Elizabeth 7 daughter Ellen Mary 3 daughter	J.E.Brown
1891	George Rogers 34 Auctioneer’s Clerk Mary 20 wife Charlotte Pennicott 48 widow Mother in Law Independent George Parsons 64 widower lodger Naval Pensioner	J.E.Brown
1901	John Henry Brigden 60 Boat Maker and Assistant Carman Emily 39 wife Marjorie 4 daughter Eric 2 son Jane Dinnage 71 mother in law	J.E.Brown
1911	Alfred Snelling
1920	Mrs. Brigden

 

Numbers 10, 12, & 14 (Survey Number 28 for 10 & 12 Church Street: Survey Number 29 for 14 Church Street)

 

In 1782 there was only one building on each of these two survey sites and as both were under the same ownership for many years they are included together here. The southernmost house (Survey Number 28) was not split into two to become 10 & 12 until after 1871 and of the two original properties only part of number 14 still survives.

 

Recorded in 1782 as 2 tenements and 2 gardens when the previous owner was Rivetts but subsequently owned by C.Elgar (whose christian name of Cedric appears to have been delightfully mis-spelt in the tax records as ‘Siderick’ although this same mis-spelling was also repeated in other records). The properties later passed to Thomas Elgar then Mary Marchant, widow of William the previous vicar at St.Marys, before John Foster purchased them in 1817.

 

The family did not move in to the house (at what are now numbers 10 & 12) until 1819 following the death of its recent resident Captain Witherstone RN but thereafter it remained the family home until 1851. After Foster’s death in 1835 both properties were left to his wife Elizabeth (died 1848) and then to his daughter Elizabeth (d.1865) the wife of John Davis. Eventually, they passed to John Brown, a nephew of the Fosters who put both houses up for sale in 1867 by auction at the Royal George Inn in the High Street. Henry Brooker, a plumber, purchased the properties and converted the southernmost into two houses to create today’s no’s 10 & 12. As part of the arrangement Brooker sold on number 14 to Dr.Thomas Fuller who lived at ‘Lladloes House,’ an ancient dwelling that stood in East Street backing on to number 14. Fuller then annexed most of number 14’s rear garden to add to his own, altered the house in Church Street then leased it to the local water company for use as a store. (Fuller did eventually convey some of the garden back to later owners in 1896 but this was still only half the size of the original garden).

 

It appears that Brooker also had a close association, and probably did work for, the water company as he sold the out house at the rear of number 12 to Thomas Fuller for use as the company’s office and stables for some years (the company’s store of course being at number 14). In the late 1880’s Henry Brooker moved on to 45 John Street where he had recently built numbers 45 to 53 leaving his son George at the Church Street house. By 1911 George had regained ownership of 12a which was then reintegrated as part of the main house.

 

Number 12 was modernised and virtually rebuilt internally in 2001 and before then it still had a flagstone passageway lined with wooden brackets to hold mangers, relics of the time when horses were kept here and in stables in the courtyard behind. During the 20^th century number 14 was used for a time as a garage complete with petrol pump – a somewhat unusual concept in this day and age when Church Street is now strictly controlled by conservation laws.

 

 

Owners and Occupiers of the building covering both survey sites to 1835

 

Year	Occupiers of site 28 for No’s 10 & 12	Occupiers of site 29 for No. 14	Owner
1782	Henry Partington	Widow Cheesman	1782/1800 Siderick Elgar
1786	late Bridger	Widow Cheesman
1790	William Harley	Robert Grover Senior
1795	William Harley	William Binstead
1801	Benjamin Roberts	William Grinstead	Thomas Elgar
1807	Mary Marchant	Thompson	1807/1810 Mary Marchant
1810	Mary Marchant	Stevens
1813	Capt. John Witherstone	James Beach Junior	1813/1816 late Mrs Marchant
1815/16	Capt. John Witherstone	William Tribe
1817	Capt. John Witherstone	William Tribe	John Foster
1818/35	John Foster	William Tribe	John Foster

 

Captain John Witherstone of the Royal Navy was in 1813 the newly promoted Lieutenant Wetherstone who had previously lodged at number 1 in the Twitten – not a young man at the time as he died at Shoreham in 1819 aged 66. William Tribe came from a family of builders, carpenters and shipwrights. Even up to recent times building businesses have turned their hand to coffin making and funereal work so it is perhaps not too fanciful to imagine William and his family as the predecessors of today’s funeral business based in Worthing.

 

The details for each house are now shown seperately:-

 

Site for Numbers 10 & 12

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1835	Mrs Foster	Mrs Foster
1838	Geo. Trew(?)	Mrs Foster
1841	John Davis 62 Schoolmaster Elizabeth Davis 50 Schoolmaster Elizabeth Foster 80 Independent Elizabeth Cooper 5 Dianah Dean 15 Female Servant	Mrs Foster
1846	John Davis	Mrs Foster
1851	Elizabeth Horrock 29 Master Mariner’s wife Mary Ann 2 daughter Elizabeth 3 months daughter Sarah Ann Parker 21 visitor Dressmaker Mary Lelliott 14 House Servant	Mr Davis
1856	William Young	Mr Davis
1861	William Young 62 Shipwright Elizabeth 60 wife Ellen 19 daughter Betsy Rennard 32 Master Mariner’s Wife Ellen 10 daughter Scholar Betsy 8 daughter Scholar Elizabeth 6 daughter Scholar Emma 4 daughter Scholar Agnes 2 daughter	Mrs Davis
1866	William Young	Davis
1871	S.Pauldice & F.Monk (Rooms) (Rates) Henry Brooker 36 Master Plumber (Census) Emma 40 wife Emma 13 daughter Scholar George 11 son Scholar Thomas 9 son Scholar Mary 7 daughter Scholar Annie 5 daughter Scholar	*Thos.Fuller

(*Thomas Fuller as owner is perhaps a mistake by the person entering the rates records as the deeds clearly show Brooker as the owner. Nevertheless it indicates a temporary use of the building for rental income pending the conversion.)

 

By 1881 Henry Brooker had split the property in two. The following records are those for the new, smaller buildings that are numbers 10 & 12 Church Street:-

 

Number 10

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1881	Fennell	H.W.Brooker
1891	H.W.Brooker	H.W.Brooker
1901	Thomas W. Brooker 37 Smith Black Annie 29 wife	H.W.Brooker
1911	Emma Brooker	Mrs Brooker
1920	Walter Farley

 

Number 12

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1881	Hy.Walker Brooker	H.W.Brooker
1891	George H.Brooker	H.W.Brooker
1901	George H. Brooker 41 Plumber Elizabeth 45 wife Ethel 16 daughter Louisa Phillipps 16 General Servant Domestic	H.W.Brooker
1911	Geo.H.Brooker	Mrs Brooker
1920	George H. Brooker (Plumber)

 

Number 12a (this was the outbuilding at the rear of number 12 part of which was also used as stables but now forms part of the main house)

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1891	Waterworks Co (Offices)	Thos.Fuller
1901	Waterworks Co (Offices)	Thos.Fuller
1911	Waterworks Co (Offices)	Brooker
1920	12a once again part of the main (no.12) house

 

Number 14 

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827/41	Widow Streeter who moved here from number 8 Church Street (noted as ‘Poor’ in 1827)	John Foster (to 1835)
1841	Sarah Streeter 70 Ann Streeter 30 William Streeter 25	Mrs Foster (1835 to 1848)
1846	Thomas Williams
1851	Thomas Williams (Rates) Ann Williams 40 Mariner’s Wife (Census) John Thomas 4 son Sarah Ann 1 daughter William Greenfield 38 brother Carpenter	Mr Davis
1856	Thomas Williams	Mrs Davis
1861	Thomas Williams 49 Mariner Ann 49 wife Sarah 11 daughter	Mrs Davis
1866	Thomas Williams	Davis
1871	Thomas Williams 59 Ship Rigger Ann 60 wife Laundress John 25 son Sailmaker	John E. Brown
1881	John Ellman Brown	J.E.Brown
1891	Waterworks Co (Store)	Thos.Fuller
1901	Waterworks Co (Store)	Thos.Fuller
1911	Waterworks Co (Store)	Thos.Fuller
1920	Brighton Corporation Waterworks, Shoreham District Office, J.J.Frampton, Collector

 

Number 16 (Survey Number 30)

 

It is generally believed that this and number 18 next door were once one building and certainly the deeds do appear to support this theory. Records indicate common owners for both prior to 1782 – i.e., John Shepherd originally, then the Roberts family. Rebuilt about 1780, probably after being split from number 18, the owner is shown in 1782 as Henry Newton with the property described as ‘one tenement.’ Today the house is in a style similar to numbers 10 & 12 further down the street.

 

In common with deeds of the time neighbouring properties, owners and occupiers are often referred to in order to explain where the property being sold stood. Number 18’s deeds mention John Deadman as the occupier of 16 in 1825 and John Brown who lived at number 18 – both men were property owners throughout the town and were also involved seperately and jointly in the ownership of number 16 at various times throughout the 19^th century.

 

One of the occupants in 1856 was David Pilmore a Customs Clerk from Devon. He later moved with his family to 3, Western Road (and was still working at the age of 78 as the Collector of Harbour Dues). His daughter Annie Pilmore ran the ‘Ladies School’ at Dolphin Chambers in the High Street and is remembered for her writings ‘Sketches of Shoreham’ in 1895 and co-author with E.F.Salmon of ‘Two Shorehams – Two Inhabitants’ in 1902.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1782	Richard Blair	Henry Newton
1786	Sarah Thompson	Henry Newton
1790	Richard Puttick	Henry Newton
1795	Thomas Blair	Thomas Blair
1801/07	Thomas Blair	John Rice
1810/16	Widow Thompson	John Rice
1817/18	Widow Thonpson	1817 to 1838 J & J Deadman
1819	Widow Thompson
1823/27	James Deadman (but John Deadman in Rates records)
1827	John Deadman
1831	Deadman
1835	John Baker (later moved to number 8)
1838	W.Clarke
1841	Empty	D.Alston
1846	I.W.Mardell(?)	David Alstone
1851	Mrs E. Crumb (Rates) Elizabeth Crunch (Census) 59 widow Dressmaker Jane Sayers 48 sister Dressmaker Jane Gregory 21 lodger Railway Porter wife Rebecca Sharp 17 lodger Harriet Gregory 3 months lodger	Mrs Atstone and L.Deadman
1856	David Pilmore	John Brown
1861	James Dyer 51 Master Mariner Sarah 44 wife Sarah 20 daughter	John Brown and L.Deadman
1866	Thomas Cobbold	John Brown
1871	John E.Brown
1881	John Ellman Brown (Rates) Charlotte Hodges (Census) 31 Dressmaker Edith 5 months daughter	John Ellman Brown
1891	G.Manns (Rates) (No entry in Census – perhaps unoccupied or used by Brown as an office only as he lived in Buckingham Road at the time)	J.E.Brown
1901	Ellen King 59 Lewis 20 son Edward 21 son Kate 19 daughter	J.E.Brown
1911	James King	Thos.Fuller
1920	James King

 

Number 18 (Survey Number 31)

 

Number 18 is older than 18^th century and is best known for being the childhood home in the 1760’s of Henry Roberts, the renowned hydrographer who accompanied Captain Cook on his voyages to the South Seas and Australia and witnessed Cook’s assassination there. Henry’s father commanded the Revenue cutter ‘Enterprise.’

 

 

 

Prior to the 1780’s, when the property was believed to have been a larger building including the land upon which number 16 now stands, the owner was John Shepherd before the Roberts family held it. By 1780 the southern half was sold off to become number 16. John Edwards, a Shoreham shipbuilder, was the recorded owner of the northern half (number 18) in 1782 and passed it to his son Thomas in 1795.

 

The tragic Ann Partington lived here in 1814. She was the sister of Captain John Butler (who lived one door away at 22, Church Street), wife of Henry Partington senior and mother of Henry junior (both were Collectors of the Customs at different times). Ann was ultimately to be preceded in death by her husband and all her children which caused her to become a recluse ending her years at her house in East Street when she died in 1847 at the age of 90.

 

John Rice purchased the house in 1808. He was a banker in the town but seems to have overstretched himself through his purchases (in 1814 he owned 34 properties in Shoreham alone) became bankrupt and in 1819 sold the house to Edward Hide, a merchant who had married Esther Rice – at the time Hide also owned 20/22 East Street which is now the restaurant on the corner with New Road. He subsequently moved to Gloucester and in 1825 sold number 18 on to John Brown who lived there for many years.

 

John Brown was a ship broker and by 1871 had moved his family home from Church Street to the impressive Buckingham Lodge in Buckingham Road keeping his Church Street house as an office. His son John Ellman Brown was Clerk to the Council (as was grandson, Harold); Vice-Consul to no less than five nations; had held the position of High Constable of Shoreham and was known to have a great interest in the town’s history. The house also has a small schoolroom at the bottom of the garden and it is almost certain that this was built during the occupation by John Brown and his family.

 

 

(Some of the following dates again illustrate the delay in the dates of ownership changes being reflected in Land Tax and Rates records)

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1782/86	William Fuller	1782/90 John Edwards
1790/1813	Thomas Edwards	1795/1813 Thomas Edwards
1814	Ann Partington	1814/15 John Rice
1817	John Gravely	1816/1824 Edward Hide
1818	John Rice
1823	Thomas Vincent
1825	John Brown	1825/71 John Brown
1827	Mrs Ellman
1831	John Brown
1833	John Brown
1835	John Brown
1838	John Brown
1841	John Brown 40 Corn Agent Ann Brown 45 John Brown 15 Emma Brown 10 Ann Carter 65 Louisa Brenman 9 Rhoda Laros 18 Female Servant
1846	John Brown
1851	John Brown 54 Ship & Customs Agent John Ellman 24 son Customs Agent Albert Foster 11 visitor Scholar Ann Deane 20 House Servant
1856	John Brown
1861	John Brown 64 widower Ship Broker John 35 son Ship Broker Jane Masters 26 Domestic Mary Holder 11 Domestic
1866	John Brown
1881	John Ellman Brown (Rates) Ann Woolven 67 Housekeeper at Office
1891	J.Ellman Brown
1901	Empty
1911	Brown	Harold Brown
1920	John Brown & Son, Coal Merchants Council Offices, Harold Brown, Clerk to the Council

 

No.20 (Survey Number 32)

 

Like its neighbour next door (number 18) this cottage has dressed flint wall facings and brick window surrounds in common with some of the older buildings in town but, more unusually, have brick parapets. Both sport what must be original porches although number 18’s is more ornate and has a very high, gabled roof.

 

 

As with 18 this building also originated in the 17^th century, perhaps before. John Cole, a mariner, held this house along with other property in Shoreham and his and his wife Elizabeth’s initials are still to be seen above the front door with the year 1754. In 1773 Cole willed it to John Burton (also a mariner and thought by present day descendants to be unconnected with the maltster of the same name who owned 4/6 Church Street). The 1782 Survey shows John Burton as the owner with Thomas Snook as resident although Burton moved in the following year and remained there until 1801 when Henry (Harry) Innott purchased it.

 

Long time owners of number 18, the Brown family, had by the 1870’s also acquired this house (20) as well as numbers 14, 16 and even rented the college houses numbers 22 and 24. As property dealers with interests in a continuous row of six Church Street properties it is easy to imagine that the family’s increasing business and fortunes may well have tempted them towards thoughts then of redevelopment of that row. However, luckily for Shoreham, we do know that the man in control of the business, John Ellman Brown, was fascinated by Shoreham’s history and to demolish some of the towns most historic buildings was probably too great a loss for him to consider.

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827	Harry Innott	Harry Innott
1831	Henry Innott	Henry Innott
1833	Harry Innott	Harry Innott
1835	John Innott
1838	William Sayers	Miss Peachey
1841	John Merrix	W.Peacher
1846	John Merrix	Richard Stevenson
1851	John Merrix 47 Pilot Elizabeth 48 wife Betsey 19 daughter servant Eliza 14 daughter Mary Ann 12 daughter John 3 son James Mills 34 visitor Mariner Mary Ann Mills 33 visitor wife James Mills 8 visitor son Scholar Mary Ann Mills 5 visitor daughter Scholar Elisa Mills 2 visitor daughter	Richard Stevenson
1856	John Merrix
1861	Rowland Williams (Rates) Mary Williams (Census) 48 Lacemaker Mary 21 daughter Dressmaker Albert 18 son Boatbuilder Adelaide 17 daughter Dressmaker Rowland 16 son Shipwright’s Apprentice William 12 son Scholar Sarah 9 daughter Scholar Harriet 4 daughter Scholar	John Brown
1866	George Bowles	Davis
1871	John E.Brown	Brown/London
1881	William Bennett 52 Road Labourer Sarah 48 wife	J.E.Brown
1891	George Peterson 43 General Labourer Eliza 42 wife Laundress	J.E.Brown
1901	William King 49 Market Gardener	J.E.Brown
1911	William King
1920	H.E.Hygate

 

No.22 and 24 (Survey Number 33)

 

 

 

The Butler family originated in Ireland and the earliest Butler we know of was Richard who married in Shoreham but died in Brighton in 1776. His son John (1730 – 1813) built the house in 1771 at a cost of £900 financed by money made during his voyages for the East India Company. Upon his death the property passed to his son Captain John Butler (1755 – circa 1840). One of Shoreham’s better known sons, Captain Butler’s exploits as a Customs Riding Officer and Captain of the Revenue Cutter ‘Hound’ are already well documented by his granddaughter.

 

After John Butler’s demise the building ‘with a cottage adjoining’ was sold to the Rev. Nathaniel Woodard. There is no dwelling shown to the north of the house on the 1782 map but there is in the 1789 and 1818 maps and presumably the Butlers built it – long before Woodard rebuilt his school extension in its place. In her history of the Butler family (Memories of a Shoreham Seafaring Family) Maria Butler (1830-1858) even describes some rooms inside the house and the events that occurred within them. She specifically mentions being able to see the family tombstones in St.Mary’s churchyard from a window seat of John Butler’s house.

 

To see the Butler graves from a front window (even allowing for the fact that the cottage before the college extension did not protrude beyond the Butler house frontage as the college extension does now) would have meant leaning out so far as to risk falling out. So it is more likely that Maria was able to see the tombstones more comfortably from an upper, perhaps attic window (as still exists on the south end of the building) that overlooked the graveyard. It follows therefore that the cottage to the north of the house could not have been as tall as John Butler’s house otherwise Maria’s view would have been obscured. The rates records for 1841 reveal that part of the cottage was used as a carpenter’s workshop for John’s son, George Butler, in addition to John Brewer who lived there.

 

 

 

Renovations to 22 in recent times led to the discovery of a bundle of William Butler’s romantic letters. One of the sons of Captain John Butler, William wrote these whilst he sailed with his father on the Hound. These are recorded and examined under the title ‘A Small Book of Letters’ on the Shorehambysea.com website and at Worthing Reference Library.

 

The buildings were being used as ‘St. Mary’s College’ as early as 1851 but were referred to as ‘St.Saviour’s School’ in 1861. After Woodard rebuilt the cottage to create an extension including an assembly hall he mirrored the design of Butler’s house and used the same materials. However, the number of pupils soon outgrew even these extended premises so that it became necessary to rent odd houses and rooms elsewhere in Church Street as well as in the nearby streets. Eventually Woodard built a brand new college at Ardingly to which the Shoreham school or college was transferred in 1870 but the Church Street buildings continued to used albeit as a laundry for the pupil’s clothes at another of Woodard’s colleges at nearby Lancing.

 

The census returns for the school or college in Church Street does include the names of pupils staying there on the day of the census and they are shown here (relatively few appear to be from Shoreham families). However, it should be remembered that the total number of pupils by 1861 was 160 or so and these were spread all over town including one in Middle Street, the High Street (probably), New Road and the two in Church Street (numbers 15 and 22/24). The High Street school lists the teachers and pupils but the name of the school is not provided so it cannot be certain that this was in fact part of Woodards’ school, particularly as the newer Protestant Grammar School also commanded a large attendance at the time. The pupils at 22 and 24 Church Street are all shown as if they were at number 22 but they would have been using both buildings as would the pupils in the annexes, particularly at assembly times in the school chapel at number 24.

 

Number 22

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1771/1813	John Butler	John Butler
1813/1846	Captain John Butler	Captain John Butler
1841	John Butler 86 Independent Elizabeth Butler 40 Jane Wrankmore 42 Frank Wrankmore 5 months Mary Woolgar 18 Female Servant
1851	Rev.N.Woodard (New School,Churchyard) (Rates) Census:- John William Hewitt 27 Teacher & Tutor at St.Marys College George William Temple 24 BC.Probity Fellow & Tutor of St.M.College Students:- John Sidebotham 20, Henry Montague James 14, Francis Arthur Groom 13, Edward Everhard 11, Francis Woods 13, Thomas Cox 13, Oliver Humphrey Fowler 10, Charles H. Connor 14, William H. Connor 11, James Connor 9, William Cox 11, Edward Llewellyn 14, Henry Martin 13, John Hodson 13, Melmouth S———–? 13, William Ayres 10, Herbert Candy 18, Percy Nicholas 16, Benjamin Wood 10.	Late Captain Butler
1856	Rev.F.M.D.Meretens
1861	Rev. T.F.Meretens (School’s House) (Rates) College (Census) Frederick Mestons 21 MD Oxon.Clergyman & Schoolmaster (probably Meretens) Pupils:- Frederick Appleby 11, Henry Appleby 13, Charles Baily 13, John Baily 11, Charles Berry 12, William Culton 10, Samuel Gander 14, Harry Marsh 12, Henry Price 11, W.Tucker 11, Horace Umber…? 7, Stephen Wells 17. Staff:- Esther Short 35 Housekeeper Caroline Tucknott 20 Cook Caroline Tinsley 19 Housemaid Caroline Gale 19 Housemaid Jane Seagram 20 Housemaid Jane Bryant 18 Kitchenmaid Eliza Tucknott 14 Housemaid	Provost & Fellows, St.Saviours
1866	John Woodward	Provost & Fellows
1871	John E.Brown	Provost & Fellows, College No.1
1881	Benjamin Barns 68 Wheelwright Jane 63 wife Dressmaker Priscilla 43 daughter Domestic	Rev.Woodard, College No.1
1891	Blackmore (Laundry)	Rev.E.Blackmore
1901	Rev.E. Blackmore (Laundry) (Rates) Kate Hedgcock (Census) 39 widow George 12 son Frank 10 son	Rev.E.Blackmore
1911	W.B.Woodard (Laundry)	Edward Lowe
1920	Mrs Hedgecock, College Laundry

Rev.E.Blackmore was an Associate of St.Nicolas College, Bursar at Hurstpierpoint and Fellow and Bursar of Lancing College from 1868 to 1909 and Assistant Master at Lancing from 1861 – 71. W.B.Woodard was the third of Nathaniel Woodard’s sons who oversaw much of the building work at Lancing College and Chapel until his death in 1918.

 

Number 24 (cottage, until rebuilt for the college around 1850)

 

Year	Occupiers	Owner
1827	George Snook Widow Lashmar (Poor)
1831	Mr Snook Mrs Lashmar
1833	Mrs Snook
1835	John Field	John Butler
1838	John Field	John Butler
1841	G.Butler (Carpenter’s Shop) (Rates) John Brewer (Rates) John Brewer 50 Tide Waiter (Census) Elizabeth Brewer 40 Charles Brewer 13 Elizabeth Brewer 9 John Brewer 7 Sarah Brewer 5 Mary Brewer 3	J.Butler
1846	G.R.Butler (Shop) Widow Sawyers	John Butler
1851	(See number 22)
1856	Rev.A.C.Wilson (School)
1861	Rev.T.F.Meretens	Provost & Fellows, St Saviours College
1866	Robert Hammond (Schools etc.,)	St.Saviours
1871	John E.Brown	Provost & Fellows, College No.2
1881	Void	Rev.Woodard, College No.2
1891	Void (College – St.Saviours Hall)	Rev.E.Blackmore
1901	Kate Hedgecock (St.Saviours Hall)	Rev.E.Blackmore
1911	Kate Hedgecock (St.Saviours Hall)
1920	(Part of the laundry at 22)

 

 

Sources:-

1782 Survey

National Archives, Kew

Lancing College and Chapel Archives

New Shoreham Land Tax Records,

New Shoreham Rates Schedules

Census Returns

and with special thanks for information from the deeds, wills and access to the buildings included in this work to the current day owners and occupiers:- Trish Goodchild; Derek Goss; Barry Hayward; Barry Hilson; Anne Humphries; Grahame Jennings; Colin Major; M. Norman; Jane Ogden; Michael Pierson; Janet Presley; Jim Randall; Doris & Dick Steers; Sue Voice:

 

Roger Bateman

Shoreham

April 2008