CHAPTER XVI.

ST. THOMAS-A-BECKET, IN THE CLIFFE.

Eastward of the Borough of Lewes, from which it is separated by the river Ouse, lies the town of the Cliffe, so named from its situation under the lofty and impending chalk cliff, which rises almost perpendicularly over the alluvial plain on which the town is built.

The Cliffe is generally regarded as a suburb of the Borough of Lewes, but in fact it is a distinct vill or town of itself, and has no farther connexion with Lewes than what arises from its proximity, and from the commercial and other intercourse that necessarily subsists between the inhabitants.

It will scarcely admit of a doubt that in former ages the level upon which the Cliffe stands, was covered by the waters of the sea1; but at what time the plain ceased to be under the influence of the flowing tide, or the period when the soil became sufficiently firm to warrant the construction of buildings upon it, are questions which we may in vain attempt to solve. It must have been, however, at a very early date, for we find that at the time of the compilation of Domesday, there were not fewer than thirty-nine inhabited houses, and twenty uninhabited, in the rape of Pevensey, belonging to William de Warren. The connexion in which this statement is made, scarcely leaves room for doubt that these fiftynine houses were situated in the immediate vicinity of Lewes, and that they stood on the scite of the present Cliffe town.

This parish is bounded on the west and south, as we have before intimated, by the river Ouse, on the north and east by the parish of South Malling; it is

In a MS. copied into Woollgar's Spicilegia, | a marsh formerly overflowed by the river, as apvol. ii. p. 247, entitled a Description of the parish pears from the slub and sea sand found beneath in of St. Thomas in the Cliffe, it is said, "that the sinking wells for the use of the inhabitants." streets of the Cliffe are made grounds, raised from

in the hundred of Ringmer and in the rape of Pevensey. It is governed by a constable and headborough, who are chosen annually at the court leet of the Duke of Dorset, which is generally held at the same time as the court baron for the manor of Ringmer.

The church of this parish was dedicated to Thomas-à-Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who in 1171, was iniquitously murdered in his own cathedral. The violent death of this haughty prelate, obtained for him the honour of martyrdom, and he was enrolled amongst the saints of the Romish calendar. The church seems to have been originally regarded as a Chapel of Ease to the ancient college of South Malling, but afterwards became a distinct benefice.

The church has undergone several material alterations and repairs. It is a neat building, consisting of a nave and two aisles, but it is so much crowded by the neighbouring houses, that its beauty is in a great measure lost. The following is a correct view of this structure.

The interior is elegant, and the altar piece may vie with any in the county. There is a good organ in the church, on the top of which stand two angels, of superior workmanship, formerly belonging to the chapel of the Duke of Chandos. These were given in 1754, by Mr. Thomas Baldy: and a very superior painting of the ascension, was presented to the parish by B. Vander Gutcht, Esq., in 1779. The church is a peculiar belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury; it is a discharged living, and is valued in the king's books at 31. 17s. 8d. The parsonage house was situated on the west side of North-street, opposite the Swan Inn. The old house in which many of the rectors, of the parish resided, had become so ruinous, that in 1798, the Rev. Thomas Aquila Dale was under

the necessity of taking it down, and erected on its scite three small tenements, which are now let by the rector.

The ancient burying place of the parish is situated on the east side of Northstreet, under the overhanging cliff. This having been found too small, an addition was made thereto, by the purchase of some premises adjoining, on the south of it, about the year 1718.

These estates

This parish has, or ought to have, a considerable estate of lands and tenements. were anciently the property of a religious society, called the Fraternity of St. Thomas, in the Cliffe, who were members of the college of South Malling, but probably resided in the vicinity of the present church, as about sixty years ago, when pulling down some old buildings almost opposite to the church, in order to erect new houses, a chimney piece was found with the arms of Thomas-à-Becket, the great patron of the college, sculptured upon it. At the dissolution of the religious houses by Henry VIII., the college of South Malling, together with its possessions in Stanmer," as also those in the Cliffe, and elsewhere, became vested in the crown. In the 33 Elizabeth, the lands and tenements in the Cliffe, formerly belonging to the Fraternity of St. Thomas the Martyr, with others, were granted by the Qeeen to William Typper and Robert Dawe, of London, gents. By a deed poll dated the 44 Elizabeth, by which John Pierce, of Glynde, released unto Garginus Archer, these lands and tenements, they are described in the following manner: a piece of ground called the Summer Wish, containing two acres and a half or thereabouts, lying in the parish of Malling, in Sussex; two messuages or tenements, situated in the South-street of the Cliffe aforesaid; one other messuage or tenement in the West-street thereof; three messuages or tenements adjoining to the Cliffe church, and one piece of land lying on the north side of the church aforesaid, all which were parcel of the fraternity and college aforesaid," and by a deed executed the next year, the property is conveyed to John Stansfield and thirteen other feoffees, "to the end and intent that the issues and profits of all singular the premises should from time to time for ever, be converted and confined unto the pious uses and good works following, viz., for the maintenance, reparation, and sustentation of the church of St. Thomas the martyr aforesaid, and the reparations and emendations of all and singular the premises; and for the relief of the poor who should from time to time be inhabitants of the Cliffe aforesaid."

We cannot at this distance of time, ascertain whether the Cliffe became possessed of this property by purchase or gift. If by the former, the probability is, that the money was raised by a subscription of the parishioners; if by the latter, the benevolent design of the donor seems to have been soon lost sight of, and what was intended to supply the wants of the distressed, was basely appropriated to private purposes. The Wish Orchard, and one of the estates in the Cliffe, Southstreet, were sold to private individuals: the chest then standing in the church, in which the writings were deposited, was broken open, and the deeds carried away by persons unknown; so that the poor remains of this valuable charity were valued at not more than four pounds per annum. To remedy this shameful abuse of a public charity, and to recover the property which had thus been pilfered by unprincipled individuals, application was made to the Court of Chancery in 1631, which issued a decree appointing Sir Edward Barton, Knight, Walter Dobell, Sir Thomas Moore, and Henry Falconer, Esqrs., Commissioners, to inquire into the said charity, who after due examination, "decreed

'A small quarto pamphlet was published in London, containing about 70 pages, entitled, "A Sermon preached at Paul's Cross, September 10, 1615, by Anthony Huggett, M.A. and parson of

the Cliffe, near Lewes, Sussex, entitled a Divine Enthyme of True Obedience, or a Task for a Christian.'

"that the rents, issues, and profits, of all the before-mentioned estates, should from thenceforth be had, taken, and received, by the churchwardens of the said parish for the time being, by permission of the surviving feoffees for the charitable uses therein mentioned, that is to say, to and for the maintenance and support of the parish church of St. Thomas in the Cliffe, and of the poor people of the said parish for the time being: and that the said Churchwardens should make their account of the rents and profits of the premises, to the next succeeding Churchwardens of the said parish, and the surviving feoffees, or some or one of them: and that the feoffees and the heirs of the survivor of them, should from time to time, and at all times hereafter, make and renew the feoffments of the said premises to the same charitable uses, upon the request and at the costs and charges of the said Churchwardens for the time being, to such sufficient persons of the said parish, and their heirs, as the said Churchwardens should nominate, for the better maintenance and support of the estate in the said premises, to the same uses'."

From the date of this inquisition, 1631, to the present time, the estates have been regularly conveyed and continued by the various feoffments enumerated in the note2.

Notwithstanding the decree of the Court of Chancery, which was confirmed by Lord Chancellor Coventry, (25th of June, 10 Car. I.) these estates have been subject to much neglect and abuse Simon Edwards, who was made a feoffee in 1667, settled the property whereon the house of industry, and the Thatched House Inn, are situated, then consisting of six tenements, upon his daughter on her marriage, and it continued in her family till 1757; when by the exertions of Mr. Francis Wheeler, who was then solicitor of the parish, the fraud was detected. John Goring and Anne, his wife, had some time before, granted a lease of the estate for twenty-one years, to George Bunting. Goring became afterwards a pauper at Greenwich, and was induced to forego his claim to the property, and the remainder of the lease were purchased by the feoffees from Bunting, as the least expensive mode of re-gaining possession of the estate'.

It appears also that Andrew Tasker and Robert Baldy, filled the office of Churchwardens, the former nearly thirty successive years, the latter eighteen, during the whole of that time, never accounted to the parish for the sums of money received by them. The parishioners having at length awakened from their blameable supineness, were anxious to investigate the accounts of their confidential officers; but this was boldly refused them by the men in power. The opinions of several eminent councellors were obtained on the best mode of conduct, and proceedings were commenced against the Churchwardens: the cunning, however, of Tasker, for some time found means to evade the stroke of justice and in the end, his poverty rendered it altogether useless to proceed against him. It appears from an abstract of the accounts that formed part of the case of the Cliff parishioners, and which was submitted to Wm. Kempe, Esq. for his opinion, that the sum of 552l. 11s. 10d. was on this occasion lost to the parish, by a system which cannot be too strongly reprobated, (although it is still adopted by some of the parishes of Lewes), that of permitting church-wardens or overseers to retain their office from year to year, until they become masters of the parishioners whom they were originally chosen to serve.

Much dissatisfaction was expressed during the preceding investigation, against the appropriation of a public charity to the purchase of an organ, and the payment of the organist and organ blower; and it was doubted by many whether these were proper applications of the money. The opinion of two counsel, who were consulted on the subject, was, that such an application of the money was improper.

The following donations and bequests have at different times been made to this parish :

In 1609 Robert Sackville, son of the Duke of Dorset, bequeathed the sum of 207. to the poor of this parish.

About the year 1620, Mr. John Stansfield, of the Cliffe, gave to trustees the sum of 201. to be by them lent out upon good security to young beginners or aged and decayed tradesmen, in sums of 6l. 13s. 4d. each, free of interest for two years. No traces of this charity now remain, with the ex

1 Woollgar's MSS. vol. ii, p. 326.

First, 16 February, 1635; second, 15th April, 1650; third, 30th January, 1667; fourth, 26th July, 1700; fifth, 15th September, 1720; sixth, 27th January, 1764; seventh, 21st May, 1789; eighth, 7th April, 1814; when the following persons were appointed feoffees, viz., Thomas Fuller, currier, Abraham Curtis, flax-dresser, Richard Insoll, innkeeper, Christopher Elliot, grocer, Daniel Harvey, hatter, George Henry Verrall, up. holsterer, John Farnes, grocer, Henry Roscorla, schoolmaster,

*

ception of several writings and bonds with the names of a few individuals who had availed themselves of the loan. The last mention of it is in the year 1775.

1721 Sir Thomas Springett gave 40l. to be employed in the same manner as Mr. Stansfield's charity. Of this charity nothing now remains.

1763 Henry Snook, Esq. by his will left 27s. for the poor of the parish.

In 1774 Mr. Robert Baldy bequeathed 100l. to the poor; to be placed out at interest, and the annual produce to be distributed among the poor of Cliffe parish. 1347. three per cent, consols were purchased with the principal in 1789, in the names of George Verrall and Henry Freeman.

Mr. Montague bequeathed 401. to be laid out at interest, and the proceeds to be distributed annually to the poor. This sum was employed in 1794 in purchasing 591. 7s. 4d. three per cent. consols, in the names of George Verrall and Henry Freeman.

In 1779 Mrs. Ann Short, by her will, gave the sum of five pounds to the poor, which was distributed to them in December of the same year.

Mrs. Norton, widow, left a legacy of four pounds to the poor, which was distributed to them in January 1782.

Mr. Robert Plumer gave ten pounds to the poor in the year 1784.

Samuel Durrant, Esq., of All Saints, bequeathed a legacy of 25 guineas to the poor in 1784.

The town of the Cliffe seems to have rapidly increased in population after the Norman conquest; and of so much importance was it in the beginning of the reign of Henry IV. as to require a market. Application being made to the king for the establishment of one, by Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury, a charter was granted, authorizing not only a weekly market to be held, but also two fairs annually. The following is a translation of the charter:

"Henry, by the grace of God, King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland: To the Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Priors, Dukes, Earls, Barons, Justices, Sheriffs, and to all their faithful officers and bailiffs greeting: Know ye, that of our special grace, we have granted to the most reverend father in Christ, our most dear cousin, Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England, that he and his successors do for ever hold one Market, to be held every week on Wednesday, in the town of the Cliffe, in the County of Sussex; and two Fairs to be held there every year (that is to say) one on the eve of St. Mark the Evangelist, on St. Mark's day, and on the morrow of St. Mark; and the other on the eve of St. Matthew, on St. Matthew's day, and on the morrow of St. Matthew, with all things belonging to such markets and fairs; so that the said markets and the said fairs be not to the hurt of neighbouring markets and neighbouring fairs. Whereupon we will and firmly command for us and our heirs, the aforesaid Archbishop, and his successors, do for ever hold one market, to be holden every week on Wednesday, in the town of the Cliffe, in the county aforesaid, and two fairs to be held there every year, (that is to say) one on the eve of St. Mark the Evangelist, on St. Mark's day, and on the morrow of St. Mark, and the other on the eve of St. Matthew, on St. Matthew's day, and on the morrow of St. Matthew, with all things belonging to such markets and fairs, so that the said market, and the said fairs be not to the hurt of neighbouring markets and neighbouring fairs.

Witness, the reverend fathers, H. Archbishop of York, primate of England, H. Bishop of Winchester, N. Bishop of Bath and Wells, Henry Prince of Wales, our first begotten son; our most beloved cousin Edward Duke of York, (and others.) Given at Westminster, 12th day of November, in the 11th year of our reign."

Where the original market house stood cannot with certainty be determined, but it is probable, on the scite upon which the late market house was erected, at the east entrance of the Fair place.

'The seal appendant to this grant, has the figure of the king on horseback, completely armed, with his sword drawn and horse caparisoned, with a lion on his head, (the king's crest). On the reverse the king is sitting on his throne, his

This building was very ancient, and in

right hand bearing the sceptre, and having a globe fixed to a cross in his left. Part of the seal being broken, the following words only remain, "Henr. dus Hiberniæ."