Text copyright Valerie Martin 1999

First published in Along The Furlong, April 1999.

In 1644 a warship named the ST. JAMES, flying the Spanish flag, was grounded on the seashore four miles south of Findon at Heene in Worthing.   The vessel was eventually refloated ..... and what a sight it must have been to be sure.    The following is a tale of a ship with a similar name sailing along our coastline.

William Lasseter was an 18th century blacksmith residing in Findon. His experience in the spring of 1747 is re-lived here in a maritime story — which I think sounds quite improbable for a rural village blacksmith of the day — but it is authentic I can assure you.

In May, 1747, I have discovered that an English merchant ship named St. Paul set sail from London and steered her course for Virginia —

"or other place beyond the sea"

....with a cargo worth £20,000.   Her captain was Commander Robert Ragg.    The vessel was described as a vessel similar to a brig —

"but rigged in a style no longer in use".

On 21s May 1747, the inhabitants of a nearby coastal community were quietly going about their businesses.  Perhaps some of the men were out fishing and hoping another vessel would be wrecked on the shore to bring them more income.    Close to the shore in the bay were several small local boats, plus the Custom House boat with six men on board.  In the far distance off Cuckmere Haven there suddenly appeared the St Paul.  

This was a day and age when well-armed, swift sailing French privateers harried English trading vessels and almost every day there were nasty little skirmishes at sea.  Such a French clipper lay at anchor in Cuckmere Bay waiting for lone trading vessels. This smart French privateer was bristling with guns and other armaments and lurking in the hope of just such a prize as the unsuspecting approaching St. Paul.

The unfortunate St. Paul, with sails gently billowing, hove nearer and became her prey.  A most gallant scene followed when the Customs House boat and several fishing boats from Seaford attempted to tow the St. Paul to the safety of the Haven to prevent her capture. The elements of the wind and tide were against them, and the St. Paul ran aground as she reached Cuckmere Haven and was marooned.   She fetched up on a sandbank —

"within a musket shot of shore"

.....where the water was much too shallow for the French vessel to pursue her.

Shepherds and downsmen all the way along the coastline, as well as crowds on the shore, watched the proceedings. Events such as this could often be witnessed from the downland coast in the prolonged uneasy years of confrontation with the French.   May 21st 1747 was no exception and the spectators watched the drama unfold before their eyes.

Captain Ragg and his gallant crew were taken off to safety and it was eventually decided to leave the stricken ship to the marauders who, though in control, would not be able to sail her off her sandbank.

The stranded St. Paul was descended upon and boarded by twenty-three French sailors. They swarmed over her and came under a barrage of musket fire, as the Seaford men made a counter attack from the shoreline. 

More local men having "procured firearms" began to climb to the steep cliff top and shoot down upon the deck of the St. Paul.  

It was reported at the time that there were with them —

"other persons assembled as spectators, as is usual on the like occasions". 

They reckoned one could even —

"heave a stone on board her".

The excitement can only be imagined on that day.   Seaford's last cannon (this could be the one now adorning the flint wall on the junction of Steyne Road and Crouch Lane) was unceremoniously hauled from its dust sheets  into play in an attempt to increase the firepower from the land.    It had been repaired only three years before and was awaiting just such an occasion to be put to good use.    The cost of the necessary repairs had been £1.16s.10d and it had been stored (most likely in a barn) at the Gonne (Gun) Field.   

The cannon was dragged over Seaford Head and manhandled into position on the cliff top to assist the general fusillade showered down at the merchant ship below.  It was now that Captain Ragg spoke up and offered £1,000 for the recapture of the St. Paul.  At this point the privateer decided to attempt to make an escape.

The St. Paul remained grounded at Cuckmere Haven. The prize crew of twenty-three French sailors were taken prisoner by the inhabitants in the vicinity. One of those assisting in the skirmish was William Lasseter the blacksmith of Findon, who it appears just happened to be in the Seaford area. What his business was in the neighbourhood, some thirty miles from home, is not known, but he partook in the exciting events and was due a portion of the reward money paid by the owners of the ship.

The men of Seaford who were involved in the recapture of the vessel fell out amongst themselves and a dispute ensued and the case went to litigation. They could not agree and sued against what they considered was an unfair division of the allotted compensation of £1,000.

All was eventually resolved and William Lasseter of Findon eventually received his share of the £1,000. awarded as remuneration. This was the grand amount in those days of £7.18s.0d. to bring back to Findon.

The name of Lasseter is a very old and common one in Findon history and the earliest mention of that name is in 1572 when one of the family was buried in the village. As far as can be ascertained there were four branches of the family in the community at one time, and some could be considered as quite wealthy. A high proportion of the Lasseters were tradesmen, and they were represented in nearly all the trades known in the village, including that of being successive innkeepers at the Gun Inn at the centre of the village. By far the most popular occupation was William Lasseter's own trade — that of blacksmith. Fathers and sons, as well as brothers, uncles and nephews, were actively employed as village smithies at the same time. They were identified by their descriptive nicknames such as William the Younger or William the Elder and sometimes William Senior or William Junior.

Because of Findon's position on an important east to west road across Sussex, at a time when many horses were used, the community was able to support several blacksmiths. Nine Lasseter blacksmiths can be identified over the years, and several more are inferred from references in documents, such as wills, in which the tools of their trade are listed. Except for the gentry and clergymen of the village, William Lasseter’s ancestors and descendants were probably the most prominent villagers in the 1600s and 1700s.

William Lasseter, who was associated with the good ship the St. Paul, died on the 18th July 1764 and was age 64. He had been churchwarden from 1750 until his death.

Sadly it is not known exactly whereabouts in Findon he worked his forge, perhaps it was adjoining his dwelling. There is no further picture gleaned of him, but he is remembered because of his exciting maritime adventure.

Continue if you would like to read about the site next to the forge — the Findon Village Pound.

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