THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

FINDON’S NORROY KING AT ARMS

An early photograph of Findon Place — the Manor of Findon.

Text copyright Valerie Martin 1999

I would say that the oldest visible part of the Manor of Findon (Findon Place) is the eastern portion, which is 17th century and is believed to have been built soon after 1650. 

The pedigree of the Cheale family who held the property for the span of 101 years from 1650-1751 now comes into play.  John Tufton, Earl of Thanet, sold the Manor House and home farm lands of the Manor of Findon in 1650 to a gentleman I will call the first John Cheale of Perching in Edburton (d. 1686).  

His eldest son, Captain John Cheale, born 1643, married Joyce, daughter and eventual co-heir of Richard Peckham of Upmarden.   Their only son, John, was born in 1699.   The three gentlemen named John Cheale lived in the Manor of Findon in succession during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

The last John Cheale (the grandson), a genial, jovial gentleman of the upper-crust hunting fraternity, bought the manorial rights in about 1720. He was part of the hunting fraternity and a friend of the Duke of Richmond's family, in fact an intimate friend, and was often found amongst the house guests at Goodwood.  The manor house at Findon during his tenure was probably of neat brick and two-storeyed.

The Cheale coat of arms  was shown on Budgen's map of Sussex printed in 1724.  The Royal College of Arms confirm that the Cheale coat of arms is extinct.  It is assumed pirated by the Cheale Family of Hagworthingham in Lincolnshire who were local yeomen/gentry.

I suspect that John Cheale, Lord of the Manor of Findon, was probably the first owner of the property to make it his permanent home, his predecessors having used it only occasionally, chiefly as their base for sporting purposes. He is mentioned in the Sussex Poll Book of 1734 as having the Lordship of the Manor of Findon and the manorial rights.  John Cheale was responsible for the rebuilding of the main block in 1740 and other extensions and improvements. 

I understand that it was around 1740 that John Cheale added the principal part of Findon Place. I think his alterations were carefully planned around the nucleus of the original building, which had medieval foundations, and lower walls made of blocks of hard chalk quarried from Church Hill above the property.

In later years he was a member of the College of Heralds.  It was in the mid 1700s that he was appointed the Arundel Herald Extraordinary for a short period in November and December 1741. (Short explanation coming up:  In the reign of King Henry V, the title of Arundel was that of the private herald of Thomas Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel.  The title was revived in the 18th century as that of Herald Extraordinary).  

These were the initial ceremonies which were to qualify John Cheale for the post of Norroy King at Arms — the title of the third King of Arms, to which he was promoted on 2nd Decmeber 1741. One can not help but like him. His amusing description of the ceremony was written from London on a raw wintry day on 17th November 1741, when he sets the scene —

 

The first thing I saw was the earl sitting very majestically in a great chair with his hat on and the marshall’s staff in his hand. Norroy stood on one side and a herald on the other with a cup of wine in it; and the rest ranged themselves according to their order around a table (which was set before the earl) whereon was laid a bible and a sword across the bible.

 

 

With a smile playing around his mouth as he recalled the incident, he wrote on and minutely recorded the impressive procedure. The portrayal continued on his experience and can be well imagined —

 

As soon as the door of the room where the earl sat was opened, we three made a very low obedience, then went three or four steps further and did the same and then knelt down. Then I put one hand on the bible and the other on the sword. Then Norroy read the oath, which was pretty long; amongst other things I was to succour ladies in distress, not to frequent taverns, not play at dice. Then the earl got up and took the coat and put over my head and the collar of SS and then took the cup and poured the wine on my head and said "Arundell".

 

With his forehead no doubt furrowed in thought, he concluded his narrative —

 

So ended the ceremony (but) there is a good deal more ceremony to be used when Mr. Lake and I are crowned Kings at Arms, which is performed at the Heralds Office. Then the sword that the Duke of Norfolk fought with at Flodden Field where he killed the King of Scots is brought out, but I don’t know what is to be done with it.

 

Needless to say, his version of the events was to prove an amusing topic of conversation and entertained guests at his dinner table at the Manor house for many days to come.

The entrance to the Ice House on Church Hill above Findon Place — perhaps used for the storing of provisions in the days of John Cheale when he was entertaining.

Tony Hammond of East Preston in West Sussex was brought up as a child at Hermit Terrace in Findon and told me that when his uncle first started work at Findon Place (c.1920s) part of his duties were to attend the ice house, but Tony did not know what this job entailed. 

His uncle told him that one day he had discovered a couple of tatty looking hares hanging in an outbuilding and having been told to tidy the place up, he dutifully consigned them to the manure heap.  Some time later, he was told to go and collect the hares and take them to the kitchen — jugged hare was apparently on the menu that day.  Panic set in and he hastily exhumed the bodies and gave them a good hosing down and delivered them to the kitchen.  Apparently all went down well. Who knows what went on below stairs in those days.

Back to John Cheale at Findon Place.  He was a great favourite of the children at nearby Goodwood House parties. Goodwood House remained the home of the Dukes of Richmond, members of one of England's grandest families for 300 years.

Goodwood House is open to the public each summer and visitors may walk the stunning rooms of the opulent mansion — just as John Cheale did when he was being entertained by the 2nd Duke of Richmond's young daughters, the upper class Lennox sisters. The eighteenth century world of the four girls, who were closely bound up with the history and politics of their age, was portrayed in the £6m television drama, "Aristocrats" in 1999. Their life style was far removed from that of the young ladies working at John Cheale's Manor of Findon, or for that matter in the nearby village.

Lady Emilie, daughter of the third Duke of Richmond, who lived in the historic Goodwood House in Sussex during her childhood. The flirtatious young lady had a love of silk stockings and beautiful dresses.

Lady Emilie Lennox, the second daughter of the Duke of Richmond, and the great-granddaughter of King Charles II, reveals some of John Cheale's jolly capers, escapades and character for us. She was obviously smitten with John Cheale. The fourteen-year-old solemnly put her thoughts on paper in the spring of March 1745 and eagerly confided the latest gossip and goings-on to her father, Charles Lennox, who was in London at the time. With a ghost of a smile on her lips as she remembered the encounter she wrote of her mother, the Duchess —

 

... this evening in mama’s room, as he (John Cheale), sat in a very high chair and was pretty warm in discourse, according to usual, we saw him all at once break down the chair and fall with his heels over his head, which set us all a-laughing most prodigiously; but he said the leg of the chair was so weak and he so heavy that that caused his fall.

 

 

The Duchess of Richmond dressed for a Court appearance.

The young lady most likely remembered the look on the Duchess's face at the time of the incident, and left the rest unsaid. Pausing for a moment and looking out of the window, she continued with her narrative concerning John Cheale, whom she thought had a good appetite —

 

I dined with my lady and Cheale today. We waited dinner for Lord Lincoln till past five. Cheale was extremely impatient and I believe never wished so much to see him in his life, but to make it up, besides the quantity he drank at dinner, he dispatched two bottles afterwards while we were drinking coffee... I forgot to tell dear papa that to stay his stomach, Cheale ate a whole roll and drank two bumpers of white wine before dinner.

 

Charles Lennox, the 2nd Duke of Richmond was a proud man and the sole proprietor of the Carlton Hounds from 1731 until his death in 1750 and, no doubt, enjoyed reading his daughter's stories from their country residence in Sussex.

It seems that John Cheale of Findon was a popular and merry old soul keeping the Goodwood house guests and their children well amused with his hilarity and beguiling antics. He was rather more plump than the Duke but was such a genial  and amusing gentleman that there was always a place for him.

The Duke's hounds were often kept in the kennels at Findon so that he and John Cheale met frequently and rode together, the Duke adjusted his normal more thrustful habit of riding to suit his more sedate friend.  The Lord of the Manor of Findon preferred to following the winding tracks over the Downs at a less spectacular speed, usually riding on his favourite hunter named Findon.

Findon Place, the Manor of Findon in the winter of 1999, where John Cheale once lived, and its neighbour, St. John the Baptist Church, where he is buried.

It was on 8th May 1751 that John Cheale of the Manor of Findon and Norroy King at Arms, died. He was the first owner of Findon Place to be buried in the parish (his predecessors having used the property only occasionally and chiefly for sporting forays).

Continue if you would like to read about 1742 and John Cheale's Merry Christmas.

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This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.

E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com