This website created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

Robert Cholmeley's home during during his tenure as vicar of Findon. The photograph depicts the Rectory c. 1910.

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF ROBERT CHOLMELEY — 1867

Copyright Valerie Martin 1999.

First published in Along the Furlong in October 1999.

Doctor Robert Cholmeley arrived in the quiet rural village of Findon in 1859 as vicar at the church of St. John the Baptist. I expect that there were somewhat unattractive buildings sprawling along the Victorian main street during that era. The Reverend took up residence at the more distinguished Rectory (now the Findon Manor Hotel) where the trees and gardens gave way to rolling meadowland. To reach the church he would have walked the shadowy Church Avenue where the trees spanned the track like triumphal arches.

Church Avenue — as it was early in the twentieth century.

I have found that in 1866 the restoration of Findon Church commenced under the guidance of Reverend Cholmeley and was carried out along the designs of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The work continued throughout that year and the whole of the next. The church was extensively restored beyond recognition during this time. Many earlier embellishments were removed at this point, including the west gallery, fixed pews, pulpit, and a ceiling that had been installed over the nave and aisles.

An old photograph of the interior of the church (date not yet determined).

 

The following is how Kelly's Post Office Directory of 1867 describes Findon....

 

From Kelly's Post Office Directory of Essex, Herts, Middlesex, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, 1867

FINDON (or FINDEN) is a pleasant village, 53 miles south-south-west from London, 4½ south-west from Steyning, and 5 north from Worthing, in a valley of the Downs, in the Western division of the county, Brightford hundred, Worthing county court district, rape of Bramber, Thakeham union, diocese and archdeaconry of Chichester, and rural deanery of Storrington. The church is of a date prior to the Conquest, and was subsequently dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The earliest register dates from January l0th, 1556, old style. The living is a vicarage, in the gift of Magdalen College, Oxford (who grant a lease of their rectorial house, glebe and tithes to the vicar), of the gross annual value of £750, net value £500; the Rev. Robert Cholmeley, D.D., of Magdalen College, Oxford, is the vicar. The principal houses are Muntham Court, the seat and property of the Dowager Marchioness of Bath; Findon Place, the property of Richard Spencer Hall, Esq.; and Cissbury, the property and residence of H. Wyatt, Esq. J.P. Cissbury Hill, the site of an ancient encampment, both Celtic and Saxon, as well as Roman, is in this parish. A fair for sheep, &c., is held on the 14th September, and a lamb fair on the 12th July. Here is a Parochial school. Area of the parish, 4,336 acres; the population in 1861 was 655.

NORTH END, one mile north, is a hamlet of this parish.

Parish Clerk, William Moore.

POST OFFICE.- Alfred Hewett, receiver. Letters from Worthing arrive at 8 a.m.; dispatched at 6 p.m. The nearest money order office is at Worthing.

Parochial School, Miss Elizabeth Bull, mistress

 

Barttelot Capt. J.P. Bryan, Findon Place
Bath Dowager Marchioness of, Muntham house
Bright Mr. John
Cholmeley Rev. Robt. D.D. Rectory
Holmes Mrs
Lewis Mrs
Liptrott Rev. James, M.A.
Naish Mr. George, Kingswood villa
Thynne Lord Henry, Muntham house
Symons Mr
Williams Major-General Montgomery, The Cottage
Wyatt Hugh, esq. J.P. Cissbury
Beach Henry, veterinary surgeon
Brown Martha (Mrs.), blacksmith
Bush William, baker
Churchill Edmund & John, shoe makers
Comber Martha (Mrs.), shopkeeper
Cooper Hewlett John, farmer
Goater William, training stables
Graves James. coal dealer
Hampton George, farmer
Hard George. farmer
Holmes George, beer retailer
Holmes William, shoe maker
Howell Sarah (Mrs.), butcher
Miles James, bricklayer
Moodie Jane (Mrs.), Gun inn
Nicholls George, beer retailer
Piper Robert, grocer
Ratley George, shoe maker
Sayers Edmund & Henry, millers

 

1867 started inauspiciously until certain events took place that were to go down in the history of Findon — the cricket club was formed; a horse won the Derby and a skeleton was discovered.

Cricket has been played since early times in Findon. In fact, the first match I can discover, (and no doubt there were earlier ones), was played at Findon with the Horsham cricket team in the August of 1773.

On the occasion of another match, (Wednesday 18th June 1794), two workers by the names of Dick and Thorp sloped off from Findon's Muntham Court. They were to be discovered absent from their duties watching the cricket. This is known because it is recorded that they sadly missed out on the distribution of beer that afternoon at the mansion.

The popularity of village cricket in Findon was evident and no wonder the Findon Cricket Club was formed in 1867. The elected Treasurer being William Goater Senior and J. P. Millen was the Secretary. The Committee members were well-known village names, E. Burchell; A. Hewett; James Carter; Walter Brown; (the blacksmith's son and later owner of the cycle shop); and Albert Short Junior (the son of Albert Short of Findon Farm in the Square). The team played, as they do today, on one of the most picturesque pitches in the country by courtesy of the Findon Place Estate. The site, known as Kennel Bottom, received its name from the nearby Kennels where the foxhounds were lodged on the Manor of Findon Estate.

Continuing with sport in Findon — a rich chestnut horse with a dash of white with the name of Hermit had been in training on the springy Findon gallops. He was trained at the Downs Stables under William Goater before being transferred to another racing establishment. When Hermit went on to win the Derby in a freak snowstorm in 1867, the grateful owner presented William Goater, (who had by now moved his training stable to Michelgrove off Long Furlong), with a gift of money. The trainer invested the money wisely by building a row of six cottages. The new terrace, running at a right angle to the High Street, was built on a parcel of land that until then had been occupied it is said, "by three black huts" — on the opposite site of the High Street to Doctor Cholmeley’s home. The development became known as Hermit Terrace. There were no houses close to the new terrace in those days, just a green meadow.

 It was also in the year 1867 that Colonel A. H. Lane Fox climbed the Cissbury Ring escarpment and began exploratory digging high on the slopes. He excavated deep into one of the ancient Neolithic pits and came to a mineshaft (although at the time he was not aware of its significance). He found a gallery running under the rampart and ditch — the roof of the gallery being only some 3ft. beneath the ditch. The news was soon heard in Findon and everyone was amazed when a skeleton of a woman was unearthed. It was later revealed that she was aged between 25-30, her height was 4 ft. 9 in., and she was positioned head downwards in a shaft under the ditch. Her head was detached and the lower jaw had dropped on the poor Colonel Fox as he was crawling along a tunnel. It was determined later that the skeleton's arms were on the short side due to infantile paralysis.

With all the local excitement and activity, Findon was not such a quiet place as Robert Cholmeley had first envisaged. Obviously the most important happening for him was the completion of his church restoration. The work was finally carried out at a total cost of £2,500 and included the sheathing of the whole of the old exterior with the magnificent dressed flints seen today. The result was officially completed on 9th July 1867, and from then on the church gave seating for 394 worshippers.

Robert Cholmeley's grave in the churchyard at St. John the Baptist Church, Findon.

Robert Cholmeley died thirteen years later, in 1880 and is buried in the churchyard of the church where he preached. 

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