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

THE FINDON INVENTOR

Copyright Valerie Martin 2000

They have gone, those rumbustious characters who enhanced the Findon scene of the past with their added colour and excitement.  William Frankland was one such interesting person to appear on the village landscape when he established himself at Muntham Court in 1765.  Some may have called him an intellectual, others would describe him merely as an "eccentric".

There was much speculation as to his intentions at the time in the village.   News soon travelled that he was going to devote his life in retirement to designing and operating a variety of mechanical devices. The mansion was in fact to become an amazing practical working museum of his many latest inventions and novelties.

One room in his mansion he gave instructions to be set aside to solely house .... yes, lathes. These were worked by means of a large jack with the direction of the graver or chisel being attached to the apparatus.. This meant that once the invention was up and running, no further manpower was necessary.   A feat quite unknown in those days I guess.  Articles of a most fine and elaborate nature were crafted at Muntham, these ranged from various wood turning for busts, to the most intricate medal designs made from wood.  

Other areas of the property were set aside for William's vast collections of timepieces — he had many clocks and watches.   Plus printing machines and machines created to generate electricity .......and optical aids of every description imaginable.

William had always been most interested in music too but I do not know if he actually played any instruments.   Nevertheless, he did became a collector of a number of musical instruments. Some of these were powered by, or played by machines. The name of Mr. Williamson comes down to us as being the gentleman engaged to tune the Frankland household's harpsichord.

William was also keen on designing machines for the spinning and weaving of lengths of cloth and another large room was reserved for accommodating this spinning and winding gear.   I cannot help but wonder if he was a hands-on inventor and took his jacket off to enjoy the labours of inventing.....or perhaps he let others do as he instructed. 

Muntham Court by this time had been virtually turned into a humming factory. The looms he invented have been variously described as Dutch, large, little, lace, pump, four-shuttle, stocking, slugging and carpet looms. I wonder if there were power looms as well?

Two Findon gents by the names of William Buxton and Mr Mason seem to have been permanently employed at Muntham Court during William Frankland's tenure.   Their labours were connection with the various looms.   A person named Dame Juding was usually to be seen busily occupied at the spinning and I guess she was a Findon inhabitant as well. The output of these looms consisted of general useful mundane household linen items — such as table cloths, towels, dish cloths, sheeting and carpets.  The clothing produced included stockings, night caps, gloves, drawers and rather interesting various designs of gentlemen's waistcoats.   I do wish we had an image of these but will have to imagine them.

How did William acquire some of the raw materials so necessary all year round for his enterprises? No problem.  These were promptly delivered by coach and horses travelling down from London. Some of the finished items then made a return round trip to the capital to be sold. Many of the manufactured pieces were used locally of course and, no doubt, some of the table linen found its way to the meal tables at the Manor of Findon or the Gun Inn and other establishments in the village.

William erected a (some say unsightly) white wooden obelisk that was somehow mysteriously connected with the apparatus necessary with his inventions.  All too technical for me to begin to understand but the structure hardly beautified the mansion beside which it was built.   A later occupier of Muntham Court, Thomas Fitzgerald bodily removed the offending obelisk to the downland above the mansion, and it probably served as a beacon out at sea in the English Channel.   It has long since disappeared also from that more conspicuous lofty position

From the breadth of his interests, it can be assumed that life at rural Muntham at this time was on an intellectual level far above the norm of any nearby country property. It is known that William received regular newspapers (possibly from London as well as from nearby towns) to keep abreast of the news of the day — how he found time to read them is not known. 

Another creation at Muntham Court which, no doubt, dated from William's tenure, was a large painting stored in the cellar.  Who executed this piece of art, I doubt if we will ever know.   The masterpiece depicted a barefooted girl — in fact, her feet were a little on the large size for the rest of her most slender proportions.  She was attired in a somewhat scanty Grecian-style mini dress.  One of her arms supported a tray which she carefully balanced on her head. 

This piece of modern art was the adornment of a mechanically operated shutter for a window set beside the fireplace in the Drawing Room directly above the cellar region.  Being a mechanical genius of his day, it is a good guess that later owners had William to thank for the installed contraption.  It was designed to be most steadily wound up by hand from the cellar by a footman. The gentle rhythmic rumbling sound from the depths of the cellar, and the extremely sudden appearance of the maiden in the Drawing Room, was guaranteed to bring true gasps of utter amazement and delight from any guests being entertained there.  

When not at the drawing-board producing magnificent ideas for his various versatile inventions, it is rather surprising that William found time to be a County Magistrate, but he did.    He also filled the office of High Sheriff for the county in 1782. There was only one landowner in Findon to be High Sheriff before him and that was Sir Harry Goring of Findon Place in 1604.

Continue if you would like to read about the The Muntham Windmill.

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