This is Findon — www.findonvillage.com  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

CRIMES CONNECTED WITH FINDON IN THE 1600s AND 1700s

Copyright Valerie Martin 2002

A gentleman named Thomas Wheeler carried out the first local crime I have been able to discover in the 1600s.   One Saturday he had travelled over the downland to the community of Saddlescombe in the Parish of Newtimber and here he rounded up two sheep not belonging to him.   Another named Robert Porter, in fact, owned them.   Thomas Wheeler drove them away from their rough weather quarters, together with their two lambs, and headed for Findon. The date was 10th March 1601.  In all the creatures were accounted to be worth 13s. 4d.

Four months later the Findon man confessed to his crime at East Grinstead on 13th July 1601.  The prisoner was allowed clergy.

Another local crime came to court on Friday, 24th February 1612 when Joan Gillam, who was described as a spinster of Findon, was indicted for grand larceny. 

The year before she had broken into the house of Joan Ongley on 16th October 1611 and there she had stole a pair of sheets worth 8s, a peck of wheat worth 6d, a smock worth 3s and 3 lbs. of wool worth 4s.  In all, it was quite a little haul.

She was found guilty.

The Muntham Estate during the 1700s covered considerable acreage and included land at Cobden Farm, which was also part of William Frankland’s estate in Findon.    William was a notable landowner and I think he was one of the most intriguing characters to have carved a slot in the history of the village.  There will never be another quite like him I can guarantee, as he was an ingenious inventor of many mechanical devices.  

I have unearthed a few crimes committed during his tenure in Findon (some you may consider as petty).   Starting in the winter of 1794, the son of a Mr. Fuller of the adjacent parish of Sullington, took the liberty of shooting a hare at Cobden.   His father came immediately the next day (Tuesday 18^th February 1794) to apologise to William at Muntham Court for having killed the hare on his land.

Another apology for a different offence was offered to William on Saturday, 26th July 1794,Saturday, 26th July 1794, when a Mr. Hards came cap in hand to the mansion to ask pardon for cutting turf on Washington New Common. 

Three days later on Tuesday, Tuesday, 29th July 1794,  Mr. Jeffrey described as a maltser, came to Muntham it is recorded  “upon the same business”. 

William was, no doubt, accessible when he arrived.  His instructions to his employees were always most clear and he made sure that all of his servants knew that —

“Master is to be spoke with whether Company is with him or not, the person coming on Business”.“

By now, I cannot help wondering whether William may have been growing just a little peeved at the petty felonies conducted on his Findon land.   The misdemeanours did not end there.

Mr. Gravely of Storrington, Mr. Stoveld of Steyning, Mr. Satchell and a Mr. Jeffrey were four different merchants who supplied Muntham Court with beer in those days.  It is strange to note that all of these retailers had occasion in 1794 to apologise to William Frankland for mistakenly cutting his turf.   All very strange and I cannot help but wonder what it was all about.

Continue if you would like to read about the Chicken in the Basket in 1605 in Findon.

THIS IS FINDON — was launched in January 1999 and will grow to be a historical record of life in Findon, West Sussex, U.K.