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

THE FINDON COMMUTER

Copyright Valerie Martin 2002

First published in the Findon News, June 2002.

In January 2002 I heard from Tom Lyall, an architect in Bangkok, who had stumbled across my website.   This sent me on a quest for further information into the Lyall family that had lived in Findon in the 1800s.

The surname of Lyall was as well known in its day on the Scottish borders as it was later in Findon.  John Lyall (1752-1805) was born in Scotland and had a good education but little else when he departed from his father's farm in Ayton, Berwickshire and ventured south to start a business in London. He took an interest in the coastal trade of the day and set out in search of fame and fortune.  Trading was a gamble as well as an exciting and lucrative business during the American War of Independence as well as during the French Revolution.  Many lost money and few gained. 

The astute Scotsman was on a winning streak and one of the fortunate ones and he prospered and founded his family firm.  As his shipping concern grew, besides purchasing a London home, he also bought a small estate in Findon occupying what some might describe as bold corner position.  His property was situated opposite the Gun Inn where at that time cockfights were still being conducted on the land at the rear.  As I have been unable to trace an earlier owner of the property, maybe John Lyall had the house built.  The name given to his property at that period has evaded me but in the twentieth century it later became known as Grey Point.

The Findon society that the immigrant Scottish shipowner entered was essentially an agricultural one worked by yeoman farmers, husbandmen and both free and copyhold tenants.  The agricultural labourers were very poor, but perhaps their lot in Findon was not as bad as that of many other farm workers in Britain.  The type of farming practised in eighteenth century Findon was sheep/corn husbandry; the sheep, usually small with no horns and producing a short staple wool, being kept primarily in order to manure the ground for grain crops. 

John Lyall was a gentleman of some means and an energetic one at that.  He conducted his business affairs from the village and rode up country to the city on horseback.   It is reputed that he habitually covered the distance to London (some fifty miles), in a morning’s ride.  My guess is that he started quite early to do this and can be imagined heading north out of the village at a collected canter before the dawn light rose over Cissbury Ring.

John Lyall died on 10th December 1805 at the age of 54 years.

Findon's communications with the outside world were improving around this time.  The increase in local road traffic encouraged the completion in 1806 of the “new” Ashington to Worthing turnpike road through the village.  Instead of there being only one coach every other weekday during the season and a weekly wagon to London, there was soon to be a regular daily service throughout the year.  The local aristocracy lent money to the trustees at an agreed rate of interest for the road construction, such being secured upon the tolls and duties arising from the use of the roads.  John Lyall dug into his coffers, and along with William Frankland of Muntham Court in Findon, lent money for this novel enterprise.  It is interesting to note that in his will Frankland bequeathed the money that he had subscribed to the Steyning and Worthing turnpike roads (which amounted to the large sum of £500) to William Wallace, described as a Findon yeoman. 

At some point, the Lyall family donated the glass for the east window in the chancel of St. John the Baptist Church in Findon and my guess is that it was during John's lifetime.  The window was later replaced by glass given by Harriet the 3rd Marchioness of Bath (1804-1892) who lived at Muntham Court.   The original Lyall glass was then re-set in a window designed by the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott for the south wall of the south transept. 

John Lyall married a girl from an old Scottish family, Jane Comyn (1755-1824).  They had a large family of seven and when John died he had five sons surviving him.  More of John Lyall's descendants selected the church for their livelihood than any other occupation. There is a tablet on one of the pillars between the nave and the aisle in St. John the Baptist Church in memory of  him (and his son George and both their wives). 

Continue to read about George Lyall (1779-1853) in Men of Influence.

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