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

Copyright Valerie Martin 2002.

Hephizibah is a biblical name meaning 'my delight is in her (i.e. a new-born daughter)' and is a strange name to turn up in Findon.   Hephizibah Starnes was born in Lewes 1823/4 and married Stephen Stoner of Henfield, born c.1813.  The name of Hephizibah brings me to an emigration story back in December 1852 which resulted in a Findon connection with the Gun Inn.

Back in the days when convicts were transported to Australia, in 1852, Stephen Stoner aged 40, and "Ephizy" Stoner aged 30, undertook a voyage of a lifetime and were unassisted passengers on the ship the QUEEN OF ENGLAND sailing to the other side of the world — Australia.  Their ship docked in Victoria in December of that year as the Public Record Office in Victoria confirms.

They appear to have made a return journey to their home country because by 1861 Stephen and Hephzibah were in Islington with young daughters named Hephzibar aged nine and Alice aged six.  

In 1871, Stephen was the publican of the Hare and Hounds in West Grinstead prior to his death.

Some time before 1881 Hephizibah Stoner was recorded as the licensed victualler at the Gun Inn.  The barmaid was her daughter Alice, born in 1855 in Melbourne, Australia. Minnie Kate was a younger daughter born in 1868 nearer home at Partridge Green and was still a scholar at this time. There were various long-term lodgers at the inn, including George Boswell a 60-year-old labourer, Mary Boswell and John Smith, a 52-year-old labourer.

Continue if you would like to read about George Mayhew at the Gun Inn c.1886-1895.

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