BMD assist in Sussex

[Waitabit]

(1) After sauntering around Sussex yesterday I found on one of the sites referring to E Grinstead, mention that the Church had been burned down & later rebuilt. Is it known where parishioners attended for services, baptisms, Marriages etc during that time? I can't even find the site I first saw it mentioned now.

After finding a Family marriage with batch no.M07056-1 on Family search, I can't find it on 'the Weald site' or Sussex OPC site.

Same thing with Family from 5 or 6 places other than E.Grinstead or Forest Row.

(2) Are the entries on the 'Weald' site only those submitted by families or transcribers?

(3) Is it likely that in 1663 a Mr Tomsett could be written as Mr Tomson for a marriage not in his home place? i.e. Frant?

Any advice to help curb my wandering ways gratefully accepted.

[Jan1954]

Hi Wendy,

(1) After sauntering around Sussex yesterday I found on one of the sites referring to E Grinstead, mention that the Church had been burned down & later rebuilt. Is it known where parishioners attended for services, baptisms, Marriages etc during that time? I can't even find the site I first saw it mentioned now.

Have a read of the paragraph about "Religious Organisations" here: https://en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Grinstead
A number of different churches are mentioned (you didn't say what timescale you were searching in.... )

After finding a Family marriage with batch no.M07056-1 on Family search, I can't find it on 'the Weald site' or Sussex OPC site.

Same thing with Family from 5 or 6 places other than E.Grinstead or Forest Row.

(2) Are the entries on the 'Weald' site only those submitted by families or transcribers?

Short answer - yes. Longer answer - there is a dedicated band of people who have been transcribing documents, but it is nowhere near complete. The thing to remember is also that these are transcriptions and so open to human error. I have found a couple of errors relating to my ancestors and notified them accordingly.

(3) Is it likely that in 1663 a Mr Tomsett could be written as Mr Tomson for a marriage not in his home place? i.e. Frant?

You would need to see what is written in the originals as this also might be a transcription error. However, it would not be unknown for the name to be originally recorded as slightly different as regional accents were stronger back then and people wrote what they heard - or thought they heard!

[Coromandel]

Mark Antony Lower's 'A compendious history of Sussex' says of East Grinstead church that 'The tower of the building was struck by lightning Sept. 6th, 1683; the bells were melted, but the body of the church escaped. A new tower was built the next year, but it was so badly constructed that a little more than a century later, 1785, it fell down and so damaged the nave that it was necessary to pull down the whole fabric.'

The 'Gentleman's Magazine' for 1785 has a detailed account of the collapse of the tower that year:

'The following are the particulars of the falling down of the steeple of the parish church of East-Girnstead [sic], in Sussex :
That stately building, the tower of the parish church of East-Grinstead, was rebuilt in 1684 (the old one having been burnt down by lightning in 1683); but had for some years past been in a state of decay, owing to the want of judgement in the architect, bad workmanship, and worse materials. But within this twelvemonth it hastened very rapidly to its dissolution, by shewing a large crack at the foundation of the north-east angle which passed through the stone stair case contained in that angle, and which led to the top of the tower by winding steps. - A large part of the outside of the foundation of that angle had at several times fallen down which discovered the badness of the materials, being nothing but a case of stone filled up with rubbish, and that stone very indifferent. The bells which were six, and very heavy, and hung in the third loft, had not been rung for some time past, as it was observed they shook the tower very much.

On Saturday the 12th day of November instant, a very considerable quantity of stone fell from the north-west angle, some distance up the tower; this brought near an hundred persons into the church-yard. The stones kept continually falling, and many of them, from the violent pressure, flew from the foundation to a considerable distance, as if thrown from an engine; when another large parcel of stone fell from the same angle, and raised a great dust, which served as a warning to the spectators to keep at a greater distance. The grand crack was then observed to run very fast up the tower, and about a quarter of an hour before two o'clock, it gave some dreadful cracks and stones were heard to fall withinside; when the tower immediately divided north and south at the top, and the north-west minoret tottered for some seconds which together with the south west and south-east minorets fell down almost perpendicularly. The north-east minoret immediately followed; but unfortunately fell on the roof of the church; and driving one pair of rafters against another beat down three pillars out ot the four, and with some large stones which fell from the south- east angle, unroofed almost all the north and middle ailes beyond the pulpit, and beat down one of the pillars in the south aile, in such a manner that the roof there also must be taken off; so that it may fairly be said two thirds of the roof are destroyed by the fall of the north-east minoret, and the stone from the south-east angle. The west part of the tower sinking almost perpendicularly, the stones did not reach so far into tne Church-yard on the west and south sides as might have been expected; so that none of the houses (though very near) were damaged; and providentially no lives lost, though some persons had been both in the church and belfry but a few minutes before, and the master and scholars had just left the school-room, which was adjoining to the steeple, and was also destroyed.

The tower, being very large and of great height fell with the most dreadful noise, and shook the earth to a very considerable distance round the town, and the cloud of dust raised by it was beyond description, insomuch that the spectators could not distinguish any object a foot distance from them. Five of the bells lay on the top of the rubbish, only coverd by the lead of the roof, but the fourth bell was buried some distance, and has since been dug out, and are all whole to appearance; but whether any of them are cracked cannot be determined till they are hung up to give their sound.

The hand of Providence has been very visible in this dreadful calamity; for if it had happened the next day in service-time, it would have been impossible for ten persons to have escaped; for the greatest part of the congregation must have been killed instantly, and almost all the remainder would have been pressed to death by each other endeavouring to make their escape, as there was but one door, and that very small. - Thus fell that beautiful tower, that was the pride and ornament of the whole country round!'

This is interesting but doesn't help with your query about the registers.

However, I see that there is a CD transcript of the East Grinstead parish register:

The description only gives the overall covering dates, but as with many parish registers there may be some gaps in coverage.

[Waitabit]

Thanks Jan, found the history of the fire,:

"St. Swithun's is a church in East Grinstead, West Sussex, England
The site had a church since the 11th century. It was struck by lightning in 1772 and after it was rebuilt by James Wyatt it was opened in 1789."

Just when my person was birthing, Feb. of that year-supposedly. Now I find a person has made changes to his history which included the family of my chappie. Can't find his entry on Familysearch in that area.
Hence further need for another bapt. area. Darn! guess I should just let him bide wherever until he makes it to Bermondsey.

Sussex is a mighty tuff place to get into.
The last time I was able to go to a LDS Library to photocopy of a badly marred entry was not worth the money paid, however now, thanks to Ancestry a better clearer (tidied up) version is to hand.(Lancashire)

I guess I'll just leave several empty spots in my history, after all, who's going to pop in & chat me about it?

[Waitabit]

Coromandel, boy, you bite the bullet don't you. Thank you so much for that. I't certainly impressive now.
I was aware of the C D available having bitten the 'red' bullet & perused its content some time ago, but was unsure if it had the records I needed.
I don't like to give up on a thing unless I'm pale & without notice-able tempo, but this one may just have to go back on the shelf where it has been quite content for 20+ years.

Thanks for a jolly good read.

[sueannbowen]

Coromandel, boy, you bite the bullet don't you. Thank you so much for that. I't certainly impressive now.
I was aware of the C D available having bitten the 'red' bullet & perused its content some time ago, but was unsure if it had the records I needed.
I don't like to give up on a thing unless I'm pale & without notice-able tempo, but this one may just have to go back on the shelf where it has been quite content for 20+ years.

Thanks for a jolly good read.

Hi Wendy, just fiddling about this morning. which marriage were you after?

[Waitabit]

Sueann, top of the mornin' to you & a very happy January also. Glad to hear your manny is on the mend & home, I somehow missed mention of that.

I have now braved up & joined Sussex FHGroup & verified the marriage of Mr Henry Tomson( maybe Tomsett) to Parnel Faireman (of Rotherfield,) on 7th April 1663. poss. baptised 1639 West Peckham in Kent to William FAIREMAN & Elizabeth. (batch) number: C13507-1 sce film no: 992528 A Sister also baptised there a few years earlier.

I'm advised to contact Chichester RO to verify if BTs agree of maybe have Tomsett instead of Tomson.
Got busy transcribing there & haven't yet found Chichester ROffice.

Sometimes am at the computer in short relays, so little things get missed out.
Thanks for the reminder, I'll look it up shortly, thanks for popping in.

[sueannbowen]

Ah, good job, SFHG are amazing and have so much stuff. I was going to have a peek there for you if you hadn't already done it. We are almost certain to be heading for Chichester at some point in the early spring, once himself is feeling a bit more sturdy. I will let you know when and have a look at the BTs and anything else for you while I am there if that would help. I am due to have another go at that branch. I might get over to Maidstone (although last trip there was horrendous) so will let you know also in case you want West Peckham digging up a bit.

Who are you transcribing for?

Oo just checked the Phillimore Atlas and according to that the original Rotherfield registers are held at East Sussex RO not Chichester but I suppose West might have michrofiche.

[Waitabit]

As they- SFHG - have already answered two problem queries for me, I'm transcribing there, I try to repay where I'm helped. Just can't keep up with them all. I really owe Kent some time too.

The marriage was in FRANT, the Bride said to be 'of' Rotherfield. So if her parents were Wm & El'th as above, they or she moved across at some time.
If you like digging, I'd be happy to contribute, West Peckham covered a bit of ground from what I've seen. I shall enquire of the burial register when I stop what I'm doing.