History of Brighthelmston; or, Brighton as I View it and Others Knew It / With a Chronological Table of Local Events

by John Ackerson Erredge

Transcribed from the 1862 E. Lewis edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

HISTORY
OF
BRIGHTHELMSTON
OR
Brighton as I View it and others Knew it,
WITH A
CHRONOLOGICAL
TABLE OF LOCAL EVENTS.

By JOHN ACKERSON ERREDGE,

(Author of “The Students’ Hand Book,” &c.)

BRIGHTON:
PRINTED BY E. LEWIS, “OBSERVER” OFFICE, 52a, NORTH STREET.

1862.

PREFACE.

The publication of the History of Brighton had proceeded, with the most gratifying success, through ten monthly numbers, when it was suddenly interrupted by the lamented decease of the Author—Mr. J. A. Erredge. Death came upon him, not stealthily, but in its most awful form. It surprised him literally at the desk. Whilst talking cheerfully to the publisher, the hand of Death was laid upon him, and he fell dead to the ground;—the ink of these pages was still wet whilst the Author was extended on the floor a corpse. So terrible an occurrence for a brief space delayed the publication of the work, but fortunately for the family of the author, the MS. was nearly completed, and his sons were enabled, from the materials left by their lamented father, to compile the few last pages and send the two concluding numbers through the press. The History of Brighton is now completed, and whatever shortcomings may be detected in the two concluding numbers, which had not the advantage of being corrected by the Author, will no doubt be pardoned by a generous public.

CONTENTS.

Chapter		Page.
I.	The Romans at Brighton	[1]
II.	Situation, Soil, Geology, and Climateof Brighton	[5]
III.	The Etymology, and Early History ofBrighton	[11]
IV.	After the Conquest, to 1513	[15]
V.	Ancient and Modern Government of theTown	[21]
VI.	The Book of all the “AuncientCustoms.”	[26]
VII.	The Tenantry Lands	[45]
VIII.	The Bartholomews	[50]
IX.	The Workhouse	[62]
X.	The Attack on Brighthelmston by theFrench, in 1545	[61]
XI.	Fortifications of the Town	[63]
XII.	The Incursions of the Sea on theTown	[73]
XIII.	The Dower of Ann Cleves	[80]
XIV.	The Parish Church, St.Nicholas	[82]
XV.	Dr. Vicesimus Knox and the SurreyMilitia	[92]
XVI.	The Old Churchyard	[102]
XVII.	Martyrdom of Deryk Carver	[118]
XVIII.	The Escape of Charles II.	[124]
XIX.	Persecutions for Conscience’sake	[134]
XX.	The Birds and their Haunts in theNeighbourhood of Brighton	[139]
XXI.	The Wild Flowers and Mosses aboutBrighton	[158]
XXII.	Brighton Camp and the Tragedies ofGoldstone Bottom	[168]
XXIII.	The Steine and itsTributaries	[182]
XXIV.	The Theatres	[206]
XXV.	Brighton from its simplicity to itspresent renown	[217]
XXVI.	The Marine Pavilion and itsoccupants	[251]
XXVII.	On and about theRace-course	[280]
XXVIII.	Past and Present Pastimes	[295]
,,	The Historical Street of theTown	[329]
XXIX.	The Public Institutions, Charities,and Endowments	[336]
XXX.	Churches and Chapels	[359]
XXXI.	Hove and Cliftonville	[371]