Horsham’s History – latest volume added

Interested in Horsham’s ‘riot’ of 1830, or want to find out about the town’s ‘forgotten’ son, economist Sir George Paish?

Thanks to an ongoing project by the Museum Friends, you can discover more fascinating facts about Horsham as the second volume of former Curator Jeremy Knight’s extensive history has been added to the website.

Volume 2 includes the years 1790 – 1880 and holds a wealth of intriguing details about the town and its surroundings.

Jeremy had this volume published in 2006 but, sadly, the costs of publication have soared over the years and it’s no longer viable to reprint his books.

However, the Friends have agreed to put them on their website so they can be viewed by the public.

They are a great source of information for anyone undertaking any local historical research.

Volume 2 includes the intriguing story of Horsham’s John Pilford, who was Warnham-born poet Percy Bysshe Shelley’s uncle.

Pilford became a captain in Nelson’s fleet and fought at the Battle of Trafalgar!

There’s also an explanation about why women were sold by their husbands in a period when many folk struggled to hold a marriage together, both financially and emotionally.

As with Volume 1, we have separated the many footnotes on to a separate page to make for an easier reading experience.

If you want to read more then you can go to our dedicated Horsham History page and click on Volume 2 or check out the first volume.