Horsham’s History

Volume 1 – Prehistory to 1790 AD – online

Volume 2 – 1790 – 1880 AD – online

Volume 3 – 1880 to 1913 – online

Volume 4 – 1914 to 1918 – online

Volume 5 – 1919-1939 – online

Common abbreviations:

VCH = Victoria County History Volume 6 part II.

SAC = Sussex Archaeological Collections.

Introduction to Horsham’s History

This work is a general introduction to the history of Horsham. It has taken two years to write whilst working full-time as curator of Horsham museum. It cannot be, because of space, a complete account of the town’s rich and fascinating history, but it attempts to shed a new light on some of its most interesting facets. The work is based on research undertaken by the town’s previous and present historians: notably, William Albery, A. F. Hughes, T. P. Hudson and Susan C. Djabri, as well as eighteen years of research working at Horsham Museum.

What follows is a history of a town based on the evidence that has survived, but the process that led to its survival and the recognition of its importance involve factors which we may not yet fully understand. This does allow us and future historians to come up with new stories to tell, new truths to make absolute and old myths to demolish, which will in their turn be re-written by future generations.

The layout of the book

The book consists of three distinct parts. The main text is a broad narrative to depict the essential background, with additional information on specific subjects in boxes within the main text. Each section is introduced by a brief chronology that was created for the temporary exhibition ‘Naked Horsham’, held in January 2006 to mark the probable date 800 years ago when Horsham received its borough charter. It is called a Naked Chronology, because it is Horsham’s history stripped down, laid bare. At the end of various chapters are short Elaborations which explore certain topics in greater depth.

A General note

The final version of this text was completed in early November 2006. On 4 November, I attended a conference in London where reference was made to a new website that had been launched. Called CCEd – The Clergy of the Church of England Database 1540-1835, it aims to give biographical information about clergy. Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for you, the Sussex section hasn’t been completed; therefore, I could not search the site. However, the reason for mentioning this is that, as soon as this book is published, new research will be made available that will confirm, refute or drastically alter the arguments. This is just one aspect: with the creation of the Web, the potential to explore the new streams of information coming online will explode. On the same day as the conference, I picked up a book about the production of free print and found the background to the Bible Society, the treadmill, as well as anti-slavery publications. There was no reason why a book on free print would answer various Horsham based questions; but it did, and in effect what I am admitting to here is that this can only be a partial story. I know that out there is a wealth of material that is untapped.

This is exciting but also challenging. For example, I haven’t explored in any great depth how people were buried in Horsham, yet we probably know as much, if not more, about burial practices in the town over the centuries than any other area. We can tell from tombstone multiple burials, and what that tells us about the notion of individuality, or the decoration on tombs and the visual and artistic culture of Horsham, and so on. 

One area that I have looked at more than previous historians of the town is, for want of a better expression, the ideas that shaped the action of people. Here, I have used the spread of books as a way of gauging how ideas may have permeated through Horsham society and created a culture. This is one area that will repay (or, require?) a great deal more study that that presented here, but as shown in the text it will repay handsome dividends in being able to put into context actions of Horsham people – particularly in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, if not the 17^th.

A brief note about money

Throughout the book, sums of money are identified. Those born before 1976 will be familiar with, though by now may have forgotten, pre-decimalised money. The following note is by way of explanation:

Before 1971, money in Britain was based on pounds shillings and pence, which itself had its origins in the Anglo Saxon period. There were 20 shillings to the pound and 12 pennies to a shilling. The coins were a crown (5 shillings), half crown (2.5 shillings), shilling, sixpence (.5 shilling), threepence (three pennies), penny, halfpenny, and a farthing (one quarter of a penny).

Napoleon in the 1790s/1800 instituted monetary reform in Europe based on one hundred rather than twelve, but it would be another 170/180 years before Britain followed suit!

At the time of the changeover in 1971, one old penny was equivalent to just under half a new penny; a shilling was equivalent to 5p.

Some coins ceased to be legal tender before the changeover, so the farthing (a quarter of a penny) which was introduced in 1613, ceased to be legal tender in 1960.  The old halfpenny was removed in 1969 and a new halfpenny was introduced to replace the old penny, though that now has ceased to exist. As things became more expensive, the need for very small units of money died out. (It could be argued that rather than things becoming more expensive, the actual value of the money was debased so it could buy less – either way, the effect was the same: you could no longer buy items for the smaller denominations of money).

NOTE I have not produced contemporary values for the sums identified, as:

1. they will date;
2. the Bank of England produces current conversion tables regularly updated to convert values in to modern day equivalents; and
3. by giving a modern-day equivalent it gives it a value that is out of context.

If you do want to know the current-day value there are a number of websites that tell you; including one run by the Bank of England.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people for their help and assistance with this book:

I would like to express my gratitude to Julie Mitchell, a museum volunteer, who undertook the onerous task of proofreading the entire work, looking out for typing, grammatical and spelling errors, and also bringing to my attention things that just didn’t make sense. Julie also spent many hours tiding up the text to get it looking right. The book would not have been possible without her month-long commitment. I would also like thank Laura, who also read through chapters of the work identifying errors.

Dr Hughes has kindly read through the history up to 1600, looking out for major historical blunders. I would also like to thank Sue Djabri, who has on various occasions entered into discussions about arguments I have put forward. Neither of them is responsible for the final draft of the work –  any errors are mine.

In 1988, Horsham District, the progeny of the Local Board whose story is told in the concluding pages of this section, employed me as Curator of Horsham Museum. Without that decision I would not have had the chance or opportunity to explore the rich history of Horsham. If certain Council tax payers feel that the Council should not employ staff to write such publications, fear not; this work was researched, written, edited and indexed in my own time, whilst the work that I have borrowed for exhibitions has also been researched and drafted in my own time, though the editing and converting it into exhibition text was produced within the remit of my curatorial work.

Horsham District Council Reprographics section printed and bound this work, whilst Brenda Brewer designed the layout of the illustrations and the front covers. To them, and to Brenda, I am most grateful.

On a personal note I would like to thank the staff at the Museum for their support in the project. Over the last two years Parker in particular, and Coco, have been constant companions: sitting on photocopies, or swishing their tails and noses across keyboards; cat owners will know the feeling. Having said all of the above, this work would not have been possible without Adrian, who kindly gave up his dining room for me to write the work, never once questioned why I was doing this, and on a fair few occasions rescued me from the cats.

Be to our faults a little blind, And to our merits very kind

• a couplet printed by the Editor of the Albery Journal in 1869.