Buxted Treacle Mines

For more on treacle mining see - http://www.treacleminer.com/docs/buxtedtreacle.htm and

http://www.treacleminer.com/

Buxted  - Centre for Iron and Armaments ?

The Wealdon iron industry, based on local iron ore, water and wood, has left its marks all over this area but often you have to be made aware of them before you notice them. The industry was already flourishing during the Roman occupation and had its heyday in the 16th and early 17thC. Ralph Hogge of Buxted made the first iron cannon in 1543 and Sussex guns and Sussex shot helped to defeat the Armada. Besides domestic firegrates and the like, Sussex iron was used for the railings of St Paul's Cathedral in London, for milestones and even for grave-'stones'. The industry brought wealth to a region that was ideally suited for the production of iron: ironstone and wood were abundant, and there were plenty of streams to drive the machinery and act as coolant. For hundreds of years it looked as if there would never be an end to the prosperity. But when timber for the furnaces finally became scarce and coal, discovered in the Midlands, proved to work better in the smelting process than the Sussex charcoal, the industry eventually moved north.

Nan Tuck

The village used to have a good ghost story. Nan Tuck, who had murdered her husband, escaped from the authorities and after her death haunted the old lane towards Rotherfield. Alas, she hasn't been sighted for donkey's years now. but there is still a Nan Tuck's Lane at Potter's Green. 

Beating The Bounds

Another sad loss is the custom of Beating the Bounds on Ascension Day Beating the Bounds. As early as the 8thC parishes had processions in which the priest went round, noting and confirming the boundaries by striking certain points with rods, and sometimes beating boys with willow wands to make them remember. Scriptures were read at places like a Gospel Oak. It was a community festival, and part of the so called Rogation Days, the three days before Ascension Day on which favours were asked from various saints. Cross Days was another term, since besides boughs and flowers crosses were also carried round the parish boundaries. After the Reformation, when the processions were officially banned, the festivities dwindled to just 'beating the bounds' on Ascension Day. It was very useful of course to preserve the memory of the boundaries in the days before good maps. Recent attempts to revive the old custom have often not been taken seriously. 

The Incredible Moving Buxted ?

Most amazing about Buxted is perhaps the fact that it wasn't always where it is now. It moved! This happened in the 1830's and had to do 'With the lords of Buxted Park. The present house in the park was built in 1725, with the village quite near. Lord Liverpool, who owned the place from 1814 onwards, thought it was too near and wanted to enlarge his garden, following the fashion of the time. His solution was as simple as it was radical: the village was moved to its present position outside the grounds. Only St Margaret's church remains inside and can be reached through the park gate next to Hogge House, by public right of wav. Moving a village for the sake of a landscape garden is not unique, by the way: the loveliest example is Milton Abbas in Dorset and also Parham in West Sussex, where something similar happened. Buxted Park House itself saw many famous and some royal faces when it was still a private house. In 1940 it was gutted by fire and the top story was never replaced. The grounds beyond the customary ha-ha cover 312 acres, with two lakes. 

Buxted Willow-Herb by Charles Rennie-Mackintosh

Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) architect, designer and artist is celebrated around the world today as one of the most significant talents to emerge in the period which spans from the mid 1890s to the late 1920s. Most of his surviving work can be found in or around Glasgow and at the CRM Society.

In June 1913 Mackintosh's partnership with Honeyman Keppie dissolved owing to lack of work, but also as a result of increasing disagreement with his fellow partners. Charles became depressed and together with Margaret moved to Suffolk.

It was here that Mackintosh produced some of his finest pencil and watercolour paintings of flowers. Not only were they exquisitely drawn - but they were botanically accurate.

The Mackintoshs moved to Chelsea soon afterward, where his flower paintings developed in the form of still life compositions. Mackintosh became a successful freelance textile designer.

This is a quotation from a Mackintosh lecture in 1902 

Beware Travelers from London

A Buxted resident, a lady called Frances Hall, who

"travelled down from London by stage coach, and alighting at Maresfield (the coach obviously going on to Lewes) one Christmas evening"-it was probably Christmas Eve-"had the strange experience of being accompanied (to Buxted) by a courteous and kindly old gentleman, who made the peculiar and disconcerting request that she should refrain from speaking throughout the journey. On taking leave of her, he complimented her on her silence, saying she was the first woman he had ever met who could hold her tongue. His identity remained a mystery to her, but it has since been suggested that it may have been William Wordsworth, the poet, paying a visit to his brother, Christopher, who was Rector of Buxted at that time."

This story was told by Mrs. Charles Wood, the lady's niece, and is recorded in the "Women's Institute Book for Buxted." It is entirely in keeping with the nature of the poet. His wife once observed that she. was used to distract his attention suddenly because he was in the habit of staying so still, that seemingly he would forget to breathe, so injuring his health in such fits of deep abstraction. He had lived for so long in the depths of the Lake Country, roaming its solitudes and recesses and peaks, that often, particularly when composing, he would sit perfectly still in suspended animation. We know he was in Buxted in 1831; and he probably came south many times during his brother's long Incumbency here. A room in the Old Rectory is traditionally associated with him (the first on the right at the top of the stairs), and he doubtless found inspiration in the beauty of the Garden and in our superb countryside.

During the Second World War 1939-45.

the Royal Society of Arts, together with its valuable Library of books and records, was housed in Buxted Park, by kind permission of Mr. and Mrs. lonides.

1940.
The Mansion of Buxted Park was this year burnt down. It was re-built to the designs of Mr. Basil lonides, and in its new form was the subject of an article in "Country Life" which was lavishly illustrated in colour and monochrome. This present house has been visited by Royalty on many occasions, Queen Mary very frequently gracing the Park with her presence, and also Princess Margaret and Prince Charles and Princess Anne; the Earl of Athlone and his wife Princess Alice also often coming. It was often visited by musicians of the highest class, such as the world famous 'cellist, Madame Suggia, and the equally great pianist, Harold Samuel, the finest exponent of the music of Bach of this century-what a combination was there!

A Long Connection with Scouting

1889 saw the Baptism in Buxted Church of Olave St. Clair Soames, who was born on February 22nd and baptized on April 28th. She became Lady Baden Powell, and the only World Chief Guide, as well as the wife of the Founder of the Boy Scout Movement. We are rightly proud of Buxted Church's close connection with this great lady and patriot, who has done so much for the general well-being, and spiritual and physical nurture, of girls of nearly all nations. 

Smuggling

Buxted and district was apparently on some route used by smugglers taking contraband from the port of Newhaven, and it is said that Half Anker Lane, which runs from Potter's Green to Blackboys, owes its name to the habit of the smugglers throwing over a hedge alongside the farmer's property here, a small keg of spirits-about four and a half gallons-as a bribe to ensure silence regarding the tramping of heavily-laden ponies moving by night toward the capital. No, doubt the farmer, instead of informing on the nefarious trade, picked up the keg in the morning, with complacent gratitude. And why the name? Because such a small keg was known as a Half Anker! (Anker was a Dutch measure, much in use at this time).

Darts Born in Buxted

There were two old Inns in Buxted, "Ye Olde Eight Bells"- and "The White Hart."  The former was built in the year 1332, and was a notable place for the hiding of smuggled goods. Apparently there was (and still is presumably) a well that goes down to the astonishing depth of 185 feet, and has at the bottom a cavern which, to use the words of an earlier landlord, would take a coach and horses in it. No doubt this was the cavern used to store the contraband casks of liquor. The same landlord also claimed that this Inn was the very first in all England in which the game of Darts was played; only the darts were smaller than those in use nowadays, and were blown from blow pipes on to the board. 

Buxted Chickens - save the world from Communism says Oliver Letwin

Often, people of a certain age I meet know the name of Buxted - but in the context of Buxted Chickens which were widely sold and advertised in the 60's and 70's.

Buxted Chickens was the idea of Anthony Fisher. This former Battle of Britain pilot turned stockbroker turned farmer  went on to make his fortune by introducing factory farming of chickens on the American model to Britain. His company, Buxted Chickens, changed the diet of his fellow countrymen, and made him rich. He set up the Institute of Economic Affairs in 1955. 

His initial experiments in factory farming had taken place in a disused cowshed in Buxted. But this was to be replaced by four environmentally controlled chicken sheds for 100,000, each with a new cottage for a farm manager and assistant manager. On its launch, Buxted Chickens had confined its operations to rearing, plucking and chilling the birds, but by the end of 1957 the company, which was now handling 25,000 birds a week, also eviscerated, froze and packaged them. At the company's floatation in 1962 with a capitalization of £7 million, it was running three processing plants, to which three more were to be added.

By 1964 Buxted was producing 500,000 birds a week and Antony could claim to be Britain's, and probably Europe's, biggest chicken farmer and a rich man. Others gained, too. While most meat prices had soared, that of chicken fell--from £3 8p a pound at Buxted's launch to less than half that ten years later--with the result that chicken was becoming the most frequently served meat.

Other businessmen--some vastly richer than Fisher--have used their wealth and influence to pursue political goals, often through ownership of the media, sometimes by seeking a direct impact on political parties, or, like James Goldsmith and Ross Perot, by starting their own. Some of these were blessed with more penetrating intellectual gifts--though Fisher was an intelligent and able man--or with greater powers of persuasion or personal magnetism. It is difficult to think of any whose influence has been as pervasive or who pursued his task more single-mindedly, more persistently, over 40 years, and with such scant regard to personal fame or advantage.

Despite the early Buxted success, Fisher's life was marked by adversity and personal tragedy (such as losing his father, brother and two close cousins in war, and suffering bouts of depression and later commercial failures). In all, however, his story illustrates not only the power of ideas but also the decisive role of an essentially private individual.

From Forbes Magazine - the following recent tribute from Oliver Letwin, a brilliant young Conservative politician rising in the party hierarchy who showed a rare understanding of Fisher's role--may actually have underestimated his influence: "Without Fisher, no IEA (Institute of Economic Affairs); without the IEA and its clones, no Thatcher and quite possibly no Reagan; without Reagan, no Star Wars; without Star Wars, no economic collapse of the Soviet Union. Quite a chain of consequences for a chicken farmer!" - well what do you expect from a brilliant young conservative ????

The Sussex Calculator - George Watson

Extract from Horsfield's History of Sussex
George Watson, the Sussex Calculator. This singular being, who, in every thing but his extraordinary powers of memory and calculation, is almost idiotic, was born at Buxted, in Sussex, in 1785, and has followed the occupation of a labourer. He is ignorant in the extreme, and uneducated, not being able to read or write; and yet he can with facility perform some of the most difficult calculations in arithmetic. The most extraordi­nary circumstance, however, is the power he possesses of recollecting the events of every day, from an early period of his life. Upon being asked what day of the week a given day of the month occurred, he immediately names it, and also mentions where he was, and what was the state of the weather. A gentleman who had kept a diary, put many questions of this kind to him, and his replies were invariably correct. Watson has made two or three tours into Hampshire, Gloucestershire, and Somersetshire, and has exhibited his singular powers in the principal towns in those counties; is familiar with every town, village, and hamlet in Sussex; can tell the num­ber of churches, public-houses, &c., in each. Phrenologists, who have examined George’s skull, state the organ of numbers to be strongly developed.

If you have any interesting or funny anecdotes about Buxted, and would like to share them with fellow villagers via this WebSite, then please e-mail them to me, @ mailto:p.coxon@btinternet.co.uk

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