Highways and Byways in Sussex Part 23

"August 1st, 1785. There was a cricket match at Lingfield Common between Lingfield in Surrey and all the county of Suss.e.x, supposed to be upwards of 2,000 people.

"June 29th, 1786. Went to Lewes with some wool to Mr. Chatfield, fine wool at 8-5-0 per pack. Went to dinner with Mr. Chatfield. Had boiled Beef, Leg of Lamb and plum Pudden. Stopped there all the afternoon. Mr. Pullin was there; Mr. Trimby and the Curyer, &c., was there. We had a good deal of religious conversation, particularly Mr. Trimby.

"June 11th, 1787. Spent 3 or 4 hours with some friends in Conversation upon Moral and religious Subjects; the inquiry was the most easy and natural evedences of ye existence and attributes of ye supream Being--in discussing upon the Subject we was nearly agreed and propose meeting again every first monday after the fool Moon to meet at 4 and break-up at 8.

"March 14th, 1788. Went to Fryersoake to a Bull Bait to Sell My dog. I seld him for 1 guineay upon condition he was Hurt, but as he received no Hurt I took him back again at the same price. We had a good dinner; a round of Beef Boiled, a good piece roasted, a Lag of Mutton and Ham of Pork and plum pudden, plenty of wine and punch.

"At Brightelmstone:--washed in ye sea."

CHAPTER XXII

CUCKFIELD

Hayward's Heath--Rookwood and the fatal tree--Timothy Burrell and his account books--Old Suss.e.x appet.i.tes--Plum-porridge--A luckless lover--The original Merry Andrew--Ancient testators--Bolney's bells--The splendour of the Slaugham Coverts--Hand Cross--Crawley and the new discovery of walking--Lindfield--_Idlehurst_--Richard Turner's epitaph--Ardingly.

Hayward's Heath, on the London line, would be our next centre were it not so new and suburban. Fortunately Cuckfield, which has two coaching inns and many of the signs of the leisurely past, is close by, in the midst of very interesting country, with a church standing high on the ridge to the south of the town, broadside to the Weald, its spire a landmark for miles. Cuckfield Place (a house and park, according to Sh.e.l.ley, which abounded in "bits of Mrs. Radcliffe") is described in Harrison Ainsworth's _Rookwood_. It was in the avenue leading from the gates to the house that that fatal tree stood, a limb of which fell as the presage of the death of a member of the family. So runs the legend.

Knowledge of the tree is, however, disclaimed by the gatekeeper.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Cuckfield Church._]

[Sidenote: THE COACHMAN'S PLANS]

Ockenden House, in Cuckfield, has been for many years in the possession of the Burrell family, one of whom, Timothy Burrell, an ancestor of the antiquary, left some interesting account books, which contain in addition to figures many curious and sardonic entries and some ingenious hieroglyphics. I quote here and there, from the Suss.e.x Archaeological Society's extracts, by way of ill.u.s.trating the life of a Suss.e.x squire in those days, 1683-1714:--

1705. "Pay'd Gosmark for making cyder 1 day, whilst John Coachman was to be drunk with the carrier's money, by agreement; and I pay'd 2_d._ to the glasyer for mending John's cas.e.m.e.nt broken at night by him when he was drunk.

"1706. 25th March. Pd. John Coachman by Ned Virgo, that he may be drunk all the Easter week, in part of his wages due, __1."

[Sidenote: ANCIENT APPEt.i.tES]

This was the fare provided on January 1, 1707, for thirteen guests:--

Plumm pottage. Plumm pottage.

Calves' head and bacon. Boiled beef, a clod.

Goose. Two baked puddings.

Pig. Three dishes of minced Plumm pottage. pies.

Roast beef, sirloin. Two capons.

Veale, a loin. Two dishes of tarts.

Goose. Two pullets.

Plum porridge, it may interest some to know, was made thus: "Take of beef-soup made of legs of beef, 12 quarts; if you wish it to be particularly good, add a couple of tongues to be boiled therein. Put fine bread, sliced, soaked, and crumbled; raisins of the sun, currants and pruants two lbs. of each; lemons, nutmegs, mace and cloves are to be boiled with it in a muslin bag; add a quart of red wine and let this be followed, after half an hour's boiling, by a pint of sack. Put it into a cool place and it will keep through Christmas."

Mr. Burrell giving a small dinner to four friends, offered them

Pease pottage.

2 carps. 2 tench. Roast leg of mutton.

Capon. Pullet. Apple pudding.

Fried oysters. Goos.

Baked pudding. Tarts. Minced pies.

It is perhaps not surprising that the host had occasionally to take the waters of Ditchling, which are no longer drunk medicinally, or to dose himself with hierae picrae.

One more dinner, this time for four guests, who presumably were more worthy of attention:--

A soup take off.

Two large carps at the upper end.

Pidgeon pie, salad, veal ollaves, Leg of mutton, and cutlets at the lower end.

Three rosed chickens.

Scotch pancakes, tarts, asparagus.

Three green gees at the lower end.

In the room of the chickens removed, Four-souced Mackerel.

Rasins in cream at the upper end.

Calves' foot jelly, dried sweetmeats, calves' foot jelly.

Flummery, Savoy cakes.

Imperial cream at the lower end.

In October, 1709, Mr. Burrell writes in Latin: "From this time I have resolved, as long as the dearth of provisions continues, to give to the poor who apply for it at the door on Sundays, twelve pounds of beef every week, on the 11th of February 4lbs. more, in all 16lbs., and a bushel of wheat and half a bushel of barley in 4 weeks."

[Sidenote: MERRY ANDREW]

From Borde Hill to the north-east of Cuckfield, is supposed to have come Andrew Boord, the original Merry Andrew. Among the later Boords who lived there was George Boord, in whose copy of _Natura Brevium_ and _Tenores Novelli_, bound together (given him by John Sackville of Chiddingly Park) is written:--

Sidera non tot habet Celum, nec flumina pisces, Quot scelera gerit femina mente dolos.

Dixit Boordus;

which Mr. Lower translates:

Quoth Boord, with stars the skies abound, With fish the flowing waters; But far more numerous I have found The tricks of Eve's fair daughters.

This Boord would be a relative of the famous Andrew, priest, doctor and satirist (1490-1549) who may indeed have been the author of the distich above. It is certainly in his vein.

Andrew Boord gave up his vows as a Carthusian on account of their "rugorosite," and became a doctor, travelling much on the Continent.

Several books are known to be his, chief among them the _Dyetary_ and _Brevyary of Health_. He wrote also an _Itinerary of England_ and is credited by some with the _Merrie Tales of the Mad Men of Gotham_. Lower and Horsfield indeed hold that the Gotham intended was not the Nottinghams.h.i.+re village but Gotham near Pevensey, where Boord had property. That he knew something of Suss.e.x is shown by _Boord's Boke of Knowledge_, where he mentions the old story, then a new one, that no nightingale will sing in St. Leonard's Forest. It is the _Boke of Knowledge_ that has for frontispiece the picture of a naked Englishman with a pair of shears in one hand and a piece of cloth over the other arm, saying: