Severe Weather - Coronation Celebration of Queen Victoria
The year 1838 was ushered in with weather of a trying character, there being severe frosts and snows until the latter part of February, followed by destructive gales, and then a return to wintry weather in the spring; so that Easter Sunday, which occurred on April 15th, was of a snowy and stormy character. Building operations were almost at a standstill, and the labouring population were in great distress. Fortunately, St. Leonards continued to be patronised by a large number of aristocratic families, whose balls and reunions were of considerable assistance to the trading community, and who in turn, did much to relieve the necessities of their poorer brethren. Some special efforts in that direction were made by Mrs. Johnson, Miss Deudney, Mr. Southall and Mr. Chamberlin, as well as by members of the Burton family. To Mr. Putland also a good many labourers were indebted for keeping them at work on every possible opportunity in the formation of the Sedlescomb new road. Then the charitable donations of the Queen Dowager and her household were of great assistance, whilst the numerous gifts of coal by Mr. R. Hollond, the Liberal (and liberal) M.P., were of even greater value. Yet, notwithstanding all these efforts to mitigate the poverty arising from the inclemency of the weather and want of employment, the distress was unusually great, the Union workhouse was exceedingly full, and sheep-steeling (sic) was unhappily rife. Even the wild-fowl suffered by the severity of the weather, they being seen migrating to warmer regions, and not a few of them, including several swans, coming within range of the fowler's gun. Sad news was received on the 29th of January that a French boat had been towed into Dover with five men frozen to death, together with a boy who had singularly escaped from such fatality.
The winter was as remarkable for great fires as for the intensity of the frost, and among the world's conflagrations of that particular season may be mentioned the total destruction of the Italian Opera in Paris, the Emperor of Russia's Winter Palace at St. Petersburg, and Sir R. Sugden's splendid manson at Thames Ditton. To come nearer to home, there was an alarming fire on the 28th of January at Mr. Woodhams's farm, in the parish of Udimore. A barn, with nine quarters of threshed what and three loads of sheaves, together with stables and other buildings, were wholly consumed; also four fine horses and three pigs. Incendiarism was rife, albeit it served no better purpose than to make food more scarce for the incendiary himself. This fire broke out at 11 o'clock on a Sunday night, and at an hour anterior thereto a man named Hookham was seen to leave the premises. This man and another, named Sinden, were taken into custody on suspicion, but after magisterial examination they were discharged. A reward of £100 by Mr. Woodhams, and a like amount by Government were then offered for the apprehension of the perpetrators; but, so far as I know, without effect.
Amidst so much distress it might seem strange that in some other respects the season was a gay one. Probably it was thought that to forego the usual festivities of the season would only be making the gloom and depression more general. Anyhow, the interchange of fashionable amenities in St. Leonards was at a high value whilst the middle-class assemblies at Hastings were but little - if at all - below the normal standard.
The Hastings festivities during unpropitious weather are described in chapter XX., whilst the coronation celebration at St. Leonards has here to be (sic) related. A numerous dinner party assembled at the Conqueror hotel, whilst as to decorations and other demonstrations, the inhabitants were somewhat in advance of those in the sister town. Royal-standards, banners or buntings were hoisted at Mr. Hollond's residence, at the North and South Lodges, at Southall's Library, and at all the hotels. Many of the buildings were also illuminated in the evening. As regards the procession the children met according to appointment, but it was at once decided to disband them until the next day - a decision which turned out to be a wise one, as the weather was then favourable. They were marched round the town next day with mottoed banners, following the lead of Mr. Elford's Band, and finishing their perambulation at the Archery Grounds, where they were heartily regaled with roast-beef, plum-pudding, and ale; the last named accessory in a limited quantity. Each child was presented with a medal struck for the occasion, and in the day's amusements were comprised a regatta in the afternoon and fireworks, with illuminations in the evening.
I have said that the severe weather which ushered in the year 1838 was followed by some destructive gales, and I will now describe a few of the difficulties which the St. Leonards Commissioners had to encounter as a consequence before they had even recovered from those which were occasioned by similar disasters of the preceding year. At their quarterly meeting on the 19th of January they accepted the contract of Messrs. Towner and son for an extension of the sea wall; westward of 71 Marina, which at that time was the last of the seven houses built my Mr. Benjamin Homan beyond the Church, and the westernmost of the larger houses in that direction. The amount of Messrs. Towner's tender was £193, which was £39 less than the price given in by Messrs. Homan and Scott, and £66 less than that by Messrs. Tester and Marchant. The Commissioners, however, had no funds by which this new outlay could be met, and a statement was therefore made by Mr. Decimus Burton that, as he was in treaty for some building land in that direction, he would be willing to take their bonds on a loan of £250 at 5 per cent., but with the understanding that the extended wall was to be protected by a groyne. Estimates for a raddle groyne at five pounds and five guineas per rod, respectively, were therefore obtained, but the question was deferred until the absolute necessity for such a groyne had become apparent. At their next meeting, on the 26th of March, a letter was received from Mr. Burton, in which the writer stated that, thinking "prevention better than cure," he regretted the decision of the Commissioners, but to prevent further delay, he would withdraw his stipulation for a groyne on condition that the wall be built of additional strength. The work was then ordered to be proceeded with, and at the same time certain sums were voted for temporarily repairing the breaches which the sea had made in the wall at the Library and at the Conqueror Hotel. Concerning these damages and the means of future protection the following "doleful ditty" was embodied in the Committee's report will show how matters stood with the Commissioners at that time.
St. Leonards Improvement Act, 2nd Wm. IV., c. 45. - The Special Report of the Committee, 24th of March, 1838, regrets that a serious breach has been made by the sea in the wall opposite the Conqueror Hotel, and that the wall in other places has been much injured by the unusually high tides and gales which have visited the coast. Mr. Barnes, who at the time was superintending the erection of a groyne, having given it as his opinion that to protect the remaining portion it would be necessary to put down piles and faggots, the committee gave orders for it to be done. The emergency of the case rendered it absolutely necessary, but this was of a temporary character; and, fearing from the continuance of high tides that further injury would be done, they thought it proper to obtain various tenders for the work of restoration. These amounted to a much larger sum than the Committee felt justified in spending, and it being not practicable to complete the work during the equinoctial tides, they ordered only so much to be done as was for the time needful. In this they arranged with Thwaites and Winter [who were constructing the new groyne] to put down a short raddle groyne between the old and new groynes near the eastern end of the town, at a cost of £5 per rod. It is a matter of deep regret that these expenses should have come at a time when the Commissioners were incurring heavy, but necessary outlays in the erection of the new groyne and the continuation of the sea-wall further westward. Nor do your committee, in spite of all their efforts at economy, know from what quarter now to look for assistance to meet this additional expenditure unless the rates now in hand (and which should be reserved for the interest on the bonds) are allotted for that purpose. They suggest that the bondholders should be solicited to accept a less amount of interest than they at present claim. The urgency of the case must be apparent when it is stated that unless protection be forthwith given to the wall, there is little doubt that a great many houses now paying rates will be swept away, whereby the income derived from the rates and coal-duties must be decreased, and the bondholders' securities diminished. The Committee have looked to see if the assessments could be increased, but on comparing them with those lately made under Government direction, they do not think it could be done.
With the exception of Messrs. A. and S. Burton, and W. Rawson, the bondholders when appealed to were indisposed to take less than 5 per cent. interest; so that the Commissioners' Clerk (Mr. Fraser) was directed to advertise for a loan of £12,500, at 4 per cent., that those who had refused to take less than 5 per cent. might be paid off altogether. But, notwithstanding the Clerk's unremitting exertions and the publicity given to it by advertisements in the London and county papers, not a single offer was obtained. The same want of success attended the advertisements for tenders to restore the sea-wall; so that at their next meeting, on June 25th, the Commissioners received the Committee's Report in which it was stated that rather than run the great risk of delay, they had proceeded with the restoration of the wall by employing their own men and purchasing their own materials; and that they had thus paid £58 14s. to Jas. Homan, £36 15s. to Edward Smith, and £10 to labourers; the last-named chiefly for faggot work. To assist in this matter Mr. Decimus Burton had offered to advance another £150, which was accepted; and as a further means of augmenting the income the usual half-yearly rate of 1s. in the pound on houses, warehouses and shops, and 6d. in the pound on agricultural tenements and lands, was levied; but with an increased rating as far as circumstances would permit on the principle then lately put in force in St. Leonards and St. Mary Magdalen under Government direction. In many cases this increased rating brought on a conflict of parties which resulted in some instances in a compromise, and in others in a demand for the full amount within seven days. But the sea-wall difficulty was again present; for as soon as the great gap nearly opposite to the Conqueror Hotel had been filled up, another breach was made close to the Colonnade houses. This threatened to be more serious than any of the previous inroads which the sea had made, and the fear which the Committee had expressed that unless protection were forthwith given, many houses would be swept away, appeared likely to be realised. The basement of 13 Colonnade had been broken into by an abnormally sweeping tide, and the drapery goods on the ground floor belonging to Mr. Henry Beck, were hastily carried across the road and deposited for greater security in a room at the Conqueror hotel. To obviate further danger, there was no time to be lost in repairing this gap; so the Commissioners employed Messrs. Thwaites and winter (sic) to pile and plank the opening as a temporary barrier, and afterwards accepted a tender from Mr. James Homan for the more durable repairs. Whilst the temporary stop-gap was being applied, a boarded pathway was improvised, which, on the return of the tide, afforded an opportunity for venturesome youth to indulge in a new phase of maddest merriment.
Wonderful Diving - St. Leonards & Sedlescomb New Road
[a]This opportunity was seized by some of the juveniles of the period, among whom were Masters Charles Fuggle, Charles Smith and James Blundell; all of whom challenged the waves with a defiant mien as they ran across the planks and "ducked" their heads -
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