der (the well-known carrier), 85; Thomas Gower, 85; July Gower, 81; Anne Goldsmith, 74; Mary Goldsmith, 80; George Greata, 79; and Mary Greata, 86. The two last lived many years in St. Leonards. There are seven monumental stones applying to the Hammond family, whose ages range from 67 to 82; and among the other names beginning with H are Martha Howes, 89; George Harland, 84; Philadelphia Holland 83; Elizabeth Hayward, 88; William Hyland, 83; and Edward Head, 87. The letter J does not figure largely in the death memorials, the only persons of advanced age thus initialled being Jesse Jenner, 78; and Eliza Jefferson, 87. The letter K gives Anne Keene (of St. Leonards), 79; and Ann King (of Bexhill), 84. Among the L's are the Lansdells - Thomas and wife, 79 and 76; Anne and Ann (possibly cousins), 78 and 90; the Linghams - Joseph, Sarah and Hannah, 78, 87, and 71; and the Lennards - John and Mary, 87 and 88. The names initialled with M are many and mysterious. Taking twenty-five of these who have lived and died since 1819, when the veteran dinner-party assembled, and excluding all who happened to be guests on that memorable occasion, the singular result if obtained of the same number (25) producing the same average of years (81). This of itself must be regarded as a rare example of longevity among what it suits my whim to describe as the M's of a small community. The names and ages thus selected are as follow (sic). Thos. Mitten, 70; Jos. Mitten, 73; Eliz. Mitten, 75; Anne Mitten, 75; Jos. Mitten,76; Jno. Mitten,70; Mary Mitten, 101; Jno. Mitchell, 77, and Mary, his wife, 75; Mary Mewett,82; Robert Mewett, 85; Mary Mewett, 87; Ann Mewett, 84; Ann Maplesden, 82; Jno. Maplesden, 77; Thos. Maplesden, 80; Jno. Mockford, 77; Richd. Matthis, 88; Hy. Mate, 95; Hannah Mockford, 95; Jno. Manly, 81; Mary Morris, 84; and Richd. Mills, 80. The N's may be said to be nowhere in point of number, but they even exceed the others in the mean duration of life - namely, Sarah Noakes, 91; Sara, wife of Edward Noakes, 91; and Catherine Newington, 85. The O's also must not be omitted, for they claim an average of 80 years in the examples of longevity, and are as follows:- Ann Ockenden, 87; Lavet Osborn, 82, and Hannah, his wife, 70; Lucy Ockenden,73; Jane Ockenden, 78; Sarah Ockenden, 80; and Wm. Ockenden, 81. The P's are very plentiful, and are equally representative of long life, there being an average of 83 years derived from the first dozen taken from my list, thus - Dearing Pelling, 88, and Frances, his wife, 81; John Prior, 81; Wm. Prio, 80; Edward Prior, 92; Jas. Pearce, 81; Jas. Pepper, 80; Mary Pomphrey, 77; Jno. Pocock, 87; Jno. Parker, 88; Edward Parker, 75; and Martha Paul, 84. To go in quest of Q's would be quixotic, for they are unquestionably quiescent to one's enquiry. I will therefore pass on to the R's, of which there are a rare number of rare ages. Omitting all, save one, of those previously enumerated, the first twelve from my list gives a total of 980 years, or an average of 81 1/2 years. They are: Thos. Ransom, 81; Stephen Ransom, 79; Wm. Ransom, 82; Charlotte Ransom, 81; Edward Ransom, 78; Hy. reeves, the elder, 83; Hy. Reeves, the younger, 78, and Lucy, his wife, 70; Robt. Roberts, 78; Mary Rich, 84; Eliza Roberts, 84; and Mary Reeves, 101. Then what shall I say of the S's other than that they are simply super-numerous, and more than sufficiently subservient to my search. There are some sixty names with this initial altogether, but as the average age would be about 82 years, I will only select a promiscuous dozen, as in some other instances, for the same result. The first is the late vicar and rector of the parish, the Rev. H. W. Simpson, who died in 1876, aged 84. Then follows Jno. Savage, 87; Susan Smith, 86; Jesse Smith, 74; Elizabeth Stanley, 86; Thos. Stunt, 73, and Ann, his wife, 82; Jane Spray, 86; Joshua Shousmith, 83; John Shoosmith (probably "Blind John," the fidler), 73; Hannah Shoesmith, 90; and Thos. Shoesmith, 84. It will be observed that in the last four names there are three different modes of spelling, although, doubtless, the persons were all members of one family; thus supporting Sam Weller's dictum that "it all depends upon the taste of the speller." I perceive that the T's are a trifle more moderate in number, but they are none the less determined to die of old age. There are Stephen Thomas, 73; Cicely Thomas, 75; Mary Thomas, 81; George Thomas, 88; Joseph Ticehurst, 70; Nathanial Trotman, 82; and John Tester, 84. The U's appear to be used up elsewhere, and the V's are only two in number, namely Edward Vidler, 83; and Sarah Veness, 88. The double-v, or (not to be too antique) the double-u, represents the following average longevity of over 80 years:- Wm. Waite, 68, and Mary, his wife, 96; Richard Winbourn, 83; Thos. Wimbourn, 78; Mary Winburn, 80 (observe the three spellings); Wm. Weston, 73; Sarah Welfare, 82; Martha Wilson, 95; Henry Woollett, 82; and Mary Waite, 96. The letter X affords no examples of long-life at Bexhill; and the letter Y serves only to initial the youthful Joseph Young, of 80 summers, who dined with the "Old Boys" at the Bell, in 1819.
Longevity at Bexhill, St. Leonards and Hastings
The foregoing record, formulated in 1879, includes several aged persons from St. Leonards, as does also the following additional list of those who have since been buried at Bexhill. These later deaths are Sarah Archer, 78; Daniel Attree, 93; Stephen Adams, 82; John Avis, 72; James Burt, 80; Mary Barker, 73; Thos. Bristow, 75; An Bristow, 80; Samuel Brock, 77; Delia Britt, 86; Eliza Butter, 77; Benj. Baker, 71; Sarah Bennett, 76; Sophia Barden, 80; Eliza Backhouse, 81; Abego Burden, 79; Sophia Christian 77; Geo. Cruttenden, 73; Ann Cruttenden, 76; Sarah Crouch, 84; Geo. Cramp, 75; Eliza Cook, 79; Henry Matthew Clark, 81; Arthur Sawyer Brook, 79; Catherine Douglas, 91; Jane Dawes, 85; Harriett Dennett, 81; Henry Dennis, 71; Geo. Edmonds, 79; Frances Elliott, 72; William Freeman, 70; Ann Freeman, 84; Ann Godwin, 73; Ann Gibson, 87; Ann Geer, 83; Jas. Godden, 74; W. F. Goodwin, 70; Geo. Gates, 80; Jas. Harris, 82; Eliza Harriett, 91; Geo. Harland, 75; Annah Harland, 72; Wm. Haigh, 82; Ann Haigh, 78; Wm. Harland, 77; Hannah do., 72; May Isted, 73; Geo. Jackson, 71 1/2; Geo. Kent, 73; Hy. Lennard, 76; Wm. Munn(illegible text)[a], 79, Jas. Noakes, 80; Lucy Proctor(illegible text)[a], 79, John Pennells, John Pennells, 76; Adam(illegible text)[a] Prior, 80; Jane Prior, 91; Sally(illegible text)[a] Piper, 84; Geo. Perry, 84; Newton Parks, 83; Sam. Roberts, 82; Wm. Savage, 89; Jas. Spray, 82; John Sargent, 77; Thos. Shaw, 82; Steph. Shoesmith, 88; Sarah Stubberfield, 77; Hannah do.,81; another Hannah do., 88; Hy. Sheather, 72; Eliza Saxby, 98; Saml. Stevens, 83; Eliza do., 83; Ann Shoesmith, 85; Frances Smith, 72; Cordelia Sinden, 81; Henry Thwaites, 82; Sarah Thwaites, 89; Wm. Terry, 81; Sarah Wybourn, 77; Sarah Wilson, 82; Ann Ward, 76; Wm. Turner, 71; Sarah Wyborn, 77, Moses Veness, 81 and Dorothy Thomas, 89.
Still more recently, the Bexhill Chronicle stated that at an election of a County Councillor to represent Bexhill, four ladies were taken to the poll in Col. Lane's carriage, the united ages of whom amounted to upwards of 319 years - namely, Mrs. George Edmonds, 87 years and 11 months; Mrs. Stephen Thomas, 82 years; Mrs. David Cockett, 77 years 1 month; and Mrs. Jas Edmonds, 72 years 9 months.
The foregoing statistical deduction from the death roll of the Bexhillians has occupied a larger space than I had bargained for, but its approximate completeness, whilst it leaves not much more to be desired to prove the healthiness of Bexhill and its neighbourhood, also justifies to a certain degree the jaunty saying that "one may live as long as he likes at Bexhill."
And now, as a proof that the extraordinary longevity of Bexhill is equalled by that of St. Leonards, examples have already been given in Brett's Gazette, and to which it would be appropriate to append a paragraph which appeared in the same journal of Dec. 6th, 1884, for the purpose of showing a similar condition of longevity among the natives of Hastings. The paragraph was as follows :-
Correlative evidence of the general salubrity of Hastings as deduced from the successive reports of the Officer of Health, is found in the fact that of the persons still living who were either born or have resided a great number of years in one of the oldest parishes - that of All Saints - there are fifty whose ages, ranging from 80 to 91 years, amount to a total of 4,143, or an average of 83 years and a fraction. This, we repeat, is a fact, the writer, with the assistance of one of the hale and active octogenarians included in the number, having personally ascertained (and in most cases verified) the ages of the selected fifty who make up the surprising total and average thus shown. One of the nonagenarians (Edward Haste), who recently fractured his collar-bone, has got about again, whilst another (Mrs. Hide) exhibits an agility, combined with cheerfulness, both indoors and out of doors, that is really surprising.
Still more recently, the Bexhill Chronicle stated that at an election of a County Councillor to represent Bexhill, four ladies were taken to the poll in Col. Lane's carriage, the united ages of whom amounted to upwards of 319 years - namely, Mrs. George Edmonds, 87 years and 11 months; Mrs. Stephen Thomas, 82 years; Mrs. David Cockett, 77 years 1 month; and Mrs. Jas Edmonds, 72 years 9 months.
It should be borne in mind that the fifty persons here indicated were all living when the investigation was made, and all in one parish; also that when they afterwards died, several of them had reached an age of over 90 years. Obituary notices of these, as well as of the St. Leonards nonagenarians have appeared contemporaneously with those deaths; and here again I proffer the reminder that in pursuing this History it has been my practice to include an obituary notice of such of the older inhabitants as have died concurrently with the time of writing, as well as of those whose demise occurred within the year to which preceding events had reference.
Local Deaths - Poetic Correspondence
It was in the following up this plan that I had to lead my readers away, firstly to Halton, and secondly to Bexhill; and it is by a similar process that I bring them back again to St. Leonards. Three deaths occurred at the time when this was first written which not only connected the present with the past, but in two cases also -
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