church on its present site instead of where it was first intended. Although, after the innovation referred to, it was impossible to complete the original design, it appeared to be undecided whether to execute as much of it as was possible, or to stop at the six houses in West Ascent already built. The latter alternative was ultimately adopted.
It is possible that Harry Hook, already alluded to, was in some way connected with the building of these houses, as I learn that No. 4 was at one time occupied by him, Be this as it may, the Mr. Hook of my story has long since tenanted a house of clay. His wife, also, has gone to her account; and whilst I was first writing this history his wife’s brother, familiarly known as "Old Ned Pearce," took his departure for another world. He had worked for Mr. Putland for nearly fifty years, and had lived to see the Jubilee year of the town. This reminds me that another “old soul”—Mrs. Kirby, of Caves road, who was one of the first inhabitants of St. Leonards, had also crossed that bourne whence no traveller returns. Thus, with the previously recorded deaths of Mrs. Putland and Miss. Roberts, four of the oldest residents passed away soon after I commenced my story.
But before leaving West Ascent, let me say that Nos. 1 and 2, which form as it were one handsome house, and possess some novel architectural features, were the original "West Double Villa," although, for reasons which have never been eplained to me, some of the early inhabitants persisted in giving the same name to 57 Marina. The first occupant of No. 1 West-double-villa, which was also No. 1 West Ascent, was Miss Harriet Deudney, whilst No. 2 of that twin dwelling was tenanted by Miss Ranger, a lady of whom I shall have something to say further on. These tenants paid, respectively, about £20 and £25 a year rent. Fancy, ye would-be hirers of a brand new villa residence in St. Leonards, the difference between the times of 1831 and 1896. Fancy, also, such mansions as those of 48 to 56 Marina being let at £35 per annum! Imagine, further her present Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria, residing at a mansion at St. Leonards whose rental, only three years previously, was estimated at £40! What wonder is it that the property holders of Hastings who had been getting £8 and £10 a week for houses situated at the Croft and Gloucester place, became jealous of St. Leonards? And why should we marvel that - independently of other causes, of which there were several — such jealousy became afterwards intensified as the St. Leonards rents went up while the Hastings rents went down? A somewhat higher rental was placed on Castellated Villa (afterwards Glo'ster house and Glo’s-ter lodge), but then that was the abode of Royalty; and with the Princess Sophia of Gloucester for tenant, Mr. Burton could surely afford to be assessed at £55. Yet even in 1833, when Nos. 5 and 6 West Ascent were completed, Mr. C. D. Davies was only assessed at £20. It was at Glo’ster lodge, at a later date, where, during a wedding feast, the discovery was made that a self-styled Rev. J. Workman, alias Rawlings, who had married the couple at the St. Leonards Church, was a returned convict. Of the wrong doings of this reverend offender I had some personal experience and exclusive information, but which must be left for future description.
As my historical sketches have not yet got beyond the years 1831 and, 1832, it may not be amiss to mention two or three matters pertaining to the first-named year which I had well nigh passed over. On the 18th of June, 1831, a rather considerable portion of the masonry used in the construction of the St. Leonards Church Chapel it was then called) fell to the ground, by which accident two of the workmen were seriously hurt. This must have been before the laying of what is called the Foundation Stone, as that event did not take place until some weeks later. And, as accidents, it is said, never come singly, it may be mentioned, incidentally, that on the same day, a boy, twelve years of age, while searching for birds’ nests on the East Cliff at Hastings, fell an estimated distance of 100 feet, and—miraculous as it may appear escaped with only a fractured leg and a few bruises.
On the 13th of October in the same year, two cart loads of contraband spirits were seized off St. Leonards by the Customs officers; and, three nights later, there was a serious skirmish between the coastguards and smugglers at about a mile eastward of the town, £500 being afterwards offered by the Government for information which would lead to the conviction of the offending contrabandists. To the credit of the Hastings smugglers, be it said, they very rarely betrayed a comrade, howsoever great might be the reward held out as an inducement; and I never heard that this offer of £500 effected its object any more than did the lesser temptation of £100 for the apprehension of one or more smugglers who maltreated Lieut. Dixon.
Work at the "Amsterdam" - A facetious Huckster
This last-named affair occurred twelve months antecedently to the commencement of St. Leonards, and just at the time when an attempt was being made by some labourers of Bexhill and Little Common to dig down to the hold of the Amsterdam, a Dutch ship which has been submerged in the sands for about 147 years. It was laden with a valuable cargo of cutlery, glass, copper, etc., and in the year 1749 foundered in Bulverhythe Bay. It was run ashore at a short distance eastward of the land owned by Sir Charles Eversfield, and of whose descendants, I hardly, need say, Mr. Burton purchased the site for St. Leonards.
I witnessed the efforts made to recover the buried treasure in 1827, and some of my relations who assisted at the undertaking have in their possession several articles as souvenirs of their labours on that occasion. One of my nearest relatives was also with the family of Col. Halkett when that officer, in 1810, gave permission to two companies of the German Legion, then stationed at Bexhill, to make a previous attempt. Although the civilians were more successful in their work than the soldiers, that success profited them but little, for the Lord Warden claimed the greater portion of the goods recovered. From personal experience of the latter's efforts in 1827, and from conversations with old people, one of whom (Mr. Edwards) was a plough-boy’ at the time when the ship was submerged, as well as from actual measurement of the ship on one occasion when its upper part was five feet above the sands, I was able to publish some exclusive information in BRETT'S GAZETTE of August 31st, 1878, April 12th, 1879, and May Ist, 1880. But the fullest details were those contained in several letters written from Hastings in 1749, coeval with the occurrence, and published in the GAZETTE of June and July, 1894, by permission of G. L. Sayer, Esq, under the head of "The Collier Correspondence."
I have thus dwelt upon two incidents of and two attempts to recover long-buried treasures — the latest pair of which events occurred in February, 1827 — because of a somewhat amusing eccentricity springing out of them. There was a facetious huckster, who, as one of the Bexhill labourers, and a smuggler, to boot, had a grievance both against the Lord Warden and the officers of the Blockade Service. As a retaliation, it might be, for a loss of money or liberty, this eccentric huckster adopted a procedure which, while it was perfectly harmless in itself, served both to amuse the public and to keep alive the feeling that it was a hardship for the people of a professedly free country not to be permitted to exercise themselves in a system of free trade. With lusty lungs and with as much irony as he could summon to his aid, this merry hawker vended his vegetables through the new town and the old as the "Lord Warden turn-ups" (turnips), the "Blockhead (Blockade) cabbages," the "Amsterdam traitors" ("taters"), &c. Much to people's merriment, the ironical huckster was particularly vociferous and descriptive whenever he halted as he invariably did at the coastguard stations and other Government offices
The name of the facetious huckster, to whom I have referred was Stubberfield, and his paternity was owned by the late John Stubberfield, formerly a corn factor at Hastings, and latterly a grocer at St. Leonards. What I have already said of him from my own knowledge has brought me some additional items of his eccentricities from a friend who was well acquainted with him; and by these additional particulars I am enabled to confirm the opinion I expressed that his ironical shouts when hawking his vegetables were due to a grievance or grudge which he had against the Blockade service and the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. It appears that the blockade officers took him out of bed at night in mistake for his son, and lodged him in the tower at Bulverhythe. At that time Quartermaster Isum was stationed at Bulverhythe — the same Henry Isum who was afterwards shifted to Hastings, and while there, was tried and acquitted on the charge of shooting smuggler Roper in the leg. In some of my preceding narratives I have alluded to storms and other severe weather which occurred at about the time St. Leonards was commenced, and I might have added that grievous as are the maritime disasters of the present day, our own coast at least is less the scene of shipwreck than it was in earlier times. From forty to fifty years ago, the Channel shore between Hastings and Pevensey was rather noted for shipping casualties, and a few of these just now come to my recollection. On one occasion an East-Indiaman was in extreme danger of being driven ashore at Bexhill; and on another a large French brig or barque, laden with wine or brandy, was wrecked under the cliff at Fairlight. After that there were six or seven large ships narrowly escaped getting ashore.
Then followed several serious mishaps, including the wreck of a large logger, driven ashore at St. Leonards; also the partial destruction by fire of the Albion, of Newcastle, which was towed ashore at Bulverhythe enveloped in flames. ‘The two Hastings fire engines rendered considerable service in getting the fire under, and in saving several thousand pounds worth of valuable cargo, consisting of silk handkerchiefs, calico, rum, and other mercleandise. Burnt bandanas were so extensively in the possession of people hereabouts after that event, that I should not be at all surprised if some old inhabitant still retains one or more of them as a memento.
I have merely alluded to these few occurrences to show how easy a thing it was for Stubberfield to play a practical joke upon his friend Isum. It was his wont to call him "my friend" although he secretly regarded him as his enemy. Coming along as usual with his cart-load of fruit and vegetables, keenly eyed, no doubt, by Quartermaster Isum, who was always on the look-out for contraband, the witty huckster was asked, "What's the news?" "Oh!" replied Stubberfield, "there's a ship ashore at Bexhill loaded with wool and tallow." Isum, for once, was innocently but completely bested by his old antagonist, -
