Category: Home Page

Bobservation 42: April 2018

Church Matters
I understand that there is a rumour that the Church Commissioners, through the Diocese of Chichester, have instructed the Parochial Church Councils of Downland villages to  take immediate steps to dispose of the church buildings and land in Edburton, Poynings, Pyecombe and the Fulking Village Hall and Chapel. This is with a view to investing the proceeds of the sales in a new, modern building in Newtimber to replace the church there. This will mean a more functional place of worship being available for social activities and will incorporate a fifty seat cinema  as well as an Olympic sized swimming pool and indoor tennis court. With church congregations reducing year by year the Church Commissioners feel that this will redress the reduction and hopefully increase the numbers attending church for whatever reason. There will be a Public meeting at 6pm on Sunday 1 April 2018 to discuss the proposal at a venue to be decided.

Bluebells
Our bluebells at Furzefield should be good this year. Do please remember that all villagers, families and friends are welcome to wander around. Please ring 271 so we know when you are coming. It is important that the paths are respected (single file is best!), if you bring children please make sure they are kept under strict control and sorry; no dogs.

Fulking Fair
Les and Louise Nicholson, of Artisan Bakehouse, who will be bringing their baked goodies to the fair, have just won the ’Sussex Best Eating Experience of the year 2018’. Amber John will be bringing her ponies for pony rides in the field at the back of the Shepherd & Dog which is kindly being  provided by Aidan & Nicole. Allsorts Dog Rescue will be organizing a ‘Fun dog show’ in the middle of the North Town Field. Tina Ware, as the fair musical arranger, has The Shoreham All Stars already lined up, more musical acts available including Fulking village musicians and the Marta Scott dancers opening the proceedings through the village. This will be a really busy fair! Make sure you come on Sunday July 29.Louise Holman needs bottles (not necessarily alcohol) for the Tombola.

Downland Calendar 2019

09 September John Hazard
Due to popular demand and the success of the last calendar, Fulking villagers are putting together another photographic calendar to be published in 2019. The aims are to celebrate the beauty of our village and the South Downs, and to raise funds for Fulking Village Hall. So — please email your best photos of the following: Fulking and environs through the seasons, landscapes of the South Downs, scenic Downland villages, also wildlife, farming life, community life. The email address is photos@fulking.net. You will be fully credited and receive a free copy of the calendar.

Photos should be landscape format [horizontal] if possible, and preferably of a minimum pixel dimension of 2500 x 1700. Deadline for photo submissions: May 31, 2018. Please get snapping and send in those submissions!

Jen Green (552)

The Adventure of the Twenty Oxen

King Henry VII in the Star Chamber, July 1504

King Henry VII in the Star Chamber, July 1504

Over the centuries, residents of the parish of Edburton have been involved in all kinds of litigation. But the available records only document a single occasion on which one of these affairs ascended to the legal stratosphere that the Star Chamber used to represent. The case involved twenty oxen that may, or may not, have been stolen from Perching Manor.

KING & QUEEN’s ALMONER v. COOKE.
Dated 15 Feb., 4 and 5 Philip and Mary (1557-8).
No bill or other pleading.
Interrogatories to be ministered to John Cooke of [Edburton], co. Sussex, yeoman of the Queen’s Guard, and Thomas Cooke, his brother, concerning the unlawful taking and detaining of twenty oxen which were late of the goods of Edward Lawes, late of Pearching, “ffealon of hymselff”.

The interrogatories inquire (1) how many, and the names of those who took the cattle out of the pasture at Pearching, after the death of Edward Lawes; whither the oxen were driven, and in whose keeping they are; (2) Whether Edward Lawes did in his life-time sell the said oxen to John Cooke and William Davys, and for what sum of money, and upon what conditions.

John Cooke of Edburton deposes that the oxen were taken by his brother, Thomas Cooke, at his commandment, in the high way at Edburton, and driven to Waltham in Essex, and that eighteen were sold to Mistress Stacye, and two to a servant of Mr. Wrothe.

Thomas Cooke of St. Martin le Grand, in the City of London, haberdasher, deposes the taking of the oxen to Waltham.

The outcome of the case is unknown — the relevant documents disappeared in 1719.
[Excerpt from Percy D. Mundy, ed. 1913 Abstracts of Star Chamber Proceedings relating to the County of Sussex, Henry VII to Philip and Mary, Lewes: Sussex Record Society, page 102.]

The Devil’s Doggerel

The Devil's Doggerel
Following the spontaneous outburst of village enthusiasm that greeted our recent posting of contemporary topographic verse (Shepherd & Doggerel), a weightier piece by William Hamper dating back to the early nineteenth century has been added to the local history section. Nothing that includes words such as adown, cruciform, lightsome, luminary, wyght, and yclept, and a gratuitous line of Latin, employed for the rhyme, can be all bad. But it isn’t Coleridge. Rather, it is the kind of piece that a Victorian gentleman could commit to memory and then reproduce at Sussex wedding parties and other social occasions, with ribaldry and acclaim from a bibulous audience already well familiar with the plot (compare Rocky Horror sing-a-longs for a contemporary analogue). Read in that spirit, one can detect its merits.

Planning Meeting – Village Hall, 26th March, 7.40pm

Invitation to Planning Meeting

You are hereby cordially invited to attend a planning meeting of the Fulking Parish Council to be held at 7:40pm, on Monday 26th March 2018 at the Village Hall, The Street, Fulking. To discuss the following planning application:

SDNP/18/01201/HOUS
New single storey living room extension to replace existing UPVc conservatory; demolition of existing garage; installation of new timber framed casement windows; first floor extension to rear and reconstruction of existing outdoor swimming pool.
Downside, Poynings Road, Fulking. BN5 9NB

Members of the Press & Public are welcome to attend.

By prior appointment with the Chairman, a maximum of 2 people may speak for up to 5 minutes each in favour, and a maximum of 2 people may also speak for up to 5 minutes each against the applications.

Miles Firth
Chairman, Fulking Parish Council

Conifer House, The Street, Fulking, Henfield, BN5 9LT, West Sussex
01273 857508
miles.firth@fulking.net

Saddlescombe Farm

Feeding lambs

Lambing Open Days — 24th, 25th, and 31st March plus 1st April 2018, 10:00am–4:00pm. No need to book — just turn up.

Please join us on our working farm for our annual lambing open days here at Saddlescombe. We open our gates for our visitors to see us at our busiest time and share with us the hustle and bustle of our farmyard during lambing. Our visitors will see newborn lambs and maybe a lamb being born, an amazing experience. We are keen to share the respect and care we give our sheep right the way through to when we sell them for meat. Our own delicious lamb burgers will be available for a tasty lunch plus vegetarian food and refreshments from the Wildflour Cafe here at Saddlescombe Farm. Tractor and trailer rides will be running subject to weather conditions. There will be activities running for children from the National Trust (bread making on the 24th March) RSPB (25th March and 1st April), Red Fox Forest School (24th and 25th March), also local butchers Garlic Wood will have a butchery stall selling Saddlescombe meat and other local produce to take home.