Dowager Lady Lubbock - Mrs Offen - Inhabitants in 1830 - Longevity
In the year 1830 the Dowager Lady Lubbock fled from the fury of the French Revolutionists and (like Louis Phillipe, eighteen years later), took up her abode at the St. Leonards Hotel. Her ladyship then went to 52 Marina, taking with her from the Hotel a youth named William Welsted, who graduated from page to footman, and from footman to butler, in which last capacity he remained until, after a permanent residence of twenty years when her ladyship died. Her loss was felt in many ways, for she had a liberal hand, and it used to be said of her that having provided for her family, she was resolved to live pretty well up to her own reserved income. In her establishment the servants found a good home, and the tradesmen a good demand for their commodities. Her ladyship always gave her servants a summer pic-nic and a winter party, the latter in the house; nor did she deny them the privilege of having a friend or two to see them at any time, so long as those friends took their departure before 10 p.m. The old lady was very decided in celebrating New Year's Eve, which I believe was her birthday, e'en though it should sometimes fall on a Sunday. This I can testify by having been engaged in a musical capacity[a] to attend these festivals, and on one occasion when people were going to church. For several years I accompanied the party in their summer outings, together with several young tradesmen and others - some times to Bodiam, some times to Herstmonceux, and once or twice to the Swiss Gardens at Shoreham.
I was therefore well acquainted with the venerable Dowager's servants, and I am reminded by the death of Mrs. Offen while writing of these occurrences that she at one time was cook to her Ladyship. It was on the 24th of March 1889 that Mrs. Sarah Offen took her departure through the valley of death to the unknown regions beyond. She was in her 84th year of age, and was the widow of James Offen who died at St. Leonards forty-three years ago. The following few particulars will recall to the memories of our older inhabitants of the movements and characteristics of the generally cheerful and chatty oldtownswoman who has passed away. At about the time that town of St. Leonards was commenced (1828) or soon after, the deceased, having seen some five-and-twenty summers, was one of the domestics in the service of Mrs. and the Misses Bird, at 31 Wellington Square, Hastings. She next entered upon the duties of cook to the Dowager Lady Lubbock, who came to St Leonards during the French revolution of 1830 and took up her residence at 52 Marina.
Her ladyship, we may say parenthetically, died in 1846 in the 95th year of her age. But, several years before that event, the subject of this notice had taken a situation as cook and housekeeper to Sir Andrew and Lady Pilkington, at Catsfield; and my impressions is that she relinquished that service to become the wife of James Offen, a painter and plumber in the employ of Messrs. Neve and Milsted or Neve and Hall, at St. Leonards. In the year 1837 or '8 Mr. and Mrs. Offen hired of Mr. Robert Deudney the house 14 Undercliff and let it out in apartments to visitors. They had then for their immediate neighbours, Mr. Chas. Pilcher at No. 9, Edward Pearce at 10, Wm. Waghorne at 11, Miss Pearce at 12, Major Jeffries at 13, Hy. Hughes at 16, C. H. Southall at 17, and E. Waghorne at 18. At the same time the following tradesmen occupied shops in the South Colonnade, opposite - George Viner (grocer), Welsted and Chandler (painters), Newton Parks (butcher), T. B. Williams (baker), A. Walter (greengrocer), T. Price (fishmonger), J. Job (watchmaker), E. Waghorne (butcher), B. P. Smith (chemist), H. Beck (draper) and T. Brown (wine-merchant). Our of all these neighbours the only two who survive Mrs. Offen were Messrs. N. Parks and J. Job. From 14 Undercliff Mr. and Mrs. Offen removed in 1841, to No. 2 (now 35) Norman Road, and there ingaged in a small ironmongery business, to which were added toys and earthenware. At the end of three years, however, namely, February, 1844, Mr. Offen died, aged 36, and was buried in the St. Leonards Cemetery. After that time the widow continued the business for about fifteen years, and thus supported herself and a family of three children. Retiring from business, Mrs. Offen removed to Eastbourne, where she resided, near the residence of her daughter (Mrs. Hall) and where she died at the age of over 83 years. Besides her daughter Mary, she left James Edward, a married son, at St Leonards (who had to sorrow for the death of his mother and his child within a few days of each other), and John, another son, who went to Dunedin, New Zealand, where his interest was cared for by the successful journalist, Mr. H. Brett[b], who emigrated to Aukland, in the same colony, and in whose welfare Mrs. Offen took a kindly interest when the said journalist was a lad at St Leonards.
There was no church in St. Leonards when Lady Lubbock came in 1830, and if there had been, the inhabitants were hardly numerous enough to support it, and much too few to fill it, Some attempt, however, was made to establish both a religious service and a Sunday School. The initiative was taken by Mrs. James Burton (the wife of the founder) who with Mrs. and the Misses Wood, a lady of the name of Bignal, Edward Towner and Mary Ann Flemming, held a meeting in a room at 36 Marina, and there for the first time, engaged in religious exercises. This small meeting was the nucleus of an institution which soon grew into fair proportions and took up its quarters in the western portion of the Assembly Rooms. As the congregration increased a curate was engaged, and religious instruction was imparted to young and old. The school was afterwards held in the crypt of the building where it continued for four years, when it was removed to the top of East Ascent, where a National School had been erected by means of funds raised at a fancy bazaar.
From what has already been said it will be imagined that a church was in contemplation; but the original site on the West hill having been abandoned in deference to the opinion of Mr. Burton's friends that a site easier of access would be better, the work remained for a short tie in abeyance. A chapel for the Independents was, however, erected on the West hill, to which was attached a small house on each side. The first minister was the Rev. Joseph Wood, whose wife kept a small seminary for young ladies at 11 East Ascent. The chapel - Quadrangle Chapel as it was called - after undergoing many viccisitudes and getting into litigation, became disused for a considerable time, and at length it was purchased and turned into dwelling-houses. Near the cliff in front of the Chapel there was a railed in pond of water, but its site is now covered by some of the houses known as West Hill.
The Quadrangle and its adjuncts have since been converted into mansions. But that the intention to build the Episcopalian Church or chapel - since designated the Parish Church or the Old Church - was still in force is shown by an advertisement which on the 30th of November 1830, appeared as follows:-
Messrs. Burton and Fraser intent to make application to Parliament to erect a Chapel in the new town of St. Leonards, within the Liberties of the town and port of Hastings, and for those of the adjoining parish of St. Mary Magdalen, and to enable marriages, christenings and burials for both parishes, and divine service to be performed in the said chapel and burial ground according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England; and to regulate the nomination of a curate, etc
In the mean time the town continued to spread and the houses and shops began to find tenants; and what is more, a goodly number of those early settlers were still alive, after weathering the storms of fifty years. This History first appeared in 1878, when at that date, I could call to mind no fewer than twenty-five persons who came to St. Leonards between the years 1828 and 1830, and a larger number who made it their home a few years later. It speaks well for the salubrity of the place that the average age of those 25 persons was 72 years, the higher figures being 76, 78, 80, 82, 84 and 89. Some of these have since departed as nonagenarians. It has already been stated that Lavatoria was commenced in 1829, and it may well be supposed that 1830 saw its completion. It covered a portion of what used to be known as the Chapel Field, near to which on the south was a projecting cliff called the Goat's Point, and on the east, sloping down to the Warrior's Gate was the Warrior Field. Originally the houses in Lavatoria were enclosed on the east side by a high wall, and this wall which was familiarly spoken of as "Mr. Burton's Boundary", continued up what is now Kenilworth Road in the direction of North Lodge. At a later period the impediment to traffic was so great that on a representation of the inhabitants, backed by a subscription, the wall was taken down in 1842 or 43, and a direct communication was opened up between Norman Road and Mercatoria. Among the early occupants of Lavatoria were Mr. Putland, Mr. Towner, Mr. Thorne, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Avery. But whilst in 1830 the laundry region (which the classical term lavatoria implies) was receiving its finishing touch, so also was the range of larger houses near the Archway, or as it was first called East Lodge. One of these, the Harold Hotel, was opened by Mr. Edlin, the said opening being celebrated by a public dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 15th. There were nearly 100 persons present, and in the post-prandial speeches the designs and energies of Mr. Burton, as the founder of St. Leonards were highly eulogized and assurances given by the speakers that no rivalry existed between the two towns, albeit that a report had got about of a contrary nature. I will not stop to discuss the accuracy of these views, but I shall have occasion, ere long, that facts are not always in unison with after-dinner compliments.
The Boundary Wall - Lavatoria - The Harold Hotel - The first fox-hunt
I have alluded to Mr. Burton's boundary wall which for about a dozen years enclosed Lavatoria on the east side, and obstructed the traffic to all but foot passengers, who made their ingress or egress between a couple of posts. I stated that the wall was taken down and a direct communication opened between Norman Road and Mercatoria about the year 1842 or '3; but I have since discovered it was a year earlier, and that in addition to the giving up by Mr. Burton a small strip of land outside his boundary wall, an equally important strip -
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