Among the many thousands of names we have now collected in the family archives, there are a number of individuals who stand out from the rest. One of these is undoubtedly Peter Linfield of Storrington. Born in 1734 in the parish of Nuthurst, Peter was the youngest son of William and Sarah Linfield, who were married at Itchingfield in 1724. His grandfather, Peter Linfield of Snow’s Farm in Nuthurst, was a successful yeoman farmer who died in 1715, leaving his estate to his eldest son, also Peter (1677-1756) who appears to have sold his inheritance some time before 1744. William Linfield, one of his five younger brothers, had to make do with the 40 shillings he received in his father’s will; nevertheless, it would appear he owned and farmed his own land because, with his brother Peter, he was qualified to vote in the General Election of 1734. Both of them travelled to Chichester to cast their vote, the qualification being the ownership of freehold lands or tenements whose annual net value was 40 shillings or more. Continue reading Peter Linfield of Storrington 1734-1791
Category Archives: Lin(d)field History
Professor Frederick Bloomfield Linfield
In 1874, my great-grandfather, Samuel Linfield (1839-1913), moved from his birthplace in Twillingate, Newfoundland to a farm on the outskirts of my hometown Goderich, Ontario. With him were his wife Rachel (Petten) and their four children, Frederick Bloomfield, Mary Jane Butler, “Eliza” Rhoda Elizabeth and my grandfather-to-be, John Petten. Shortly after settling on the land, Rachel gave birth to Samuel Jr. who died in infancy. Over the next five years, Harriet Grace and Alfred were born. Of the six living children, only my grandfather and his sister Eliza stayed on the farm. However, Eliza left the farm on January 3, 1914, moving to Bozeman, Montana to live with her eldest brother, Frederick, the principal subject of this story. Eliza died in Bozeman on December 2, 1916. Mary Jane married George Rice in 1892 and they moved to Guelph, Ontario. Mary Jane died in 1931. Harriet Grace, known as Grace, left the farm with her brother Alfred on August 18, 1908 to live with brother Frederick and family. Alfred worked at different jobs and soon had his own living accommodations. Grace continued to live with Frederick and family and was a great help to Frederick’s wife who was always ill with T.B. Continue reading Professor Frederick Bloomfield Linfield
The Bramber Castle Legend
There cannot be too many among our readers who haven’t heard something of the legend of William Lindfield, who was entombed at Bramber Castle. It’s a chilling story, not unworthy of a place in the fiction of Edgar Allan Poe. I first came across it in the local guide, published by the village museum. (Ref. The History and Legend of Bramber Castle. Herbert E. Erredge; Bramber Museum) Despite his obvious embellishments, Erredge has produced an entertaining account of a particularly gruesome episode, and what follows is a summary of his narrative. Continue reading The Bramber Castle Legend
Martha Lindfield of Stream Cottage Wivelsfield
No Family History is complete without the proverbial skeleton in the cupboard. I was a long time before I found mine, and then, to my surprise, it was as close as my own Uncle. My father – as I have said in a previous article – was the 13th child of John William Avery who had married Martha Lindfield the daughter of William Lindfield 1788-1862 of New House or Huggetts Farm, Chailey, and his 2nd wife Elizabeth neé Walker. Continue reading Martha Lindfield of Stream Cottage Wivelsfield
Henry Linfield of Nuthurst
Wills, Administrations and Inventories
Wills, administrations and inventories are valuable documents to family historians: they provide us with a glimpse of our ancestors not available in other records, of a nature which helps to bring them to life as people in their society and time. Wills not only help to clarify family relationships, but they usually give us information about occupation and property ownership. Of course, not everybody made a will, so they are a special bonus when found. Continue reading Henry Linfield of Nuthurst
John and Elizabeth Lindfield of Keymer in East Sussex
I was lucky enough to be able to work for six months in London last year, and follow up my Sussex ancestry. My aim was to track down the origins of my great grandfather, Jesse Lindfield, who (I believe) was the only one of his family to come to Australia. He sailed to New South Wales in about 1860, and any contact with the family in England had been long lost. I was partly successful in searching out local church records, but the trail came to a dead-end with the descendants of all of his siblings, no doubt mainly because more people were beginning to move greater distances away from their home towns in that period. Unfortunately I did not come across any close living relatives of the line I am about to describe. If any one has any further information I would be very glad to hear from them. Continue reading John and Elizabeth Lindfield of Keymer in East Sussex
How To Get Hooked (and How Not To Start!)
How far back in your family can you remember? Parents? Grandparents? Because she lived to be ninety-four years old, I am lucky enough to remember my great-grandmother quite well. Continue reading How To Get Hooked (and How Not To Start!)
The Monks Gate Murder
For the British motorist of the 1990’s, it is relatively unusual to have to pay a toll to use a road. Indeed, virtually all the toll roads are now over bridges or through tunnels, though the government is threatening to introduce more toll roads in order to finance improvements to the road system. If they do so, they will be following what was normal practice in the 18th and 19th centuries. Two hundred years ago Sussex roads were notorious throughout England for their appalling condition; Horace Walpole wrote of one journey through the Weald in winter “The roads grow bad beyond badness, the night darker beyond all darkness, our guide frightened beyond all frightfulness.” One can well imagine the discomfort of an unheated and poorly sprung coach being compounded by the ruts and potholes in the roads. Continue reading The Monks Gate Murder