Posted in Research on May 11th, 2008 No Comments »
The Sussex Record Society (1) offers us a transcription of one of the earliest Funnell documents, a will.
On the 16th of April 1553 (proved 29th April 1553), John Funnell of Grenley, Westham bequeathed his body to be buried in the Churchyard of Westham, a barrel of beer and as much bread as can be made [...]
Posted in Stories on May 10th, 2008 No Comments »
The 1830s were a period of intense stress in the rural Sussex countryside. The end of the Napoleonic wars triggered an economic depression with consequences on agriculture. The reform of the “Poor Laws” (1) left many families hungry and demography was eating Parish budgets. “Captain Swing” was opposing the mechanisation which was depriving “AgLabs” of [...]