Chapter 3

This parish which is bounded on the east by Warnham, west by Rudgewick and Billinghurst, north by Rudgewick, and south by Itchingfield, approaches nearer in form to a circle than any other, and is intersected in several directions by 3 turnpike roads. From the excellent slate quarries in the vicinity, slabs containing 100 square feet, and about 5 in thickness have often been raised. Several rare botanical plants are found in this parish, some indigenous, and others originally introduced by Dr. T. Manningham a former rector, well versed in that science.

The late eminent antiquary Mr. Warton, observes in his history of Kiddington, page 65, "About 5 years ago, (1775) on the edge of a lane in the parish of Slinfold in Sussex, four miles from Horsham, I saw several deep fissures in the Stane street, a Roman road, going from Arundel, if not from the sea side through Dorking to London. The dorsum not intended for heavy carriages consists of sea gravel and sea pebbles abounding on the Sussex coast, above 3 feet deep, and 7 yards long: these minute materials must have been amassed with prodigious labour.

Springfield, a handsome brick mansion to the north of the town, is the property of Francis Scawen Blunt esq., who now rents it to --- Thornton Esq.

INNS AT HORSHAM

The King's Head Hotel East Street. Anchor Hotel Town Hall square. The Crown Carfax. The Lamb Ditto. The Swan West Street. The Castle Ditto. The Black Horse Ditto. The Punch bowl Ditto. The Green Dragon Bishoprick. The Queen's Head East Street. The Hurst Arms North Street. The Dog and Bacon London Road. The White Hart North Parade.

COACHES.

Coaches pass daily to and from London, Brighton, Worthing, Windsor, Oxford, and Reading.--The Horsham and London Star Coach leaves the Swan inn West Street, at 7 o'clock every morning, and reaches the old Bell inn Holborn about a quarter to 12: from thence it starts the same afternoon, at a quarter past 3, and arrives at Horsham by 8.

GAS.

The streets are now well lighted with gas, considering that this is the first year of their illumination. The gameter is erected at the back of Albion Terrace, another specimen of the improving state of the town. The good people of Horsham have lately been much annoyed by the dirty condition of their streets, occasioned by the insertion of the gas pipes, even to such an extent as almost to merit the ancient epithet of the county, as we find in a very old verse, or rather ryhme of the peculiarities of each shire.

Essex ful of good hoswifes Middlesex ful of shyves, Kentshire hoot as fyre, Sussex ful of dyrt and myre.

PLANTS.

RHYNCHOSPORA ALBA

SCIRPUS CARINATUS

ERYOPHORUM POLYSTACHION

CONVALLARIA MAJALIS

LUCIOLA FOSTERI

POLYGONUM BISTORTA

ABOXA MOSCHATELLINA

MONOTROPA HYPOPITYS

PYROLA MEDIA

NYMPHAEA ALBA

CARDAMINE IMPATIENS

EUPHORBIA ESULA

CAREX CURTA

CAREX STRIGOSA

ASP IDIUM OREOPTERIS

ASPIDIUM THELYPTERIS

OSMUNDA REGALIS

LYCOPODIUM SELAGO

PHASCUM ALTERNIFOLIUM

GYMNOSTOMUM FASCICULARE

NECKERA PUMILA

CALICIUM FERRUGINEUM

ARTHONIA SWARTZIANA

VARIOLARIA VELATA

PARMELIA SPECIOSA

SCYPHOPHORUS PARASITICUS

CHARA GRACITIS

SAURIAN REMAINS.

The strata around Horsham, (which is situated in the Wealden formation) are celebrated for the abundance of the exuviae, of large saurian animals.--Many of the bones of the Iguanadon, an enormous reptile, which was formerly an inhabitant of these districts, are now in the possession of Mr G. B. Holmes, of Horsham, by whom these particulars are obligingly communicated. The animal which more nearly approximates to it, than any other now in existence, is the Iguana Cornuta a native of the tropical parts of America, and from its resemblance to which it has received its name; but more particularly on account of the teeth of the Iguanadon, which resemble those of no other animal than the Iguana, of which one species (the Cornuta,) has, like the Iguanadon, a single horn. If we take the Iguana as our model, and attempt to reconstruct the enormous Iguanadon in just proportion, from the relics which have been frequently exhumed, we shall produce a monster 100 feet in length, which there is every reason to believe is not an exaggeration.--Besides the Iguanadon, we find the bones of the crocodile, the Plesiosaurus, the turtle, and other amphibious reptiles; with the carbonized remains of monocotyledoneous plants, arborescent ferns, and palms, &c.

[Picture: Map of Horsham]

WATER.

The water around Horsham is of a very superior quality, and extremely abundant. It is intended shortly to supply each house by means of pipes. At Tower Hill, is a spring, by whose waters every thing over which it passes is encrusted, in consequence of its depositing a small portion of carbonate of lime, with which it is impregnated in passing the limestone strata, through which it flows.

POPULATION

The population of Horsham, has of late years greatly increased, and at present amounts to nearly 6000. The following table will afford a view of its advance during the present century.

1801 3204 1811 3839 1821 4575 1831 5105

ROADS.

Horsham, though at present remarkable for the excellent state of its turnpike roads, was, before the year 1750, one of most extraordinary instances of non communication in the kingdom: previously to the abovementioned period, the London road was so execrably bad, that whoever went there on wheels, was compelled to go round by Canterbury!

It is intended to make the great London and Brighton rail road pass through the town, which cannot fail to encreas the business and traffic of the place.

FAIRS.

The fairs of Horsham are on April 5th: Monday before Whitsunday, sheep and lambs: July 18th cattle and pedalary; the Cherry fair; Sep. 5th. cattle: Nov. 27th. cattle and toys. Last Tuesday in every month, for cattle.

"Nicholas Hostresham, whose name is contracted to Horsham, may justly be placed in this town, as descended from it; families of note often taking their names from their places of residence; and if that be admitted, he will give some lustre to it, for he was a very learned man, and so famous a physician, that the nobility coveted his company on any conditions, so high an esteem had they for him. It seems it was something of a peculiar art in him, to cure and yet to please his patient, which he would not do nevertheless it was consistent with the disease; for his aim was, to cure and please if possible, but displease if unavoidable. He was of a middle temper, neither so rough as to affright, nor so gentle, as to humour his patient into his own destruction; so that he was almost two physicians in one man. He died in the year 1448."

(From a survey of the county of Sussex, printed in the year 1730; at present in the possession of Miss Cove, Albion Terrace.)

[Picture: Finis]

APPENDIX

Having principally confined the limits of the foregoing account, to a circle of about 4 or 5 miles around the town of Horsham, we have omitted previously to notice the priory of Rusper, a building of great antiquity, and closely connected with that borough, by the endowment of the church to its nuns. Very little of the ancient edifice remains at present, I shall therefore insert a very brief account of the nunnery, as given by Sir William Burrell, in his interesting MSS. preserved in the British Museum.

"On the north wing of the east front of the nunnery, towards the orchard, the foundations of additional building, and the arch of a cellar are visible, 58 feet in extent, and east of the present house. It is probable a similar wing was on the south aspect and thereby formed a Greek II. The ancient apple trees which cover the flank, render such an idea very problematical." Near the building is a very deep well, said to have been used as a place of destruction for those members of the convent, who had dared to break their vows of chastity.

Near Mrs Delves tomb at Horsham, is the headless brass figure of an ecclesiastic, supposed from the letters T C in the cope, to cover the remains of Thomas clerk, a former rector.

[Picture: Rusper Nunnery]

[Picture: Brass Figure]

[Picture: Brass Figure]

INDEX.

Assizes 3

Braose monument 10

Brotherhood at Horsham 24

Bells Horsham 26

Blount monuments 64

Church of Horsham 6

Covert monument 16

Chantries at Horsham 24

Chapels Dissenting 29

Collier Richard 31

Chesworth 33

Caryll monument 41

Castle at Nuthurst 55

Coaches 68

Dimensions of the church 8

Delves monument 13

Denne house and park

Dubbins Green 52

Eversfield donations 22

Endowment of the church 26

Foys brass of 17

Font at Horsham 21

Free School the

Field place 44

Forest St Leonard's 45

Do legends of 45

Do serpent of 46

Fairs 72

Gaol Horsham 27

Gas 68

Horsham derivation of the name 1

Hoo monument 14

Hoo Wm. brass of 16

Hurst Robert tomb of 18

Hills Place 35

Horsham Nicholas 72

Inscriptions in the church 18

Itchingfield village of 57

Inns at Horsham 68

Jamieson monument 23

Marroitt Capt. tomb of 19

Matthews donations 22

Members for Horsham 2

Moated House 33

North Chapel 34

Nuthurst village of 53

Do lodge 53

Nun's well 56

Pike T. tomb of 17

Plague attack of 22

Plants 69

Population of Horsham 71

Roman road 67

Roads 71

Railroad Brighton, intended direction of 71

Shelley donations 22

Schools at Horsham 33

Stroud park 61

Slinfold village of 61

Saurian remains 70

Town Hall the 4

Tower the Lollard's 23

Tregoz monument in Slinfold Church 63

Warnham village of 39

Do. Court 43

Water 70

* * * * *

Printed by Howard Dudley, Millbank St.

Footnotes

{12} Dallaway page 355 vol 2.

{26} Declaration of Chantries in the Augmentation office.

{31} Dallaway.